Meet Rebecca Gaut | Owner & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rebecca Gaut and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rebecca, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
From a young age I have always wanted to have my own business. I come from a family of entrepreneurs so it was something I always wanted to do and felt like a natural path for me to take. I love the idea of taking control of my own schedule and never having to ask for a day off. Being a mom has also always been a top priority. After having my two girls, a flexible schedule became a necessity for our family. Sometimes this means I put in the work while they sleep but the flexibility of making my own schedule is something I don’t think I will ever want to give up.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My baskets are hand dyed and people often assume they are imported because of their rustic appearance. Each basket is one of a kind and often people have a hard time understanding how they made just by looking at them. I am most proud of the colors I have created by blending different dyes together. It is the most fun part of the job. As for the prisms, I am just in love. They are so simple but bring me so much joy and I think my customers can feel that joy and get excited about them too.

I have a degree in visual communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and I planned on being an event planner after I graduated. It turns out I am not very detail oriented so it was not a good fit. I tried starting various Etsy shops over the years but I didn’t have a good “why” to keep going. Once I had children, I wanted the ability to stay home with them so I worked as hard as I could to make that happen. I networked and formed friendships with people in the maker community. They gave me the push that I could do it and I am so grateful they did. I leaped many times before I was ready but if I hadn’t I would not have grown my business or met the amazing bay area maker community. Being vulnerable and putting myself out there has been the most challenging yet rewarding part of the whole process and keeps me going day after day.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I was hosting my best friend for a week I would take her wine tasting all over Sonoma county and finish up at one of the incredible restaurants around town. We would brunch and go on a hike or visit the beach. There are so many great microbreweries around so we would definitely visit a few of those while enjoying some fish tacos along the way. A visit to San Francisco is a must where we would take the train to get to a restaurant and eat over priced tapas during happy hour. Last but not least we would rent some electric scooters and go to the Warriors game while sending pictures to our husbands and kids at home so they could try and spot us on TV.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely have to give a shoutout to my husband for the success of the business. He has been in it with me since day 1 and is always cheering me on. He picks up the slack at home during my busy seasons and will jump right in to help if I need an extra set of hands in the studio.

Website: beamandbranch.com

Instagram: beamandbranch

Image Credits
Jessica fix photography (for all but one photo) Sarah Renee Photography (for event photo with yellow table cloth)