Spring always brings a certain restlessness with it. This year, I found myself feeling full of energy and excitement, a kind of ‘spring fever’. I knew I wanted to bring something new and exciting into my life—but without tipping the balance I’ve worked so hard to create.

For the past few years, I’ve been intentional about building a calm, steady, drama-free life. I didn’t want to invite chaos or distractions that would undo that. Still, I couldn’t ignore the pull for something fresh.

When I looked back at my yearly goals, I saw that I’d been tracking well with most of them. But in all honesty they felt a little… tame. Safe. A bit boring, even. A couple of goals had barely gotten off the ground:

• My garden (which I’d let rest over winter).
• Creating a dedicated website for my art classes.

The website project, in particular, had been looming. Not because I didn’t know how to put one together—I do—but because I didn’t just want a cookie-cutter, out-of-the-box site. I wanted something creative, interesting, and beautiful. Something that reflected the playful energy of my art classes. That vision felt exciting, but also intimidating.

With all this extra spring energy, I decided to channel it into that challenge. Not just the technical side of designing a site, but also the creative side—developing the artwork, photography, and imagery that would bring it to life. I had some inspirational websites to look up to, and while they felt like a hard act to follow, I was ready for the stretch.

This project excites me because it grows me in two directions: as a business owner who wants to share and market my offerings more effectively, and as a creative who is continually expanding her toolkit.

I know from past experience (like painting my house!) that creative projects follow a familiar rhythm:

• The exciting beginning—everything feels fresh, full of potential.
• The clunky middle—learning curves, mistakes (lots of mistakes), and frustrations.
• The long haul—steady work, perseverance, and the inevitable ‘This is taking forever!’ stage.
• The finish line—it may not look as perfect as I’d imagined, but there’s a deep relief and satisfaction in simply completing it.

So this is my next project. Not a whirlwind of excitement, but a grounding commitment—a channel for that spring fever energy that feels both expansive and steadying.

It reminds me of Michael Bungay Stanier’s concept of the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ from his book How to Begin. A worthy goal has three parts:

1. It’s thrilling – it sparks excitement.
2. It’s daunting – it stretches you, without seeming impossible.
3. It’s important – it matters deeply to you and others.

For me, this project fits right inside that Goldilocks Zone. It’s thrilling because I love the idea of creating something beautiful. It’s daunting because it will stretch me artistically and technically. And it’s important because I want my website to be an invitation to share the joy of creativity with others.

So this is where my spring energy is leaning—toward the grounding, stretching, exciting work of building something new. I don’t know exactly how it will turn out, but I’m curious to follow the process through all it’s messy and magical stages and see where it leads me.