Today we’d like to introduce you to Shiloh, Jaye, & Hawk Of T4t Handmade.
Hi Shiloh, Jaye, & Hawk, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hey! We’re Shiloh, Koen, Jaye, & Eve, and we’ve had the privilege of starting the T4t Handmade artists collective together. We each serve equally as the current active members and leadership. We also have a team of additional participating artists from different spaces working with tons of different mediums that make up the rest of our collective and contribute when they are able, such as Hidden Lotus Apothecary, Cultural Capital Store & Resistant Rabbit.
What makes us stand out is that we are a collective of queer and trans disabled survivors, focused on sustainability and community development. Though we’d dreamt of starting such an enterprise for years, it wasn’t until early 2025 that we entered the vendor scene, finding success as new faces at the Denton Community Market.
It was through these shared goals and identities that we found one another, and began to develop a network of social interests & initiatives, focusing on our community and uplifting one another through mutual aid. We wanted to have a space that would allow us to teach the individual skills we have learned and empower those arounds us by learning things like mending, repair, and maintaining things we own. So much of what we have is thrown away as soon as a problem arises, but through mutual education and support we can not only create new things but learn to sustain what we have.
The art work that comes from this time we get together is brought to markets where we take turns tabling and meeting our wonderful neighbors. We operate on a sliding-scale basis, which allows us to reach more folks and share our story, as everything brought in helps our artists continue to do what they love. Most gratifying, is showing up and showing out; that queer and trans people are here to stay, loud and proud, flags flying – and it’s integral to what we do, that Texas youth see that their elders are still here fighting for their rights and won’t abandon them.
Our work is uplifted by groups that grew from the very network of mutual aid we have built overtime; one such group being Co-Operation Denton, who have been steadfast supporters and fantastic friends of our organization.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting up something like this never really goes smoothly, especially working as disabled peers navigating an inaccessible world. Disabilities are often unpredictable, and our plans shift and have to be adapted based on how available we all are.
I would say that navigating the workload has been our greatest obstacle. When building something from the ground us as we have, there is so much to do and it all feels equally urgent.
None of us came from wealth, & we all live paycheck to paycheck like many of our neighbors. We’ve done this with our own tools, out of our own homes, & with just a few small grass roots donations from our peers & our people – all of which is documented & maintained on our Open Collective for transparency and public accountability to being a for-purpose organization. Keeping up with books as first-time entrepreneurs has not been simple!
The booth design, the business cards, the products, and taxes! Each task has been a learning curve & we find solace in having one another to lean on as we “truck through it.”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a collective, we’re known for encouraging our artists to make what they love, and not stress about perfection or technicalism. The goal is to make time for art, and to heal and grow from it, then share that work with our community in return for resources that helps our artists continue to do what they love.
This helps buy back free time from the struggles of day to day life, and work against burn out – enabling folks to engage more in community organizing.
As for what makes our individual artists unique, I’ll list out our main artists here, and each of their skillsets, because its quite diverse.
Shiloh: I have an eye for and a talent with leather work. From caring for leather goods, to making them, I’ve got all the needed know-how. In particular I’m quite proud of our patches and small accessories. Having a high quality piece of leather will last you a very long time, and it looks good when you wear it around! I take pride in creating pieces that showcase my friend’s original work, such as Eden Paoli and their wonderful patch designs.
Jaye: Jaye is a phenomenal artist with a dozen different talents, but for booths Jaye typically works in crochet. They have a talent for finding niches and creating the perfect product. Their work has a focus on clothing such as hats, bandanas, and scrunchies, and utilitarian goods such as bags and fidgets.
Eve: Eve has a patchwork of different skills, but typically focuses on beadwork and jewelry. They sell a variety of different styles from goofy and cute, to regal and elegant, with something for just about everyone. They are constantly trying out new techniques so no two pieces are the same!
How do you think about luck?
Luck is a funny thing, because we never really know what forces are behind the cards we’re dealt.
But we went from an idea to a real, applicable dream in the making, and we managed to find one another along the way. So I’d count it as good luck that I found such amazing people to build this with, that I know I can count on and who share important values for developing our goals. – Shiloh
Often times when working markets, it comes down to the weather and the location, both of which change very often.
There are some markets that have huge turnouts, and we almost run out of products; and there are others where only about one or two people show up.
Each day is a bit of a surprise so you have to learn to adapt quickly and think on your toes.
Luck for sure plays a role because if an event gets rained out, often times it will get cancelled, and/or if the location turns out to be a bad spot, no one will show up.
The only thing you can do is make the best out of a bad situation, and try and turn those slow days into productive and fun experiences. – Eve
Pricing:
- Sliding scale pricing to make art accessible for everyone
- Adjusted based on needs of the consumer
- Commissions available for custom pieces
- Discounts available for queer/trans youth
- Pricing negotiable for promotable deals; custom gear for bands, performers, where our work will be displayed widely.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://t4thandmade.square.site
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/t4thandmade
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/t4thandmade
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/t4thandmade
- Other: etsy.com/t4thandmadeco , email is t4thandmade@proton.me , individual artists socials shiloh – @anbrfieldnotes ; Koen @anxious.muk ; Eve @aspiringeve ; @myysteryy_art ; Hidden Lotus Apothecary ; jack @resistantrabbit ; Brit @ CulturalCapitalStore
Image Credits
All images are our own, taken by ourselves or by Jaye, our mentioned/featured artist. The personal photos are of Jaye, Eve, and Shiloh and Koen.
