HAYLEE MATECKO

It is the spring of 2018, the very end of March. It’s a Saturday morning, and the light is gently streaming in from the amass of windows I have in my apartment. The sunlight reflects on the white comforter of my bed, which I woke up to see without even setting an alarm.

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I put my little slippers and fuzzy robe on, and head into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. I take a few deep breaths, off to wash my face and fully wake myself up to enjoy the slow Saturday morning. I find myself picking up the book I have yet to put down in my spare time, which isn’t much. I’ve always got another project here or there – life as an entrepreneur is actually quite busier than most people would imagine.

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“Hippie Handwriting” started as “Handwritten by Haylee” back when I was in college. It became a way for me to find peace and serenity while creatively expressing myself through calligraphy and hand lettering, and quickly morphed into something much bigger. I realized that the market was saturated with hand letterers, all incredibly skilled at their work. But who had taken hold of the reusable medium niche? To my knowledge, it was few and far between. So, I grew my passion into a full-fledged business, salvaging old pieces like mirrors, plates, and other things deemed as trash to create into something new. Each piece has its own history and can only be one of a kind, which makes the story so much richer.

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But on this day, I am taking a quick break to read and enjoy my coffee in my downtown Austin loft. This afternoon, I’ll get myself up and moving to a flea market and maybe a couple thrift stores – Saturdays in Austin are great for searching for my next pieces.

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As I search for my next pieces, I find myself serene and valued in that moment. I find myself so enthralled in doing what I love that I don’t realize how I am working on a Saturday. People told me I was making a mistake to leave my stable accounting job, but I knew that I needed something that fulfilled me all the way down to my pinky toes.

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After my flea market search, I’m off to dinner with my sisters and their families. We all live in Austin, so we frequently spend dinners together, rotating who is hosting. My older sister Holly is hosting tonight, with her husband Khoi. They have a sweet, modest home with three kids seemingly always running around. Two twin girls, and a younger boy. My younger sister Hannah and her husband Pierce join us as well, having recently returned from a big hiking trip to the Smoky Mountains. Hannah was always the adventurous type.

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We spend the night laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and I play the good Aunt role by bringing little trinkets from the flea market for my nieces and nephews. They’re always amazed by the “treasures” I find for them. I’m exhausted though, it’s getting late, so we say our goodbyes and I head home.

Home; back to my loft. Back to the place where I sleep, where I have my studio, where I see the Austin skyline from sun up and all through the night. I close the curtains and get ready for bed, happy at the way this wonderful day has gone.