18 Apr 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment
Tags: Earth Day traditions, eco friendly tips, How to help save the environment
God loved the birds and invented trees.
Man loved the birds and invented cages.
Jacques Deval
How far have we strayed from Adam and Eve’s paradise? Humorist Art Buchwald wrote:
And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and He could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: “Look at this Godawful mess!”
Because everyday is Earth Day, click on “Leave a Comment” beside the title of this article to share your practical ideas for living green and showing kindness to our planet, not just on April 22nd:
1. Reuse: Pack a trashless lunch (or picnic) that fills your stomach, not a landfill. Reuse empty glass bottles to hold water (handy to grab and go for car rides, too,) pack food in washable glass or metal food containers, and use real cutlery wrapped in cloth napkins.
2. Reduce: Save a tree without buying new equipment with Kindle for your computer… My indestructible LL Bean canvas totes sat patiently in the trunk of my car for a full year before I actually got into the habit of taking them into the grocery store with me. My next ambition is to remember to bring my own washable containers for the fishmonger. 😉
3. Recycle: Donate women’s business attires to Dress for Success, cellphones/computers/cameras to Recycling for Charities, and packing materials (like styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap) to your local shipping store. Libraries are happy to get your used books, CDs, DVDs– even their empty cases. The Lions Club is likely to have a dropbox for used eyeglasses at your post office.
4. Refuse: Before buying the next new and improved version of the latest and the greatest, take a moment to ask “Do I really need this?”
Thank you for leaving a comment and adding your ideas for creating paradise and mothering our little corner of this earth.
xoxox
© Sharon Birke
PowerfulGoddess@me.com
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
11 Apr 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Black and White Photography, Empowerment, Glamour Portraits, Women Photography
Tags: biographies, comedy, humor, Joan Rivers, laughter, Phyllis Diller, Standup
Housework can’t kill you,
but
why take a chance?
Phyllis Diller
Joan Rivers’ live standup show was packed to overflowing last week. It was my very first time to witness her firecracker mouth other than the few times I’ve seen her blast the hapless who walk down the Oscar’s red carpet on her watch. I laughed in hysterical disbelief– How does she get away saying what she does?!
Having grown up in Asia and having given up TV since my kids started rolling in, I’ve only been recently “introduced” to two trailblazing comediennes through their film biographies: Joan Rivers in “A Piece of Work” and Phyllis Diller in “Goodnight, We Love You.” Their humanity and vulnerability impress me beyond their courage to say it like it is, holding no one and nothing sacred. Like Phyllis, I want a life full of laughs and I want to be remembered for my kindness. At the very least, I’ll settle for their high energy on high heels when I’m 80.
This series is dedicated to the clowns who dare say and do what we don’t. May we always laugh out loud and be so bold!
xoxox
Give the women you love the most unique gift
of elegant and timeless portraits with a
Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate
for a most memorable two hour photo shoot of up to three people!
© Sharon Birke
Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC
201 697 1947
Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman
04 Apr 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment
Tags: poetry for women, Rumi poems, The Guest House poem
This being human is a guesthouse
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you
out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Rumi
Click on “Leave a Comment” above left to share your thoughts.
xoxox
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
PowerfulGoddess@me.com
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
29 Mar 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Body Image, Empowerment, Women Photography
Tags: April Fools, Art, Beauty, Boboli Gardens, Botero, Florence, sculptures
Assuming women can be altered cheaply, painlessly, & with no risk,
is that to be what we must want?
Naomi Wolf
Aside from being an occasion to pull someone’s leg, April Fool’s is a good day as any to wonder what leg our beliefs stand (or sit) on.
The sculpture Contro Natura by Salvatore Crita (1828-1912) at the Pitti Palace in Florence makes my Inner Fool grin. What IS against nature: A pregnant nun or a woman who swears off her natural biological function?
In the Boboli Gardens, a giant reclining figure covered in blue bandages stares into the distance. Why do we call it cosmetic or plastic surgery when it involves pain beyond mere cosmetics and human flesh isn’t plastic?
Closer to home in our land of anti-fat, Botero’s sculptures stand proudly curvaceous and unapologetic. Who determines the “correct” size and shape of all women? Who wields the power to define beauty and who profits from feeding our insecurities?
A skinny ballerina “sculpture” blows me a kiss, a wink and a smile. She’s not telling who’s fooling whom.
What does your fool wonder about? Find the comment link beside the title of this feature.
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
21 Mar 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment
Tags: Brenda Ueland On Writing, Maya Angelou Caged Bird in Spring, self help book recommendation
I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.
Maya Angelou in “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”
In her book about art, independence and spirit, “If You Want to Write,” Brenda Ueland tells this story:
A caged bird in spring knows quite well that he might serve some end; he feels quite well that there is something for him to do, but he cannot do it. What is it? He does not remember… Then he has some vague ideas and says to himself: ‘The others make their nests and lay their eggs and bring up their little ones,” and then he knocks his head against the bars of the cage. But the cage stands there and the bird is maddened by anguish.
“‘Look at the lazy animal,’ says another bird that passes by, “he seems to be living at his ease.” Yes, the prisoner lives, his health is good, he is more or less gay when the sun shines. But then comes the season of migration. Attacks of melancholia.
“But he has got everything he wants,” say the children that tend him in his cage.
He looks at the overcast sky and he inwardly rebels against his fate. ’‘I am caged, I am caged, and you tell me I do not want anything, fools! You think I have everything I need. Oh, I beseech you, liberty, to be a bird like others birds! But I should be very glad if it were possible for you to see in me something else than an idle man of the worst type.”
Whatever cage you’re in and no matter how others judge you, how are you gentle with yourself?
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
PowerfulGoddess@me.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
15 Mar 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Culture and Arts, Empowerment, Family, Women Photography
Tags: geisha, Madame Butterfly, Metropolitan Opera, relationships, Self love
You cannot say to the sun, “More sun.”
Or to the rain, “More rain.”
Arthur Golden in Memoirs of a Geisha
Madame Butterfly’s latest run at the Metropolitan Opera ended last week fluttering on to other world stages, for who isn’t fascinated by the exotic? Who isn’t intrigued by the mystery of the geisha? Who doesn’t want a faithful lover who pines for our return–when and if we feel like it?
My young daughter tells her brother “I love you” and waits for him to reciprocate. He–brothers being the way they are–rolls his eyes and she cries indignantly, “But he’s supposed to love me back!”
I assured her that loving someone doesn’t make him obligated to love you back. And to remind them that childhood sibling squabbles are practice for dealing with their future spouses, I added, “Even when you’re married.”
“Ha!” My son laughed incredulous, “Even with my wife?!”
Yes, we are free to love as we choose. And there’s no greater freedom than in loving simply because.
Special thanks to Mountain for the quote he shared in response to the “Love After Love” poem on this blog’s “Be Divine” page:
True love begins when nothing is looked for in return. -Antoine De Saint-Exupery 
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
08 Mar 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Body Image, Boudoir Photography, Empowerment
Tags: Huffington Post, women photography
You and I are not what we eat.
We are what we think.
Walter Anderson
Today’s featured articles on Huffington Post for International Women’s Day run the gamut of “How to Unleash the Power of Women,” “Give Women the Right Not to Choose,” to “Let’s Make Today the Last International Women’s Day.” Strong voices rant over blatant injustices and impossible arbitrary demands that continue to be imposed by culture, religion, work and family. What about our self-admnistered doses of unkindness that seem so innocuous we actually consider them normal? “I look pretty good for my age, but I’m 10 lbs overweight.” “Thank you for the gift, but you didn’t have to!” “I’m sorry if I hurt you, but what I’m saying is right, you know.”
How different might our life be if we make the choice each day to put a period (instead of a but) when we say:
I’m sorry.
Thank you.
I love you.
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
28 Feb 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Family, Women Photography
Tags: black and white, Glamour, movies, oscars 2012, Portraits, roaring twenties, silent films
True artists work for pleasure.
Auguste Rodin
I love the drama of black and white, the glamour of the roaring twenties, the memory of good old days when movies didn’t require censorship and guaranteed wholesome family fun–except for all that smoking.
Raised in the magic of Pixar color animation, my kids unanimously pronounce all black and white films as boring even if they came with a soundtrack. Now that the Oscar has gone to Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, there’s a good chance even my husband will join the family and “Make room for the old!”
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
09 Feb 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Empowerment, Family, Women Photography
Tags: fans, football, Motherhood, NY Giants, parade, Parenting, sports, Superbowl 2012
If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.
Bill Lyon
My neighbors’ kids got her hooked on football this year. Sunday’s Superbowl sealed her conversion to the sport and their family took the day off from school to witness the NY Giants parade down Manhattan. They dove into an ocean of blue shirts, ducking streams of white paper rolls tossed about like footballs, amazed at the fervor of adoring fans who reveled in their heroes’ success as if they had played the game themselves.
With the lure of big checks, diamond rings, and celebrity perks, it is easy to forget that there could be more to gain from our disappointments and frustrations–if we choose to see them as steppingstones for learning and growth. Many lose a good night’s sleep fretting over their fumbles, missed passes and Hail Mary’s that went unheard by the gods. Unsung heroes like my neighbor wonder, “What about MY parade?”
How can you give yourself a parade for showing up in the game of life?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
xoxox
02 Feb 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Culture and Arts, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment
Tags: Le Poisson Rouge, NYC flamenco dancers, NYC ladies night out
I have everything I had 20 years ago,
only it’s all a little lower.
Gypsy Rose Lee
She was only 12 years old when her little heart was swept away by a flamenco performance. Since then, Marina Elana has dedicated her life to a dance that requires grace and the disciplined precision of the “compas” (rhythmic pattern.)
El baile flamenco is known for its emotional intensity, proud stance, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the feet. In traditional flamenco, emotional maturity is required to adequately convey the “duende” (soul) of the genre. Thus, unlike other dance forms where dancers must turn professional early to take advantage of youth, many flamenco dancers hit their peak in their thirties and continue to perform well beyond their fifties–much like the way a woman owns more and more of her power with age.
“Classical flamenco,” the style used by dance companies, is characterized by a proud, upright carriage that makes every woman look like the Powerful Goddess that she is. At its most authentic, flamenco is danced informally at gitano (Gypsy) weddings and celebrations in Spain. “Flamenco puro,” the form closest to its gitano origins, is always performed as a solo improvisation.
And in the tradition of the courageous gypsies who originated this dance, Marina now makes New York her new home, designing her destiny with a production “Simplemente Flamenco” at Le Poisson Rouge this Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. Ole!
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
xoxox
25 Jan 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Fine Art Nude, Glamour Portraits
Tags: Chinese Zodiac, Cornelia Funke, Year of the Dragon
I always wanted to ride a dragon so
I decided to do this for a year
in my imagination.
Cornelia Funke, author of The Dragon Rider
Much of Asia is gearing up for a baby boom in the Year of the Dragon, when children are believed to be born with an extra dose of luck, strength and an inherent knack for attracting money. The qualities of her Dragon sign suit this Goddess very well–not to mention the hand painted dragons on favorite vintage wrap!
While I’m not into woo-woo stuff, I love anything that helps a woman remember her innate powers. So I looked up the qualities that induce Chinese parents to arrange for the birth of their child in the Year of the Dragon more than any other… (ie, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012)
Dragons are self-assured leaders with the Midas touch. They get things started and keep them moving. They are feisty and opinionated, gifted with intelligence and tenacity. They succeed in whatever they choose to do because they are dauntless and determined perfectionists. They know how to exert authority while being gentle with the people they deal with. Dragon women are naturally sensual. They also possesses a mystical side, highly attuned to their intuition and artistic creativity. No matter what happens, Dragons ultimately always land on their feet.
What Dragon trait will you claim this year?
© Sharon Birke
2016971947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
18 Jan 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Creative Women Photography, Glamour Portraits, Mind and Body
Tags: guru, Huffington Post, sari, yoga
Cultures are different as can be,
but in their souls, women want the same things:
dignity, respect, love, freedom.
Jodi Cobb
No other country can claim to be both mecca and inspiration for the proliferation of gurus as India. Whether the expertise be yoga, business, finances, self-improvement, romance, beauty, etc…, being a devotee to someone who is supposed to know better helps us rise above challenges with the aspiration that “If (s)he can do it, so can I.” Then there is also the convenience of having someone else to blame when things go awry. 😉
Author Meryl Davis Landau (Downward Dog, Upward Fog) writes in Huffington Post about gurus who admit they are only human, too: How Three Top Yoga Masters Find Balance, Both On and Off the Mat.
Seane Corn, cofounder of nonprofit activist group Off the Mat, Into the World: I used to feel envious of people I felt were living their lives fully in ease and integrity. Now I recognize that no matter how I might perceive them, everyone is dealing with issues that I can’t begin to understand. If a shadow of judgment towards others comes up, I’ll immediately come back to me: What’s coming up for me, what does it remind me of, how can I heal it in myself?
John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga: After getting over the feelings of betrayal and violateion when my bookkeeper embezzled all my money, I applied the ‘three As’ from Anusara yoga. Attitude, in terms of first opening myself to the pain without denying what I was feeling, but then being optimistic that I had the capacity to get everything back. Alignment, by, instead of putting all the blame on her, taking responsibility that I had put myself in that situation by turning my finances over to another person. This calms the mind because by taking back control I knew I was reducing the likelihood it could happen again. And action, by creating a plan to get money in the bank to pay the bills.
Ana T. Forrest, creator of Forrest Yoga and author of Fierce Medicine: Never waste a good trigger. Triggers — something someone says that gets you white-hot angry or terrified out of proportion — are horribly uncomfortable, yet they can teach you so much. My own childhood abuse led to two key triggers: my quickness to anger and my tendency to plummet instantaneously into an emotional abyss. A messy room left by my ex triggered my ‘unable to deal’ avoidance feelings and heart stress. He left in March 2008, but I was retriggered by this again just the other day. I intend to clear any and all emotional trash that I find connected to this. I am okay with being a work in progress. My philosophy encompasses growing, making mistakes and learning from them as a lifelong process.
How do you pay attention to your Inner Guru?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
11 Jan 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Bestselling Books, Body Image, Family, Women Photography
Tags: Apple, biography, iPad, Malcolm Gladwell, perfection, Resolutions, Steve Jobs, The New Yorker
The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is
giving up on being perfect and
beginning the work of becoming yourself.
Anna Quindlen
No one could put down Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson in my family. Instead of starting with Chapter 1, my 12 year old went straight for the section on the thing dearest to his heart: the iPad. My mom wanted a quick turn to read about the childhood that spurred outstanding success (–and an early demise, Ma!) I read bits and pieces amidst all this passing around while my husband, who rarely reads anything outside of work, finished the 630 pages in a week!
Steve Jobs’ story is about persisting towards perfection. My 2012 resolutions lean more towards loving my imperfections:
1. I will see my fabulousness. A girlfriend in her 40s drove home this lesson when she confided that the sight of her teen daughter’s amazing body (an exact replica of her own two decades ago) makes her wonder “What the heck was I complaining about?”
2. I will speak to support trust in our own wisdom and the possibility that life is an adventure of learning from our choices, not avoiding mistakes and failures.
3. I will listen for praise and appreciation though critics and know-it-alls tend to have louder voices.
4. I will resist the urge to rip off the little hair left on my husband’s head when he insists on an extended search for the perfect sofa. Surely being married to someone with high standards can only mean that I am perfect! 😉
Malcolm Gladwell‘s article “The Tweaker” sums up “how effectively Steve put his idiosyncrasies—his petulance, his narcissism, and his rudeness—in the service of perfection” in the New Yorker.
How are you already perfect with your imperfections?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
04 Jan 2012
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Best Books for Women, Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits
Tags: Barbara Sher books, self-care, women's empowerment
Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive
and go do it.
Because what the world needs
are people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman
Aaah, the New Year, a clean slate, a blank canvas… How do the messy details trailing us from the past clarify what to strive for as we look ahead? And the beckoning possibilities are innumerable! What will you choose for yourself this year, O Powerful Goddess? Whom will you reach out to? What freedoms will you relish? What will you want to learn or continue to ignore? What will you choose to do with your time and talents? How much value will you give your “small” successes and pleasures? How can you remember to care for yourself, listen to your inner wisdom and feed your peace even as the world demands you do, do, do and give, give, give to others first?
Barbara Sher is one of my favorite author of self-help classics like I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was and It’s Only Too Late If You Don’t Start Now. This loving and no-nonsense woman has been a bright guiding light in my journey of coming home to myself, insisting I dance to the beat of my own drum and honor my genius–however many. 😉 Her latest book Refuse to Choose is an invitation to create and define our own fulfillment based on what feels right for us. What could happen when we pay closer attention to our joy and trust it as The Guru that knows how to make the most of our talents, learning abilities and work style? That in feeding our happiness (without beating ourselves up if we don’t make a million dollars off it) we uplift and inspire others to do the same? That there is no such thing as mistakes or failure in the lifelong adventure of exploration?
What will you paint on your 2012 canvas
that feels right for you?
A very thrilling beginning and Happy New Possibilities to us all!
xoxox
Sharky
Makeup by www.ByJulez.com
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
23 Dec 2011
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Body Image, Empowerment, Health and Wellness, Mind and Body, Personalized Gifts, Unique Gift Ideas, Women Photography
Tags: christmas, coping with illness, fundraisers, gift to self, jewelry, last minute gifts, mom's wishlist, multiple sclerosis, personalized, schoolgirl, sexy santa, unique
Thank goodness I was never sent to school…
That would have rubbed off some of my originality.
Beatrix Potter
This Goddess was a little anxious. She had never done anything like this before and she worried about all the things she thought she needed to fix about her body to look good in photos. She had given up a career in the corporate world to adapt to the demands of multiple sclerosis while raising two small children. Thanks to the help of her loving sisters, she prevails over adversity and has given birth to www.lula-belle.com, a jewelry line dedicated to raising awareness on various afflictions, what truly matters, and how we can support each other in our struggles.
Imagine her thrill at how her images exceeded her expectations! She tells me, “My favorite part of the experience had to be your laugh. It lightened up the whole session making everything feel safe, fun, and delightful! Your patience with an amateur like me was amazing, too… You made me feel pretty the whole time. Thank you for sharing your creativity and changing the way I see things about myself.”
Imagine her husband’s surprise when he opens this Christmas present he’d never expect from his demure wife. Oh, joy!
Let’s marvel at what truly matters and the gifts of 2011 that can’t be wrapped. In the school of life:
Where did I go in my travels and introspection?
Where have my choices led me?
What did I learn from my successes and failures?
What meaningful connections did I make?
Whom did I cherish? How generous was I with praise?
How have I given myself appreciation and gratitude?
Be the HAPPY in your Ho-Ho-HOLIDAYS!
xoxox
Sharky
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
18 Dec 2011
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Art and Crafts, Beauty and Fashion, Family, Fantasy
Tags: artisan, design, Designer Labels, Glamour, handicrafts, holiday shopping, luxury, style
Money, if it does not bring you happiness,
will at least help you be miserable in comfort.
Helen Gurley Brown
More than the Rockefeller Christmas tree (which is looking extra fabulous this year,) the spectacle I look forward to seeing when the holidays roll around are the windows of Bergdorf Goodman.
This year’s Carnival of Animals by David Hoey‘s team is a mind blowing flight of fancy with brass birds, animals made of intricately hand cut/folded paper, needlework and carved wood, fish made of gemstones and glass mosaics, gowns with fur, fine beadwork, feathers, leather scales and diamond mesh by Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, Pringle of Scotland, Valentino and Celine. With five windows overflowing with animals created by artists such as Sergio Bustamante and Brett Windham, my eyes did not know where to start and stop looking. Here are a few details to whet your appetite. Catch a glimpse of this fantastic vision before January 3rd.
Thanks to the countless artisans and artists who contributed to this monument of creativity and wealth–reminding us of other realities, an oasis from the obsession of “this economy.”
What riches (that money can’t buy) embellish the fabric of your life already?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
11 Dec 2011
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Art and Crafts, Body Image, Body Painting, Health and Wellness, Party Ideas, Personalized Gifts, Unique Gift Ideas, Women Photography
Tags: artist date, body art, body painting, boudoir photography, christmas, creativity, family gift giving, gift giving, girlfriends, holiday party, inner artist, Julia Cameron, mother daughter, personalized gifts, unique gift ideas
It is a paradox of creativity that
we must get serious about taking ourselves lightly.
We must work at learning to play.
Julia Cameron
“The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron recommends a weekly “artist date” to continually replenish our reservoir of creativity before we dredge a dried out bottom and feel stuck, blocked, or uninspired. An artist date is any activity that’s fun, enjoyable, akin to childlike play and exploration. My inner artist happens to be an uptown girl so for a recent artist date, I had to drag her kicking and screaming over the Brooklyn bridge to the new body painting studio of Danny Setiawan of www.DenArtNY.com (he’s matching me in red below.) And, Goddess, was she glad I did!
Models patiently stood/sat through a couple hours of being a human canvas–whoever wasn’t comfortable being topless covered her front torso with a scarf or halter top . My inner artist had not touched a brush in months. She quickly got carried away painting the biggest koi fish possible, extending the design all over my model’s forearms and the contours of her voluptuous body. After 3 hours of painting punctuated by fits of laughter and dancing, my model and I squeezed into the studio’se tiny bathroom where a wall of painted curls and swirls provided a matching graphic backdrop. The perfect souvenir for a most memorable afternoon.
Add body painting to your possibilities for playdates and unique gift ideas. Make a party out of it and ask Danny to bring his art to your venue!
Where will you take your inner artist on your next date?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
03 Dec 2011
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Body Image, Mind and Body, Personalized Gift, Relationships, Unique Gift Ideas, Women Photography
Tags: adoption, christmas, empowerment, Fertility, freezing eggs, holiday gifts, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Parenting, pregnancy, single parenthood, Women
Simply having children
does not make mothers.
John A. Shedd
Would you believe this photo series is the celebration of a Goddess who turned 43? She wishes looking a decade younger could silence the deafening tick tock of her biological clock and the nosy nags at family gatherings. Elusive Mr. Right continues to hold hostage the children she may never have–despite the parade of Mr. Right Nows who volunteer to be sperm donors.
Friends, celebrities, and experts provide a mixed bag of social proof on the matter of her biological imperative. She’s heard the cynical declare “Having kids is overrated!” She has witnessed older friends regret not having kids, single mothers who juggle an act for two, women who snob adoption for the pain of freezing eggs (aka, hope) or fertility treatments at a king’s ransom. Some unwittingly bind themselves to a lifetime of indentured parenthood with offspring who are forever dependent whether by illness or lack of ambition. She’s seen women agonize over the destiny of their yet unfertilized eggs while others plop kids out without a thought. Some consider kids as social security in their old age. Others acquire them as the latest luxury “must have.” There are those who would fare better taking a parenting license exam not just driver’s ed. And how can she not admire women who truly enjoy the thankless role of mothering? — That mythical ideal both inspiration and curse to the many of us who can’t measure up.
Childless or not, what moves you to have children?
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
25 Nov 2011
by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC
in Boudoir Photography, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment
Tags: Body Image, curvy women portraits, NYC ladies night party idea
The function of freedom is to free someone else.
Toni Morrison
“You have a bird?,” inquired the woman standing behind me at checkout. I was holding a big birdcage so my answer could have gone a few different ways.
“No, I don’t,” I winked. “It’s a reminder that my bird is free!”
She grinned.
This Thanksgiving, I celebrate our freedom to choose by sharing the true story of a woman who liberated herself in fine feathery style. Kitty Cavalier reveals:
I wasn’t always the confident life of the party. For most of my life, I was suicidally depressed with a severe eating disorder. My world revolved around my body, my weight and what diet I was on or not. I wore long sleeves and long pants even in the summertime. I made up crazy excuses so friends wouldn’t take me to the beach. Getting undressed became traumatic even for the simple routine of taking a shower in the privacy of my own home.
Underneath all this shame was a deep seated belief that if only I were pretty enough, thin enough, charismatic enough, successful enough, fill-in-the-blank enough, my life would be better. My body became the battleground of my grief, shame, fear, anxieties and I hated it for not cooperating with my wishes. Then one evening, I went to see a burlesque show…
Click here for more on Kitty’s story and her School of Charm and Cheek.
Which freedom will you celebrate this Thanksgiving?
© Sharon Birke
www.PowerfulGoddess.com
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
Powerful Goddess Portraits 
