My New Year Starts Now
While everyone’s making big plans in January, I’m still wrapped in sweaters, waiting for the world to thaw.
Spring has always been my real New Year — maybe because it’s also my birthday month, a built-in excuse to pause, reflect, and start fresh.
I don’t just notice the change in the air; I feel pulled into it. The longer days, the shifting light, the first hints of warmth — all of it whispers: you can start now.
This year, I’ve noticed my routines shifting too. I wake up early and read or write while the house is still wrapped in silence. There’s nothing quite like sipping coffee in total peace while everyone else is still drooling into their pillows. A perfect time to reconnect with myself before the day begins…
My relationship with creativity has changed too — I paint every day for work — but lately, it’s spilling into everything. Blog posts, sketchbook pages, my website redesign, even my packaging. I’m craving color and freshness. I swapped out the deep burgundy ribbon I used all winter for a soft pink one, ordered floral tissue paper, and added dried flowers inside the boxes I send out.(Is it slightly extra? Maybe. Do I love it? Absolutely.)
I’ve noticed a shift in what I read too. Winter was all about fantasy and fiction. Now I’m pulled toward self-help and nonfiction, wanting to understand myself better — to learn new perspectives, to grow, and to keep evolving.
I made changes in my studio as well. I swapped my old desk for a standing one that moves up and down, so I can paint while standing — giving my body more movement during the day and helping with the aches and pains that had started to build up (because shockingly, hunching over tiny details for seven hours a day isn’t a wellness plan).
So yes, spring arrived. And just like the world outside, I feel more alive. Everything around me is waking up, and I feel it within me too — slower, more intentional, like a flower about to bloom, taking its time and quietly curious about what tomorrow might bring.
I don’t have to rush. I don’t have to have it all figured out. I just have to begin — and trust that every small step forward is its own kind of magic.
May we all find the courage to bloom in our own time — and trust that every small step forward matters.
If this season is stirring something new in you too, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
