The Magnolia Story(58)

I think it’s important to reiterate here that I didn’t start out wanting to be a gardener, or a designer for that matter. It was all trial and error and figuring things out. And sometimes you’ve got to try something outside of your comfort zone to figure out what it is that you truly love.

Well, you could say that about you and me right from the start. You were never looking for the loud guy, and I certainly wasn’t looking for the quiet girl.

Now I look back and go, “If I would’ve ended up with that quiet guy or that stable guy or that safe guy, I would never have been able to pursue any of these dreams, because no one would have pushed me to these new places I discovered in myself.” Those other types of guys might have allowed me to stay in that safe place.

They wouldn’t have drawn you out. That’s interesting. And if I had wound up with some cheerleader who was always the life of the party, I don’t think I would have found my way, either. I needed you for that.

Nowadays when I think about the name Magnolia, I think about it in terms that refer to much more than the blossoming of our business. I think about the buds on the tree, and how they really are just the tightest buds—they look like rocks, almost. And I feel like when Chip and I met, that tight little bud was me. I was risk averse, and in some ways, I don’t think I saw the beauty or the potential in myself. Then I wound up with Chip Gaines and—

You bloomed?

I did. If I hadn’t married Chip, I might not have ever bloomed.

I can’t imagine what my life would be if we hadn’t traveled this road. We celebrated our twelfth anniversary recently, and my dad said something that I thought was really beautiful. He said, “Chip, I always thought, when I was out on the baseball field hitting you those grounders, that I was training you to be the next greatest baseball player. But now, looking back and seeing the person you’ve become, I was really training you to be the next greatest dad.”

We’ve both spent a lot of time attempting to figure out what it is we love so much about life on the farm and also why so many other people who watch our show seem drawn to it too. And what it comes down to is this: A farm is what inspired the both of us from the very beginning. It’s what inspired Chip as a young kid. It’s what inspired me as a young girl, in my daydreaming. And now we’re living our dream. We found our way to this place we love through all sorts of twists and turns and bumps and forks in the road. But we’re here.

It isn’t as if we’re trying to push our lifestyle on anyone. If we’re trying to push anything, it’s the hope that there’s contentment in the journey. Whether you are in an eight-hundred-square-foot home or living in a dream house on a lake, contentment is found on the way to the “farm,” not on the “farm” itself.

We both hope, with all of our hearts, that the people who read this book and watch our show and come to see what we’re working on in Waco will take a chance to go after their dreams too. Because the key to everything Chip and I have learned in our life together so far seems to be pretty simple: Go and find what it is that inspires you, go and find what it is that you love, and go do that until it hurts.

Don’t quit, and don’t give up. The reward is just around the corner. And in times of doubt or times of joy, listen for that still, small voice. Know that God has been there from the beginning—and he will be there until . . .

The End.





Q & A with Chip and Joanna

ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SHOW>>>

Mark: Was there any push from the network or the producers to do something less authentic?

Joanna: Nothing. From the beginning they left it very unscripted. They don’t know this, but they would have found out if they tried—you cannot script Chip Gaines. He wouldn’t have lasted. I think that’s why we like going to work everyday, because there’s no script. We really enjoy it, it’s authentic, and I think that’s our end goal in all this, that people really feel the authenticity. Whether it’s a blog post that I write or a picture on Instagram, I hope that people really feel, “This is authentic. They’re not acting. This is real.”

Mark: It’s just so rare in the reality TV world! It really is.

Joanna: From a time and production standpoint, it’s probably smarter to have scripts on a lot of shows, and instruct the “hosts” as to what they should say and do, because—to be frank—we’re always running behind schedule on our show because of Chip doing his antics. He does some of it just to warm the clients up, since none of them have ever been on TV before. He’s always making bad jokes and things just to make them laugh so they feel more comfortable. He jokes around with the crew, too, to the point where I get upset. Sometimes I’m like, “Chip! I just want to be done with the scene!“ But he is really using his gift of entertainment and humor to try to make everybody have fun with this. I think that’s why we work so well together, because I’m so serious and goal oriented. I see the goal, I just want to get there. Chip is like, “Let’s enjoy it. It’s going to take a little longer, but let’s just have fun getting there.” I think that’s what makes it more fun for me, otherwise I’d just work myself to death.

Mark: Just to be clear, all the clients on the show are real clients?

Joanna: Yes. They authentically come to us, because we really are known for doing this work in this town. So when they come to us now we say, “Hey, do you want to be on the show?” The production company also does casting calls. But it’s got to be people that have their own money to spend on a real renovation.