We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaxon Howell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jaxon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I had owned a custom furniture & millwork company since 2006. In 2019, I was in a car accident that left me with a wrist injury that made my woodworking very painful and sometimes impossible to do. Then… the pandemic hit. And the demand for woodworking quickly dried up. Suddenly, not only was I physically struggling to work… I was also finding myself unable to earn enough to cover the wages of my employees. So there I was after fourteen years as a woodworker, faced with the difficult decision to let that business and career go.

I needed to feed my love for craftsmanship in another way so I started making hats as a hobby. It allowed me to still create something with my hands, without putting unnecessary strain on my body. With the pandemic in full force, all millinery classes were on an indefinite hold and the opportunity to apprentice under someone was not an option. So I went at it on my own. It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning. Hat making is a pretty secretive trade so there’s not much to find online in the way of learning. Luckily, I have a knack for picking things up so what I did find on YouTube I was able to put into practice. I polished my technique along the way and started creating some pieces I was really proud of.

As word spread through my community about what my new hobby was, the requests began to roll in. I started making hats for my friends and then people I didn’t even know started ordering hats as well. I was beginning to get referrals and customers from all over the world. It has definitely had its slow times as most creative endeavors do. You just have to persevere when you are building something that you really enjoy. Things continue to grow and now I am making my full time living making hats

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a creative through and through. Whether it was through painting and sketching when I was young to photography, furniture making or hat making, I have always had a creative spirit. It was a matter of reinvention that got me to where I am today. Leaving an industry I loved to diving into something new that I am passionate about and love doing every day.

Something that comes up often when I tell people about what I do is that they have never been able to find a hat that fit’s and suits them properly. I solve that problem by creating a bespoke design experience for them. I take proper measurements and template the shape of their heads so that when they get their hat, it fits perfectly. On top of that I help them choose a color and style that suits there personality well. Trimmings and personalized accoutrement make all the difference in the design.

I create custom, handcrafted hats to help sustainably-minded fashion lovers escape the harmful cycle of buying, donating, buying, donating, and add a one-of-a-kind statement piece to their wardrobe that’ll turn heads, inspire conversations, and be passed on for generations.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Our planet is being destroyed in large part by the mass production in the garment industry. I am on a mission to eliminate mass fashion production and bring elegance, pride, soul, and connection back to the closet by using upcycled fabrics, carefully sourcing sustainable materials and handcrafting every hat by hand.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It would be that I am doing something different every day. I rarely make the same style hat more than once. Paired with that, I also get to work my photography and even my woodworking into hat making. The freedom that it provides me to make my own schedule, choose my own directions and have lots of time to travel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jaxonhowell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hatsbyhowell
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jp4VCqfYHekAygeK_ARUA

Image Credits
photos in shop @kezianphotography photo wearing turtleneck @itsemilyellen