Three years ago, Cate Havstad was offered an opportunity by friend and songwriter Willy Tea Taylor. Willy Tea was about to embark on a tour of the western United States, playing shows and filming footage for his music documentary, ‘Searching for Guy Clark’s Kitchen.’ He showed up in Santa Cruz, CA one day with an old flat top hat in hand. Willy Tea asked Cate if she wanted to hit the road and assist in filming during the tour. He presented the hat to her, telling her it was her “movie-making hat” and encouraged her to listen to her heart and follow the inspiration that was to be found on the road. The time on the road with Willy Tea, as well as the family of artists and troubadours that they spent time with left a permanent mark on Cate. It was from that trip on that she started her own journey in seeking that which truly inspired her. That hat gave Cate a new silhouette as she embarked on a new direction in her life, and the sentiment behind the hat made it her most prized possession.

Elliot Lindsey