Monthly Archives: September 2013

The best thing I did all year.

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I wish to come alive again, at the wish tree

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I wish there was no guns, at the wish tree

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I wish this tree would stay forever and everybody would cared about it.

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I wish my parents lived in the same house happily forever

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The wish tree, Berkeley, CA

Earlier this year, we made a wish tree in front of our house. It was my foolish project – something I had always wanted to do, simply for the delight of making something with my hands and bringing something generous + kind to my community.

Little did I know it would the very best thing I did all year.

Little did I know it would be a source of daily joy.
Little did I know that the local high school students would stop by + hang their wishes.
Little did I know that reading these little pieces of paper would open my heart + allow me to feel the sweetest kind of connection.

When we meet a new neighbor these days and they ask where we live, we proudly say, “Over there by the wish tree!” And they always get excited. Recently, when we met a new family, they gasped. That’s yours? The wish tree was the first thing we saw when we moved to the neighborhood! It made us feel like we were home.

Wanna know something kinda strange + poetic?

The tree that all the wishes hang from is a lemon tree. It’s beautiful, but the lemons are inedible. Sour , bitter, lumpy.

But I love the poetry of this – the bitter lemon tree that has been fashioned into a wish tree. The bitter tree that is bringing people hope + delight + a moment of reflection and connection.

The other day I saw a teenage boy carrying a skateboard walk up to my door. He left something on the stoop and I immediately grumbled, I’m sick of those pizza joints leaving their menus on my steps! I ran out to see what he left and my heart immediately melted:

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Start a Foolish Project starts Monday, October 7th

If you feel inspired to create something simply for the delight (yours + others) join me for Start a Foolish Project!

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We will each be choosing a project that puts a spring in our step. It could be anything from:

  • A wish tree
  • A community dinner
  • A neighborhood water balloon fight
  • Learning to play the ukulele
  • Hosting a Storybowl
  • to a Bubble flash mob

Foolish projects make us come alive

Let me help you discover YOUR foolish project + give you inspiration and encouragement as you create it. Join me on October 7thfor this 4 week e-course.

“Andrea’s superpower is helping you find yours!  I didn’t expect the flurry of ideas that came from this experience… and I especially didn’t expect to get such clarity around what i want to create in my life.” -Denese

More details here. Or you can register here.

Do you wish to come alive again?

A little ode to Ben.

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Ben in front of his lemonade stand, Berkeley, CA

“Do you know a song about the sun coming?” he asked me. “The sun is coming, the sun is coming…”

“Here comes the sun?” I asked and started to sing.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Do you know that’s a Beatles song?”

I love this kid.

I love that when he got his first wad of cash, he grabbed a stack of post-it notes and adhered each dollar bill to the walls of his bedroom.

I love that a few weeks ago, when his tooth was loose, he worked it and worked it all day long –  blood on his fingers and lips – until he got it out. (He knew that with the $2 dollar bill he was sure to get from the tooth fairy, he’d have enough for Pokemon cards)

I love his lacy blue eyes and constellation of freckles on his nose.

I love the way he says, “Are you okay mama?” when he sees me cry, and then looks right into my eyes with so much love I can hardly bear it. A healing laser beam of love.

I love the songs he makes up in his room, pop songs with a hard edge, collections of words + phrases that don’t actually go together but are so free and flowing

I love how much he adores his little brother,  how every day he tries to hug him and kiss him. And even though Nico bats him away most of the time, he never gives up.

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I love that in the middle of the night, when Ben is scared, he will go to Nico’s crib and hoist him into his arms and put him in his own bed for company.

I love that ever since he was an infant, he has had this bright spark in him. He is one of those people that is lit from the inside, someone you can’t help but want to be near.

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Ben, Berkeley, CA

Ben, Berkeley, CA

*This piece was inspired by World Gratitude Day! A most lovely idea by Alexandra Franzen.

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 September. 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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Telling True Stories — Laurie Wagner

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Telling True Stories is for writers of every age from all around the world. It’s an invitation to bring your private observations + secret truths to life. To move through the world with a writer’s ears + eyes — as you channel the stories that are closest to your heart.

With Telling True Stories, you’ll receive weekly writing assignments to help you capture + write down the quiet, everyday stories that are knocking at your soul’s door. You’ll also receive inspiring interviews with powerhouse authors, and access to a supportive creative community of like-hearted writers — your peers + partners, through the e-course.

If the idea of stepping into a virtual writing studio — somewhere to practice your craft + create something meaningful — tugs at your heart, Telling True Stories was created for YOU.

The next Telling True Stories e-Course begins on October 14th, and runs through the week of November 15th.

Adventures: Big Basin in Santa Cruz

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Nico, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Impossibly big trees, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Nico and Ben, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Ben, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Self-portrait, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Cousins, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

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Ben in his happy place, Big Basin, Santa Cruz, CA

Mondo Beyondo starts today! Still room to register.

Dear Superheroes,

Just a quick note to let you know that Mondo Beyondo starts today, September 9th!

The real magic of Mondo Beyondo

In this course, we teach folks to imagine what we call their Mondo Beyondo dreams – the most outrageously wonderful things they can imagine happening in their lives. For many of our students, dreams they never thought possible actually come true.

But here’s the thing: In the end, it’s not really about our dreams coming true. It’s about who we are becoming in the pursuit of our dreams. Are we becoming the most alive version of ourselves? The bravest, most authentic expressions of who we are?

That’s how our dreams serve us. They tell us who we are and who we are becoming. They pull us toward a version of ourselves that inspires.

Are you in?

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Or you can find out more here.

Not quite sure? Let the video above inspire you!

 

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 September. 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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Kitchenanigans — Maya Stein

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Maya Stein’s latest offering, “Kitchenanigans,” taps into the creative wellspring of our connection to food. This 30-day online class invites you to delight in the details of your culinary landscape through simple photography and storytelling. We’ll provide daily prompts and easy-to-complete assignments sent directly to your inbox, and you’ll use your meal preparation activities to unleash the power of creative revisioning. Participants will have access to a private Facebook group to share work. The Kitchenanigans workshop offers you fresh inspiration and nourishment from your daily kitchen grind and will help you discover the creative potential of your whole life. For more info and to register, visit http://www.mayastein.com/food-for-the-soul-train.

Maya Stein is a Ninja poet, writing guide, and creative adventuress. Among her latest escapades are a 1,200-mile bicycle journey with a typewriter, a cross-country poetry trip, a French crepe stand at a Massachusetts farmers market, a relocation from San Francisco to suburban New Jersey and most recently, a collaboration – “Food for the Soul Train” – turning a vintage trailer into a mobile creative workshop space. (She also ran a catering business for 6 years and specialized in hors d’oeuvres and the finer points of napkin folding.) You can learn more about Maya’s adventures at www.mayastein.com.

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Wild Courage — Stephanie Levy

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Could you use a boost of confidence for your creative ideas?

Wild Courage is a new online course I developed because I believe fear often stops us from developing our creative spirits – much more than any supposed lack of “talent,” money, luck, or desire.

It’s such a shame, because we all have so much to offer.

In Wild Courage, you’ll get my deepest, personal stories, 12 special guest interviews + practical information to help you reach your creative goals.

Join us and you’ll

– enjoy 6 weeks of daily posts + crafty fun activities 
– be inspired by my 12 exclusive, in-depth guest interviews
– laugh with me in my Monday videos
– dig deeper with weekly exercises to download
– make connections with a generous community of women from around the world
– gain self-confidence and loads of wild, courageous energy

Wild Courage begins this Monday, September 9th — and I can’t wait!

We’re almost full, so please come on over and secure your space in Wild Courage HERE.

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Create.Explore.Discover — Sarah Stevenson

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When was the last time you put your to do list aside, let go of all expectation and just let yourself explore?

I have just the place for you. This fall, join an intimate group of women at the 3rd annual Create.Explore.Discover Art Retreat.

CREATE in a warm, supportive environment

Create.Explore.Discover brings together a diverse group of women, from working artists to weekend explorers, to moms, looking to uncover their creative spark.

Retreat Leader: Sarah Stevenson will guide you through a weekend of creating and exploring with retreat instructors Mati McDonough, Alessandra Cave, Anne Weil as they lead fun, creative sessions where you will paint, knit, and explore with your camera.

EXPLORE and go deeper than you thought possible

No matter your skill — or comfort — level, Create.Explore.Discover is a safe space for experimenting and trying out new projects.

DISCOVER new friendships and connections in an intimate environment

Create.Explore.Discover is limited to 30 participants, so you’ll have the opportunity to form lasting bonds with both your retreat leaders and your fellow explorers.

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.

Do you have an e-course brewing inside you? Time for a Supersonic Session.

Andrea Scher, photo by Jen Downer

Andrea Scher, photo by Jen Downer

What if you could map out your course in a day?

Picture this.

You + me (in person or on the phone) jamming all day on your e-course. By the end of the day, your idea will be REAL – a course that channels your authentic voice.

As the creator of 9 successful e-courses (including Mondo Beyondo, Superhero Photo, Dream Lab + Start a Foolish Project) I have a lot to share with you about shaping courses for a fun + engaging online experience.

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During our day, we will explore:

The journey. Great e-courses (like great stories) have an arc. I will help you shape the course so that your students will be taken on a ride that is meaningful, rich and engaging.

The technical side. I will teach you everything you need to know about the technical aspects of delivering an e-course. We can figure out what options will work the best for you.

The sales page. How to create a compelling sales page that distills your idea into a simple + compelling message.

Your marketing plan. We will create a plan for how you will get your brilliance out in the world.

Design. Make it beautiful. I believe that design is a huge piece of creating (and selling) a compelling course. We will explore the design elements of your marketing material, your logo and any other visual elements.

Simplicity. How do you keep it simple + elegant? This is one of my superpowers. We will explore the architecture of your course and how to give your participants an experience that is rich, simple + engaging.

The map. We will map out your course so that you come away with a table of contents and a template for your class – everything you will need to build your course into something truly remarkable.

Naming your course. Another one of my superpowers. We can brainstorm creative, catchy and sticky titles that will attract participants and set you apart from the rest.

Engagement. How do you keep your students engaged? How do you pull them back in if participation starts to drop off? We will create ways to keep your students engaged with your material so that they come away feeling satisfied + happy they took your course.

Your investment

Supersonic Sessions are $997

You will come away with:

A map. To bring your course to completion swiftly + easily. (See above for details!)

An mp3 recording of our session together.

Ongoing email support + encouragement to bring your course to completion. (Hello accountability!)

A Sponsor Spotlight on the Superhero blog when your course launches. ($100 value)

Everything you need to channel your brilliance into an exciting + lucrative online offering.

 

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Let’s make it happen.

To book your session (or for any questions) just email me here: [email protected]

With love + joy,
Andrea