Happy summer 2024! I am delighted to continue sharing this platform with incredible women who have been crucial to Cowgirl Yoga. This month, we highlight Kricia Storms, the founder of Bozeman’s Bang Bang Hats. She will be part of our Dude Ranch Cowgirl Yoga retreat this September at the 9 Quarter Circle Ranch, offering her unique hat-making experience to our cowgirl yoginis. Read on to discover how the art of hat making helps her stay grounded.
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“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book…or take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernation are easily detectable: first, restlessness; the second symptom, absence of pleasure… And then some shock treatment takes place—a person, a book, a song—that awakens you and saves you from a dormant existence. Some never awaken.”
—Anais Nin
This perfectly describes my experience, with my awakening coming in an unexpected place: a custom hat shop in Austin, TX, in 2022.
Before visiting the shop, I felt like I was hibernating, trying to recover from a series of events that had pulled me into a deep hole. Just four days after moving to Montana in 2019, I slipped on the ice and broke my femur. Finally back on my feet, I was ready to start exploring when the pandemic hit. Two years later, as restrictions began to ease, I learned I would need another hip surgery, requiring months of recovery. Following the unexpected loss of my cat, I found myself searching for meaning in these challenging times, which only led me into a deeper spiral.
On the day I was finally off crutches, I booked a trip to Austin. As I limped down South Congress, I stumbled upon a hat shop. To my surprise, it wasn’t an ordinary store; they shaped hats right there. I realized I had never considered how a hat was made until I saw the hat shapers using steam to mold the felt and craft the brims and crowns. I was mesmerized. After leaving, I couldn’t shake the experience from my mind. I began researching hat-making and soon sought out courses—though they were few and often brief workshops, I craved a more in-depth understanding; I wanted to master the craft.
During a trip to Florence, Italy, I discovered a three-month hat-making course. After some careful consideration, I put my life on hold and enrolled. This was the catalyst for my awakening. I began to feel alive again. For the first time, I took a risk and invested in myself. I embraced the uncertainty, allowing what needed to stay in my life to do so while letting go of what didn’t serve me. The art of hat making opened a door for me to reconnect with my passion, creativity, and the indescribable joy that comes from working with my hands. Hat making required me to remain present; whenever my thoughts strayed, mistakes followed—this was a pattern that accompanied me throughout the entire process. It taught me to slow down, stay focused, and embrace patience. It revealed that, much like in life, most challenges are fixable, and there isn’t just one way to achieve a goal. It encouraged me not to dismiss a creation simply because it didn’t meet my expectations. Instead, I learned valuable lessons about myself and my developing skills.
More than a year later, after crafting hundreds of hats, I am now the proud owner of Bang Bang, a custom hat shop in Bozeman, Montana. Hat making has connected me with people across the nation, and I relish the opportunity to hear their stories and design hats that mirror their unique personalities and styles. Bang Bang isn’t just an attention-grabbing name; it signifies a commitment to creating distinctive, custom hat experiences that foster connection and creativity. My mission is to empower individuals to feel bold and confident, encouraging them to live an extraordinary life. Embracing uncertainty and the bravery to confront oneself can awaken us, guiding us toward a fulfilling existence. Bang Bang strives to craft hats that are cherished heirlooms for future generations while reconnecting wearers with themselves and celebrating their life’s journey. Bang Bang!
Here I am in my custom Bang Bang hat, which accompanied me on my trip to Argentina.
