My Interview with Clint Harp from Fixer Upper
A few weekends ago I was given the most incredible opportunity to sit down face to face and have a conversation with Clint Harp (and his adorable wife Kelly!) from Fixer Upper and Harp Design Co.
And yes, I am still pinching myself!
Like every other DIY-loving girl out there, I have seen every single episode of Fixer Upper countless times. There’s a reason the show had such a sweeping effect on the entire nation, and it wasn’t all about the breathtaking designs or the jaw dropping before-and-after’s. It was just as much the people on the show that made everyone go crazy for more.
One of those key people? Clint Harp of Harp Design Co.
And for good reason. People are drawn to him. After watching Clint on TV you feel like you know him. He is relatable. He is humble, genuine, and down to earth. He is a family man and his passion for his work is contagious.
Clint Harp Interview: An Email from Harp Design Co.
So, how did all of this come to be? Well, let’s back up a few weeks. I received an email from the Director of Marketing at Harp Design Co. She introduced herself and invited me to a private meet and greet with Clint Harp at the Atlanta Home Show.
My first thought? “Obviously this is a scam.”
After a little investigating I quickly figured out that this was not in fact a scam. I was going to meet Clint Harp!!! (Insert freak out and jumping up and down with excitement here).
Clint Harp’s Book Handcrafted: A Woodworker’s Story
You can grab a copy of Clint’s book HERE. And you can use the discount code HARP10 for 10% off at Harp Design Co. (including furnture!)
Prior to meeting Clint I had already read his book Handcrafted: A Woodworker’s Story. I loved it so much that I could dedicate an entire blog post solely to his book. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy: you will not be disappointed.
I loved it because I saw so much of my story in his story. I relate to his love of working with your hands. I relate to the ever-present desire to create something from nothing. I relate to the learned love of woodworking inherited through a family member. And when he talks about dumpster diving to find free material? Well I immediately knew the Harp’s are my kind of people 🙂
(If you are wondering, yes I asked him to sign my book and yes that is his signature 🙂 )
In his book Clint tells the unlikely story of how he came to be the nationally recognized carpenter on Fixer Upper. And without giving away too much, it is not what you think. With the support of his wife Kelly, Clint left behind his comfortable life of security and a healthy paycheck. He jumped headfirst into the unknown to pursue his passion of building furniture.
And yet his story is about so much more than building furniture. In his book Clint will leave you energized and inspired to veer off the beaten path in a quest to invent your own journey. He will challenge you to be true to yourself. He will make you reconsider what it means to do meaningful work. And he will encourage you to recognize the beauty in the journey itself.
My Interview with Fixer Upper’s Clint Harp at the Atlanta Home Show
I arrived at the Atlanta Home Show on March 23rd as Clint was finishing up a live on-air radio interview. I immediately noticed his wife Kelly sitting nearby (she is so cute, by the way!). And I couldn’t help but notice the crowds of people circling around them hoping to get a photo or a handshake.
As his interview wrapped up we were quickly introduced while a staffer walked us through the convention center to a private room. On the walk over I had the chance to chat with Kelly and I was immediately struck by how personable and sweet she was. On our short walk over multiple people approached Clint and I noticed how kind and attentive he was to every person that came his way.
Once we were in the room we sat down at a round table and all I could think was, “Oh my gosh I’m sitting at a table with Clint and Kelly Harp.”
If I’m being completely honest I am much more comfortable in large groups where I can blend in. Put me in a small group where there may be attention on me and I can easily become {painfully} shy.
Well, talk about a small group. Sitting at the the table was Clint, Kelly, Brandi from Don’t Disturb This Groove, and myself. Again I thought, “Oh my gosh I am sitting at a table with Clint and Kelly Harp and one other person!”
But it could not have been any more comfortable. Almost immediately I felt like I was sitting at a table talking to an old friend. We had about 45 minutes before Clint had to speak on stage, so we dove right in.
It was truly an honor to have the chance to meet the Harp’s and I wish I could adequately put in to words everything I took away from our conversation. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways.
On Being Back Home in Georgia
We started off by welcoming Clint back to his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia! Before reading his book I just assumed that Clint was born a Texan. But he is actually from Georgia and grew up just down the road from where I grew up. Clint said it was great to be back home and he describes himself as a “Georgia boy” through and through.
“Just off the banks of the Chattahoochee River, right outside of Atlanta, sits another house. It’s the home that my grandfather Verner Martin built. We called it the Buzzard’s Roost, or, for short, simply the Roost. During my early childhood, the Roost was my favorite place in the world. I did a lot of growing up there.”
But he also said that Waco, Texas is home now too. When he steps off the plane in Atlanta, he feels like he is home. When he steps off the plane back in Texas, he feels like he is home. In his own words, Texas is home now but Georgia will always be home too.
It was neat to meet Clint in his hometown. We were able to chat about Atlanta and make a few personal connections (from the high schools we attended to the fact that he has family in the same city where I now live).
On Jumping Right In and Learning as You Go
After reading Clint’s book I was surprised to learn that he wasn’t always a master craftsman. He openly shares how oftentimes he felt like he had no idea what he was doing. Case in point: when he agreed to make Joanna the first ever infamous farm table, he had no idea how to use a lathe to turn a turn a table leg. (What?!?) He learned by watching YouTube videos and with a lot of time and practice.
“At a young age, amid the unpredictability of my childhood, I decided that’s how I’d live. I’d find my own way, and what I didn’t know, I’d figure out. What I didn’t have, I would work around. What I didn’t understand, I would learn. I’d become an apprentice to life and its grand adventures, staying open to the potential in each moment and learning from master teachers along the way.”
Clint’s advice for someone to follow their dreams even if they feel like they don’t have it all figured out yet? Just do it. Just go for it. There will be times you mess up. There will be times you feel stupid. There will be times people make you question what you are doing. Keep going and do it anyways.
On His Grandfather
Clint spoke of his grandfather who was also a builder and a craftsman. After reading his book it is clear that his grandfather was instrumental in encouraging him to follow his dreams. He not only taught him about building furniture, but it was he who taught Clint some of life’s greatest lessons.
“For the longest time, I thought he was talking about furniture. And of course, in some ways, he was. But whether or not he or I knew it in that moment, building instructions weren’t what he was passing down to me. He was telling me to do my life right. He was telling me to see him, his life, and what he had left unfinished, and do better.”
He told us the story of the first time he ever showed his grandfather photos of furniture he built. His grandfather studied the photos carefully, then looked at him and said, “Well you’re not a dumbass!” 🙂
It was his grandfather who mailed him a check for $1,250 to buy the proper tools he needed to first start building furniture.
On Embracing the Journey
In his book, as well as in our interview, Clint emphasizes the importance of recognizing beauty in the journey. His advice? Enjoy the process. Learn as you go.
Your current situation may simply be a “canoe” that is designed specifically to take you from point A to point B in your journey.
“What I am is a journeyman. A dreamer. A kid who once sat at the base of a tree and imagined what was possible. A guy who now stands at the foot of the mountain trying to claw my way to the top, knowing there’s another peak right around the corner. These days, I’m okay with landing in a field of unknowns and being required once again to figure things out. I’m okay with the uncertainty and unknowns of life, both in carpentry and in my walk of faith.”
He referenced Kelly attending graduate school as an example. They both laughed when he told us that Kelly never actually finished graduate school. But it was her decision to attend Baylor University for graduate school that ultimately brought them back to Waco. Had she not made the decision to go back to school they would have never had a reason to move back to Waco. And we all know how that story ends ; )
On His Favorite Piece He Has Ever Built
He answered easily: the first table and armoire he built for Kelly. They laughed as he explained to us how he tried to make the design in the doors on the armoire mimic the shape of a “K.” He still seemed pretty proud of it to this day!
He told us the story of Kelly’s reaction to the first table he ever built. They continued to laugh as she explained how she told him, “Well… I love the top… but the legs look like they have some sort of Asian influence going on.” She sweetly told him she liked it but she wasn’t sure that was the exact look they were going for. 🙂 He said he could only imagine what she really thought in her head when she realized they had risked everything so that Clint could build table that looked like that.
“I figured that if a table was slats, a skirt, and legs, then an armoire must be a box with doors. I ran to the store, picked up some pine, and brought it home like a puppy with a squirrel in its mouth. I set everything up on our back patio and threw a tarp on it each evening to protect it from any rain. The end products were rudimentary at best, but Kelly adored them. And I was hooked. I had no doubt that I’d build more furniture. The only question was when.”
Clint spoke so lovingly and highly of Kelly. He recalled what a supportive wife she had been throughout the entire process and that she was an instrumental part in making it all happen. She is the one behind the scenes, running it all, he explained. Without her none of it would be possible.
On His Favorite Thing to Build
A table. A table brings people together, he explained. People gather around a table. He talked about the importance of human connection that is made around a table.
“When I’m done with a table and sending it off to its new home, I’m so happy knowing that family, friends, or strangers will gather around a piece I built. That table will tell their stories and hold their memories. Arguments will be had at that table, love will grow, and laughter will ensue. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served and enjoyed, and buried deep in the table’s grain will be the recollection of those meals and the time spent together.”
His example? He told us to look at all of the personal connections we made at this table in the short time we were together. If we met every day for a week around this table we would begin to feel like family.
On Balancing Family and Work
Clint and Kelly both talked about the boundaries they set to make time for what is most important: family. He and Kelly decided family was their number one priority and they work hard to make sure it stays that way.
He makes it a priority to be home by five o’clock every evening. They send their employees home at five. “If there is work left to do it will get finished tomorrow,” he explained.
“It us up to me to be truly me. And if Kelly and I love each other well; if we love our children with all our heart; if we live our lives with love for anyone who crosses our path; and if we try to become the best versions of ourselves, day by day – that will be the greatest work of our lives. If we achieve that, maybe our kids will grow up and do the same and one day pass that on to their children.”
Once he is home Clint makes it a point to be intentional with his time. He and Kelly have a rule that they don’t talk about work at home. Instead they spend quality time together as a family, oftentimes playing the game Candyland with their children in the floor.
Clint makes it a point to coach his children’s sports teams and eat lunch with his children at school at least once a week, no matter what. He tells us how he has been known to leave in the middle of filming (with his microphone still on) and tell the producers, “I’ll be back in 45 minutes. I’m going to eat lunch with my children.”
On Filming Fixer Upper
Yes, the actual process of filming really is as fun as it appears on TV.
“But for all its entertainment, what made the show so special, in my humble opinion, was its authenticity. The show is a genuine reflection of Chip and Jo’s lives off-camera, and ours too.”
The directors give them guidance on what they need out of a scene, but the show itself is truly candid and unscripted. What you see is real and genuine.
On Fame
Kelly offered up the fact that Clint is now recognized everywhere he goes. She said that in the past people might come up and ask, “Are you Clint Harp?” Now people see him and scream “Hey, you’re Clint Harp!!”
“Don’t get me wrong: I love it that so many people are so passionate about Fixer Upper. Without the unbelievable fans, the show would never have been the sensation it became. I get that viewers feel connected to the people on the show and want to say hello. I think that’s really cool. But I’m also a husband and a father who, first and foremost, has to think about the impact that kind of spotlight might have on my kids in particular.”
I was given a firsthand look at this. Just in our short walk through the convention center, people were constantly coming up to him for a photograph or a handshake. Clint and Kelly are both nothing but kind and gracious to every single person who approaches them.
They explained that their kids don’t always understand and ask why they can’t just go out to dinner in Waco without people making a big deal of their dad. I’m sure one day they will understand 🙂
Clint Harp Interview: My Biggest Takeaways
Clint and Kelly Harp are every bit as genuine, humble, down to earth, and relatable as they appear on TV. They could not be any more gracious or kind.
We were there for them, but they were genuinely interested in us. Which brings me to my overlying impression: It’s not about the furniture. It’s about the people. It’s about the journey. And it’s about crafting an intentional life.
“And some of that work is also sharing my story, whether through public speaking, writing a book, or making a show. And I share it not because I think it’s the most amazing story ever, but rather because I hope that my experiences might push you forward in yours. We all have something to give, and in my case, that’s a story of a boy who grew up to make tables – a place where all people can come together and find common ground in a world that is increasingly divided.”
I left my meeting with Clint Harp and his sweet wife Kelly feeling so energized and inspired. What a breath of fresh air they truly are.
Thank you, Clint and Kelly Harp, for sharing your story with the world. And thank you for taking the time out of your day to sit down with this Georgia girl. You have truly inspired me.
Harp Design Co. Coupon Code
Use code HARP10 for 10% off your order at Harp Design Co. (including furniture!). How cool would it be to have your very own Clint Harp original farmhouse table or infamous handmade candlesticks?! Harp Design Co. also carries the cutest home decor, seasonal items, and Harp Design Co. merchandise! I don’t know about you but I think I need an official Harp Design Co. shirt : )
Also – don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of Clint’s book!
