my story
I truly believe life is a gift and that beautiful opportunities cross our paths daily if we are present enough to acknowledge them. This mindset has taken me on many wonderful adventures in this life.
I’ve always admired the Artisan and Maker. Perfecting a craft with soul and purpose with two hands and basic tools.
Looking up to those who chose to do things the ‘ol fashioned way, because the quality was better and they gave a damn about craft over mass production.
Winemaking was the first craft that encaptivated me in this way. I fell in love with the concept of Terroir and the soil to bottle process. Opening a bottle of wine is no different than opening a book… every vintage has a story of people, momma nature, broken tractors, late night pressings, and the hands that guided the process. This love has taken me to numerous parts of the world working harvests with different wineries and learning different aspects of the craft in the process.
Along this wine journey I met a hatmaker in 2017. I approached him to introduce myself and find out where he got the hat he was wearing. When his answer was, “I made it” my interest soared and I had to know more. I made one hat with my first teacher and have worn this hat all over the world in my wine travels and the common question arose no matter the continent, “Can you make me one of those?”
I flirted with the idea of making hats as a business since 2018 but was so immersed in my wine career that it was easy to say “some day.”
Well the idea of ‘Some Day’ abruptly changed on July 23rd 2020 after being hit by a drunk driver and surviving a near fatal motorcycle accident. A cast on both arms and not knowing if I’d be able to use my right hand again really got me viewing life from a different lens.
One promise I made to myself if my hand worked again was to finally pursue my love for hatmaking. After a long road of recovery, I made it out with two working hands, and Cutter Paul was born.
Take a chance, pursue a dream, go to South Africa on a handshake deal, ride a motorcycle, go shark diving, get a tattoo, be a hugger, TRAVEL, learn an instrument, but most importantly don’t be afraid to go against the grain and live a life worth living.
Kyle Cutter Nickerson
Owner/Maker
