We all have heard the catchy phrase, “Do what you love. Love what you do.” It’s a reminder to live in such a way that when we look back on our pursuits, we feel satisfaction. Studies in psychology show that regularly doing what we love has an enormous impact on our energy, self image, performance at work, coping skills, relationship health, and overall happiness. But people may not have the luxury to do what they love doing because of life’s realities--or do they?
Well, the story of Panama hat weavers in the small town of Pile, in the foothills of Montecristi, Ecuador, reminds us that our individual skills are a gift that nature has bestowed upon each of us to live life with contentment and joyful purpose, in spite of our personal tribulations or difficulties. Our natural abilities seem to be given to us to balance the disquieting complexities of our world. The Ecuadorian hat makers remind us that doing what one loves, even if that “love” doesn’t bring the immediate monetary compensations we would like, is the way to achieve fulfillment. Paradoxically, often the personal harmony that emerges from doing what we love eventually brings about the material compensation we strive for in order to live dignified lives.
Each of the humble hat weavers from the mountains of Ecuador is able to make, at most, four hats during the year. This is due to the complexity of the weaving: each hat has more than 4,000 weaves per square inch, all done by hand. The weave is so fine that it takes a jeweler’s magnifying glass to count the rows. The artist's agile fingers, sharp eyes, and concentration produce exquisite pieces of art valued at up to $16,000 per piece, and the hat makers probably make a quarter of that. These humble artisans face pressure from the Ecuadorian government to switch from their artistic and time-consuming herringbone-style weave to a light, simple weave that can be turned out quickly and in commercial quantities, but they have refused to abandon the old ways. They are proud of their tradition, which could suddenly disappear if they were to exchange their trade for a money-making business. They consider their talent "a gift from God” and think of themselves as guardians of a heritage that can be traced as far back as the Incas, who were the first to weave hats from a palm tree called “toquilla,” which is indigenous to the coastal regions of Ecuador.
I knew close to nothing about the making of the superfino Panama hats, in spite of having grown up in a tropical climate where the wearing of a hat, some type of hat, is a must to protect from the harsh UV rays--especially in the summer months, when the sun rides high and temperatures range from 90 to 100 degrees. So the Panama hat style, or some variation of it, was well known to me, but I never thought much about it until I ran across this interesting article about the trade and the people who made them. Despite bearing the name “Panama hats,” they are not from Panama at all; apparently, they gained the name because these hats were first sold at trading posts on the Isthmus of Panama when the Panama Canal was being built in 1904 and foreigners, mainly from the U.S., created a demand for the hats. As the story of these humble Ecuadorian hat makers tells us, money is not everything when it comes to a profession that will provide a living until retirement. These gifted artists’ attitude toward their work reminds us all that our talents have no price--we have to be true to ourselves and use our talents with integrity to become our absolute best.
You can read the full article at the New York Times.