"The Softspot Chose Me"
As a student and university educator of literature, the inventor became skilled in reading between the lines. As an award-winning filmmaker, the inventor was also experienced in maintaining the integrity of projects through the maze of often conflicting interests involved in their development.
“Stress is here to stay and the primal need for comfort endures.”
The inspiration for an object for working adults which could tactilely resolve these two contradictory aspects of life remained just that, an inspiration, until a business trip to Europe to promote a film...
On a train between Brussels and Paris the inventor met someone in the music recording industry, the person who would become a valued friend and co-inventor of what gradually developed into the SoftSpot.
Both inventors were used to being around people in a stressful environment where deadlines, large sums of money, and substantial creative and technical pressures are involved. The inventors discussed the need for a simple object that was calming, a Western equivalent for a "worry bead" that was both visually appealing and tactile, while also being resistant and pliant at the same time. It should be small enough to nestle inside the palm of a hand and sufficiently streamlined to fit inside a pocket, an object that could provide a primal and soothing experience during times of everyday stress.
"We were convinced that such an object would satisfy a basic human need for 'touching' and would have a broad and beneficial physical and psychological effect, as well as enduring appeal."
Making SoftSpot (R) Touchables into a reality was far from the inventors' areas of expertise. They started from ground zero on their journey, first experimenting on their own with a variety of hard and soft materials, and later working with sculptors, scientists, and tool makers in the United States and Europe. They ultimately chose the planet-shaped form as most appealing for a start, not only in terms of its snug fit into the palm of the hand, but because space-age forms have become part of the collective unconscious through all media. Prototypes were then presented and SoftSpot, Inc. was established.
Vision for SoftSpot:
SoftSpot was conceived in an instant of inspiration. It has taken many years from conception through realization. Why? Because a valid vision takes time and patience to get it right: research, creative thinking, collaboration, experimentation, and lots of listening to feedback from a wide variety of people for whom the SoftSpot is intended.
From that inspiring moment to the gratifying experience our customers have holding this original object in their hands, all our time and effort have been well worth it.
Thanks from us to you for sharing the SoftSpot with all those you care about:
For the soft spot in all of us,
… A SOFTSPOT just for you
