A few years back, Tristan Harris found herself at a painting party at a friend’s house. While the other guests were chatting and decorating wood signs, she found it impossible to concentrate. A spark of a dream was just starting to ignite.
As soon as she got back to her Milwaukee home, she sprung her idea — to start her own craft company — on her husband George.
“We stayed up till midnight talking,” Tristan recalls with a laugh. She outlined all the reasons why the idea might not work, and how they ought to save their money for something practical like a new family car for carting twelve-year-old Myles and eight-year-old Amira to school, sporting events and church. Still, George believed in her and her dream.
Within a month, Tristan had all her crafting equipment, a website and a name for her venture: Hilltop Creations.
“I always refer to climbing that mountain,” she says. “You’re never going to get placed at the top. You have to climb.”
Almost immediately, orders and opportunities to sell at craft fairs and host in-house parties came rolling in. Tristan appreciated the success, but after awhile found she was putting all her effort into projects and pieces that pleased other people. “They weren’t speaking to me,” she says.
Then, almost as quickly and unexpectedly as it started, business slowed. Tristan wondered why it happened and felt lost.
Soon, though, she began considering the challenge an opportunity. She enrolled in an online branding class and pondered some difficult questions. “It forced me to find out who I was, and what my business was,” she says.
When she thought about what inspires her, two important women came to mind: Her paternal grandmother from Mexico, whose handmade blanket she’d loved since she was a child. And her maternal grandmother, who is part of the Sioux tribe in South Dakota.
Mexican and Native American patterns, colors and motifs inspired Tristan to create new collections of wood trays and signs for her refreshed business. She also makes kid-friendly signs, whimsical pieces featuring movie quotes or song lyrics, and seasonal and personalized items.
One of Tristan’s favorite items is “No Fear,” a wood sign with the silhouette of a girl reaching out to a huge dinosaur. It signifies embracing the unknown and not letting fear stop you. “That’s basically us in a nutshell,” she says.
Through Hilltop Creations, Tristan likes that her kids get to see their mom pursue a dream — and witness the peaks and the valleys of running a creative business. “They see the pieces that don’t work out or don’t sell,” she says.
And it is her goal that everyone who encounters her work, whether at a craft show or party or simply through an online sale, will find the encouragement and fun that she puts into each item.
“I hope that it brings joy,” she says.