Our theme for October is SOFT. It was chosen by our Victoria chapter in British Columbia, Canada and illustrated by Leah McInnis.

The world feels hard in so many ways. Couldn’t we all use more softness?

Soft is gentle, empathic, and vulnerable. But being soft is not a weakness. It is a sign of deeper strength. Having the courage to walk through life without armor. A willingness to listen before speaking. Welcoming whatever comes with open palms. Pulling someone close for a hug.

What if our work was softer? What would we make with a little tenderness? Art that truly resonates. Innovations that heal instead of harm. Communities that hold one another instead of tearing other people down.

Soft can be a quiet form of resistance. Practice subtlety, trust, and intimacy in a world that celebrates loud braggadocio, knee-jerk reactions, and blunt force.

Let’s snuggle up and let down our guard. Soft can be our salvation.

CREATIONS FROM OUR COMMUNITY:

Each month, we ask the readers of our Weekly Highlights newsletter to submit creative work inspired by our global theme.

Here are this month’s featured works.

Be Nice To Yourself by Julie Kuberski in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We can be so hard on ourselves, so unforgiving, showing little self-compassion. Sometimes we just need a little reminder to be soft with ourselves, too.

You can see more work on Julie’s instagram.

you try so hard to keep your cool by Clarissa DePaula in New York, New York.

Vector Illustration - The pleasant quality of summer and now in October the transition to the less malleable textures of fall. The two intertwined snakes, reminiscent of Hermes’ Caduceus symbol, feature pop and vibrant prints here, bringing the function of cosmic balance to the present day.

Like Softest Music by Caroline Mallonee in Buffalo, New York.

This is a piece for double choir with words from Romeo and Juliet: “My soul calls upon my name. How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night/ Like softest music to attending ears!” Performed by Vocalis Chamber Choir and published by Swirly Music.

You can listen on Soundcloud.

CHOCOLATE PAINTING: Sweater Weather by Chef Quest in Toronto, Canada.

This edible painting was created using cocoa butter paints on a dark chocolate canvas. And let’s be real—there’s nothing softer than sweater season (literally). Inspired by that first crisp fall day when you finally get to wear your chunkiest knit and pretend you’ve got your life together, this cozy chocolate artwork features a golden cable-knit, folded sleeves, and a maple leaf serving main character energy. It’s a sweet ode to softness, comfort, and the delicious drama of Canadian autumn.

L’amour mou
The fruit is rotten.
It might be a fig, or even a persimmon.
My fingers, against the flesh.
The flesh giving in, effortlessly.
The singularity of this simple nature morte.
There is pleasure IN that.
And sometimes, I believe there might be love.

L'amour mou (Soft Love) by Julie Andrieux in Stockholm, Sweden.

A poem using the texture of soft fruits to describe the feeling of a steady and delicate relationship.

Season in Bloom by Ioana Enescu in Amsterdam.

The name attracted me and reminded me of soft summer days where everything feels like a dream.

Three Vases, in Conversation by Barbara Stauffer in Washington, D.C.

I love that these three stoneware vases are made of hard materials (essentially cement and glass), yet are still able to softly lean into each other as if in conversation.

You can see more work on Barbara’s instagram.

Softly Expanding by Alyssa Hamilton in West Des Moines, Iowa.

I created this piece about two months after I gave birth to my first child. It encapsulated everything I was feeling. Motherhood, especially new motherhood, is inherently a soft time full of baby snuggles, blankets, and most importantly learning to be soft with yourself and with others. It showed me that true strength doesn’t scream, but enters slowly, softly, and in a way that changes your whole world. Softness to me is not the absence of “hard” or hard times, it is a worldview, and a way of approaching each day. I feel like that is especially needed during these times.

Spring Haiku
Cloud’s shroud yields mist
Reluctantly part for sun
Flowers bloom with content

Spring by A'nji E. Black in Atlanta, Georgia.

A haiku that demonstrates the soft transformative stage from clouds to growth.

Shadows by Alena Aichlmanova in Prague, Czech Republic.

This painting is part of a series called “Seasons of the Year.” This particular piece represents autumn, when the sun grows weaker and nature gives us the opportunity to walk on the soft surface of fallen leaves and listen to their whisper, calming our minds.

Pictures Only by Charles A. Honeywood in Chicago, Illinois.

Pictures Only is a historical drama short film. It connects to the theme SOFT through its exploration of resilience and transformation—showing how strength can emerge from vulnerability, and how tender choices in uncertain times can lead to growth and renewal.

You can watch the film on YouTube.

The street sweeper softly caresses the curb across the lane
with a tender-bristled kiss
Sopping wet from the rain but
as inoffensive as possible
Gentle
As the sound whisks on the insides of my ear right where a Q-Tip had left off the day prior
Making me thankful
for such careful attention
to detail from God
when he created a sensation
quite wonderful
from something as mundane
as cleaning our ears
Or streets
It’s the little things

Tuesday Morning by AngieDoe in New York, New York.

This is a poem I wrote one morning when I first woke up and felt wrapped in gratitude in the most gentle and wonderful way by observing the softness of my surroundings and little things that make up my current life.

Prose by Leanne Poellinger in La Crescent, Minnesota..

This paper-collage floral piece is comprised of layers of soft, pastel-colored papers, with some soft textural elements and floral-related words from magazines.

You can see more work on Leanne’s instagram.

Stretch Marks
Where are your stretch marks?
Mine extend from one pelvic bone to the other
In the beginning, I noticed one line in my seventh month
Thought it was a scratch
Joked darkly that our active baby boy
Had scratched me from the inside
In an attempt to get out on his own
The sign of a single line
Reminded me to faithfully apply concoctions of
Cocoa butter and creams
The eighth month of his heads, hands and feet
Pushing and prodding the walls of my womb woke me to new signs
He sought more freedom than his confines permitted
Limitations were the last thing I wanted for him
Yet his first experience

Where are your stretch marks?
Mine extend from one pelvic bone to the other
In the ninth month
Skin stretched as he redefined his space in centimeters
Of liberation
And I lost count as we grew together
Me to my heaviest weight on that new end of the scale
And him to what would become his birth weight to enter the world
Our shared growth tattooed itself just below my waistline
Life left lines across my spirit as my soul stretched
to include this new identity
and pushed me past my emotional capacity

Where are your stretch marks?
Mine extend from one pelvic bone to the other
Visible lines tell the tale of creation within my womb
Yet I am told to use cocoa butter and creams to remove them
Wipe them across my belly
Erase his cryptic calligraphy
Companies create profits from chemical compounds
Created to produce Ambi cream amnesia
On our skin
Because what is the value of remembering our stories
When there are just so many products to make us forget?
Forget ourselves
Forget even our skin
Replace it with even skin
Smooth even skin
Smooth like dolls
Even like Barbie dolls
Fresh off the production line
We buy the lines we are sold
About our bodies
Until even our skin is rewritten
Faces peer intently into mirrors
Without seeing any original lines
Just those made-up from makeup

Now no longer a customer of concealers
I bought something better
And its priceless
Paid for in nights lying awake
Hands running over belly
Hands clasped
Praying his future and my past would join together
To create family
I paid for each line
In nights of pain
And mornings of fatigue
I paid for each line
In carrying him to term
And a week beyond it
When he wasn’t ready
And now I am not ready
Or willing
To smear substances
As bleach
To treat his origin stories
Like stains
No, his story lines are too precious to be stripped of them
So, instead, stripped down before the mirror
I’ll see his-story
Where are your stretch marks?
Mine extend from one pelvic bone to the other

Stretch Marks by Alex Stallings in the DMV Area in the United States.

This poem reflects the softest of themes - embracing your strengths and who you are without feeling the needs to change.

Small portrait of Daphne by Colleen O’Brien in Medicine Hat, Canada.

This is a 4-inch, square, acrylic painting of one-year-old baby Daphne. What could be softer than a baby?

You can see more work on Colleen’s site.

Soft Blossom: The Flowers of Life in the Universe

Introduction
Now, in 2025, we find ourselves in a globalized world marked by deep uncertainty. Unpredictable weather changes, job losses, economic crises, and the breaking of human relationships surround us. More importantly, traumatic incidents are striking humanity at a scale never seen before. These traumas do not come from nowhere—they feel like the burden of unresolved baggage from past generations piling up. The weight hits not only places and communities but also the human heart, shaking the structures of our societies and the individuals within them.

Impact of Traumas on Society
From this entire scenario emerges a certain hardness in the global order and within human beings themselves. The collective burden has hardened us, pushing people to adopt survival over compassion. Yet, in the middle of this hardness, I notice a very small percentage of people embodying softness. They are the ones who find the courage to accept the situation and contribute positively, even in the most critical times, offering a glimpse of healing where conflict dominates.

The Role of Softness in Addressing Hardness
Softness is not weakness—it is power in another form. In human interactions, softness allows us to connect, to listen, and to resolve rather than escalate. It is this quality, embodied by only a few, that has the potential to tackle the conflicts and heart-hardening realities of the world. A single act of softness can disarm anger, a single kind word can shift the energy of a tense room, and a single compassionate choice can prevent cycles of conflict.

Nature of Trauma and Conflict Resolution
The rule of nature teaches us this truth: trauma, conflict, or even small injustices rooted in the human psyche can only be overcome through softness. Just as creation reflects gentleness—sunflowers turning toward the sun, mud nourishing seeds, mountains holding firm yet offering peace—so too does life remind us that softness is woven into the design of the universe. It is a solution waiting quietly, asking us to embrace it.

Practicing Softness in Everyday Life
Softness begins with the self. Let us celebrate ourselves by treating our bodies and minds with gentleness—through mindful choices in food, clothing, hygiene, and personal care. This self-compassion then extends outward into relationships. We practice softness with parents, siblings, cousins, colleagues, and with those we encounter inside and outside the home. These daily acts of gentleness create ripples of peace that slowly soften the hardness in the world around us.

Softness as a Source of Joy and Peace
Softness is meant to bring joy, peace, and true happiness into human life. Yet, the world often tells us to respond with hardness—through prejudice, discrimination, inequality, or anger. But fire cannot be fought with fire. When anger meets anger, the result is a volcano of rage that harms everyone involved. Softness, though not always easy, brings the possibility of genuine happiness and soul-level peace. It is not about escaping battles but about facing them with a heart that refuses to harden.

Conclusion
In a ruthless and restless world, softness becomes not just a choice but a necessity. It is the only way to resist the crushing weight of trauma, inequality, and conflict. By embracing softness, we unlock the path to true joy, deeper connections, and a compassionate world. Let us remember: the softness we give to ourselves and to others is not a weakness but the greatest strength we can carry into the future.

Soft Blossom: The Flowers of Life in the Universe by Nazia Hayat in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

This article is a piece of my creative thoughts that explores the theme of softness—how being soft plays a solid role in shaping personality and life. In a world that can often feel cruel, the journey begins by being soft with ourselves first, and then extending that softness to the daily challenges we encounter in life.

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