Lately I have been enamored with all things Chip and JoAnna Gaines. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved them from Season One but lately I have been getting more and more intrigued and inspired by them.
To start, I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Magnolia Silos over the holiday season. That experience alone got my creative juices flowing. I thought, since we just moved into a new home and its basically empty, I would be inspired for everything home decor {and I was}. However, a stronger sense of inspiration came in the form of business, entrepreneurship and creativity that I really wasn’t expecting. To see Waco first hand and to see how much Chip and JoAnna have brought to the town was really incredible. In a town where the main attraction was the Dr. Pepper Museum they have built something really awe inspiring. Walking around the Silos you could see every creative detail and feel the sense of family and community that made you want to stay all day.
While my business focuses on Graphic Design I started to make correlations between what they had built and what I want to build and it really made me want to dive in and get started. I loved how everything was different but tied together. How you could take a store, a gardening area / shop, a bakery and a park and make them their own entity but at the same time you knew they all went together. My mind is always thinking in so many different directions that I get frustrated because all my thoughts don’t fit into a perfectly labeled box. I was inspired to think that I don’t have to do that, that there is a way to do it all and remain cohesive.
{It was 1,191 miles from Sarasota FL to Waco TX}
On our trip I also read The Magnolia Story – only fitting right? If you are a Fixer Upper fan you have to read this book. It will make you love Chip and Jo that much more. It tells their story from when they met all the way through building their businesses and lives together. I was amazed at the similarities between the way Jo thought and the way I think – Some of the things Jo said in the book have come straight out of my mouth before
“I have always been one to play it safe. If it were up to me, the less risk involved the better …” – JoAnna Gaines
As I read on I became really excited because Chip entered the scene and he was the risk taker, the “why not now” guy the one that pushed Jo to expand her dreams and make them a reality. Well, my husband, while he may not be the most handy guy he is a risk taker, a big thinker, and is always telling me to reach higher, not find the negatives and be present.
In fact, as we were shopping through the Magnolia Market he could tell that I was being conservative in my purchases {as we were gonna have to ship home anything we bought}. He reminded me that this was an experience and that I’d probably never be back again so not to hold back and enjoy myself.
Now as I watch Season Four I watch with a whole new perspective on Chip and Jo, how they work on and within their business, how they get inspired and where I can pull pieces of inspiration {that are more than the paint colors and furniture choices}. Of course the best part is the transformation you see at the end which is why this year I really want to have a transformation of my own. I want this inspiration to push me along so come December I can look back and see the transformation that I have worked so hard on.
Other things that inspire me about JoAnna Gaines:
- Her style – comfortable, effortless, and without fuss. I have never been one to put too much time and effort into my looks. I’m just not interested in it, I can’t do it {make-up that is} and I don’t enjoy it.
- Her love of gardening – I have NEVER had a green thumb. Everything I plant, dies but gardening always seems so nice, relaxing and fun. However I have made it a New Years Resolution of mine to do better. I love to plant things, especially things I can use like herbs, fruits and veggies. They just never make it because I forget to water them or I don’t plant them in the right spot. This year I’m going to make my gardening more intentional and really spend time with it. AND I’m going to make one of those sweet fairy gardens!
