Meet Davis Hatcher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Davis Hatcher.

Davis, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have been committed to figuring out how to support myself making art and inventions since I was in high school. I studied physics & electrical engineering at CU until I dropped out to build electric guitars and prototype new kinds of guitar parts.

Five years ago, my brother Zach was flying in from NYC and texted me, asking, “can you make me a bracelet out of some kind of metal?” (for Christmas). My first thought was to maybe just get him a gift card. Instead, I twisted crude steel and copper wire together before hammering it out on a little metal plate on the sidewalk, bending it into a ‘C’ shape, and calling it a bracelet. I made one for myself and another for a girl I liked where I worked at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Boulder.

It was perhaps a year later when I would go to work and almost everyone in front of house would be wearing a cuff or ring that I had made. It was incredibly meaningful, but it would still be a long time before I had worked through the various learning curves necessary to make it into a full-time business.

What made the difference was a chance connection with another local Boulder designer: Todd Reed. His mentorship reoriented my actions on the business end of things. I am happy to say making & sharing my art has become my full-time gig for a year now.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The mystery was always in creating a business around my ideas. Grinding away in my studio and making cool things has always been the part that makes sense. I got into a store or two, worked with some affiliates online to generate sales, and participated in local craft fairs but didn’t find sustained success in any of these. My great error was taking these results to mean that my work wasn’t good enough and that maybe I wasn’t either.

These were tough years, and what finally snapped me out of it was connecting with Todd. He liked my work and told me that it is good enough to build a business around, which I really needed to hear from someone succeeding in the industry. A closer look revealed that I wasn’t doing nearly enough work to get exposure. We created an actionable plan for me to reach out to editorials & galleries.

The lesson here is not to get stuck in a victimizing story. If ‘your work isn’t good enough’ or ‘you aren’t good enough’ then you have created a narrative that enables you not to take uncomfortable or scary actions. Before seeing Todd as a role model I would have never walked into a gallery on Fifth Ave and told them, “I like your family of designers, I believe I have a powerful contribution to that family and I would like you to represent my work”. But I have done just that, and not just once. People want to see that you believe in your purpose.

Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
The short answer is that I twist and hammer precious metal wire to create wearable art. Each pattern, however, has a very specific formula and the process is helped with original tool inventions. In turn, I make these new tools in a machine shop. I’m incredibly lucky and grateful: When my brother asked me to make him a bracelet it brought together different skills and ways of thinking that I had been cultivating for years in a way that I never would have anticipated. I never set out to make jewelry, but rather stumbled into it, and have continued to make it up as I go along. It is to this that I owe the uniqueness of my work, and I am very lucky to have something unique to contribute given how much jewelry has been made throughout space and time.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I have known for a long time that the place where my passion intersects with my natural abilities is in the realm of design & creation. Both of these are key. If you are passionate but not able to progress; you are in for a rough time. If you are working with your natural strengths but in a capacity that feels uninspiring you may end up unfulfilled.

After thinking about success, I can see that for me it is the result of the following process: Starting with a desire to know yourself deeply, discovering the place where your passion & abilities are one, and committing to your purpose despite external social pressures to follow a traditional narrative. If you are willing to persevere you may acquire financial security or recognition but success is not a finish line because life is an infinite game. For the first time I feel successful because I understand that playing the game is all there is.

Pricing:

• My one of a kind pieces ranges from $99-$2,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HelixCuffs
• Phone: 720-771-9286
• Email: contact@davishatcher.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designerdavishatcher
• Other: davishatcher.com

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