Christy Sing Robertson - On Grit, Hard Work, & Going All In

Episode • Jul 14, 2023 • 1h 10m

Christy Sing Robertson is a hatmaker and the founder and owner of Sing Hat Company. Based in Jackson, Wyoming, Christy has evolved rather quickly from making a few hats for herself and several friends into becoming one of the most popular and sought-after hat makers in the West. Whether she’s hand-shaping palm leaf hats for hundreds of people at events such as last month’s Old Salt Festival or creating a custom felt hat for a 5th generation rancher or celebrity musician, Christy’s humility, curiosity, and commitment to the craft have allowed her to stand out in the crowded field of custom hatmakers.

Christy was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and she stayed there for the first half of her career, working as a high-performing salesperson in the insurance industry. But despite her success in the conventional and lucrative world of sales, she felt called to the West and decided to uproot her life and move to Jackson, Wyoming. Even though she moved to Jackson without knowing a soul, she managed to establish roots and build a fulfilling life centered around motherhood, hard work, and leading a thoughtful, intentional life. And along the way, just as she felt a calling to move to Wyoming, she felt called to make hats– so she went all-in. Today, Christy’s hats– and her long list of customers– demonstrate the amazing success she’s achieved in a relatively short amount of time.

I’ve been following Christy’s work for many years now, so I was thrilled to finally have a chance to chat with her on the podcast. Her story is amazingly inspiring and speaks to the importance of grit, risk-taking, working hard, humility, and trusting your gut. We covered a lot during our hour together, including: her upbringing in Arkansas and her success in the insurance business; the spiritual event that led her to move to Wyoming; how motherhood changed her; the focus and hustle required to make ends meet as a single mother; hunting big game for food; balancing the artistic side of hatmaking with the all-important need to earn a living; the increasing wealth inequality in Jackson; the importance of friendships with other artisans and makers; why imposter syndrome can be a good thing; techniques for keeping an even keel; favorite books; and much more.

If you haven’t checked out Christy’s website or followed her on social media, I recommend that you do– there are links in the episode notes to all of that and everything else we discussed. But in the meantime, I know you’ll enjoy this inspiring and motivational conversation with Christy Sing Robertson.

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Sing Hat Company
Sing Hat Company on Instagram
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sing/
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

4:30 - Christy’s childhood
9:00 - Christy’s life post high school
10:45 - When making things clothes came into Christy’s life
12:00 - How Christy came to the Rocky Mountains, and how it changed her
23:00 - What Christy’s work and life was like after moving to Wyoming
25:15 - When hatmaking entered Christy’s life
27:30 - How Christy’s life changed after she had kids
32:00 - How Christy became self-sufficient in hunting
35:30 - Back to hats
39:00 - Whether or not Christy ever reconsidered her decision to make hats
40:55 - When Christy felt she was good at making hats
42:45 - How relationship building impacted Christy’s business
44:15 - How it went when Christy went full into making hats for a living
46:45 - How Christy manages the prices of Jackson, WY
50:15 - How Christy keeps an even keel
51:30 - How a community of makers has impacted Christy’s journey and career
55:15 - Reflecting on how Christy got where she is in her craft and career
58:45 - Christy’s advice for aspiring makers
1:01:15 - Christy’s vision for Sing Hats
1:05:00 - Christy’s book recommendations
1:07:00 - Christy’s parting words of wisdom

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