Room to Think

Confidence, Criticism, and the Fear of DIY

• Lyssia Katan • Season 1 • Episode 13

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In this episode, Lyssia sits down with Harley Gusman, creator of Harley Renovating, to talk about the psychology behind DIY, confidence, and what really stops people from starting. Harley shares how she went from documenting small personal projects to building a platform where she renovates spaces publicly, embracing mistakes, criticism, and the learning process in real time.

The conversation explores why so many people feel intimidated to begin, how fear and outside opinions can hold us back, and why confidence matters more than skill when it comes to creating something with your hands. They also discuss the emotional and mental impact of DIY, how working physically can be meditative, and why building something yourself creates a deeper connection to your space. By the end of this episode, you may feel more empowered to trust yourself, start before you're ready, and finally rip the band-aid off.

More Room to Think:

Harley Gusman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harleyrenovating/

LiLi Tile
https://lilitile.com

Room to Think
https://roomtothinkpodcast.com/

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Welcome and Core Idea

Harley Gusman

Hardly renovating really started off as an Instagram intended to just be spam account.

Lyssia Katan

The FY does have this really powerful effect on people. And what do you think about it is like makes it so empowering. There's a lot more meaning to it when you do it yourself. It's meditative in a way. People renovating sometimes that impact and stress.

Harley Gusman

I think a lot of people are scared to begin. They make their plans and then they're scared to actually start the process, rip the band-aid off, do it. That's why I like this industry so much because I get to make my mark on someone's home because they chose me. How do you take on a project?

Lyssia Katan

What is the thing stopping you from renovating your space isn't skill, but the belief that you're not allowed to try. Welcome to Room to Think. Today I'm sitting down with Harley Gussman. She's the creator behind Harley Renovating, where she shares her DIY renovation projects across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Harley has become known for jumping into projects herself, tackling everything from tile and flooring to full backyard builds, figuring it all out in real time while millions of people watch. Her videos are messy, they're honest, and sometimes they're controversial, sparking debates about who really belongs in construction spaces and what it actually looks like to learn by doing. In this episode, we talk about what it's like to renovate publicly, why showing mistakes actually builds trust, the psychology of making something with your hands, and how DIY projects can be both meditative and empowering. By the end of this episode, you might just feel a little more confident picking up the drill and getting to work. Let's get into it. Harley, welcome to the show. Hi, thank you for having me. Harley Gussman is the creator behind Harley Renovating, where she shares her DIY renovation projects on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. She's become known for fiercely tackling the work herself, laying tile, building patios, and figuring things out in real time, often while dancing and just straight up having a good time. Her videos regularly get millions of views with tons of followers cheering her on, and unfortunately, some not so positive commentary to that's the just the nature of the game. Her content often sparks debate about who belongs in construction spaces, but through it all, she keeps building and documenting the messy, very real side of DIY. And we are so grateful to follow along. So, Harley, welcome to Room to Think.

From Spam Account to Fixer-Upper

Harley Gusman

Yay, thank you. That was a wonderful intro.

Lyssia Katan

So, for people who have maybe not seen you online yet, what is Harley Renovating and how did you get started sharing your projects online?

Harley Gusman

So, Harley Renovating really started off as an Instagram that I funny enough, I started an Instagram account that I intended to just be, you know, a personal account that I feel like some people consider them spam accounts, but I was I moved to North Carolina. I wanted to post like my life and not myself, ironically enough, um, because now it's constant posting myself. And then I bought a house uh all by myself and I was really proud of it, and it was a fixer upper. And so all of a sudden, I started posting reels. I started posting videos of just like building my chicken coop and renovating my bathroom all by myself. And um yeah, so this like small spam account that I really the purpose was to just have my close friends follow me, uh turned into um a renovating account. And I changed the name to Harley Renovating. It was something silly. Like I don't I don't even remember what my username was. But um yeah, it kind of just took off after one viral video. I was like, oh, okay, people like this. Or maybe they don't like it, but I like it.

Lyssia Katan

So and that's what's important. Do you remember what that project was that really started like taking off and people started paying attention?

Harley Gusman

I I do actually. So the first uh viral, so to speak, I hate that word, but the first viral video, I hadn't been getting traction whatsoever. And because I wasn't, you know, that's not what the page was for. It really was just like I said, like it was just for my friends. Um, but there was a video that I woke up the next morning and it had millions of views overnight. And um, it was the one where I micro-cemented uh a bathroom top to bottom, like I did, I did the walls, I did the floor, and I think it gained traction for two reasons. There was, you know, a lot of people were under the impression that I was micro-cementing um travertine, but it was not stone, it was not natural stone. And then um I was wearing yoga shorts and a big t-shirt, and I guess that upset people. It was really, you know, nothing alarming for me. I mean, I'm I'm used to being in a bikini all the time. I'm from Miami, so it was not uh anything that I thought was shocking, but that was the video that um definitely it it took my my Instagram platform up a whole nother level.

Lyssia Katan

Okay. Well, they say there's no such thing as bad PR. It's just it's good PR or better PR.

Harley Gusman

I love it. I was like, oh wow, people are really bothered, but okay.

Lyssia Katan

So before we get into kind of like the space online and everything that you've been facing online, all the good and the bad, is there a space that growing up like really changed you or made you want to do this? Or was it just like kind of how it happened?

Harley Gusman

My parents are uh we've always I've lived in many homes growing up. Um, so you know, to answer your question, no, I don't think there was one specific space that inspired me. I think that I have uh, you know, my my parents have very like eclectic design choice and lots of color. Their art is always like funky and off and edgy. And, you know, all of our homes were quite different uh every single time we moved. And so I think that inherently like I was fascinated by like more so like the the layout and like the architectural part of it. Um and then you know, I I just I I paid attention to design, I paid attention to colors. Uh, I was very much into art as a kid, but no, nothing really like initially sparked my interest as far as um space. I uh it was when I bought my house for the first time and I was like independent. I was like, I just bought a house by myself, I'm gonna do everything else by myself. And so I was really more um interested in like the learning process and you know, the one time I had to hire a handyman, I was like, wait, I can do that. Let me just like peek in and and you know, learn by way of of mocking him. And I don't know, it was just something that I developed, I think, on my own.

Lyssia Katan

So as you were uh documenting your experience online and sometimes doing it in casual clothing that people found provocative, at what point did you find that you were like really challenging gender norms in the industry? Oh, immediately.

Harley Gusman

Immediately. I mean, okay, so to give you a little bit of a background, uh I feel like I have always quote unquote challenged gender norms just because I typically go against what is, you know, traditionally expected of a woman as far as society is concerned. So I I say I was shocked the next morning whenever I and I was, I was shocked when I saw that these videos went viral because to me I'm I'm wearing appropriate clothing. But um, it's kind of like if you're gonna egg me on, then I'll throw on a bikini and I'll do it. And I I I you know, like I so to answer your question immediately, like I I knew, I knew I was doing, I knew what I was doing.

Lyssia Katan

Most people are renovating in private, you're doing it very publicly, and you're also very open about the mistakes you make or the times you mess up, and it doesn't come out as perfect. What does that change psychologically about the process? When you're actually in the work, are you thinking, oh, I wonder how people are gonna respond to what I'm doing here?

Harley Gusman

So, no, I don't ever wonder what people might think because you know what happens is I set my iPhone up on a tripod and I don't, you know, I I'm not doing these DIY projects amongst uh, you know, other work or day-to-day uh, you know, like this is my career, so and it's become my career. So it's literally like I put my phone on the tripod and I'm locked in. So I I uh when I'm paying attention to my phone, it's because I have, you know, eight hours worth of footage and that just happened to be the the click that I, you know, that I but um yeah, no, I've always said that there's like three phases. Like I'm I'm it's either complete silence and I'm I'm really locked in, and or I'm listening to a podcast or I'm playing music and I can't help but you know get excited because I a lot of the time I'm I'm very lucky. I'm I get to do projects that excite me and I get to be, you know, the leader when it comes to the design. I get to pick the tiles. So I I really get really I I just get passionate about it and and and I hit record.

Lyssia Katan

So part of actually how we like discovered you was through you using our tiles and then we starting to work together. How did you decide? I mean, Zaliege tiles are very imperfect. Does that kind of did the way you grow up have an influence on you wanting these imperfect tiles?

Harley Gusman

I'm glad you asked that because I didn't realize that the answer is yes until you just asked. Yeah, I think, I think so. Um Zelie, I mean, you know, because we've we've had you know many conversations via email about how obsessed I am with Zelish tile. But I again, you know, my growing up, my my home, every home that I lived in was uh uh imperfect in a way, uh as far as art and design. So yeah, maybe that that did inspire me a little bit. I I I think though there's something about um Zelie's tile that it's like it to me, it looks perfect. Like I love putting together something imperfect and making it uh purposeful, you know. That's kind of how I see beauty across the board. So when when it doesn't look manufactured, I'm I'm all about it.

Lyssia Katan

Yeah, and and that feels like the direction that the industry is going in now where we're almost stepping away from the very perfect cookie cutter, and we want the handmade, we want the, I mean, we see it with the demand for zilish. Everyone wants these tiles that are so imperfect and chipped and scratched and and and the sizes don't even match half the time, but there's something to there's it's malleable, you know?

Turning DIY Content Into Client Work

Harley Gusman

And to me, it's like eye-catching in a room, which is why I love to use them as like on one, like an entire wall, because you can you can look at it for a while. You're not you're not just glazing over tile, you're like, wait a minute, like it looks like a piece of art, you know.

Lyssia Katan

So how do you take on a project? Is it projects that people approach you? Are you looking for clients?

Harley Gusman

How does that work? Good question. Um, so it started off with the my own home. Um, and like I said, it my my the house that I bought is this cute little cottage, but it was very much a fixer-up, or like I bought it with the intention of like, I'm gonna redo this kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, the living room, the laundry room. So I had a lot of content at my fingertips or potential content at my fingertips initially. And because the videos did so well, so to speak, and and and uh like I gained an audience from it, I think the popularity of that I gained trust in other people to for me to then work on their space. And initially it was like, oh, you want me to, you know, put up a backsplash? I'm not even gonna charge you. Like, absolutely, I'll do it. Just, you know, put some tiles in my hands. And I think it just was a domino effect after that. Um, you know, the more the more I learned, uh the more people trusted me. And then, you know, I officially became a contractor. And and um I think it's just like my my work shows the same way that my passion shows, you know. And I I'm glad you brought up earlier that I I I show the trials and tribulations and the mistakes because I don't think that I think renovating is an is really something that it's never perfect. It it it there's always gonna be something that comes up in a house. There's always gonna be, you know, uh maybe like an oopsie moment, or you find out it's gonna cost $3,000 more dollars than than you anticipated. So I think that a lot of people have more room for uh like allowing a contractor into their home and into their space with the expectation that like, you know, who knows how this is gonna go? But I have an entire portfolio at this point, so they kind of have an idea of what I'm gonna do, you know.

Lyssia Katan

And you've worked on so many different types of product projects. Like you did the patio recently, you've you're working on a flooring project now in a kitchen. How does having creative direction versus having to work with the client to uh work with their creative direction, how does that like, how do you decide and how does that change based off of the control you get?

The LA Deck Build Reality Check

Harley Gusman

Typically, I initially go in uh you know, now it's gotten to the point where uh they ask me, and so they ask me to do this project, and they know that I'm hands-on and I do the physical labor, and I I typically do it, not typically, I always do it alone. Um so uh I let them tell me exactly what they want. And if they're completely, utterly set on like this is my vision, I already have XYZ picked out. Can you, you know, make it happen? Then I try to hold my tongue and not give my insight. But um that that's been very few that that hasn't happened as often as somebody coming to me with a project and very, you know, willingly asking, what do you think? Or what color should I go with? Or, you know, um, they I feel honored that they want my design in point uh input at this point. And I don't know why people are so trusting of me, but again, I think it's because I'm I'm I I showcase it, you know, like you can tell what my style is. So um yeah, I I think that like when somebody needs a project, they know that I can do the the labor, but um they also may not have an idea on you know, color scheme. So I'll make a little pitch deck for them and I'll say, well, this is what I would do, and then then they can decide, like, oh, I like that, or no, not so much. Let's just stick to what what I want, you know.

Lyssia Katan

Going off of that, the patio that you just worked on for one of your friends out in LA, how did that come to be and what did you learn? Because that was one of the biggest projects that I've I've seen you work on.

Harley Gusman

That was to date. That was the I mean, it was the biggest project as far as uh length of time, you know, and and labor. I think because I have done so many projects up until this deck, I was like, it's gonna be a piece of cake. And majority of it was, it's just it was a huge deck and it was exterior, it was outside, and I'm used to doing all of my projects in Miami where it's hot, but it's humid, and so the weather conditions really uh shocked me, you know. I mean, it was sunny, sunny LA for the entirety of building the structure of that deck and even laying the tiles, but it was dry and it the sun was beaming, you know. So I wasn't prepared for how quickly everything was drying. And then I was like, oh my gosh, am I gonna be able to get this up? And I worked on too many spots at once. I should have just worked on this small section and I didn't, and I was spinning a lot of the times because I was out there alone and I was just like, what am I gonna do? But um yeah, I I then I get to the grout, and the grouting was tip, it's typically my favorite part. I mean I work with uh glaze tiles, allege tile. Um, I have worked with cement tile a few times, but um it just so happens that the one day that I choose to uh grout, it was pouring rain that very night. So all of the grout got picked up, and it was just like, of course, of course this happened, you know. When it rains, it pours, but literally this time.

Lyssia Katan

What do you do in that point? Like, how do you manage the stress? Because renovations are so unexpected.

Harley Gusman

Uh I I feel like I've I've uh learned and I, you know, my mantra with renovating is there's always a solution because there it ultimately there is. And with me, even more so, because if I don't like the way that it turns out and that's the final solution, I will rip it up and start from scratch because I can't have my work look subpar, you know. I have to have that final product look exceptional. Um, so I don't know, there's there's always a way. And I I I've also learned that there really is with renovating, there, there are tools. There's, you know, the grout release that you guys provided. It's just like you have these moments of like, oh my gosh, I didn't have to worry, but I definitely I damn near fainted. I was like, oh my God, this is I can't believe it. Because I did the structure, I did the waterproofing, I, you know, I I really put in exceptional hard work for a month. And I was like, the tiles are just gonna be the cherry on top. And of course they were aesthetically, but they it it wasn't as easy as I anticipated.

Lyssia Katan

So yeah, well, the nice thing is that construction and renovation is not new, it's been around for so long. It's not like a, you know, like AI, you know, we're all just trying to figure it out. Like there's so many solutions. It's just sometimes being aware or like finding, like researching and asking the right people and and and and finding those solutions.

Harley Gusman

Like you said, the grout thing, like grout haze, peasy peasy, like no, and you were like, I wish that you you reached out to me sooner with the grout haze situation. And I'm like, oh my god, why didn't I think of that? You know, it's because I've always, I mean, again, you installing those cement tiles, those like gorgeous, the color is so stunning that you don't want to touch it too much. You know, you're like you're scared to touch it because you don't want any of the color to come off. But when I installed those exact tiles in a shower inside at a way smaller scale, I mean a fraction of the square footage, it was a piece of cake. And I I I anticipated the same thing, and I was surprised.

Lyssia Katan

So if you were giving advice to someone who's just about to embark on a big renovation, what would you tell them based off of just purely the the patio or the experience that you've had? What would you say?

Harley Gusman

Um, well, I think that I think a lot of people are scared to begin, you know. They they like read up on it, they prep, they make their plans, and then they're just they're scared to actually start the process. So I would just say like rip the band-aid off. Do it. Like, you know, you you're scared you might put a dent in your home, but you you know, you you know the vision and it'll come to fruition eventually. You just gotta trust, trust yourself and rip the band-aid off.

Lyssia Katan

Do you feel like it's easier when you're doing it for a project that's like yours or it's or when it's someone else's? Because you if it's your home, you kind of have to deal with it.

Gender Norms and Comment Section Chaos

Harley Gusman

Yes. Um, and when it's your home, you can deal with it at your own pace. But um I actually I I work better under pressure. So I prefer, I feel like I I outperform myself when I I'm working for someone else. I'm way more of a perfectionist. I I I want to leave my mark on their home. And I think I work like faster, smarter, better when I'm under pressure. So I don't mind it. I like it.

Lyssia Katan

Your comment section can be pretty intense. How do you handle that? Because like people are just going at it. And I love the way that you respond, by the way. Like the videos you make are of of like calling people out is amazing. How did you even think of that? Like, how do you manage that?

Harley Gusman

It's funny because the very first video that went viral for me was also one that was flooded with negative comments. And I I was simultaneously shocked, but also entertained. I was like, I can't believe that that this is what is going through people's heads right now and that they they like need to express it by way of you know commenting, but it was it was interesting to me. So instead of, you know, I I feel lucky that instead of the initial shock being hurtful, it was more intriguing. Um and I don't know, I I I like to add humor in the mix a lot of the time. So when people are commenting the way that they did on the micro cement video on what I'm wearing, and in my eyes, it's more than appropriate. I was like, maybe I should, you know, give them what they're asking for without being venomous back. So like it's okay, jokes on me. So I like I put a trash bag on and then I put a bikini on, like I wore like the tiniest little outfit and it was just I don't know. I like to I like to give it back, but I don't like to be mean. So um I don't mind if the joke's on me.

Lyssia Katan

But it's so like it's so funny to see because it shows that like, yeah, people are gonna be mean online no matter what you do. And it's entertaining for the people who are actually like cheering you on. Like the comments, like the uh you you get both extremes. You don't get someone in the middle saying, that's nice. Like you either get, what is she wearing, or go girl, like keep keep doing your thing.

Harley Gusman

The truth is is that the negative comments usually flood in first, and then all the love is is is carried out after the fact. So at first you're like, can somebody just stand up? You know, like you're waiting for the the next round of people to to back you up. But I don't know, it's it's it's not as serious as a lot of people make it out to be, and and and it it can be hurtful because I I a lot of the time I'm like, aren't we over this narrative of like you don't belong, you know, you belong in the kitchen, you belong, like what are you doing with tools in your hands? It's like, come on, it's 2026. Like we're we're over this. We don't have to, let's not backtrack, you know. So it does sometimes get irritating. Um in in a way where where I almost want to say something serious back. I want to make it a serious topic of conversation, but it's hard to win when you're fighting with strangers.

Lyssia Katan

So yeah, and it's like often it comes from such a like a deep thing it's like an ego thing, right? They see you doing like a perfect growl job in this like cute little dress with a bow in your hair, and suddenly everyone's up in arms about like, how's this little girl like doing it? And instead of admitting that, like, wow, she actually did a really great job, they're like, go back to the kitchen, like it's crazy.

Harley Gusman

I know, I know. I always wonder too, because like it like I said, like I I'll just set my phone up to the point where I like at the end of the day, I have 60 text messages and a hundred miss calls because I don't even hear my phone because it's just recording all day. So, you know, when I'm changing or I leave and I come back in a new outfit, I I want to get right back to work. So I don't change. I just like I'm in that little sundress and I I I I put my gloves on or sometimes I don't. And and it it is, it's funny how the topic of conversation, you know, sometimes veers away from the craft and it's about my appearance, what I'm wearing, or what I'm not wearing. And um I don't know. I I expect it at this point, so I I can't change, I can't change who I am, you know. I gotta, I gotta be true to who I am. Well, we love it.

Lyssia Katan

And and that actually makes me wonder like, was there a time, because most of our listeners are not doing this in a very public stage like you do. Was there ever a time where this criticism made you question yourself? And do you have advice for listeners who may be renovating and they're getting that criticism from people who are really close to them?

Harley Gusman

You know, I can recall one time where the comment section actually got to my head, and I was like, um, but I've shrugged it off apparently so much so that I I don't remember which project it was, but I remember that the comments were about my design choice and not, you know, the things that didn't matter, not my clothing, not my you know, lack of uh safety goggles and PPE. Like it was it was about my design choice, and they were just so harsh. And it was, I was like, wait a minute, did I not make the right choice? Like, I I forget if it was like the color scheme, I forget what it was, but there there was like a day where I was like, I gotta get off my phone. I can't read these comments because it was it was getting to me. I was like, oh no. Um, but then, you know, just like everything else, I let a couple days pass and I had opposing views, and it was like, oh, okay, well, this is what makes people individuals. This is this is this is the point of it all, is like you, you have your own taste, especially when it comes to interior design and and your home. Um, and that's what I like about all this, you know. I I like that there's there can be such an interesting topic of conversation around a wall, you know.

Lyssia Katan

Do you have a recommendation to a listener who is getting that criticism from their family members or or or sometimes is there any validity to that criticism that's actually maybe you're like, oh, wait a second, that I should try that?

Harley Gusman

I think trusting your gut as far as as far as knowing, you know, when it's constructive criticism and you know when it's trolling. So uh my advice would just be literally take every single comment with a grain of salt because the comment section is there for people to argue and for people to stir the pot. Um, and it's just helping your audience grow. So uh welcome it and and and don't look at it too much. That's great advice. Give it a hug, welcome it with open arms, but but just don't, you know, don't take it too seriously.

Panic, Solutions, and Trusting The Process

Lyssia Katan

Exactly. Listen to the, you know, people who actually know what they're doing sometimes who come from a place of love rather than a place of criticism. This podcast really is the intersection of interior design and psychology, right? So it's it's a lot about how our spaces impact us, but for people renovating, sometimes that impact is a lot of panic and stress. How have you had any clients experience that or have you experienced that? And how do you manage that?

Harley Gusman

Of course. I mean, yes, of course I've experienced panic. Um, when I'm doing my own renovation and I panic, I'm I'm able to talk myself out of it. And I've learned that if I panic a little bit on someone else's home, I do this thing where I will overexplain. Like I just explain and explain and explain to the point where the homeowner is like, okay, okay, like I trust you, like I get it. Everything will be okay, you know. So um I don't know. I I think that like talk knowing that there's going to be a solution, like, like I said earlier, it it really is comforting to know because I will see, you know, a midway through a project and I will be like, this started off so exciting and so great, and now we're I'm midway through, and it's just like I can't get the you know, these floors to line up. I can't, I uh I'm so exhausted, I'm so stressed, and it's not even looking the way that I want it to. Um, I I think it's important to go to bed, you know, it's important to let a day pass because when you sleep, you have a clearer mind. And with a clearer mind, you can find those solutions a lot quicker because they're there, you know. Um, it's very much a trust the process uh job.

Lyssia Katan

Right. Right. I mean, there's nothing an app can't fix. But also, also, so talking about the positive side, once you renovate a space for a client or for yourself, how do you feel the shift in behavior in that space that may be like a patio that was never used and now people are coming over all the time? Like, how how have the space you created shift pe shifted people's lives?

Harley Gusman

Well, so the the deck uh renovation that I just did in Los Angeles, um the homeowner and the renter, like my the my friend, he was so ecstatic. Um, I mean, I I am always way more ecstatic than my clients because you know, I I I built it with my hands. So I I always have a lot more enthusiasm at the very end of a project, but but seeing that in them to the point where this deck renovation, he was like, We we gotta celebrate. Let's throw a party in this. So we had a deck party, and I'm over there like, but the grout hasn't been removed, like it's yet, you know. Um, but yeah, I think it's really cool. I think that's why I like this industry so much because I get to make my mark on someone's home because they chose me, you know. I I laid out my portfolio and they said, Yeah, I trust you, and they trust me with something really important. And um it's gonna be there until they want to knock it down. So it's it's it's it's a really cool way to leave your mark. And I feel like, you know, if someone compliments the deck or they compliment the bathroom or they compliment the tiles, they they get to say, you know, oh, my friend, my friend Harley did this, you know, like she they can talk about the story, they can talk about the process, they can, you know, it it's it's like any artist who wants to leave their mark in the world by way of uh, you know, whether their medium is painting or or or singing or acting, you know, creating films and and and existing even past the point of existing. That's that's what I feel about renovating. It's like, you know, I created a bomb-proof deck. That thing is not going anywhere for a long time, and and I built it.

Lyssia Katan

Yeah. And you're really changing people's lives. Like maybe that space was a source of stress for so long, and now it's a source of joy and it's a source of like connection. And and and that's all you built it. Like you made the thing, you caused it.

Harley Gusman

Yeah. I said to my friend Um for the deck renovation, I'm like, once it was finished and we were watching everybody at this deck party, we were, you know, everybody was together. There was food, there were flowers, there was music, and and I was like, I looked over at him and I was like, could you imagine doing this on, you know, the particle board that was here before? And he was like, Absolutely not, this would have never happened. So yeah, it's cool to know that you can create a space for somebody and it's it's bringing other people together, you know, it is, it's cool.

Lyssia Katan

So, what's something that looks incredibly easy on Instagram, but is actually incredibly difficult in real life? Because you make things look so easy. You're like, yeah, I just like swapped out this floor, you know, threw it through the deck together.

Harley Gusman

I was gonna say everything. Like Instagram, it it's mind you, there are things that you you learn and you you practice and it does become easy, but the clips that I put together are you know two seconds of a 48-hour project or a two-month-long project. So um, as far as ease versus tediousness, um I don't know. I feel like people think that micro cement is easy and it's 100% not. Everything else is, you know, it it looks it it looks a lot easier than it actually is. So so I change I change my answer. Everything, everything, every single thing.

Lyssia Katan

Have you had people reach out to you and say your page and your content has inspired them or given them the confidence to try a new project?

Harley Gusman

Yeah, um, I I hope it doesn't sound cocky for me to be like, yes, I have asking you, I want to hear. Oh, I know. Um, yeah, I I get DMs all the time. And I actually I was at a party in Los Angeles and someone came up to me and they were like, Are you Harley? And I was like, Yeah. Not not that I am anywhere near big enough to be recognizable, but she just, you know, maybe circle of friends, but she was she happened to follow me and she was like, I don't think you understand. Like watching your videos has like given me inspiration to like finally work on a project. And, you know, just I feel like a lot of people doubt themselves. They they think they can't do it, they think they have to hire somebody. And I I feel like watching me get over the mistakes that I've made and and get to the point that I have now, yeah. It it's it's it it it has, it's inspired people. They've they've reached out and they've let me know, and it's really nice. And I read my DMs all the time. So I um I usually respond like, I can't believe I made an impact on you. Like it's so sweet. But yeah, they yeah, they have.

Lyssia Katan

That's amazing. That's it's and it's it's really nice to see because if you let anything stop you, you wouldn't have inspired them to make this change or try this thing that maybe they would have never even never held the drill in their hand, never like, you know, hung up a picture frame, let alone renovated their bathroom or put up a backsplash.

Harley Gusman

And because you're let alone knock down a wall in the house that you just spent your entire savings on. Yeah. No, it's scary. It's scary.

Lyssia Katan

What do you I mean, DIY does have this really powerful effect on people? Like, what do you think about it is like makes it so empowering?

Harley Gusman

Several factors. I mean, going back to what I said, like you're you're you're putting your time and your energy into creating something. And whether it's for yourself or somebody else, it is it's really cool to watch to watch something come to fruition, you know, you you have an idea and you make the plans, and then you can actually get to work with your hands. And and a lot of DIY projects take time. And so anything that takes time and effort, I think once you get to see the final product and it's a tangible product, it's it it's like I don't know, you get you get the like fuzzy, warm, you know, proud feelings that that that you deserve because it's a lot of hard work. So I think watching something come to fruition, one, um, I think like psychologically too, if you are, if you you especially in a bigger renovation or like an entire space that you want to transform, you have to focus. And you're putting hours and hours and hours of your day into something that you get to focus on. And if you look at it where it's like I have this opportunity to zone in and and focus on just this task, it's it's meditative in a way, you know. It it it it actually does, you you get to turn your brain off and you know, turn the news off and and meditate. And so I think that that's you know, it's it's powerful. Um, and and it's it's it's really it's it's a good way to to spend your time.

Lyssia Katan

So yeah, I think especially with now that we're all so glued to our screens or computers, it's so nice to actually like get out and do something with your hands. And time passes in such a different way. Like an hour working on a DIY project or something physical, or an hour scrolling TikTok, like it just two different experiences completely.

Harley Gusman

You get to go to bed exhausted because your body is like physically wiped from, you know, it's like it's like when we were kids, we would run around, we would, you know, we would play, we would build, and it's the same thing as adults. You're just you, you know, you're doing it with purpose, you're doing it with intent, and and it's so it's very rewarding. So yeah, more people should DIY.

Lyssia Katan

I agree. Because we forget that. We sometimes are so in our in our heads and in our like screens that we forget that we can actually make things. Humans have been making things and building homes and constructing things for so long, and we just forget. We're just like typing away, like, you know, AI do it, but like let's put something together.

Small Projects That Build Confidence

Harley Gusman

Yeah, people assume like your dad must have, you know, he must have raised you this way. And I my dad is my best friend, he's the greatest man on the planet. But he he would hire a handyman literally to change a life bulb. And I'm like, no, my dad didn't teach me. He did not teach me one thing. In fact, like he calls me now. So um, but yeah, I think it's I think it it's also like it's inspired my family, my immediate family, you know, my sister who just bought a house with her wife. It's there, they're very much like, oh, well, I think we can do this on our own, you know, you get to save money, you get to work together, you get to work on a project. And and it's it's it's just it's there's a lot more meaning to it when when you do it yourself.

Lyssia Katan

So if someone listening wants to start their own project but feels really intimidated, where should they start?

Harley Gusman

I don't know. I think intimidation is such a hard thing because it can really like paralyze you. So I I think I'm just gonna stick with what I said earlier. You know, it's it's it's you start by just doing it, whether you trust yourself or not, you have to you have to start you have to start somewhere. So you gotta rip the band-aid off. Start by, you know, like taking that leap. Just just go for it. What's the worst that can happen? You burn your house like that. I'm just kidding. You get a couple chemical burns. Is that isn't that what just happened to you? Oh my god, it was horrible. But I took such good care of my hands because I was like, I cannot lose my right hand. But yeah.

Lyssia Katan

Pro tip, wear gloves for everybody listening. Or not, you know, it makes a good story. Wear protection, yeah. Is there a small DIY project that can just give someone a really big confidence boost as they enter this DIY space?

Harley Gusman

Yes. Wow, what a great question. I would say uh backsplash, you know. I think that if you if you work on a small wall, you know, you're not on your hands and knees, you're not ripping up the floor, uh go for a backsplash. I think like, you know, uh, or or pick a wall in your bathroom, like one accent wall. I hate accent walls, but I I love accent walls if they're tiled. So tile, backsplash, wall.

Lyssia Katan

One wall. And if someone was gonna take only one thing away from this episode, what would you want it to be?

Harley Gusman

Um confidence is everything, you know. I think that it it people need to stop doubting themselves and just go for it. Just just go go with your gut, do what you want to do. Life is short and confidence is everything.

Lyssia Katan

Harley, thank you so much for everything you're putting out online. You're inspiring us all. And thank you for just showing us how it's done, showing us the real side, the messy side, everything. And we love working with you. We want to continue seeing your projects. And you always just you just you make everything look amazing. I know it's it's very hard and there's always bumps along the way, but you make it look like a breeze and you look good doing it. So keep doing you.

Final Takeaways and Farewell

Harley Gusman

Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure talking. To you and and and I'm you know that I'm obsessed with your tiles. I'm Lily tile till the day I die. But I I really appreciated this. So thank you so much. It's it's been wonderful.

Lyssia Katan

Thank you so much for spending this time with me on Room2Think. If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to follow the show, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who you think would really appreciate a more thoughtful approach to their space. You can find more Design Meets Psychology insights on social, in our community, and definitely in upcoming episodes so you can build a better life by design. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you next time.