Our theme for November is GROWTH. It was chosen by our Sacramento chapter in California, illustrated by Amber Rankin, and presented by Adobe.

When we were kids, it happened fast. We outgrew clothes and shoes seemingly overnight. We constantly reached for things just out of our grasp. We made messes and art without worrying about what anyone would think.

As we shift into adulthood, growth gets harder to come by. Get good grades and a great job. Burn the midnight oil. Struggle against the odds. Then somewhere along the way, we get comfortable with the status quo. Sitting on the couch, watching and scrolling instead of trying and doing.

But creativity demands growth. Not the kind that can be measured with a ruler. It’s about taking stock of your character. Who’s ready to chase wild possibilities and meaningful progress? We must unlearn the need to be perfect and busy. Remember how to play and get our hands dirty again.

It takes curiosity and courage. Because growth doesn’t always feel good. It forces us to shed our old skin, to stumble, and start again. Sometimes, growth happens quietly, in between uncertainty and doubt, the moments when nothing seems to be changing. Until everything does.

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.

Lucky by Jessica Sweeney in Seattle, Washington.

My oil painting of a rooting clover reflects the quiet strength of growth; the unseen roots that anchor us while we reach for the light above.

You can see more work on Jessica’s site.

Shedding Skin by Sara Tang in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Drawing in watercolor and accompanying meditation for the year of the wood Snake transitioning into a Fire year, both by Sara Tang: “If your longings haven’t grown with you, then dear, be burned by hope, and afterwards, exfoliate away the dead cells, let them fall - like leaves, like rain - tenderness is ever new. What are you shedding? Listen and feel.”

You can see more work on Sara’s site and her instagram.

Positive Outlook by Stephanie Casino Esguerra in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.

This is a self portrait (painting) depicting my personal growth journey as I navigated fairly severe anxiety with the help of therapy. I was able to emerge from that darkness somehow, where I was able to begin seeing things with a more positive outlook (hence the butterflies in my eyes).

You can see more work on Stephanie’s site and her instagram.

Tender Emergence by Irene Jena Karthik in London, United Kingdom.

(Charcoal and ink fineliner on paper.) This drawing reflects growth as an inner unfolding where the self merges with nature. It reminds us that growth is interconnected, and everything flourishes through tenderness that is quietly generative. Growth is always about being in communion with each other.

Maybe “normal” as we knew it wasn’t all that helpful and moving through the current shitstorm of change is the best we can do right now.

The Second Coming of Everything by Michael Maupin in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It’s a Substack essay and it’s about growing again after major life changes.

You read the rest on Michael’s Substack.

Zaire by John Sherman in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Photo of mask purchased when living in Kinshasa, then-Zaire (now Congo, manipulated into a single grouping –my time in Zaire was a time of personal growth, when I began to create a lot of writing and photography that has continued since that time.

Chrysalis (Transformation) by Bianca Lee in Toronto, Ontario.

This soundscape explores the less spoken side of growth - the dissonance, tension, and surrender within transformation. Like a butterfly in its chrysalis, it moves through discomfort, finding resolution as it emerges into new form.

Listen on Bianca’s Soundcloud. Image credit: Danijela Gorley

Growth by Kely Sarmiento in Bogotá, Colombia.

Growth as indomitable cycles carrying wisdom encompassing bloom and decay, which allow for letting go and renewal.

You can see more work on Kely’s site.

It’s a crisis so deep it shakes your creative fire, and you turn back to a younger you. She is holding watercolors in her hands, asking you to look at her painting.

Creative warrior pick up your tool… the hand by Keva Epale in France.

The Creative Warrior poem-letter celebrates growth through pain, those unseen moments when we question our path without realizing how deeply we’re growing underneath. Creatives often evolve in silence, until a younger and vivid version of ourselves returns to remind us of the distance traveled and the fruits yet to come.

Read the rest on Keva’s Substack.

Puhpowee by Emmie Sherertz in Marietta, Georgia.

VISUAL ART that has GROWN + is GROWING. Puhpowee—a word from the Anishinaabe people, meaning “the force that causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight”—is the conceptual heart of my newest body of work. Since the start of 2025, this project has completely consumed my practice, growing organically in both form and spirit during a profoundly challenging year. What began as two large abstract canvases has evolved into a networked, multi-part installation: dozens of smaller works unified by a shared visual language and conceptual root system.

The installation reflects the mycelial networks that inspire it—deeply connected, quietly powerful, and structurally resilient. Black lines weave across each surface, functioning as symbolic roots. They ground each individual piece while linking the entire grouping into a singular, living organism. Though each painting or panel can stand alone, the work reaches its fullest expression when shown salon-style, as a swarm that stretches across a wall or around a gallery corner. The modularity of the installation allows for adaptability in scale and space, but its ideal setting is one where the work can breathe, sprawl, and envelop viewers.

Photo credit: Lisa Thrower. You can see more work on Emmie’s site.

GROWTH by Christian Morant in New York City.

GROWTH is a culmination of poems that snapshots the developmental process of my life as an artist and a human. From love to pain, joy to sadness, anxiety and depression, no matter what stage of life you may be growing through, I hope there is something in it that personally resonates with you or someone you know.

You can purchase the collection on Amazon. And see more work on Christian’s site.

The Trees, an eco-homo-erotic musical by Kristy Lin Billuni in San Francisco, California.

The Trees invites its audience to interrogate progressive heroes President Teddy Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir and reimagine their American folklore as a queer fantasia that heals us and our planet. It is a tiny green sapling that hopes humanity will outgrow 1903’s toxicity and overcome John and Ted’s fear of intimacy. As I develop this project in real time, I reach my own branches out to gather community and grow. This video is a recording of our spring concert reading at KALW.

For credits, please see the Playbill.

Not Now by Mark Steenbarger in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A film about avoidance - how learning to identify this helps us grow and get unstuck. It’s film as a conversation starter - there are prompts and activities that accompany the film.

You can see more on Mark’s instagram.

You might think being sensitive is a flaw. You might think it’s something to overcome, hide, or toughen up from. For most of my life, I often mistook my own sensitivity for low confidence.

How to Understand a Sensitive Mind: A Social Psychologist’s Take on an Overlooked Strength by Ivy Chan in Seattle, Washington.

It’s an essay that explores the idea of growth through reframing self-perception. As a social psychologist (turned wellness educator), I write about how understanding sensitivity, often mislabeled as weakness, becomes a powerful act of self-growth. The piece invites readers to see emotional attunement as intelligence and expansion rather than fragility.

Read the rest on Ivy’s site.

Lotus by Alena Aichlmanova in Prague, Czech Republic.

This mixed media piece is inspired by the buddhist symbol of a lotus blossom, which is represents the power of a pure beauty to raise from a dirty mud. No matter what surrounds us, we have the possibility to keep our minds pure. It’s only our own decision.

9 Small Paintings, each is 4”x4” by Colleen O'Brien in Medicine Hat, Canada.

Acrylic paintings expressing various flowers, one of my themes.

You can see more work on Colleen’s site.

Monarchs Matter by Courtney King in Elkins, Arkansas.

A monarch butterfly symbolizes growth through transformation. Its life cycle—from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly—embodies resilience, change, and the beauty of evolving over time. A photo of a monarch captures this journey, reminding us that growth often requires patience, vulnerability, and bold emergence into something new.

Growth of a Creative by Sanjna Sudan in Munich, Germany.

This work is a series of three fun yet meaningful Instagram reels called “Growth Series.” Watch The Path, The Space, and The Edit.

Each reel represents a stage in my personal and creative journey during and after a life-changing sabbatical. Through these weekly reflections, I share insights from the books I’ve read and the experiences that helped me reconnect with myself and my creativity, with the hope of inspiring others to do the same. It connects to the theme “Growth” as it captures the continuous process of self-discovery, healing, and creative renewal, showing how growth often unfolds through, curiosity, reflection and the courage to follow what comes next.

You can see more on Sanjna’s instagram.

Growth is the marvel of life’s vibrant journey.

Among all stages of human development, one thing sets us apart: growth itself. Have you ever witnessed a seed blossoming into a fruitful plant? This transformation showcases a remarkable evolution, clear for all to see. Growth, in essence, embodies change.

Humanity’s other name could well be growth. When life ceases to change, it resembles a lifeless shell—a mere skeleton of existence. The journey of human evolution is an ever-unfolding tale of change. These shifts usher in monumental transformations throughout our lives.

Growth, intriguingly, occurs in both forward and backward directions. From birth to death, this continuum of growth shapes our existence. It’s a never-ending dance of change, an enduring process that perpetually unfolds.

Growth isn’t linear. Just look at kids; they have clear growth spurts. Plants also don’t grow steadily or at the same rate throughout their lives. The same goes for us as leaders and individuals. We experience seasons of growth. Recognising this helps us move closer to our potential.

In nature, we see Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. These words give us a clear picture of plant growth. We can use a similar framework for human development: infant, toddler, school-aged, young adult, middle-aged, elderly. However, human growth stages can be limiting and somewhat predetermined.

There are two issues with using these stages as a growth model: Length of the cycle. Human growth stages span over 60 years, unlike the yearly seasons.

Repeatability of the cycle. Seasons repeat predictably—Winter leads to Spring. Human growth stages don’t follow this pattern; an infant doesn’t become elderly. While growth stages end, seasons keep cycling. To truly commit to ongoing growth, we must adopt a seasons of growth mindset.

Here are three ways to embrace this model in your personal development. Each method will help you enhance your skills and wisdom.

Plan for the Seasons
Gardeners prepare for each season. Even if you’ve never gardened, you know what planning means. You consider clothing, activities, and weather in your plans. We can apply this to our growth. If we recognise we’re in an interpersonal Winter, we can start preparing for Spring.

Expect the Seasons
In Spring, we expect warmer weather. We know it’s coming. Yet, after a busy Summer, we may wonder if Autumn will ever arrive. If it feels like ages since we’ve made progress (Winter), we might doubt that growth (Spring) will come. But we can trust that the seasons of growth will arrive, making us more effective.

Live in the Seasons
If you ask ten people their favourite season, each one will likely be mentioned. There’s beauty in every season. Talk long enough, and everyone will find something to appreciate about each one. If grass tried to grow in Winter, it wouldn’t thrive like it does in Summer. Likewise, if a maple tree held on to its leaves in Autumn, it wouldn’t flourish in Spring. Being present and grateful during each season enhances our effectiveness. We can plan for change, but valuing each season leads to greater contentment.

Lessons from the Seasons
Here are additional lessons from the seasons that support a growth mindset:

Patience. You can’t rush the next season. However, once you recognise the rhythm, you can remain hopeful and watch for changes. This teaches patience during times when growth feels stagnant.

Awareness. The seasons of growth model highlights the importance of each development stage. Winter, for instance, is vital for growth, even if it feels unproductive.

Pace. Understanding the seasons shows we can’t operate at full speed all the time. Being unrealistic about this leads to stress and anxiety. Our internal Autumn and Winter help us grow faster in Spring and Summer, even if our seasons aren’t three months long. Adjusting our pace and expectations gives us a fresh view of our overall growth.

We see the seasons of the year as the natural rhythm of life. Adopting a seasons of growth mindset in our personal and professional development can help us grow faster. Find your rhythm, and develop without rushing or getting in your own way.self. Have you ever witnessed a seed blossoming into a fruitful plant? This transformation showcases a remarkable evolution, clear for all to see. Growth, in essence, embodies change.

Growth towards the life evolution by Nazia Hayat in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

This piece is connected to the philosophical ideas related to the growth.

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