THE FINE LINE | with Haskell Harris
The Fine Line | HASKELL HARRIS
Haskell Harris is the Style Director for the award-winning national luxury lifestyle magazine, Garden & Gun, and the author of the successful Substack, Gander. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, and with a career spanning two decades, Haskell’s contributions have been featured in publications such as Cottage Living, House Beautiful, and Better Homes & Gardens. She is also the author of The House Romantic, a book that invites readers into her home and shares her personal design philosophy.
As the owner of Haskell Harris Creative, she consults with both emerging and established brands, helping them craft their stories and connect with their ideal audiences. As a working mother, Haskell is a passionate advocate for other entrepreneurial women, believing in the power of a supportive community to navigate the demands of career and family. Her work reflects a unique blend of Southern charm, sophisticated design, and a joyful approach to life, inspired in part by seeing the world through her son's eyes.
In this conversation for The Fine Line, Haskell shares how she balances her thriving career and motherhood, the advice she offers to working moms, and the women-owned businesses that inspire her.
How has becoming a mother positively influenced your career?
Working motherhood taught me that other entrepreneurial working mothers really understand the pressure and the need for flexibility. We will go above and beyond to bob and weave around whatever inevitably happens with our kids on any given day (constant sicknesses, carpools, sports, doctors’ appointments, summer camp, and on and on) — and we will still get extraordinary amounts of work done. Working moms all around me do it daily, and they do it with grace and humor because they get it. Corporate America hasn’t caught up to that mentality. It’s why I find my consulting work with fellow female founders so enriching. We have each other’s backs.
What’s something about motherhood that surprised you - in the best way - when it came to your creativity, storytelling, eye for design, or work life?
I went from loving layered neutrals to becoming an absolute color-obsessed crazy person. I saw design through a child’s eyes the minute my son was born. And it’s a wonderfully whimsical, happy way to put a house together. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
What advice do you have for working moms?
Find your working mom tribe. They are your people. They get it. They will help you.
How do you involve your son in understanding your work, and what do you hope he learns from watching your career?
I involve him in everything, and I have from the beginning. He knows about what it takes to put a magazine together, a book together, a house and garden together, and dream up fun things for my consulting clients, too. And he’s only seven! He already has an eye for detail and an insatiable curiosity about life. Even if he wants to be an accountant, he’ll certainly understand how creative brains work, too.
Who are a few women founders and/or women-owned businesses that you're excited about?
Oh my gosh, it’s hard to nail that down! Some are my clients, past and present.
I adore Katie Gaston at Baybala.
I’m currently working with Line + Cleat and Amanda Horan, and she is a genius for coming up with her concept.
I also have a design crush on interior designer Anne Pulliam. We have very similar temperaments and tastes, and I get so excited to see what she’s working on, house after house.
Also, Roxy Owens at Society Social is an old friend in the business, and I’m gobsmacked by what she’s done with her line.
My friend Kelly also has a beautiful shop in Perry, Georgia: Massey Gordon.
Helmsie Baby was an early client (we still work together!), and I love working with both founders so very much.
I could literally keep going with this list for eternity.
Has your definition of success changed since becoming a mother? What does a successful day look like now?
I’ve worked through some extraordinarily difficult things to earn my peace professionally and personally. So my definition of success is a calm, nurturing, collaborative environment at work, and at home with my little boy and our supportive and very loyal friends and family.
FOLLOW ALONG
Follow Haskell on LinkedIn, Instagram, and subscribe to Gander, Haskell’s Substack. You can purchase a copy of Haskell’s book, The House Romantic, here.
Follow Brigade Events and stay tuned for the next iteration of The Fine Line at @brigadeevents.
We’d be honored to include you — or a woman you admire — in this series. If you or someone you know has a story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at carly@ingoodcompanypr.com. Together, we can uplift, support, and redefine leadership for the next generation.
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