Giovannie Dixon

Our theme for November is RHYTHM. It was chosen by our Basel chapter and illustrated by Patrizia Stalder.  

What rhythms set your pace? A celestial rhythm is pulsing all around us. The earth spins. The sun rises and sets. The moon pulls and releases the tides twice every day. The seasons loop each year. Natural, constant patterns of back-and-forth. But we also live amidst the unnatural rhythms of flickering fluorescent lights, pinging notifications, and vehicles idling at traffic signals. Rhythm can light you up or burn you out. 

So, how do you keep your own beat? Listen to your breath. Listen to your heart.

October’s Theme is Endurance.

Endurance is the unwavering flame that burns within us, illuminating a path through darkness and uncertainty. It is the quiet strength that emerges when challenges test our limits, urging us to push beyond what we thought possible. Endurance is not a mere moment but a relentless spirit that whispers, “keep going” when the world feels heavy.

In a world that values instant gratification, endurance is a reminder that the most rewarding victories are born from patience and perseverance. It is the ability to rise, even when we fall, and to embrace the transformative power of persistence. So, let us celebrate the tenacity that resides within us, for in the face of adversity, it is endurance that leads us towards the summit of our potential.Our Timisoara chapter chose this month’s exploration of Endurance and Ana Kun illustrated the theme. 

September’s Theme is Simplicity.

In the design traditions of Scandinavian and Japanese minimalism, the paring down of possessions creates a greater sense of tranquility and ease. Simplicity invites us to imagine how rich we might feel when we make do with less. 

Where can you exercise restraint and streamline excess? How will you find clarity amidst chaos? 
Our Gothenburg chapter chose this month’s exploration of Simplicity and Jessica Jämting illustrated the theme. 

August’s Theme is Pride.

Pride is a powerful affirmation of authenticity. It gives us the grace to show up as ourselves and live in alignment with our values. It embraces every shade of our longings, our regrets, and our hopes — these beautiful and powerful things that make us who we are. 

Pride is when you stand tall and say, “This is who I am.” Pride is when you reclaim the parts of your identity that others might have scorned. Pride is when you raise your voice in defense of someone who is powerless, saying “Enough.” Because that someone might just be yourself. How will you unfurl yourself fully? How will you extend safety and solidarity so that we all may be unapologetically ourselves?Our Palm Beach chapter chose this month’s exploration of Pride and Kayla Griffin illustrated the theme.

July’s Theme is Treasure.

Treasure takes many forms, both physical and intangible. Yours may be a ring that has been passed down to you from your ancestors. A hidden spring of water in a parched land. The budding, implicit trust of a new friend. New photographs of the wider galaxy, full of iridescent swirls of matter and light. The ruins of a people from a faraway time and place. Our Brisbane chapter chose this month’s exploration of Treasure, Spectator Jonze illustrated the theme, and Mailchimp is presenting the theme.

June’s Theme is Reverie.

When your gaze softens around the edges, where does your mind travel? What thoughts arise unbidden? Reverie beckons us to dream while awake, spinning loose associations that seem to emerge from somewhere not entirely inside or outside of you. Our woolgathering summons past memories and nascent fantasies. We turn them over and over, like smooth stones in our hand, making meaning. Our Omaha chapter chose this month’s exploration of Reverie and Eduardo Gardea illustrated the theme.

May’s Theme is Acceptance.

Acceptance is weaving into your story what once caused you pain — and still might, to this day. You welcome that creature into your home, tend to its wounds, and feed it out of your hand. Acceptance is knowing that this feral animal lives side by side with your tender house cat of a heart, always.Our Lexington chapter chose this month’s exploration of Acceptance and Robert Beatty illustrated the theme.

April’s Theme is Movement.

Movement is a universal state of being. Even at rest, the matter we’re composed of is in motion — subatomic particles whir about at dizzying speeds, to create the sense of solidity. The things that appear still — the earth beneath us, the trunk of a tree above us, is but a trick of the eye. They move slowly but at a staggering scale.Our Wellington chapter chose this month’s exploration of Movement, Hannah Webster illustrated the theme, and Mailchimp is presenting the theme.

March’s Theme is Corruption.

Corruption rewards social connections and financial advantages over the rules of fair play. We owe the calamities all around us to those who favor gain over the greater good. It takes courage to speak out. To demand transparency and accountability. What will you do to hold power to account?

Our Monterrey chapter chose this month’s exploration of Corruption and Violeta Hernández illustrated the theme.

February’s Theme is Touch.

When we open ourselves to the ineffable — what cannot be transmitted through words — touch emerges as a language unto itself. The grit of the soil under our bare feet, the clay slip enrobing a potter’s wheel, the sun-warmed fur of a beloved pet — these sensations can be healing.

How will you stay in contact with the electric matter that keeps us alive? What will pass through your hands today?

Our Lisbon chapter chose this month’s exploration of Touch and Emma Lopes illustrated the theme.