Monthly Archives: May 2013

How to Be Legendary

Ben rocking out in the kitchen

Ben rocking out in the kitchen

Ben was in a talent show at the local toy store last year.

When I asked him what he’d like to do, he said he’d like to perform one of his songs. His “songs” at the time were a mashup of jewish folk tunes and heavy metal. The likes of which this world might never have seen before!

He practiced outside the toy store with me, “Hine ma tov uma-na-im… (and now insert growly, deep, heavy metal voice) shevet achim gam yavat…”

It was, in short, awesome.

Ben was so excited to get on stage when we entered the store that he insisted on MC’ing the whole thing and asked if he could perform first. As I sat in the audience with my iphone video all ready to go, I saw the surprise in his eyes. It was fear but it was also surprise at how scared he actually was. He didn’t expect this at all! As a result of the sheer, unexpected terror, nothing came out of his mouth.

You can do it! all of us called out. The entire room of kids cheered him on. But he crumpled, literally, and fell to the ground. I can’t do it! he shouted from the floor.

Another kid went instead and did a fart song by putting her hand inside her armpit. (Super impressive I might add) Then a boy who was great at yo-yo did his thing.

Ben was ready to try again. I readied my camera, said a little prayer and all of us cheered again, but he was terrified and ran off the stage.

“Try starting with your back to us!” I encouraged, and that seemed to help. He started his song with his back to the audience and eventually mustered up the courage to turn around. He improvised a song, a hilarious mix of metal and rap and jewishness, and we all cheered when it was over.

He was a bit mortified by the whole thing.

But here’s what I want to share with you: Ben is now LEGENDARY at Mr. Mopp’s toy store in Berkeley. Every time we go in there, the owner says, “Ben! We loved your song at the talent show! You have a lot of fans here.” Other employees will literally come out of the back and gather around. “Ben is here! Yeah, the one from the talent show!”

They love him.

And my guess is that they love him because he was brave.
They love him because he was human.
He was afraid and he went for it anyway.

He sang a song, his song. And even though he couldn’t quite look anyone in the eyes when he did it, he did it anyway.

Ben once asked me what a legend was. I told him it was someone that people talked about for many years after they were gone, even hundreds of years, because they were so extraordinary. “Like Jesus?” he asked. “Yes. Like Jesus. And Miles Davis.”

“I want to be a legend,” he told me.

I think he’s well on his way. And he is teaching me that being brave + vulnerable is key. The crowd loves you all the more for it.

 

 

The family band is starting already.

Nico playing guitar from andrea scher on Vimeo.

On my bookshelf

It’s a good sign when you are only 17 pages into a book and you think, this might be my favorite book ever. That’s how I’ve been feeling about Glennon Doyle Melton’s beautiful memoir, Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed. It will make you laugh + give you courage all at the same time. How have I not been reading her blog all these years?

I’m also juggling 5 other books. That’s how I roll:

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

A Field Guide to Now by Christina Rosalie

My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging by Rachel Naomi Remen is always on my nightstand.

What books are you loving these days?

 

Taking portraits of the beauties in your life*

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Laurie Wagner

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Laurie Wagner

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Laurie Wagner

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Laurie Wagner

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Laurie Wagner

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Rachel Cole

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Rachel Cole

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Rachel Cole

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Elizabeth Sullivan

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Elizabeth Sullivan

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Rebecca Brams

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Rebecca Brams

I love taking head shots. They sound boring if they conjure up images of something you have to take for work, something shot in a cubicle maybe, or those posed school pictures from grade school.

But I love intimacy of the head shot. Just me, my subject and the best light I can find. Since we ALL feel awkward having our picture taken, I take it as my sole mission to have them say at the end, ‘That was totally painless and fun!”

The real joy however is if they actually love what I’ve shot in the end. If they can say, I never like photos of myself, but I love how you see me. I love what I see in these images… it’s the best feeling ever. It’s reflecting someone’s beauty back to them. It’s like saying, See? This is how the world sees you! And when it’s received on their end, it feels like an even bigger gift on mine.

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Want to transform the way you take photos?

Superhero Photo starts June 24th, 2013.

Join me! Spend the summer learning all of my best tricks and create a beautiful collection of images you are proud of. You can learn more here.

“Superhero Photo has been more than just a photography course; it has felt more like a celebration of life with a friend who has been helping me to experience more joy in the world around me and to express that joy through photography.” -Tamara, Superhero Photo student

*The portraits above are my most recent headshots, Laurie Wagner, Rachel Cole,  Elizabeth Sullivan and Rebecca Brams. All creative, beautiful and awesome ladies up to some really cool things. 

Super Sponsor Spotlight

Superhero Journal sponsors are, well, super! So take a minute to check out all of the awesomeness they are offering up this May. Also, if you’d like to see your e-Course, Etsy shop, blog or business on the sidebar or in an upcoming Super Sponsor Spotlight, we’d love to have you. Just send a quick email to Amber at: [email protected] to get all the details.

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Up & Running

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Running is more than a workout. It’s a portal to mind-body alignment.
It’s a source of community. It’s soul-searching & goal-setting.
It’s where wisdom meets wonder, with the wind in your hair.

And it’s not just for the skinny, the svelte, or the superhuman. It’s for YOU.

At Up & Running we’ve got all the goodies to help you. Our e-courses from 5K, 10K to half-marathon runs all come with expert coaching, unlimited support and a vibrant members forum.

Join us for our June courses and we’ll get you on your feet, out the door, and into the world… registration is now open!

“I can’t praise Up & Running highly enough. Being a part of the community has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had… I go out running now for the sheer enjoyment of it and every single time I have to chuckle a bit to myself at what I’ve accomplished. Me, a runner.” — Svava, UK

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Inner Moves — Maureen Clancy

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Deep down you’re sensitive and brilliant, but you’ve been playing small.  For years, you’ve been fighting the feeling that you’re not good enough. But the more you fight, the bigger it gets.

Meanwhile, opportunities for happiness, love, and money are slipping by.

You secretly wish you could:
• Go after your dreams.
• Take more risks and delight in the rewards.
• Release negative habits like self-sabotage.
• Feel more compassion for yourself and others.

Inner Moves is a 6-week e-Course that’ll help you do these things.

Imagine how it would feel to:
• Stop fighting this feeling.
• Have specific tools to use when this feeling gets big.
• Belong to a community of women in which you’ll be encouraged, validated and safely held.
• Begin to accept — all parts of yourself (… even those you don’t like).
• Stop holding back and live the life you were meant to live.

My deepest desire for you is to love and accept yourself . . . no matter what.

Want to sponsor your friend, sister, mother, daughter? You are amazing, AND you get $50 off her fee. That’s a whole-life changing course for 100 bucks!
1. Visit http://www.maureen-clancy.com/inner-moves
2. Click Add to Cart.
3. Type sponsorasister in the discount box (as one word with no spaces).
4. Click Checkout to pay.
5. I’ll email you a gift certificate to send her.

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Kelly Rae Roberts

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I’m Kelly Rae Roberts. I’m an artist, author + a Possibilitarian.

I believe that art has the transformative power to heal (both the maker and the receiver of that art).

I believe that we get to make the rules, that we get to choose, that we get to craft the exact life that has been waiting for us. And when we do, we become fully alive.

I also believe that we are meant for the complicated journeys of brokenness and wholeness, vulnerability and courage, wisdom and silliness. Sometimes all at once. But more on that, later.

An Accidental Artist

I spent my early career as a clinical medical social worker — counseling broken hearts, and helping others through the fights of their lives. It was powerful, important work — but my heart began to grow restless.

Until . . . I started playing with paint, at age 30. And everything shifted and changed and opened up. A new way of experiencing, translating, sharing & being in the world was born.

Come say hello at http://kellyraeroberts.com + use coupon code SUPERHERO for 20% off any purchase in the shop!

An Open Letter to Moms from Kid President

Holy moly. Best thing EVER. I’m in love with Kid President.

On getting more help thank you think you deserve*

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I was honored to participate in the Mother’s Day Rally for Mental Health on Katherine Stone’s blog (Postpartum Progress) this year. Katherine posted letters to new moms from 24 writers who have gone through postpartum depression or anxiety. Each letter is so moving + powerful… and a must-read for your mama friends out there. So many of us don’t realize what we’re going through until we’re on the other side. We don’t get the support we need because we think we don’t deserve it, or that it’s not that bad, or we’re too ashamed…

These letters bust through all of that and share the real deal. So proud to be a part of it. Share it with the moms in your life. My piece is getting more help thank you think you deserve.

 

A Love List: What your mama really wants for Mother’s Day

Laurie listening to Ellen

Laurie listening to Ellen

I went to a birthday party for a dear friend recently. Since Laurie had been going through some major transitions this year, we wanted to gift her something really special and from the heart. Sherry suggested we all make her a “Love list.”

A Love list is pretty simple.

1. Write down 10 things you love about this person.
2. Tell them what you admire about them, what you appreciate, why they inspire you.
3. Read it to them in person, over the phone, or put a stamp on it and send it off with love.

As I wrote my love list for Laurie, I was filled with gratitude. There was so much to love about her! and I felt so lucky to be counted as one of her dear ones.

She didn’t know we wrote these lists. We surprised her by reading them out loud, one by one after dinner, and watched the tears fall from her cheeks. She received each gift so beautifully… and we were all a puddle by the end. It was a gift to all of us.

Lara and Sherry and Laurie

Lara and Sherry and Laurie

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Laurie and Lara

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Me reading to Laurie

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Me and Laurie

Have you ever given a love list? Have you ever received one? What was it like?

 

The marvelous world of Anado McLauchlin

 

Rainbow buddhas, in Anado's gorgeous studio, San Miguel Allende, Mexico

Rainbow buddhas, in Anado’s gorgeous studio, San Miguel Allende, Mexico

Have you ever wondered who is responsible for the gorgeous rainbow colored buddhas on my home page? They were created by the phenomenally talented Anado McLauchlin in San Miguel de Allende.

You might remember I was there last January for a painting retreat with Flora Bowley. The colors in San Miguel are the most spectacular I’ve ever seen – mustard walls with peeling paint, green taxis and pink churches, orange houses against bright blue skys. My color obsession was finally satisfied. But we had the chance to take it to another level when the leader of our trip suggested we visit a talented expat artist whose home was made entirely of mosaics. Now we’re talking! I thought.

Anado and Rebecca, San Miguel de Allende

Anado and Rebecca, San Miguel de Allende

Anado's shoes, San Miguel de Allende

Anado’s shoes, San Miguel de Allende

Of course he had me at hello. A creative wizard of a man with a long beard and pink tennis shoes greeted us. His house was nothing short of miraculous. Here are some peeks into his colorful world. May they inspire you! And if you ever find yourself in San Miguel, I hope you get to see his work firsthand.

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Thank you Anado! For sharing your colorful vision and your home!

The Ruffler

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Self portrait, eyes closed

We have a “Ruffler.”

This is what Ben called him the first time it happened, the first time our car was broken into last year. We went to open the door of our car one morning and discovered that it was ajar. Trash was strewn all over the passenger seat along with owners’ manuals, registration papers, a swiss army knife, a few tampons and a number 2 pencil. All that seemed to be missing was the spare change. I explained to Ben that someone had rifled through our car in the middle of the night.

But who ruffled our car? Ben asked in disbelief.

I like calling him the Ruffler because it sounds more friendly, less like a violation and more like a person who simply makes mischief and mess wherever they go. We also have a name for this guy because he has done this to our car a good 7 times now. Every time we have forgotten to lock the doors- those occasions when I have extracted a screaming toddler from the car seat and hurriedly ushered him into the house (thus forgetting to lock up) the Ruffler strikes again.

It’s possible he is the most dependable force in my life. A law of the Universe. Pure cause and effect.

I’ve been more diligent about locking doors since the Ruffler came into our lives. Not just the car doors, but the house as well. He demands that I cross my T’s more than usual; he demands a kind of precision and excellence that perhaps I let fall by the wayside. I imagine he is a kind of angel, here for a purpose, to protect me from a much greater harm with his annoying shenanigans.

I have been tempted to leave the car door open and rig a camera in there, to film the Ruffler in action. He has left cigarette butts in the car before, garbage, and once a nice pair of sunglasses that I’m guessing he acquired from another vehicle. But I don’t really want to know who he is.

I prefer to think of him as a force or an energy, not a real person.

I prefer to think of him as someone who asks me to stay present and awake, who remembers to check the doors before falling asleep, who reminds me of the simple laws of the Universe.