Keeping it Fresh

One of the things that gave my house curb appeal when I first saw it was the front door—rounded and painted a coral-rust color.

It blended well with the yellow undertone of the stucco at that time. It also told an exterior story of the house’s interior—brown, avocado, and apricot.

But none of those colors overlapped with mine. None of those colors told my story. 

And so, several days after the property deed was in hand, I changed the front door color from coral to aqua-ish blue.

It became the external signature of my home. Blue was the locator for anyone searching for my address.

When I created my blog two years ago I chose a simple template from the 30 or 40 simple options through Google. I wanted it to visually suggest that it was word-focused. I chose the casual font and self-explanatory title to give it an immediate signature.

But at some point, all things require re-energizing.

So about 3 weeks ago I collected thirty-odd paint chips for my front door. I knew that the color would remain the same—because blue set it apart from my neighbors--it told my story. But the aqua undertones were stale. My front entrance needed the equivalent upgrade I had recently done to the interior to show outwardly.

And so now the door is wisteria-infused dusty-blueberry.

The entranceway retains its character—yet is refreshed.

And so too with my blog. I cast off the book-ish background for modern art. I simplified the font of the title even further—yet kept its message: an informal collage of experience-based ideas.

The blog retains its character---in content and image—yet is invigorated.

Because stale is stale; and fresh is fresh. The trick is to keep things the same, but different. And you have achieved your goal when people wonder out loud Did you do something new or is it just my imagination?