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Posts Tagged ‘Writing’

January 7th, 2010

SOAR! Countdown has begun

And the SOAR! winners are…

going to be announced sometime between tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening.

You guessed it. This is not Me Ra writing, getting your hopes up and then trying out some bad joke that only her husband can appreciate.

Yep, it’s me Brian, Me Ra’s Husband. I am doing all I can to bring our 260+ SOAR scholarship applicants and their Friends and Family to the height of anticipation as we prepare to announce the recipients of the scholarships sometime tomorrow.

There are some final details that are just taking us a little longer to finalize. You know, we gotta cross our I’s and dot our T’s.

We are so excited to announce the winners Friday January 8th. SO if you don’t see the announcement first thing in the morning, hang in there. I promise we WILL have them finalized by tomorrow.

66 Comments »
Tags: Writing

December 31st, 2009

10 New Year’s Exercises for the Artist Within!

The final countdown of 2009 is here. What an intense year it’s been–full of high-highs and low-lows. And yet somehow, we have not only endured but found moments to celebrate, believe in the impossible, keep loving when we felt empty, and wake with a sense of hope for the new day. The resilience of the human spirit is breath taking. The resilience of your spirit is amazing. And if nothing else, you are worth celebrating tonight!

To celebrate, I have artist exercises…I know, it’s a crazy Type A thing to offer today. These exercises are like rituals that help me bring closure to the year as I prepare for the next. They are exercises that feed my artist within. Some are random in nature. Some are thoughtful. Some are easy, and some…I consider super, heavy lifting. I thought I’d share a handful with you.

Take 15 minutes, or if you can 60 minutes, to yourself today or tomorrow. Pick one, two, or more exercises below .and let your artist child run free. There is something powerful about starting a New Year with the innocence and possibilities that children possess.

10 New Year’s Exercises for the Artists Within!

1. If you had to pick a color or colors, what colors would you use to describe 2009? What colors do you want to begin 2010 with?

2. Take a 15 minute photo walk. Look for something that catches your eye. Something that reflects, represents, symbolizes 2009. As you walk home, be on the lookout for an image that represents your hopes for 2010. Share the photos with someone you love and trust.

3. Grab a handful of magazines and cut out any image that makes you smile. Don’t over think this one, if you smile, rip it out. Then walk away from all your cut outs for a few hours. After time has passed, return to your cut outs and write down the consistencies you find. What are the common threads? What are these common threads saying about your heart’s desires? How can the recognition of these common threads help you build dreams for 2010?

4. One of my favorites from the Artist Way; write an encouraging letter to yourself. Write the letter from a place of Great Love for yourself. What do you need to hear as you step in to 2010? How do you need to be encouraged? You know your heart’s needs better than anyone. What words of life can you give to yourself in this letter? When your done writing, mail the letter to yourself. What a wonderful gift to start the New Year with!

5. What was your favorite recipe in 2009, and why? What is the recipe you were scared to try? Any thoughts on why?

6. Dreaming Big: If you could wave a magic wand, what three dreams would come true? Dream BIG for this exercise. Don’t do necessity dreaming—like paying the bills. But really push yourself to dream beyond your most urgent needs.

7. For those of you who are feeling overwhelmed, find a way to go and see a movie by yourself. (This is one of the toughest things for me to do, but when I’ve done it—it has made all the difference.)

8. This one is from my wise business coaches, Karen and Fay: As you look back, what motivated you to change and to move toward your heart’s desires and your goals? Inner desires or intentions? Outward events or people? Necessities?

9. Your Heart’s Garden: With your journal, take inventory of your heart’s garden. What is blooming? What is dying? What needs to be pruned back? Are there any unexpected empty plots? What is thriving in the garden of your heart? Something you didn’t expect to survive the storm? What does it feel like to lock yourself in the bathroom, turn the fan on, close your eyes for 60 seconds and picture yourself in that garden? What sounds do you hear in your garden? What scents? Are you at rest in your own garden? If not, what are things you could do to find rest?

10. My favorite exercise with the family: Take some time to sit together. Each family member gets their own turn. Set the timer for 60 seconds and be still together, waiting on God, opening your heart to any word or picture of encouragement for that family member. When the 60 seconds is over, share your impressions one at a time, and have someone write them down. Maybe even start a Family Prayer Journal for 2010. This is one of our most treasured books.

Happy New Year Friends! With great excitement, we picture you on our left and right as we enter 2010 together—supporting each other.

All our love,

Me Ra, Brian, Pascaline and Blaze

p.s. Over the next few days, feel free to share your exercise results on today’s blog post!

38 Comments »
Tags: Art, Artist, Business, Exercise, Recipe, Writing

December 18th, 2009

Are You Afraid to Leap? Are the Voices Unbearable? You are not alone.

This is a big day. It is the last Friday before the SOAR! Scholarship Deadline. I know a lot of you have yet to turn in your video. You and I know that this weekend, tomorrow and Sunday, are your days to get it done—maybe Monday but that is SERIOUSLY pushing it.

Have the voices become louder as you’ve come closer to the deadline? The voices that say, “You aren’t worth of this scholarship. You don’t deserve it.” Or maybe they say, “Look at all those Video Entries so far. What makes you think you are that creative. What makes you think you can do this?” Don’t you hate those voices?

I must confess that even though I’m not an applicant, I have had my own voices to battle. The SOAR! Scholarship is my own leap of faith. ‘Can we pull something this big together? Will it grow into what I envision? Will women respond? Will they hear my heart?’ They are all the doubts that you run through, just a different scenario. And yes, they have become more and more loud as this deadline has approached. Yesterday morning I got up extra early to get a head start on my day. I did my workout and before leaving the gym, I decided to sit upstairs and write my morning pages.

I heard someone behind me messing with one of the elliptical machines. I turned around and saw this man standing there, he was looking at me, and so I turned around and kept writing—choosing to ignore him. In that split second I had a weird feeling, but I was at the gym of all places. And then I heard the sound of someone urinating. I turned around, and he had opened up his pants, exposing everything to me, and was looking right at me as he peed all over the equipment. Insane, right? Disgusting…violating.

I went downstairs, told the front desk. They confronted the man. He didn’t act senile or overly medicated. He wasn’t a homeless guy who had wandered in. Instead, he was a member. And he was angry and offended by what he was being accused of. They came back to me and said that there wasn’t much they could do but have me fill out a report for their records. Since a staff member had not witnessed the incident, it was my word against his. He was allowed to keep exercising. …I had been here before. This felt to familiar. How was I not supposed to feel like they believed him since they were letting him stay?

I’ve been through the sexual assault court system enough to know that if nothing else, we can report the incident to the police so there is a record. The staff called the police, and I waited in the office for over an hour. There are these big glass windows in the office where you can look out on the basketball courts and upper level. The track is on the upper level. There he was–walking the track. Doing his exercise instead of being asked to leave. I had been here before.

In that next hour, I went through a myriad of flashbacks. Almost twenty years ago, I was raped by a student on campus. I had reported it to the police, but lack of evidence kicked the case out of court. He was allowed to enroll back into classes. As he stalked me for nine months, the college continued to say, “There were no other witnesses. There is nothing we can do.”

As I was waiting for the police, one of the gym employees came in at his defense. She told me that this man had been a gym member for years. She had never seen or heard of him being inappropriate. His medication, if he was taking any, was probably getting the better of him. She walked away without asking me once how I was.

I had been here before. This felt to familiar.

The man left when he was done working out. The gym said they didn’t know if they could discontinue his membership. Hard to prove what happened—even though there was urine all over the equipment. The police finally showed up. The officer talked to me outside. I told him what happened, and he looked at me and said, “I believe you.” Those three words almost undid me. I told them I would testify. They took my information, and I left.

I left the scene, but I had not left that familiar place. That place where all my power seems to disappear. Brian met me. I looked at him and said, “Why did I sit upstairs by myself? I should have known better.” With passion in his eyes, he said, “No Me Ra. That is not the voice of truth. You’ve spent to many years battling that voice to let it have a say now. This was not your fault. You didn’t invite this.”

He was right. That voice of unworthiness had crept right in and was now speaking for me. How fast it happens.

I came home, laid down on the bed, and Blaze came and snuggled with me. I had all these great plans for the day. Plans to help promote SOAR! even more—with a dozen different ideas. I felt like yesterday was our biggest viral day to promote SOAR! before Monday. And now the day was lost to something like this.

The house was quiet. The kids were at rock climbing club. I lit a candle. It was a red candle that my business coaches gave me last Spring. They told me to light it when I needed to remind myself of the light in the darkness—the power of that single light that is gentle, but ever present—that single light that is in me. The power of Feminine Wisdom.

I felt like I had lost the day. But in the quiet of this moment, as I write to you, I know that this isn’t true. There is a light inside of me that cannot be put out. I know this because of all the trauma I have had to endure, the light still shines. I still love at the end of the day. I still laugh. And I still believe that we are all worth more than we could ever know.

I get to write to all of you that are struggling with the voices, the old, familiar, ugly voices. And I get to say, you and I are worth more than what life has thrown at us. You and I are worth more than we could ever imagine. We are capable of more than we ever imagined. We are meant for MORE than we have dared to dream. I believe this with all my heart.

But here is another truth I have found. As I stretch my wings. As I get into position to fly—to take my next leap—a little higher, a little scarier. The voices come alive and things start to happen around me—things that make me scared to jump—to not fly—to never soar. When those things start to happen, when the voices seem to be screaming at me from every direction, when I feel like I have been here before–that this place is all to familiar—I know that I am on the cusp of flying. A shift is about to happen. And all the powers that have come against me know they are powerless. All I need to do is leap.

You can try to close out the voices—just block them out, but I have found that they are still audible until after the leap has happened. I can’t wait for those voices to shut up—or I’ll never leap. I guarantee that if you wait for those voices to shut up, you will NEVER make your video entry for SOAR! And we both don’t want that.

So close your eyes. Picture me standing with you on the ledge. Picture me surrounded by all my familiar places and horrible voices, and I’ll picture you surrounded by all your familiar places and horrible voices. Together, we know how hard this is. How much courage this jump takes. And together, we will leap.

With full confidence in you and myself, I send you all my love and faith this weekend. And I will be looking for your SOAR! Video Entry.

xoxo,

Me Ra

59 Comments »
Tags: Art, Business, Exercise, Kids, Speaking, Writing

December 15th, 2009

Mamabloo Does a Photo Shoot of the Christmas Tree! Fun Photo Tips for Everyone!

My dear friend, Kari, has started her own blog. And I am LOVING it! It’s called Mamabloo. Some of you may recognize Kari from her funny comments on my blog posts, and then there was that incident where Oprah rebuilt her HOUSE! (no, I’m not joking.)

Kari has a down to earth style of writing that nine out of ten times makes me smile. When I post Photo Tips or Exercises, Kari will bust out her camera and give it her best go. She’s not a professional photographer. She is a full, and I mean FULL TIME mama, with FIVE kids in tow. She doesn’t know all the camera jargon, but that doesn’t stop her from capturing her family stories. What is so great is that she’ll often email me the stories behind what happened and her fun results. Some of her stories have me rolling…and that got me thinking…why don’t I ask Kari if I can share some of her stories with you! So for experiment sake, we’ve got our first Mamabloo Photo Tale.

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I love Christmas trees. Every year I load the family up in the mini van – all 7 of us – the Saturday after Thanksgiving and head out to someplace to get a tree. What happens next is predictable and consistent from year to year. My husband, Dave, and I get in a fight.

We are in complete and utter disagreement over everything regarding the tree. What size it should be, how much we should spend, and, of course, where it should go in the house. The truth of the matter is, I always win. And Dave always sulks. This year, he took a different approach and just said “I’ll do whatever you want” over and over – sorta like a mantra — and the whole day was much better. Ahhhh…Merry Christmas. So it is not a coincidence that this year I think we have the best tree ever. Ever. So, it is finally time to take a picture of it.

Me Ra tells us that taking a good Christmas Tree photo requires 8 simple steps. Gee, only 8. Off I go to try the first step.

Step One says to set the shutter speed at a VERY slow speed. Check: 1/5

And to set the camera to TV mode (I didn’t even know it had a TV mode, but, hey, I watch a lot of TV, so it should be fine) Check.

And put the ISO up high. Check: 1600

Here is my first crappy picture.

I GUESS I AM GOING TO HAVE TO READ ALL THE STEPS!

The next steps actually involved the timer on my camera! I actually had to Google it to find out where the stinkin’ timer was on this thing. I spent the next few nights in short bursts of time shooting my favorite parts of the tree using Me Ra’s advice.

So……I wasn’t able to completely adhere to all the steps – anything called “RAW” scares the ba-jeebers outta me. The imagery that word, RAW, conjures up is just wrong. And I am glad I have had some ballet and yoga in my past because I needed to contort myself to see through the viewfinder. But, I was able to fiddle around with her 8 steps and come up with something to forever document the best tree ever. Even Dave agrees.

To try Me Ra’s 8 steps for photographing a Christmas tree, CLICK HERE!

If you are hungry for even more Christmas Tree Photo Tips, check out THIS POST where Carey Schumacher of Barefoot Memories chimes in!

Mamabloo and I would love to know what you think of Mamabloo’s first Photo Tale. Should we share another one with you! Post a comment and let us know. (and post one fast b/c you know we are both going to be refreshing all day! )

xoxo, Me Ra

p.s. Oh! Wait! I just got word as I was preparing this post that we have TWO NEW CONFIDENCE Workshops to announce for the Spring! We are coming to Jersey City, NJ for all our East Coast ladies and also Huntington Beach, CA for our West Coast ladies! It’s going to be a GREAT Spring! If a CONFIDENCE Wkshp was on your Christmas Wish List, stay tuned this week for Registration Details—either Wed, Thursday or Friday !

25 Comments »
Tags: Art, Exercise, Kids, Photographer, Photography, Writing

November 26th, 2009

Thankful for…

I LOVE Thanksgiving. I think it’s one of my favorite holidays. It doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Instead, it slows life down for me. When I’m done writing this post, I’m going to make pumpkin pies with the kids while the turkey cooks away.

Thanksgiving is going to be an intimate affair this year. We usually spend it with my family, but they are all out of town. Brian and I have had our fill of airports and taxis for awhile. We decided to doing something different. One of our dearest friends, John Louviere, from college is with us. He came all the way from Utah. Our other two college buddies show up tomorrow. I’m so excited to break bread and converse, laugh, reminisce, create new memories, play the piano (been working on a special Thanksgiving song for the kids), then John will probably sing and play the guitar,

John Louviere

and we’ll sip wine until the candles have burned down and the embers in the fire are all that’s left.

I’m thankful for relationships. For being able to connect with friends that have known you for years and thus, can finish your sentences. I’m thankful for music. I’m thankful when I think of the way my kids’ faces will light up when we surprise them by moving the dining table into the living room for a special Thanksgiving, candle lit dinner. I’m thankful for creativity–the kind that helps us think of new ideas, something out of the box, something we haven’t tried before. I’m thankful for projects taking off. Wow, we had 3500 unique visits to the new website and blog on Tuesday alone. And, get this, we had over 18,000 page visits. I’m thankful that all of you are connecting and enjoying the new sites so much!

Once Sunday night ends, a shift seems to happen. Maybe it’s the feeling of that hustle and bustle in the air. But for now, I feel my soul take a deep breath, and I enjoy this moment of thankfulness.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving friends. I am deeply grateful for all of you.

Much love,

Me Ra and Brian

13 Comments »
Tags: Kids, Writing

October 23rd, 2009

What a night at the Sony World Photography Awards!

Quick Highlights from the Best Night!

Sony Artisans of Imagery experience how it feels on the otherside of the camera

Sony Artisans of Imagery have fun being on the otherside of the camera.

Sony Publicist and Random House Publicist meet to form "Team Me Ra!"

Sony Publicist and Random House Publicist meet to form “Team Me Ra!”

Can I just say “WOW!”? I tried writing this last night, but after I uploaded images and figured out how to get online in our hotel, it was late and I was spent. But it was so worth it.

Me Ra and I had no idea what to expect when we showed up at the Sony World Photography Awards / One Year anniversary of Sony’s Atisans of Imagery, who my beautiful wife, I’m proud to say is one of the six. Like I was saying, we had no idea what to expect. This is New York. It was in the prestigious Aperture Gallery. The World Photography Awards? A Sony party? My mind was swirling. A Big Deal or Big Hype?

The truth is, it was a lot of things. There were an extremely diverse group of people. Everyone from the NY Times to photographers from every walk of life to agents, editors and publicists to searching patrons of the arts. The photography on exhibit was moving…powerful. Interesting conversations at every turn. A cool vibe. Shoot, we were at a crowded, invite only Gallery event in Manhattan and our work was featured!!! I would have thought that that alone would be a lot, which it was, but something special happened which I was honored to be part of.

I didn’t realize how special this event was until a conversation I had with Jim Collins, the CEO of Pictage, later in the evening lead me to this discovery. Of all the things Sony could have spent the time and resources on, the Sony executives chose this event to celebrate their Artisans’ passions. Sony could easily have chosen to celebrate their Artisans of Imagery “Best Work” or even to have celebrated themselves or a new product, (what I think most companies would have done).

Instead, Sony chose to celebrate these photographers’ passions!

When this realization sunk in, I was so proud of my wife and our choice to partner with Sony. I felt so fortunate to be in a relationship with people at a large corporation that actually care. And not only care, but they take the time to celebrate the passions of those they care about.

What an amazing night! I’m super proud of you honey!

Me Ra Koh beside her exhibit at Aperture Gallery in New York for Sony World Photography Awards

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ONE Spot left! CLICK HERE !

Our Refuse to Say Cheese DVD series are now AWARD WINNING! Read the press release HERE ! If you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, check out our popular Instructional DVDs Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box , and our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

15 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Writing

October 8th, 2009

When All Holds are Loosed, What Words Come Out?

I woke up in the dark this morning. The house was quiet. I felt the water calling me–calling me to untwist, stretch and glide. I went in faith. The cold pool was almost baptismal in how it shocked me into waking. As I swam, the smallest and deepest of knots undid themselves. My mind started to wash clean, and I felt like I could breathe. It’s funny how I remembered how to breathe underwater this morning. Now it was time to write.

I wanted to share this piece below with you. I thought it might be fun. In the morning, I try to write 3 pages (some mornings I miss it, but the mornings I make it are ever worth it). I come to the paper and pen with a desire to clear my slate. I’m always amazed with how much is on my mind first thing in the morning. Did I realize I was going to bed with so many thoughts?

My morning pages often become exercises where I dump all the things that are weighing heavy on me–so I can get to the writing and creative work I love most. But this time, I decided to try something different. I decided to write whatever images came to mind, as fast as they came to mind, and see where the trail of my subconscious would lead. It was my own exercise in loosing the holds that tie me down. This is what came out. (little note: This was a free write–Writing as fast as I could without editing along the way–always a bit scary to share. )

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Write your love and voice and feel it come up through your throat, a throaty spew of words that come from a place below your bowels. Write like that and feel all this madness untangle and drift in front of you before heading down river. Write and watch the words explode like popcorn, fuller and livelier, consumable. Write and feel yourself wake up, that back room of your brain that the editor keeps padlocked.

The lock is undone, the back door is open. You are wondering how to get out, but your already out–running as fast as the starlings soar. Write and feel your pen run across the tops of your words–leaping, flying and then landing only for a fraction of a second to gain momentum to leap again. Write and feel your insides calm.

Feel your left brain start to fall asleep and your right brain flip the switch to the carnival lights. Go round the carousel as many times as you want, as many times as you can before you get sick. Jump. Leap. Free fall before you let the sickness catch you. Then run again through a long wherehouse of ribbons, ribbons of every color, rolled out, suspended, stretched, hanging like noodles over your head. Run through the colors and feel their textures, feel their vibrance, feel their movement, feel their darkness. Take a smudge of the dark and define the light’s shape to find a doorway from the wherehouse of ribbons to the jungles of Thailand.

Swing with the monkeys, call out before sunrise with the Gibbons. Call louder the 2nd and 3rd time, awakening the jungle inside you–your creative mind. Remember the padlock to the back door is gone, and your creative is already free.

Time to find her. Hide and seek never felt so necessary. Seeking her out in the night, surrounded by the tall evergreens, unable to hear her footsteps because the river’s song keeps washing the sound away. But keep looking. Look in the obscure places to find her in the obvious place–by the campfire, warming herself, dethawing, and hoping to spend the next few hours drawing horses with the stars shapes. Hoping to do it with you.

There she is by the fire. You sit for the first time, unable to catch a deep breath, but time is moving still and she takes your hand and asks you to stretch the imagination–stretch as far as you can–sweat begins to bead on your forehead. You are straining to stretch, the padlock is coming back. The more you strain, the louder the lock clangs against the cement floor.

Up she takes you. Up into the stars. Up where the sky is endless. The stars are moving, burning and inviting as you find yourself transfixed by their light. There are no limits that you can fathom or understand here. A big laugh starts to gurgle inside you and falls out of you, throwing you here and there like a balloon losing its air.

And you find yourself deflated on the cold concrete. Smaller in size than you ever knew. And just as you begin to fear the newfound truth, you here your creative giggle. She is here. Waving to you. Inviting you to run with her again. To fill yourself up again. To fall in love with the filling and emptying and soaring and deflating and filling all over again. Run. Catch her. This is the most alive you know how to be!

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Thanks for reading along–for being a safe community to share free writes with. Free writes are scary to share, if ever shared.

I hope you catch your creative self today, if only for minutes. And whether you feel full, empty, soaring or deflated–you would take comfort in the fact that you are alive in the process–the creative process.

xoxoxo,

Me Ra

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What about putting CONFIDENCE on your Christmas Wish List this year!!! We’ve only got FOUR spots left in the January Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop! The November Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is already sold out! CLICK HERE to get one of the last spots!

17 Comments »
Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Exercise, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Thailand, Writing

October 2nd, 2009

Two Men We Need To Recognize! No Three, Wait FOUR!

We’ve got winners to announce from a contest we did for husbands! But first…

Even though our workshops are for women only, and I often address women when I’m writing this blog…we’ve got to take a minute and thank the men that support all that goes into the Me Ra Koh message. Seriously, there are so many supportive husbands that have helped their wives take our workshops and see our DVDs. And I’m finding that there are a lot of husbands that read the blog everyday (not just Jeramy and Brian).

In fact, one of the women in our DC Workshop said that she heard about the workshop opportunity because her husband reads the blog everyday at work. He’s a Navy guy reading our blog every morning. How cool is that?

And then after the DC workshop, I had another husband email me and say that his wife had a rough week before the workshop, but after the workshop she is doing much better. I felt incredibly humbled by his heartfelt thank you.

So when Jeramy and Brian did the crazy funny blog post a few weeks ago, Top 12 Reasons for a Husband to Send His Wife to a CONFIDENCE Photography Wkshp, the response from husbands was even more hilarious. In fact, Mike and Troy’s comments still have me laughing to this day. Can we hear it for the guys!

I’ve got the best guy over here who never gets the credit he deserves. And yet, somehow he doesn’t let it bring him down. He finds a way to manage.

Brian the Super Hero Behind Me Ra Koh Photography

This new favorite image was taken at the DC Workshop by Paulette! Her husband is the one who reads our blog every day, and he added the necessary accessories. I LOVE it. When Brian saw this posted on line, he posted the comment, “Why didn’t anyone let me know my cape was hanging out! That’s supposed to be Top Secret!” Paulette, give your guy a big for me. I have laughed so much over this image, and Brian is getting a little more of the credit he does deserve.

I think Brian’s idea to pick TWO winners from the “Top 12 Reasons” post was BRILLIANT. But we realized the winners never got picked or announced. So lame of us. So patient of YOU!

Drum roll…

The winners who added the FUNNIEST reasons to our Top 12 are Mike and Troy!

Mike wrote;

This is a great list. You guys have done well. I remember when my wife (Cathy) was going back and forth on if she should go to San Fran for the workshop there, a lot of $$ questions came up, can she get it back, am I good enough etc. I feel like at the time that I pushed her to go, she needed that extra push to get going with something that she loved. But, I do have a few things to say about your list…
1 – Cathy always seems to find something to be angry about with the “honey do list” that I always have. I even do it, but I do it wrong! I can’t win!
2 – You forgot donuts for breakfast and popcorn with Mt. Dew for a snack!
3 – But can they explain it to where I will remember?
4 – So true, but this is where the money comes back into the picture…need to have it to be able to afford the big attorney’s that are wives will want. Men can’t win with this one!
5 – Brian, Cathy told me that we are very similar, so I would love to go on the pub crawl!
6 – This might be a stretch. They will sing the praises of the workshop, I know that is true, but singing our praises. We know that does not happen much longer than a week if we are lucky. They would much rather talk about who they saw, got to meet, what they learned and of course show off the images!
7 – I think that we already know the answer to that question! Why do you think this is MeRa’s workshop!?!?
8 – Five? Is this like the Friends episode where Monica is trying to show Chandler the 7 erotic zones and he has no clue that there were 7?
9 – If I don’t read MeRa’s blog every day I will not understand a word that comes out of my wife’s mouth! She reads it like it is a bible!
10 – Now this one I can get behind! Nice job Jeramy!
11 – Wait a minute…it is my fault if she cries? That explains so much!
12 – I can’t even come up with a smart answer to this one. I already love my wife’s photography. She needed that extra push to let others see her incredible work, MeRa’s workshop in San Fran did that!

For the other husbands out there, these are great workshops! If I could send my wife to every workshop, I would! She has learned so much from everyone that attended the workshop and for that, she has become a better photographer and a better person. The money will come back some way, the workshops might not. Let them go! And right now is a perfect time of year…FOOTBALL season! You can sit on your couch for two days and watch football all day! And no one will say anything about it! (sorry for the long comment!)

Troy wrote;

Text messages from wife:

#1: How much begging do I have to do to go to the photo workshop? I’m serious! PLEASE!

#2: If you want husband of the year award you will let me go!

So, I call her and she says it will cover 10,000 Christmas presents! She is not giving in!

Guys, contact Brian at brian@merakoh.com. He’s excited to set you up with itunes or Starbucks!

BUT I also wanted to make Tobias a winner. His comment wasn’t funny, but it was incredibly encouraging to me and Brian.

My wife attended one of Me Ra’s workshops earlier this year. I really thought it would be a one-off event where she learned a few things about photography and had an enjoyable weekend away. Needless to say, I totally underestimated the impact of these two days. She came back TRANSFORMED. She came back with an ignited passion for developing herself professionally and building a successful business. We’re now about nine months into it, and I’ve honestly never seen her happier. Thanks Me Ra.

The FOURTH guy we want to honor is Jeramy Sossaman. Jeramy and his beautiful wife, Sharon, are one of the many gifts we’ve received through this blog community. Jeramy, thanks for all your FUNNY input into the Top 12 list. You rocked it! We love you!

And a special thanks to all the other guys who read this blog. Even if you don’t comment a ton, I’m so glad to know you’re out there supporting us!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Me Ra and Brian

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We’ve only got FOUR spots left in the January Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop! The November Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is already sold out! CLICK HERE to get one of the last spots!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Contest, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Writing

September 28th, 2009

Dreaming and Crying at the Same Time

The weekend was a mix of resting, laughing and crying. My business coach has warned me several times about the aftermath I feel when a workshop has ended. I can’t help it. I’m a super emotional being, and when Brian and I spend the weekend pouring all our emotion and energy into the lovely, amazing women who attend our workshops–I usually have an emotional crash when it’s all said and done. I think touring the Smithsonian delayed this crash because boy, did it ever come.

But the toughest part is not the emotional crash. The toughest part is what I choose to believe in the moment. For instance, this weekend I did a handful of things to soak up “being home”. I rode my bike to the grocery store (and bought a bouquet of flowers for my basket just because). I took a nap in the middle of the day on Saturday. (I rarely nap.) I got the new homeschool curriculum organized. I was feeling good, even great at times. And then on Sunday later afternoon the tears came without warning. I slid down the fridge and just cried on the kitchen floor. No real reason. Just needed to cry. (anyone feel me out there?). I struggled with judging myself in that moment. ‘What a horrible mom I was being? How selfish? How this, How that. All things that don’t involve grace for myself. When in fact, tears are often a good sign for me, cleansing. But for some reason, I felt disappointment with myself.

I think I felt disappointment because I feel vulnerable these days–a little more vulnerable than I’m used to feeling. If you’ve read this blog for more than a week, you know that I’m pretty self disclosing. Heck, if you’re reading today’s blog you know that. But there are shifts in the air. Shifts in the weather, shifts in our family routine, shifts in our business-some bigger than I have had experience with. And the question that lurks behind all the shifts are “Will these shifts fail on us? Will we fail the shift? Will we come out on the other side fulfilled and glad we took the risks or feel the exact opposite?”

Aside from the shifts in the weather, I feel very invested in all the shifting around me. Brian and I put our heart into a creative family makeup where homeschooling, family life and traveling somehow work together (some days being better than others). We also put our heart into our dreams and our business. I have a dream ladies–a big dream. I want my own TV show. I want a show that reaches out to women and mixes photography and inspiration. I’ve even spent the last several weeks writing a 40 page TV Treatment proposal. It’s amazing how you find pockets of time on the airplane, or late at night when everyone is in bed, hammering the words out, hammering your dreams out–and how it all somehow energizes you.

I’m submitting the Treatment, putting the feelers out. And all this makes me feel naked in an open field. When you put your heart into anything, it seems the fear of failure only grows by the second. So what do you do? Where do you go when your aware of the fear more than the excitement? How do you escape the judge that sits on your shoulder, while you cry on the kitchen floor, telling you that your in no shape to ever have your own TV show?

I have a stack of books on my writing desk. They are a collection of my favorite authors over the years. Last night, I found myself going back to their words and their wisdom. I stumbled upon an excerpt that I thought you’d enjoy too. The book is called Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’engle (author of A Wrinkle in Time). I had the privilege of taking a workshop from her. She has since passed away, and she will never know how much her honesty has impacted my life over the years. In this excerpt she writes about having her book The Lost Innocent rejected again;

“This (the rejection) seemed an obvious sign from heaven. I should stop trying to write. All during the decade of my thirties I went through spasms of guilt because I spent so much time writing, because I wasn’t like a good New England housewife and mother. When I scrubbed the kitchen floor, the family cheered. I couldn’t make a decent pie crust. I always managed to get something red in with the white laundry in the washing machine, so that everybody wore streaky pink underwear. And with all the hours I spent writing. I was still not pulling my own weight financially.

So the rejection on the my fortieth birthday seemed an unmistakable command: Stop this foolishness and learn to make cherry pie.

I covered the typewriter in a great gesture of renunciation. Then I walked around and around the room, bawling my head off. I was totally, unutterable miserable.

Suddenly I stopped, because I realized what my subconscious mind was doing while I was sobbing: my subconscious mind was busy working out a novel about failure.

I uncovered the typewriter. In my journal I recorded this moment of decision, for that’s what it was. I had to write. I had no choice in the matter. It was not up to me to say I would stop, because I could not. It didn’t matter how small or inadequate my talent. If I never had another book published, and it was very clear to me that this was a real possibility, I still had to go on writing.

I’m glad I made this decision in the moment of failure. It’s easy to say you’re a writer when things are going well. When the decision is made in the abyss, then it is quite clear that it is not one’s own decision at all.”

Madeleine L’engle knew she had to write. I know I am meant to dream big. Ever since I was little, despite the many pains of my childhood, I knew I was meant to shoot for what others might say is impossible. The tears on the kitchen floor don’t get to weigh in as evidence of this being true or not. The decision was made long ago in my own abyss. I just needed a tearful, cleansing reminder of it.

Thanks for reading today friends. Today I feel selfish because I feel like I’m using your listening ear to process this next step. Today I feel grateful for you listening. Does this resonate with any of you and the season of life that you are in?

xix, Me Ra

p.s. To all my Minneapolis women…counting the days! xix

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Tomorrow we will announce the beautiful Running on Empty Winner for the upcoming Minneapolis Workshop. Thank you so much for all your submissions.

Do you live on the West Coast? We are kicking off 2010 with a CONFIDENCE workshop in Seattle! The November Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is already sold out, but we have spots for the January Workshop! CLICK HERE to get your spot!!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Homeschool, inspiration, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, running on empty, Travel, Writing

September 18th, 2009

A NEW Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women Opens Today! Coming January 16th and 17th 2010!!

Wow ladies! Are you ready to kick off the FIRST CONFIDENCE workshop for 2010?! Brian and I are excited to open the Early Bird Registration for the Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women, coming to you on January 16th and 17th! If you know your ready to sign up, CLICK HERE to register!

Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop for Women w/ Me Ra Koh

Commit to a New Year’s Resolution today! Why not?! If you are in need of a weekend with women, full of laughs, and creative inspiration with your camera, the Seattle CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop is for you! It’s just in time to give you CONFIDENCE with your camera and prepped for a new year of photographing your family for the holidays, vacations, playing in the snow, inside on those horrible, rainy days with all the low lighting, (if your from the Pacific Northwest, you KNOW what I mean!). And don’t forget about those pets! We’re going to cover it all!

Ladies, we are going to be READY for an awesome 2010 of photography! All levels are welcome! Topic details are below! But first, to give you a window into what our workshops look like, check out the trailer here by clicking the PLAY arrow button!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION STARTS TODAY and last TWO WEEKS!

FAQ: (if we don’t answer your specific question here, email Genie direct at genie@merakoh.com )

Question: What is the Early Bird Registration?

Answer: If you register between today and October 1st (that’s two weeks), you get to pay the Early Bird fee of $799 instead of $999! Pretty great savings for all of you who jump on board fast! After October 1st, the registration goes back up to the normal price of $999. But we must warn you to not wait until October 1st. The last CONFIDENCE Workshop was sold out by the end of the first day for Early Bird! To take advantage of the Early Bird Registration, REGISTER HERE!!!

WHEN? January 16th and 17th 2010, All Day Saturday and Sunday

TIME? An optional Continental Breakfast is served at 9:15am, and then we jump into the workshop by 9:30am. Each day will finish around 6pm. (But we have been known to get excited and not stop on time. So see if you can stay late if that happens again. )

WHERE? The BEAUTIFUL Gallery space at Hotel Murano . We are going to use this incredible gallery as our creative space to learn, grow, be inspired, and create!

MEALS:

FRIDAY MEET AND GREET: One of the things I LOVE most about doing the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop is that we get to host the Meet and Greet at our home. Brian and I would like to invite you and your spouse into the privacy of our home for our special Meet and Greet. We’re going to have wine and appetizers, and a lot of laughs. The Meet and Greet will be from 7-9pm. Our purpose is to give you a chance to connect with other women attendees and begin to feel welcome, safe and inspired. We have our work all over the walls, so it will be fun to share with you some of our personal photography.

BREAKFAST: A continental breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt and pastries will be served both mornings at the Gallery. So feel free to show up at 9am to grab a plate of yummies before we start the day. We’ll also have coffee and tea waiting for you.

LUNCHES: Both lunches on Saturday and Sunday will also be catered for us. If you are a vegetarian or have any food allergies, be sure to email us so we can accommodate you. No problems, we are happy too! No one can be more work than our Gluten-Free, Dairy Free diets. Brother!

SATURDAY DINNER: This dinner is optional for our attendees, but we would love to have you join us! You are invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Details to follow upon registration.

WHERE TO STAY: The Hotel Murano has been highlighted and raved about in Fortune, Conde Nast, Sunset and USA Today. Every floor features a glass sculpturist and their work. There is beautiful glass art at every turn. You can’t help but be inspired by the environment. And, the greatest thing is they are WONDERFUL to work with. Our contact there, told us to have our attendees email her direct for a discounted room rate (around $149). Once you’ve registered, Genie will email you all the contact details to get your room set up. FYI, you are also within walking distance to several restaurants, art galleries and the famous Chihuly Museum of Glass. Plus, the Hotel Murano has a pillow menu! You can choose from six different types of pillows. Can you beat that?

DAY ONE TOPICS:

True to this workshop, time tested (and approved ), we are excited to start the day with understanding the mechanics of your camera and learning about indoor lighting so you can capture shots of your loved ones in difficult lighting. The second half of the day will be hands on CONFIDENCE building as we process a FULL morning.

DAY TWO TOPICS:

Day Two will pick up where we left off. We’re going to continue to demystify tough lighting and camera settings. We’ll also walk you through our Post Process steps as we demonstrate lightroom, turning images to black and white, editing, what’s the difference between a JPG and RAW image, etc. Depending on the groups interest, we’ll talk about the in’s and out’s of starting your own side business too. (But this depends on the needs of the group.) We’re also going to cover the question of what to do with your images? Are stock photography options available to you, what is the bottom line of blogging, and where should you have your work printed and why?

The BEST part that everyone always loves the most is the models! We’ll also have models join us (both adults and kids), so you can practice EVERY THING we’ve been teaching you. And true to our workshops, we’ll sprinkle our time with creative exercises and inspiration that make our weekend so special.

By the end of our weekend, you will be filled with CONFIDENCE, refreshed, inspired, and possibly shooting in Manuel like it’s nobody’s business. (I promise, shooting in Manuel is way easier than people make it sound, but one step at a time.)

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

1. You can pay the whole balance at once. If you are taking advantage of the Early Bird Registration, you must pay the whole $799 at once before 10/1/09.

2. You can make a retainer (non-refundable fee) of $650 to reserve your seat. The remaining balance of $350 (total is $999) must be paid in full 14 days before the workshop date. You can pay by check or credit card at our e-store (the fastest way to ensure a reserved seat for yourself!). If you’d like to pay the Retainer of $650 to reserve your seat, you’ll need to use the word RESERVE as your coupon code when registering. Call us if you have any questions at 253-468-8913.

NEED HELP CONVINCING THE HUBBY?

If you need help coming up with ways to convince your hubby, check out Brian and Jeramy’s Top 12 Reasons for a Husband to Send His Wife to a CONFIDENCE Photography Workshop. You and your husband will crack up, and comments from other husbands are even FUNNIER! CLICK HERE!

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION POLICY:

Our policy is to not accept refunds. Due to the costs of holding a workshop, we must pay many of our workshop expenses months ahead of time. If you must cancel due to unforeseen problems, depending on your reason for canceling, your tuition may be considered as a credit for a future workshop. Thank you for understanding!

WHAT DO PAST ATTENDEES SAY ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP? To read what the last Seattle Workshop Attendees said, CLICK HERE!

Jen from Seattle, WA wrote; I know how these workshops can change your life…it did mine! MeRa and Brian were my inspiration…Thank you … you all are doing such greatness in this world!

Jeramy (husband of a wife who attended twice) from CA wrote; if you are reading this post and are on the fence about going to this workshop…or wondering if it’s really worth it….let me just tell you about my experience. my beautiful bride went to the Sonoma workshop last year with me ra and brian…and it changed her life. like so many women, she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities…coupled with strong passions and desire to create things of great worth. the magic of this workshop will help you see that YOU ARE special and can do anything it is that you want to do, if you just set your mind to it. there is limitless potential in you all…and if you have ever wondered how to get it out….sign up for this workshop and you’ll see. you will never be the same again.

Marianne from Seattle, WA wrote;
This was the BEST day I’ve had in a long time…it was so nice to wade through and be challenged, laugh along the way, conquer a fear, and leave wanting more. What a day! I can’t thank you enough!

Kari from Seattle wrote; Me Ra takes the camera apart and puts it back together in a way that actually makes sense! Prepare to laugh, learn, and walk away inspired!

Julie from Seattle, WA wrote; As a past workshop attendee…It WILL change your life and how you see yourself.

Allison from Virginia wrote; I can tell you with total honesty that this will be a life changing time for you all. Just soak it all in and throw yourselves in wholeheartedly and you will come away with SO MUCH!!

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?

This workshop is for women only. It is a workshop that is meant to inspire women, and at the same time help them understand their cameras. Coming from a Masters degree in teaching, Me Ra and Brian bring a number of teaching strategies to the workshop so every woman walks away with CONFIDENCE in using her camera. But this workshop is more than a photography workshop. True to their reputation and the testimonies you’ve read, Brian and Me Ra have a heart to bring inspiration, encouragement and vision to women. They will make you laugh so hard your side will be aching. And then be prepared because their stories may bring tears too. Me Ra and Brian have a goal to refresh women, build their CONFIDENCE and help them capture the photos they want. But not only help women shoot better photos, but also, having the understanding behind HOW they got their favorite photos so they can replicate the lighting again and again.

OUR PROMISE:

We promise to have lots and lots of stories, laughs and possibly a few tears at this workshop-all signature elements to a Me Ra Koh Workshop!

Can’t wait to see you all for another awesome CONFIDENCE workshop!

QUESTIONS?

Feel free to email Genie ( genie@merakoh.com) for any and all questions. Genie keeps me up to date on all questions as we travel for wedding season. She is truly my “little Genie”! If you need help with booking your hotel, understanding the area, flights, payment options, shoot her an email!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? CLICK HERE to register today and make her Christmas and New Year AMAZING!!

BIO for Me Ra Koh Photography, Inc.:

Me Ra and Brian are a husband/wife photography team. Their business is diversified into several powerful ways. They travel worldwide shooting high end weddings together. They teach photography workshops for women across the country. Their workshops often sell out, and attendees describe them as “inspiring, life changing” weekends. In 2008, Me Ra and Brian scripted and produced a DVD series called, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box. This homegrown DVD series has caught the eye of large corporations, and in March 2009, the series won the prestigious NAPPA GOLD award for the Best New DVD for Parents! Their DVDS are accompanied by other award winning photography products to help budding businesses get off the ground (see www.refusetosaycheese.com). In 2008, Me Ra was asked to represent women photographers in the iconic role for Sony as an Artisan of Imagery. This accepted invitation is a huge honor. The high end magazine, Wedding Style by Grace Ormonde, has called Me Ra and Brian a Master of Their Craft. Their work has been published in several nationwide magazines. They have also been spotlighted on VH1, Martha Stewart and Oprah! Me Ra, having a published writing background, dedicates two hours a day to writing her daily blog so women can find photography tips, inspiration and confidence. To follow her blog, along with thousands of other readers, visit www.merakohblog.com.

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Want to learn more about REFUSE TO SAY CHEESE? Check out our Award Winning DVD set, Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box ,or discover our popular 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice!

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Tags: 101 Kit, Art, Beyond the Green Box, Business, Exercise, inspiration, Kids, Lightroom, Photographer, Photography, Refuse to Say Cheese, Sony, Travel, Writing