Hello November! The international theme for November is GROWTH.
This 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.
Local speaker Ashley Oaksmith is an artist, an oil painter, a public servant, and a small business owner. She was on the team that founded the first all-digital public library in the US, planting libraries and teaching digital literacy in southern Texas; a project that received worldwide attention. In 2016, she moved to Kitsap for the hiking and sailing, and subsequently fell in love with the community here. She helped build the new Silverdale Library. Leaving the public sector for a few years, she was on the leadership team of Clark Construction, a female-founded and employee-owned commercial construction company. Ashley currently runs the Sylvan Way Library and Kitsap Regional Library's Mobile Services Department. She is a cofounder of the Kitsap Women's Summit. In 2021 she was honored as a Kitsap's 20 under 40, and in 2024 as a YWCA Women of Achievement. She currently serves on three community boards: Greater Kitsap Chamber of Commerce, Kitsap Community Foundation, and Leadership Kitsap. Ashley is also an Airbnb owner and hospitality host to several properties.
