FaMiss Women's Historical Wisdom for Today's Modern Lifestyle

The Pursuit of Financial Independence: Clara Dore, a late Victorian Era American Woman Paves the Way

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:30:00 +0000

photo from HistoryLink.org

Helga and Clara Estby, Minneapolis, May 1897

Photo by C. S. Ricker Studio, Courtesy Carole Estby Dagg

In 1896 Clara Estby, or Clara Doré, the daughter of Helga Estby joined her mother on a cause-related walk from Spokane, Washington to New York City. As a grand promotional event, both women wore reform skirts, a huge departure from modest Victorian dresses. The skirts allowed women to move more freely and still maintain modesty while participating in the pastimes such as bicycle riding.

Author Jane Kirkpatrick’s historical fiction account of their journey and the subsequent lives of these women is wonderfully captured in the novel entitled “The Daughter’s Walk”. The writing and character development were a little light in the beginning but by the middle of the story I was completely hooked by Helga’s family prison and Clara’s determination for financial independence and security.

It is difficult for most of us to imagine walking along railroad lines across this enormous country but for some reason, their journey seemed more comprehensible to me than that of their family’s reaction to their accomplishment once they returned home. The family’s shame and resentment over the trip and the time spent away from them were immortalized by tragic family events that occurred while Helga and Clara were away. This large Norwegian immigrant family, who in all other ways represented in the book seemed like a wonderful, loving family punished Helga and subsequently Clara for the choice they made. In the story, Helga was brow-beaten by her family. Neither Helga or Clara were “allowed” to discuss their adventure around the family. Even the mention of “New York” was forbidden. Instead of recognizing the amazing strength and courage these women demonstrated, they were completely ostracized from their family. Helga made the painful choice to shed all the strength of her external achievements so that her family would welcome her back into the fold. While reading the novel, it pained me to watch this woman be defeated by those who loved her best but as I write now, I recognize that Helga’s strength wasn’t beaten out of her, rather it became more humble and inward for it required significant strength to stifle her own personality for the communal love of her family. Helga and her choices is again a reminder that we really ought not judge ourselves and others so harshly. We all make decisions that we feel we must and no matter what the outcome of those decisions, our own strengths at the time are what carry us forward.

Clara’s path was one I identified with more keenly and I deeply admired the tenacious way she continuously strove to improve herself and establish an independent and financially secure future for herself. Clara did not choose to succumb to her family’s prison and instead she made her own way in the world – a remarkable demonstration of courage as well. She knew that she couldn’t let anyone quite her voice and her drive though as she aged, she did find value in conceding to some of the needs of those around her as a demonstration of her love toward them.

Living from 1877 until 1950, Clara is truly a role model demonstrating drive, consistency, and tenaciousness. She is nearly a Victorian Ayn Rand hero. She rose from her family’s financial struggles to become a property owner who mostly purchased her properties with cash. In the novel, she studied business and though she had few female role models, she made a success of herself through education, proper planning, taking calculated risks, and sheer will. Any woman feeling isolated in the pursuit of her dreams of financial independence will find a compatriot in the character of Clara Doré.

Learn more of these two inspirational Victorian era women:

The Daughter’s Walk, a historical novel by Jane Kirkpatrick

Book Review: A

Helga Estby life and story (1860-1942), details on her life found on HistoryLink.orgLooking for more? Please visit FaMiss Women- Women's Success Profiles, including books and movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences. Women's Success Profiles is a feature on www.faMissWomen.com, a company dedicated to helping talented women become visible online.

How One Woman Struggling with Finding Her Identity Created a New Life Through Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:47:00 +0000

Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman by Katrina Repka and Alan Finger Book Review: A

Yogis, relaxation experts and Buddhists all extol the virtues of breath for stress relief and claim breath work unlocks health-compromising stress patterns. I've never been able to experience the power of breath, as they say. I take a few breaths and then do feel calmer, sometimes even more centered but to make a daily habit of breathing deeply never appealed to me. Quite frequently, I forget to take the time to breathe deeply.

The 2009 book, "Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman" by yoga teacher Katrina Repka and yogi master Alan Finger finally opened my eyes (and my lungs) to the potential of breathing techniques.

Repka is an early thirty-something woman who leaves her marketing career and hometown of Calgary in Canada to test her merits in New York City. Her friends and family, baffled by her decision, wondered, "How can she uproot herself like that at the time when she should be settling down and starting a family? How could she give up a good job, promising romantic prospects, and more importantly, us?" Though her motivations were not understood by her family, Repka had been drawn to New York City since childhood. One day, with all her courage and little support, she set off for the big city.

"My life in Manhattan was supposed to be the complete opposite of my life in Calgary, Alberta. I would be thinner, smarter, happier, hipper. My work would be glamorous, my days and nights filled with excitement and fascinating new friends. I wasn't going to settle for the comfortable routine that had threatened to stifle me in my old hometown." *

Once she settled in New York and adjusted to the pace and attractions she discovered that she brought her old Calgary self all the way to New York. Her new, glamorous New York self wasn't as easy to keep on, no matter how many Prada shoes she purchased. Old insecurities and reservations bombarded her, screeching more loudly than the big city's noise. Her old self doubt and restlessness was getting in the way. She wrestled with old questions about who she really was and what she wanted her life to be like. The answers, just as they did in Calgary, evaded her. Her frustration continued until she met yogi master Alan Finger. Finger ran a yoga studio in NYC. The studio had many yoga classes and Finger also offered private breathing consultations, that in Repka's case, closely resembled psycho-therapy sessions.

The book, Breathing Space, is broken into chapters that focus on different areas of self growth so the reader can quickly go to a chapter of relevance for themselves. Some of the titles are:

Focus: The power of breath to help you see yourself clearly;

Criticism: The power of breath to erased self-destructive tendencies;

Faith: The power of breath to overcome hesitation and connect with your truth.

As a woman in my thirties, I found Repka's journey especially relevant to my own journey and quest for a fulfilling life. Repka is self effacing and willing to share embarrassing moments and mistakes with her readers but don't be put off by her age. Her explorations, struggles, and victories are common among all women struggling with their identity and for those demanding an enriched life.

* Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman by Katrina Repka and Alan Finger
p. 2

Allison Frederick believes that Role Modeling is one of the most effective ways to launch a program, improve a product, and personally achieve a higher level of success and goals. www.AllisonFrederick.com

Blame Congress, Not CEOs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Each day the news is filled with outrage over bailouts and how those funds are spent. I do not understand people's anger. It is like offering a large inheritance to a teenager then being shocked when they spend the money in imprudent ways.

The fault lies more with Congress and less with the companies. Congress is rushing massive bailout packages without taking the time to figure out just how this money is truly going to help. Each bailout is a further disaster with grim tales of gross overspending by the recipients. Each time this happens, we are shocked.

If we were truly worried about the economy and truly concerned with the behavior of corporate America then we should have had more seat changes during last November's election. Instead, we kept most of the incumbents – the same ones who were blindly issuing out bailouts last year.

Now as tax payers, we are paying for the companies who also squandered our 401ks. That means we are paying double. Perhaps it isn't useful to blame Congress either; after all, we let them keep their jobs. At least one industry is gainfully employeed.

Best Book for Women Entrepreneurs: Birthing the Elephant: The Woman's Go-for-it! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:59:00 +0000

"Change can be daunting, but the status quo can be worse." – Birthing the Elephant

Looking at the cover of Birthing the Elephant: The Woman’s Go-for-it! Guide to Overcoming the Big Challenges of Launching a Business (2008) did not prepare me for the influence it would have in my life.

Finally! Someone wrote a business book with guts! Finally someone had the courage to say out loud "Launching your own business will take its toll on your bank account, your self esteem, and your family." They didn't gloss over the mistakes people make in business as if it is expected and so trivial that the mistakes only merit a few paragraphs.

The authors of this little book, Karin Abarbanel and Bruce Freeman, seem to have been following me around in my head for the last three years while I helped my husband launch and stabilize his business and explored and launched my own. They described the ups and downs of business as stages. Hearing that they were stages was comforting to me – that means that what I am feeling now has an end point, a transcendence point. What a relief!

They spoke about how when you leave your job or career to start a new business you need to grieve this change because it is a loss. Even if you were excited to leave your job, it is still a loss and the loss will never be more keenly felt than when you experience struggles in your business. If you do not recognize and deal with the loss of a steady paycheck, an organization that brings in leads, orders the staples, and provides a supportive social network before your own business hits a snag, then romanticized memories of how good your previous career was will distract you from the real problems and the real reasons you decided to set out on your own in the first place.

They also said that turning to the job want ads when your business is struggling will lead to confusion. A job is a different path and requires different thought processes. Looking for a job during tough entrepreneurial times, can in fact, usher you down the wrong path. Instead, they encourage you to take that same fearful energy and get creative in solving your business's problems.

C.S. Lewis says "we read to know we are not alone." I've been reading business books for years. I've read about Vera Wang, Anita Roddick, Richard Branson, Donald Trump, and countless others. For me, reading these business books has proven more frustrating than insightful. Sure, I've picked up some real gems but they never seemed to address the core challenges I've had in business and that is what do I do when my business seems to beat up on my self-esteem? What do I do when client after client says no? Sure, you hold on tightly to the successes but we still deeply remember the "failures."

A young 20-something woman is on the cover of my copy of Birthing the Elephant. Looking at it, you may think as I did that it is for younger entrepreneurs but in fact, I think it is a fantastic book for any entrepreneur.

This book delves into the emotional factors of running a business and we all know that ultimately, emotions dictate our lives. We can only drive ourselves forward for so long if our heart is in doubt. I have never been so encouraged in my abilities to run my own business as I have after reading this book. I hope that you will also find encouragement in how they explain the psychological path of launching and building a business.

Allison Frederick believes that Role Modeling is one of the most effective ways to launch a program, improve a product, and personally achieve a higher level of success and goals. www.AllisonFrederick.com

The Trouble with Role Models

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:39:00 +0000

When thinking of success many people turn to role models. How has someone else done what you want to do before? The danger with role models is that we often pick them because of their results. We may look at women's success like Jackie Joyner Kersey's athleticism, Katherine Hepburn's portfolio of movies, or Beatrix Potter's generational tale of Peter Rabbit and see them only for what they produced.
I realized my own "star struck" role model studies were causing frustration and perhaps unrealism. When we study role models we are so focused on all that the person has achieved and we forget that in some cases it took 10-20-30 years or even a lifetime to create.
We read of a role model's success in a period of hours and because it took us a far shorter time to read or to watch a movie of their life, as compared to actually creating the success, I believe our brains develop a false sense of just how long it takes to create something successful.
Before J.K. Rowling became a smashing success with Harry Potter, another Englishwoman, Beatrix Potter, drew similar fame and generated another literary legacy with her Peter Rabbit books.
I've always been under the impression that Beatrix Potter was a strong, forthright woman. Perhaps Renée Zellweger's bright, solid portrayal of Beatrix in the 2006 movie, Miss Potter, plays in my mind as I read an old biography on Beatrix Potter entitled "The Tale of Beatrix Potter" (1946).

In this biography by Margaret Lane, I am reminded of how lonely and awkward Beatrix Potter was in her early life. Born in 1866 to uninteresting parents who felt parenting simply meant providing a roof over a child's head and arranging for their education, Potter found herself living a very quiet, secluded childhood.
She was never sent off to school, having a governess teach her in an upstairs playroom/nursery instead. Potter didn't hang out with friends or cousins her own age. She did have a younger brother, with whom she was quite close it seems, but he was sent off to school as soon as it was appropriate.
Through loneliness and to entertain herself, Potter was forced to create her own stimulating environment and she did this beautifully.
She was intrigued with nature, finding her summer vacations on Scottish estates far more exciting than living indoors in London. In Scotland, she could run free and explore – which she did with relish. She carefully studied and drew rabbits, frogs, and fungi. As she drew, she observed the behavior of her subjects which is how she created such endearing and yet still anatomically correct, animals for her children's books.
Potter decided to convert a story she told, that of Peter Rabbit, into a book. She approached six publishers with her idea and drawings, only to be rejected by each.
Disappointed but not giving up, she decided to print her own private edition of 250 copies. Her "little book," as she called it, was surprising popular and many of her family and acquaintances would buy four or five copies at a time to give as gifts to the children they knew.
Emboldened by this warm reception, she again approached the one publisher who had given her the softest rejection. As the book was now somewhat proven, the publisher felt the risk of publication was less and took on the book.
I've always been so impressed with the steps Potter took to get her book published. I found it especially remarkable because it was the late 19th century and she lived in a time when respectable middle class ladies such as herself didn't write or work. Although Potter didn't grow up in economic poverty, her childhood was void of social interaction, stimulation, and from our modern perspective, love. Her parents were not interested in her, yet this was not necessarily a reflection on Potter, but rather her parents were not interested in much of anything!
Potter, in contrast, lived her entire life with her childlike enthusiasm (a key ingredient to creativity that sculptor, Maya Lin, also adheres to), and saw the magic of living throughout her life. Her books created financial independence for her, a rare feat for a woman of her time.
She was able to create the life she wanted and she became successful, not only in her writing career, but also in her second career as a rancher and land preservationist. Yet driving all this success, under all this strength, lay a reticent, awkward, quiet, young woman whose self consciousness manifest itself into perfection.
When Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was accepted for publication, she went into a frenzy. In letters to her publisher, she questioned the quality of the drawings, offering to do them over again and again.
"I am perfectly willing to redraw the who if desired…" p. 64
"Would you be so kind to post me the two [drawings] that are the worst? I should be very glad to try them again, any that you are not satisfied with…" p. 65
While it is a natural inclination to want the drawings to be perfect for her publisher's edition, I find it interesting that she didn't seem so self conscious for her own private edition. I expect she didn't take her private edition as seriously, after all, it was just "a little book."
During negotiations with her publisher over her writing contract, she states, "I must apologize for not understanding, but I would like to be clear about it… I am aware that these little books don't last long, even if they are a success; but I should like to know what I am agreeing to…I have not spoken to Mr. Potter [her father], but I think, Sir, it would be well to explain the agreement clearly, because he is a little formal, having been a barrister." P 64
It isn't that I find her language objectionable or disempowering; it is just that it struck me as very different from the image I held of the stolid Beatrix Potter, successful author and ranch woman. While studying her as my role model, I had forgotten that she too, started at the very beginning, with rejection letters from publishers and a lack of understanding of the industry.
I remember when my manuscript for A Portrait of Josephine was with an agent I developed an acute attack of writer's block and I fretted over the revisions my editor suggested. I was so surprised by my feelings that my novel was no longer "good enough" just because it was being considered by someone in the industry.
I was relieved to read of Potter's own self-doubts and beginnings, especially since her success was so great. It is helpful for me to keep in mind that when I am learning about someone who is successful, I keep an accurate perspective on the amount of time it took for them to become successful. I hope Potter's example will help you be more forgiving of yourself if you are currently in the beginning of your journey to success.
As a side note: The reason Potter became so wealthy in her own right was because of the franchising opportunity she created with Peter Rabbit. This same model has been utilized modernly by George Lucas with Star Wars and more recently by J.K. Rowling with Harry Potter. I just noticed while writing this article that Harry and Beatrix have the same last name. I can't help but wonder if Englishwoman, J.K. Rowling could have been inspired by Beatrix Potter's legacy and perhaps her lead character's name is an homage. This is pure speculation.
Click here to watch a wonderful, short interview with Renée Zellweger regarding her portrayal of Beatrix Potter.

Allison Frederick believes that Role Modeling is one of the most effective ways to launch a program, improve a product, and personally achieve a higher level of success and goals. www.AllisonFrederick.com

"Laughter is Healing," Australian Speaker's Approach to Self-Improvement

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:09:00 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a humorous lady from down under, Nancy Wylde. Nancy Wylde is author of the book "Ticket to Freedom: A Self-Empowerment Guide for Women" (2008) and a motivational speaker.

Attendees to her seminars are in for a surprise because at Nancy's seminars, the focus is on them. She doesn't bombard them with what she wants to talk about; rather she customizes her seminars to the individual interests of the participants.

When I asked Nancy about her speaking style, she replied:

I usually have a topic to follow and then am open for some questions. Once again, I don't feel I have all the answers. I prefer if I am not viewed as one who "knows it all" because quite frankly I don't. Each of us is unique. What works for one person does not always work for another.

I had an elderly woman of 95 years ask me how she can gain financial independence from her husband. This was a rather awkward question because I wondered, "Why would you want to be independent now?" However this was important to her and I answered to the best of my ability, offering her some suggestions (as practical and realistic as they could be given her maturity).
Few seminar speakers have the ability to think on their feet and to respond with sensitivity to the needs of the participants instead of making the seminar about the speaker. At Nancy's seminars, you control the content to learn what you need to learn.

I love sharing personal experiences most women can relate to. I speak to my audiences as if they were sitting next to me over a cup of tea. I use logic and laughter as I talk to women about how to get a hands- on approach toward positive reinvention. I offer practical, realistic strategies that any woman can use in her life, regardless of her circumstances that will aid her toward self improvement, personal goals and growth.

Nancy currently offers seminars around Sydney, Australia. To learn about her speaking schedule or to get on her email list in case she broadens her market or offers seminars online, please visit her website.

At faMiss Women (pronounced "famous"), we are always interested in who the role models for successful women were and who influenced them. I asked Nancy about the influential people in her life. She offered some writers for us all to encounter plus an endearing comment about her grandfather.

I have been inspired by the writings of Stuart Wylde, Florence Shinn, Catherine Ponder, Frederick Bailes, Napoleon Hill, Dr Deepak Chopra, Dr Wayne Dyer, Louise L Hay, Eckhart Tolle, just to name a few of my favourite authors and motivational speakers.

My grandfather who is 95 years young now and who just celebrated his 70th Wedding Anniversary with my grandmother last week has been a strong influence in my life.
From as young as I could remember he appeared to be worry free and took everything in his stride. He was not an ambitious man, but he was an excellent provider for his family. He was not interested in acquiring too many things in life as he was content with little. He still likes boiling his water in a pot on the stove as opposed to using the many electric kettles his grandchildren have given him over the years (and has stored them away somewhere).

He cannot understand why we all rush around so much when it is far easier to sit and listen to music on the veranda overlooking his garden.He has time to tell you stories of the days he spend in the concentration camps ( two years) and how he found a way to survive the horrors and tragedies he lived through and saw during those two years. He found beauty in the German people and realised they too were victims of the horrible war. He did not see any man as his enemy. He did not shoot to kill while on the firing line, because he had no quarrel with his fellow man, regardless of his colour, culture, religious or political view.

He is a simple man and quite simply, someone whom I have admired all my life.
Sometimes it is helpful to have a motto or an affirmation, or quote to keep before us so that if we start to become distracted from our goals, we can regain our focus. Do you have a motto that is meaningful to you?

I live by several motto's. Not by one or two. It's difficult to pick just one as they are all important to me.

"Fear stops us from growing, loving, learning, having fun, living in the moment and noticing the beauty in all things and all people. Let go of fear and live!"

"We are responsible for our own lives. And even if we are not necessarily responsible for our circumstances, we are still responsible for the attitude we choose."

"Empowerment is knowing that you are directing and co-creating your future reality." ( I think this is my favourite)

Several female writers and artists also take to gardening, ranching, or farming. Edith Wharton studied French and Italian gardens, using their influence to create large, stunning gardens in her homes (for lovely pictures, visit The Mount website, Edith's home in Lenox, Massachusetts.)

Beatrix Potter was an avid gardener who managed to keep Peter Rabbit, Mopsy, and the rest of the bunch at bay. Contemporary, Barbara Kingsolver underwent a "eat local" experiment for a year; growing most of her own food (this interesting journey is told in the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.")

Even Georgia O'Keeffe grew her own vegetables in her New Mexico home. Nancy Wylde is in league with these other ladies. I asked her about her family's organic farm.

My parents and I bought a farm some 22 years ago and slowly began farming. It was quite unintentional that we turned organic, however due to the growing awareness of the dangerous pesticides in our produce and hormones in our meats, we began to move in this area. As we became more and more conscious of how these poisons affect our bodies we began researching into how we can produce fresh fruit and vegetables and free range livestock without the use of such toxins.

This was primarily to aid us, our family and our extended families. As well, we cater to our friends. We don't sell to the public, but we have more than enough family and friends who are happy to come and pick when our fruits and vegetables are in season. If they don't mind the hard work that comes with picking, we don't mind giving it away!
My father has a water business (Alkalife Water) and he is the sole distributor for the Western Sydney Region (this is a huge region!). His customers love calling out to the farm to pick up their orders as they also get the benefit of taking a walk in the farm and taking some fresh organic produce home for a small fee. My parents are generous and usually ask a small fee to cover their costs.

Caring for the farm is empowering because knowledge is empowering!
We can no longer sit on the fence and hope that someone else will fix our problems. We can take back some of our power by becoming actively involved on some level. I can still remember when it was announced that "Soon our fruits and vegetables will be genetically modified." We thought we would be powerless and that we would be at the mercy of the growers who controlled this. This is all part of the competition; the bigger, and shinier and prettier the produce, the better the price.

We are a culture (especially in Western cultures), where appearances are everything. If you take a peach or plum that is grown on my farm and compare it in size and 'appearance' to that of a peach or plum that has been genetically modified and has had tons of pesticide sprayed onto it, it is significantly smaller and less appealing. However, the difference is both in the taste (you would be surprised at how different an organic cucumber or tomato tastes compared to one that isn't organic!), size and appearance. You see, we are so socially conditioned that 'looks are everything'.

Even if we cannot grow our own organic veggies, we can support those that do by buying it. And yes it is far more expensive. The answer to that is that we need to learn to consume less. We are large consumers of everything! Ignorance is expensive- it can cost us our health. Become aware of what our bodies need, what is good for it, what is not good for it - this is empowering.

In your book, Ticket to Freedom, you describe many adverse situations that you've overcome with considerable grace and humor. How do you encourage yourself when you experience new obstacles?

Self-encouragement is not easy. I just look at what I need to do NOW, this moment. I look at what I CAN do as opposed to what I CAN'T do.

If I am empowered to fix something, I will. If it is something I have absolutely no control over then I choose not to worry. I choose to find the humour in all things as opposed to sadness. Laughter is healing.

I have come from having everything to nothing (living in a tin- shack with 3 children - and a very squeaky clean tin- shack at that with flower gardens, hanging pots and a happy environment for my children!).
It was only today that I took my children out for Christmas Eve lunch at our local golf country club ( where my son-in-law and son play golf) and they commented on how proud they were of the home I provided for them when they were small during the many years I was a single mother. Have I got great kids or what!?!

I made it a home to the best of my ability and within those tin walls that were sweltering in summer and freezing in winter, there were the sounds of children's laughter while mum told funny stories to her children and we watched funny movies together. I had to have a sense of humour. I just didn't know I had any other choice!
Of course the tin shack is still there, and serves as a reminder of the happy times we shared together in spite of our hardships.

What would you say to someone who is experiencing disappointment after disappointment?

Find beauty in something, anything! Learn about the power of gratitude and how important it is to count one's blessings. Disappointment is usually a result of not attaining something we desire or the result of others not responding the way we had hoped. Don't make this important and certainly not an issue and something to worry about. Once we remove this expectation from others, we find we are no longer disappointed.

Nancy's book, Ticket to Freedom: A Self-Empowerment Guide for Women, is a quick read full of humor, insight, and inspiration. To pick up a copy of her book, or learn more about Nancy Wylde, please visit her website: http://www.nancywylde.com/

Get Publishers and Book Agents to Notice You

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:58:00 +0000

6 Reasons to Use a Blog to Build Readership Before You Publish and Attract Agents and Publishers

Free Audio: 1 hour and 20 minutes of real examples and useful resources which will help you understand how to use a blog to market and improve your writing.

I am really excited to share my ideas on how to use a blog and Web 2.0 to launch or build your writing career and how to attract readers, agents, and publishers to your writing.

I've given this talk several times but never took the time to record it.

This free talk is an hour and twenty minutes long.

This talk is perfect for women writers who are hesitant to write online or who haven't started a blog yet and wonder how to make a blog effectively market them online. It is an intro to blogging filled with suggestions that will also help you market the blog.

To making your invisible, faMiss...
Allison Frederick
http://www.famisswomen.com/ - online marketing for Creative Women in Business & the Arts

Click here to access free audio download on blogging for writers.

Fun Way to Create a Free Jingle for Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:59:00 +0000

Jingle Generator - Spread Your Company Info in a Fun Way

This is a fun, free tool presented by Quickbooks. Pick from a variety of pre-formulated jingles, add your company information and see what the wacky musician, Tommy Silk creates for you.
Even if you don't want a jingle for your company, visit this site because it is a great example of how to use your artistic talents to meet current needs in a unique way.

The Jingle Generator
Listen to the faMissWomen.com jingle. It is to the 1980's song "I Don't Want to Lose Your Love Tonight" by The Outfield (a song I used to love). It is a bit cheesy, and may not reinforce your brand, but still fun.

Marketing Yourself Online with Integrity: Lessons from Madame Helena Rubinstein, a Cosmetic Industry Giant

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:18:00 +0000

The beauty about online businesses is that you can work in your bedroom slippers, on a Tahiti beach, or at the local coffee shop and your customers will never know.

The anonymity of the internet is very attractive to those who operate a business or product but are a bit shy. We let the internet do the talking for us. There is; however, a danger in taking full advantage of the anonymity of the internet and that is losing your integrity.

When I write an article and post it online, does that substantiate a claim that I am an international author? Many people would say yes but I disagree. Let's say I am enjoying a party at my best friend's house. She introduces me to a book agent as an international best selling author because my best friend has seen my email signature that says "Allison Frederick, International Author" (this a self-proclaimed title I included in my email based on the fact that I write online).

The book agent is intrigued, wondering why she hasn't heard of me before. She asks me about my writing. I fumble with words to try and back track from the impression my best friend gave her. I tell her I write online but then I stop. How do I compensate for the false impression she has? Do you think she would trust anything I say afterwards? I doubt it. I expect my credibility with her is ruined, all because of my own false advertising. (This is a fictitious example as I am not yet a best selling international author but I would love to be.)

Another approach people use on the internet is to make their company look significantly bigger than it is. They’ll use words like, "We here at X International, Ltd." If your online business is comprised of you and your cat, does that warrant the use of "we" in your advertising? "We here at the Rockford Corporation meet our clients' needs before they even know they have them."

Such advertising language may be impressive to a potential customer at first and many online consumers do feel better about working with a larger organization than thinking they are doing business with someone in their pajamas, but it can lead to awkward conversations like the one listed above and can lead to mistrust which will ultimate destroy your reputation and your brand. How will a potential customer feel when they phone the customer service department and you are the one who answers, then they ask to speak with a supervisor, who consequently also happens to be you? Will they feel misled if they discover you are also the product fulfillment manager, bookkeeper, and chairman? People do understand that some companies have a single employee but they want to understand that upfront, not lied to through web site marketing.

Helena Rubinstein – a marketing genius who misled the public

I am reminded of the phrase "truth in adverting" as I study the business acumen of one of the first cosmetic industry giants, Helena Rubinstein (1870-1965).

Helena Rubinstein's company, eventually bought out by L'Oreal, was a pioneer in the beauty industry in the early 19th century. She was a direct and fierce competitor of Elizabeth Arden. In my opinion, Helena took the liberty of advertising embellishment beyond a place of integrity.

Born in Poland in the 1870's, Helena immigrated to Australia in her twenties. Eventually she established a beauty shop and sold cosmetic creams. Her own translucent skin proved to her customers that she was a product of her product (being a product of your product is another way to sell with integrity and build trust and loyalty to your brand). After looking at pictures of her, I can see why customers were attracted to her. Her skin looks gorgeous and definitely something to emulate.

Helena it seems loved a good story. She made her product in her own shop in Melbourne using ingredients native to Australia but she claimed she was an importer and the cream was from Europe. Her original recipes may have originated in Europe but it wasn’t manufactured there as she advertised to the public.

Naturally her products were protected by trade secrets but she misled the consumer by stating the ingredients came from the Carpathian Mountains outside of Krakow, Poland. (This claim reminds me of the currently faddish health drinks made from ingredients from the Amazon rain forest.) She correctly assumed that the public would be more impressed with a cream from Europe than from Australia.

I believe Madame's (as she was called) customers were attracted to the "European" element because they lived in Australia, and we humans seem to find a "foreign" idea or product alluring. Products from elsewhere may contain "magic" and probably work better than the domestic products we've already tried and found to be wanting. Most of us are skeptical about advertising claims but we must still believe some of them because they still motivate us to buy.

It is so easy to make grand advertising claims and distribute them with a click of our mouse, but it is also much easier for others to investigate and to discover the truth behind these claims. Even more dangerous to the advertiser is the fact that consumers now feel empowered to spread their findings or beliefs about the falseness of a marketing message or an empty promise to other savy consusmers online. They will not hesitate to share their findings with others on a blog, chat room, in a discussion group, and even some highly motivated people may run a pay-per-click ad campaign saying "The truth about Guru X."

Can your business afford such negative campaigning? If the public discovered the truth behind your claims, would it ruin your brand? Operating your business from a place of integrity may mean you use fewer "sensational ads" making exaggerated claims but it may mean you develop more profitable relationships with customers who become loyal to your brand.

Madame Helena Rubinstein was an incredibly intelligent, successful, and wealthy entrepreneur – despite her marketing exaggerations. She had the ability to anticipate and capitalize on many trends as the cosmetic industry grew. She was a master of publicity. She befriended journalists and editors and she hounded her public relations department to make sure they kept her company in the headlines. She also implemented many marketing devices still used today, including the concept of "dry, normal, and oily skin." Designating skin into three different categories originated as a marketing ploy to open up markets for three separate lines of skin products.

As I read about Helena Rubinstein in the interesting book entitle "War Paint: Madame Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry" (2003) by Lindy Woodhead, I am fascinated not only by Helena's business ventures, but also the story of her successful rival, self-made business woman, Elizabeth Arden. The author, Woodhead, highlights business decisions each woman made and the impact it had on their empires. She also provides an interesting backdrop of what society was like at the time.

There are many grey areas in advertising. Whenever I have doubt about what I should say, I just image how I would feel and what I would say to a customer if they "called me out" on my claims. If I am confident that I am accurately representing something, then I feel free to use colorful, exciting language. What barometer will you use for your marketing? How will you chose to promote your brand and still maintain integrity?

The Helena Rubinstein Foundation:
"The Helena Rubinstein Foundation supports programs in education, community services, arts/arts in education, and health, with a special interest in programs that benefit women and children and assist disadvantaged communities."*

*http://www.helenarubinsteinfdn.org/guide.html

Can You Immobilize Yourself with Too Many Questions? - Documentary Review: Searching for Debra Winger

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:58:00 +0000

Documentary Review: Searching for Debra Winger (2002) by Rosanna Arquette
Rating: B+

This documentary is referenced in several books on women and career. I finally requested a copy from my library. When people talk about this documentary, they often sum it up as a film about how aging female actors survive in Hollywood. I think this grossly underestimates the applicability for those of us outside of Hollywood. This film is sensitive, personal, and brave. I am delighted that Arquette took the time to interview a few dozen successful women who demonstrate that there are still struggles in managing their career even if they are super-stars.

Arquette interviews many successful actors including: Meg Ryan, Vanessa Redgrave, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Sharon Stone and finally Debra Winger. Her interviews focus on what matters most for many women "How can you achieve balance in your life?" "Can we have it all?" She nearly asks. "How do we balance career and family?" "How can you live with the sacrifices you’ve made?" "How can you find quality, fulfilling work when people only objectify you as a sex symbol?" These are essence of her questions.

Arquette's premise is why did Debra Winger leave the movie business when her career was so hot? Was this a decision she regretted? Did Debra Winger know something Arquette didn't?

A Hollywood career is very demanding, so everyone in the business will tell us but for the other women in the world, I believe that they find themselves in equally demanding positions. They have their own questions like "Why am I getting passed up for promotions?" "How can I justify networking with co-workers outside of work hours while my six year old is at home waiting for me to help her with a school project?" "Should I accept a job that requires travel? If I do, what will my kids think?" "Can I return to the workforce at the same pay-grade after I took time off to raise my kids?"

Questions swirl in women's minds in endless turbulence. We often second guess ourselves and wonder if there is a better way to do things. After listening to Arquette ask the actors question after question, I realized something critical. Many people use questions as a way to delay action. If you have so many questions about something then it stands to reason that you should wait to act until you can investigate further. So we wait. We get answers. These answers prompt more questions. We wait some more. The next thing you know, either the opportunity has passed or we find time flying by.

Debra Winger decided that for herself, it was best to leave the industry. She looked happy, healthy, and gorgeous. It seemed that her choice agreed well with her. Some women fair well to take their ball and go home. They can leave the usual career rat race and make their way through non-traditional means. I don't know what projects, if any Debra Winger is working on but she seems satisfied. For Arquette, however, it seems like she still wants to stay in the movie/tv business even though it requires sacrifice and hard work.

I can relate well and appreciate all of Arquette's questions. I have been doing the same thing for several years and yet I am no closer to a truth that satisfies me. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins warns about using "Endless Loop" questions. These are questions that you ask yourself that keep your head spinning. They are not questions like a journalist would use to ferret out tangible answers such as "Who, What, Why, Where, and When." Endless loop questions, while important, don’t encourage ourselves to move forward.

I was amazed that so many very successful women like Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, and Sharon Stone asked themselves similar questions like Arquette asked or I even ask myself but there was a difference between them and myself.

They asked the questions but that didn’t prevent them from acting (pun intended).

They had questions about how to balance career and family but they kept on moving forward towards their career goals and raising their families. They were the first to admit that they didn’t do everything perfectly. Meg Ryan said "as a mom and as an artist, you compartmentalize…"

Whoopi Goldberg and Jane Fonda both spoke about the sacrifices their children faced because of their choices to pursue Hollywood careers. But as Goldberg said, if she decided to forgo her Hollywood career and stayed home to be with her kid, she would’ve been around more but she wouldn't have been as good a mother.

Questions are a powerful tool. They can help us avoid disasters and engage with the world with more depth but they can also immobilize ourselves. Keep questioning, but like the actors featured in this interesting documentary, don’t let the questions keep you for pursuing your dreams.

Allison Frederick believes that Role Modeling is one of the most effective ways to launch a program, improve a product, and personally achieve a higher level of success and goals. www.AllisonFrederick.com.

Quantum of Solace:Women in Leadership - a Woman’s Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:56:00 +0000

On principle against the overt sexism, machismo, and "escapism" relationships with women, I avoided historical James Bond movies entirely, until in a moment of kindness, I agreed to see Daniel Craig's first Bond movie with my husband. Casino Royale was better than I expected and the women didn't seem to be such classic "play things" I thought I briefly witnessed in the earlier Bond films.

On opening day, I once again found myself in front of Bond on screen in Quantum of Solace and found that I loved the movie. I enjoyed the complicated storyline and while the action scenes were abundant, they didn't last so long that I found my mind wandering too far from the story.

I like Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond best in Quantum of Solace because he seemed powerful, intelligent, in control, and sophisticated without appearing smug and conceited. His performance is so convincing because he didn't even seem to be trying to be Bond – he just is Bond.

But the actor that arrested me most in Quantum of Solace was Judi Dench. Dench plays "M," Bond's boss and director of a Secret Intelligence Service branch (MI6). If I understand her role correctly, she answers directly to the Prime Minister, although in this movie, she received orders indirectly from other officials.

Judi Dench's portrayal was cool, quick thinking, and exuded power. Even though her power and orders were usurped at times by a "reengage" Bond, she still managed to keep close reign on an escalating situation where there was little reliable intel.

I want to contrast her role in Quantum of Solace with another film. I recently watched "Ladies in Lavender" (2004) a very "English" film that was charming but not earth-shattering. Dench co-starred with Maggie Smith who was recently in the Harry Potter films and Becoming Jane.

The Ladies in Lavender roles were what one would expect for two older women, delegated to play two aging sisters who were kind-hearted but troubled by the past and the lack of opportunities in their lives. Dench played an adorable character but it was in line with the kinds of roles society expects older women to play - she was weak and childlike.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is M, who I decidedly like. Her commanding strength solicited respect from Bond even when he disagreed with her.

The ability to lead highly talented individuals and to maintain control is a leadership skill many women are still learning to yield. We saw poor executive leadership skills in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006)where the overbearing female boss alienated her work staff in a comedic way.

The level of support and control Dench exhibited goes beyond the level of supervisory skills that come naturally to most women. Author Dr. Lois P. Frankel writes wonderful books about women and leadership. Her titles include: See Jane Lead and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office 101: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers.

I highly recommend these books. I took copies out from the library but am finding that I must buy them so I can highlight the text and read over and over again. Women have often struggled with the balance of maintaining power without being labeled a power-hungry b-----. I think M's performance is a perfect example of how to succeed as a leader.

On a couple occasions in the film, Dench reveals her feminine side, while getting ready for a hot bath, and putting on face cream, all the while leading business phone calls. This imagery reminds us that Dench has a feminine side as well. What I loved about the women in leadership books by Frankel is that she teaches women how to use their feminine stregths to become great leaders rather than deny or suppress them. In effect, instead of "See Jane Lead," her book title could be "See Judi Lead."

Those who watch Quantum of Solace may point out that Bond ignores her orders repeatedly and that his actions led to the truth. Well, just because you are a leader doesn't mean you are always right. The key to great leadership as Henry Ford told us is to have people who are more intelligent than you are working for you. Successful leadership is not dependent on having all the right answers, it is dependent upon knowing how to utilize your resources, analyzing your options, balancing the demands of those in higher or more influential positions than you, and still get the job done. In this regard, M was an impeccable leader.

While acting as M, Dench was confronted with several red herrings. Misdirection led her to temporarily loose her trust in Bond but she quickly rectified that decision and like a good leader, she was quick to recognize her own misjudgments and correct them.

Dench's portrayal is a wonderful example of leadership and it is refreshing and exciting to see a woman play such a clear thinking, powerful role. In See Jane Lead, Dr. Frankel reminds us that assertiveness is a function of leadership and when thinking of assertiveness to "[K]eep in mind that assertiveness means you combine direct and clear communication with unfailing, unconditional positive regard and concern for others." P 108, See Jane Lead.

Quantum of Solace is not only entertaining, it is also a fun, exciting example of female leadership. Thank you Judi Dench for creating a role model.

Women's History Inclusion Still Has a Long Way to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:08:00 +0000

I write about women in history because I learned little of women's accomplishments as I was growing up. Their history was so absent from my history lessons and books that it never occured to me that there were many women in history who made contributions. Minorities also feel this way. There is a void of historical experience education for women and minorities. I write these articles to try and combat this lack of education and to introduce women to themselves and their past.

I erroneously assumed that girls growing up now didn't grow up with this void. In an era where women executives ran massive companies like eBay and hold positions like Secretary of State, I expected that newly written historical accounts would integrate women rather than rely on sharing their history in their own separate sphere. It seems we still have a ways to go.

Recently I enjoyed a wonderful mini-series developed by the BBC entitled The Impressionists (2006). The year of production is the key, it was released just two years ago. The rendition of the Impressionistic Movement of the late 1800's and the artists who paved the way, include artists Monet, Renoir, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, and Bazille.

The storyline is rich, the characters funny, and the settings interesting but now I feel there is a void. While the movie focused on a fraternal atmosphere between the artists, no mention (that I recall) was made of Mary Cassat, an American born but French Impressionist who was very close to Degas and was invited to participate in their rebellious Salon of the Refused (Salon de Refuses). This public art exhibit was a pivotal break from the tightly held annual exhibit known as the Salon de Paris hosted each year by The Academie, because it allowed young artists with a new vision for art to exhibit their work outside of the traditionally defined Salon de Paris.

Some biographers think there was a very close relationship between Cassat and Degas* and I think this information merits at least a mention of Cassat in the film The Impressionists. I was even more surprised to learn the film was produced by a woman. Naturally the editing process requires that only essential material be included in a story to maintain the pace but Mary Cassat was a key figure in the French Impressionist movement and I would have liked to see her acknowledged in this film. In the interest of including women as contributors rather than simply subjects of history, I wish Cassat's relationship with Degas was included in this film.

Watch a trailer ad for The Impressionists on YouTube.

*Mary Cassat Biography

My Health Care Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

This subject is aberrant for this blog; however, this blog is about women's issues and health care in America is certainly a woman's (and man's) issue.

Universal health care would bankrupt the American economy and lead to poorer health. Few people value free things. I believe that Americans would take even less responsibility for their health choices if they had unlimited access to free health care.

My health plan is as follows:

Free Health Clinics
All hospitals should have an adjunct free clinic open to anyone and everyone. This facility should share administrative facilities with emergency rooms but otherwise be independent.

To attract talented practitioners to the free clinics, doctors and employees should have their education costs written off over the course of time they work in the clinic, say 20% per year. Additionally the clinics should have ideal work conditions including access to current technologies, sufficient staff to avoid overtime and work sharing schedules to attract and retain top talent.

Any funds the government would spend to create universal health coverage would be spent on these clinics. As a result, emergency room hospitals can go back to what they are good at, dealing in urgent care and they can make a profit doing so. Additionally hundreds of thousands of people without health insurance would have easy, immediate access to quality health care.

Health & Life Insurance
Insurance companies should implement prohibitive premiums for smokers and people diagnosed as obese. These two lifestyle conditions are preventable and can only be governed on an individual level. Each person must take responsibility for their own heath choices and how this influences their health and therefore the amount of health care they need.

Life insurance policy holders should pay lower premiums if they document that they utilize preventative medicine such as nutritional supplements, chiropractic and acupuncture for overall health, psychotherapy management for stress relief, etc.

There should be more financial incentives in the form of tax breaks for Health Savings Accounts (HSA's). Many members in government have been trying to encourage Americans to take advantage of this great program but it still is relatively unknown.

Affordable Access to Nutritional Food
Organic food and small local farms should receive subsidies that directly translate into lower food costs at the grocery store so that more Americans can afford nutritionally dense food. Highly processed food companies and companies that genetically modify food (and in my opinion, undermine the integrity of our food source) should be more regulated by the government and the chemicals used in foods should undergo more rigorous evaluation through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Additionally, organic labeling and food labeling standards should become stronger not weaker. Americans have a right to trust food labeling and not be subject to word-play and food size proportion manipulation. Otherwise, why bother having food labeling.

Affordable high quality food is the key to the health of America. The sooner we recognize and value affordable high quality food, the sooner we will avert our health crisis.

In Conclusion
Implementing these ideas would cost money but I believe it would cost considerably less money than universal health care and less than ignoring our situation. Additionally, this program encourages each individual to take an interest in their own health and the costs associated with maintaining health. It gives Americans the opportunity to have access to quality care and quality food at an affordable price. It also gives hospitals and insurance companies the freedom to act in a way that leads to more profits which means more jobs and safer investment opportunities for those who want to invest in these companies. It also refocuses the government on regulating in areas they are good at such as consumer safety (strict, reliable food labeling governance) and funding public works projects (the free clinics) and keeps them out of industries they do not know about – administering health care.

Any person in a position of power to implement these ideas is more than welcome to take them as their own.

This health plan may seem radical and it may not be enough but I think it is an excellent start. I also feel that it is far less radical than what I hear the presidential candidates alluding to and it is more in line with American values. This plan encourages protection for those less fortunate; it encourages personal responsibility and opportunity, integrity, and honesty. These are the American values that have carried us through for all these years. I would hate to see them set aside.

I am now stepping off my soap box.

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com

Accomplished Women Have Fears Too: What Do They Do About It?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Book review: On Becoming Fearless: Love, Work, and Life by Arianna Huffington, founder of HuffingtonPost.com

Many of us have had our fill of traditional self help books. Sure they are helpful but after a while they all seem the same. Arianna's book, Fearless, sounds like a self help book but it breaks the mold. This book is calming and invigorating at the same time. She fills the pages with examples of women pushing through their fears whether they are fictional characters, historical heroes, or modern day leaders. She flawlessly blends anecdotal stories that struck to the core of my psyche.

So why pick up a book on fearlessness? One reason fear holds us back is our failure to recognize we have fear. Fear implies weakness. No one wants to be perceived as weak so we distract ourselves by exploring our psychology, read self improvement books, and make ourselves better in every way except one. We ignore the elephant in the room – fear.

Arianna writes: "To live in fear is the worst form of insult to our true selves. By having such a low regard for who we are – for our instincts and abilities and worth – we build a cage around ourselves. To prevent others from shutting us down, we do it for them. Trapped by our own fears, we then pretend that we're incapable of having what we want, forever waiting for others to give us permission to start living. Pretty soon, we start to believe this is the only way."*

The statement "we build a cage around ourselves" stuck me deeply because I've been feeling the constriction of my own cage as the years roll on. Many women like to nest. We like to live and operate in a certain type of environment that reflects our personality, interests, and accomplishments. We create the same environment in our own minds but here we also include our fears about whether we are good enough, concerns that we behaved foolishly, doubts as to whether we'll achieve those dreams and goals we've always had. We include all these concerns, using them as beams to construct a cage around ourselves. This cage serves as a protection, a little home to keep us from becoming disappointed or hurt.

But lately I've found that for myself, the less I express myself, the fewer risks I take, the stronger my cage becomes. I thought this was a good thing at first. I relished in the fortress I was building, but the cage didn't expand outwards because I wasn't expanding outwards. Instead, the beams became thicker as they grew inward. I am finding myself constricted by my own cage.

The metaphor of a woman in a cage has been used before. Poet and writer Maya Angelou wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" many years ago where she explored a different perception of freedom, one that transcends. But I find that in speaking with other women, more often than not, they are in cages of their own design – not society's. How comfortable is your cage? Is it getting tight in there? As the personal development coach Tony Robbins asks: What purpose does your cage serve? What benefits does your cage offer? For me, the answer is that I am ready to fly to coop.

So how can one start to push past secret fears? I found one exercise Arianna suggested fun. This exercise is especially good for someone who feels as if life is passing them by and they are not "getting" to do the things they want.

Make a list of everything you ever thought you wanted to do. Include things like travel the world on the QE2, write a Broadway play, learn belly dancing, speak another language, open a school for disadvantage children, become a millionaire. Whatever it is, no matter when you dreamed of doing it, write it down.

Now, look at your list. What items on your list no longer appeal to you? If they are no longer important, cross them off. I always wanted to learn Russian. I always expected that I would speak Russian. I was motivated to learn Russian because one, it sounds kind of cool, and two I love Russian literature. But I've never been to Russia, have no immediate plans to do so. I do not know any Russian speaking people. I do not plan to negotiate a business deal with a Russian company. Also, when I took an introductory Russian class, I barely studied for the class. It sounds to me like I simply have a romantic notion of learning Russian. If I could learn by plugging a wire into myself and downloading the language like they do in the movie Matrix, then I absolutely would learn Russian. But if I have to go through the motions and learn it myself, well, I don't expect I'll ever get around to it. I decided to cross it off my list of what I want to do.

Why is it important to cross things off? Because when we want to feel bad about ourselves or our lives we turn to that long list of things we want to do and lament that we haven't made a dent in it. I, for example, discount all the wonderful things I've accomplished and have and say, "Well, I haven't even learned Russian yet." Feeling bad about what we haven't done in life is a great way to distract ourselves from what we truly value and what is truly important in our lives. If you see an item on your list that truly doesn’t seem important anymore, that no longer resonates with who you are as a woman, then cross it off.

Arianna says, "When we start to let go of things that we’re not passionate about, we're free to initiate new projects and pursue new passions. This is one of the best ways to become truly fearless about aging."

A word of caution. I performed this exercise and started crossing off old dreams and goals left and right. A few days later I looked at my scribbly list again. I saw that I crossed out dreams that are actually still very important to me but they are dreams that I have considerable doubt about whether I can achieve them. This exercise isn't about what seems feasible based on your current circumstances and resources. It is about examining who you really are and want you really want. It takes considerable courage and honesty to do this exercise. Think of it this way. You are cleaning out your closet and getting rid of shoes, jewelry, and clothes that you know you will never wear again because they no longer reflect your personality or lifestyle. The bonus is that you make more room in your closet for more shoes and for more goals.

I could continue writing all the valuable nuggets Arianna shared in her book but the best thing is to pick up a copy for yourself. Although I heard the name Arianna Huffington before, I didn’t know who she was or what she had accomplished in her life. That just goes to show how much time I dwell under my nineteenth century rock. From what others have told me about her, she clearly speaks her mind and has learned to move forward in spite of any fears she may have or had.

She leaves us with an excellent question. "But are we really any safer because of all the fear? Have we gained anything by it? More important, what have we lost?"

Arianna Huffington truly wrote the book I long to write. She beautifully integrated many women's stories and experiences in an intimate way. This isn't a traditional self-help book. It is much more than a plunge into psychology. It is an encounter with women who feel fear and who still accomplish great things.

Arianna Huffington is a politically active writer and media mogul. Her books include political commentary and biographies of Picasso and Maria Callas. In 2003, she ran for governor in the widely publicized Gray Davis recall election in California. She now operates the online media outlet, HuffingtonPost.com.

*p. 7, Becoming Fearless: Love, Work, and Life by Arianna Huffington
**p. 144, Ibid.
***p178, Ibid.

To Be or Not to Be a Mother, That is the Question

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:57:00 +0000

(portrait of Laura Bassi, Italian professor)

I am entering the sunset phase of my reproductive years and for the first time, I hear the clock ticking.

Should I succumb to the age old call of passing down my genes? Are my genes good enough to pass down? Or should I select a child who is already here, adopt someone who is lost its mother? Would I be a good mom or would I drive my child into years of therapy?

Do most women question whether they should go ahead and turn their bodies and their lives over to another human being? How are they so willing to relinquish control over to their creation? Aren't they afraid it will turn on them as Mary Shelly's Frankenstein or Gertrude Bell's Iraq did?

I have many hesitations to willingly giving birth to a child and I suspect I am not alone in my ambivalence. I've read the countless tales of talented women artists who never produced another painting after they had children. Granted, many of these women lived in an era when child raising and housekeeping consumed one's entire day and energy. Today more women seem to balance creativity and childrearing. I suspect the secret of their success lies with a support network.

I am impressed by the number of "working mom" and mom entrepreneur chat room and websites that exist. It seems that half of the women websites and women blogs are a resource for working mothers. This gives me hope. One organization I've used to help me understand internet marketing is led by Alice Seba, called Internet Working Moms. This is one of many great resources for women who are creating innovative careers that allow them to balance the needs of family with the needs as a financial provider.

Each time my mother asks for grandchildren, I remind her that I am busy trying to get my writing career off the ground and to make money in business. I tell her my female heroes didn't have children, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Edith Wharton, Jane Addams, Gertrude Bell, and Eva Hesse. I remember how much Sylvia Plath struggled to balance family and work, and how she lost that struggle.

But then my mother reminds me of other women I admire who managed to pull it off. Jessie Fremont (1824-1902), an abolitionist, writer, and political campaigner had a couple of children.
Lucretia Mott (1793-1880) who is credited as the first American feminist had six children.

I was most surprised to learn of the first female physics professor at the University of Bologna in Italy. Laura Bassi (1711-1778) was described as "a figure of the greatest importance in the intellectually flourishing Bologna of the eighteenth century" * The University of Bologna was one of the premier universities in Europe. Bologna itself was a hotbed for female progress, housing several famous female painters after the Italian Renaissance.

Bassi had at least eight children with her husband Giuseppe Veratti. Her husband also taught at the university but his position was ranked lower than hers. Bassi negotiated an arrangement with the university that not only allowed her to lead lectures from her home but to also receive higher pay. She was a champion of Newtonian physics and is credited with bringing Isaac Newton's physics to Italy.* She is definitely a role model for mothers who also have an established professional career.

The study of these women still hasn't led me to a decision, so I guess I'll continue to listen to that clock tick as I wrestle in my ambivalence.

Looking for more?

Laura Bassi biography page

Internet Working Moms

*http://www.bookrags.com/biography/laura-bassi

Allison Frederick's upcoming novel - A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:41:00 +0000

A Portrait of Josephine is a soon-to-be published novel by the editor of FaMiss, Allison Frederick.

A classic mentor/apprentice story with female empowerment.
21st century graduate student Abby Archer, and her mentor, Galena Conner, a British milk farmer’s wife from the late 1880s journey through deception to uncover their feminine strength. Based on the spirit of artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Eva Hesse.

Prologue
Galena
Cliffside in Somerhaven, the British Isles Late 1800's

It might sound strange that I knew her immediately. Her body swollen like a sausage, her black hair caked with sand and seaweed. But her eyes were wide open, and those eyes could escape me no more. I would know them anywhere. Galena stopped, pulling a strand of hair from her chapped thin lips. The wind, unruly in its usual way thrust the hair back with haste.

She paused, and took a long, steady breath. Her grey woolen shawl beat in rhythm along with her hair in the wind but the rest of her was unmoved, almost indistinguishable from the fog and lichen stones. With her head held high, more out of habit than any present sense of confidence, she watched the ocean waves loll into Somerhaven.

There are times in life when something happens, something unexpected, and suddenly everything is changed. I still draw and paint, to that I’ll always be true for I could be nothing else. But the rhythm of our lives was brutally interrupted when she washed ashore. It was not just the end for her but also the end of a way of life for the few who knew her: my son Simon, my husband Kellen - Master Ruther.

The ocean waves pulsed with life far below the eroding cliff where Galena sat. The insistent clang of ship bells mingled with the muted voices of men unloading new cargo. Their vitality was lost on Galena. The events in her mind raced and bobbed to the surface for air as if breath would make sense of it all.

Just before a disaster struck, have you ever felt as though you were living in a dream? It is as if you never thought the worst could find its way to your door; as if what was happening before would never change. It was in this way my husband and I built our lives. It was in this way we thought our children would grow, just as we did, without consequence. What difference does knowing make if you are the only one who knows and the knowing changes nothing? I used to be so certain. Certain about what I wanted and what would happen. Certain about my life. But since the day Josephine washed onto the shore, I haven’t wanted to know anything. I am tired. My legs, they don’t want to walk; my arms, they are so heavy they can barely hold my paintbrush.

Galena inhaled sharply. The air, crisp and damp, seemed to awaken her a bit. Ah, the sea, it delivers and it takes away. It is like love, I suppose. It rushes forward, then quickly retreats. Some say the young cannot truly know love, but I’ve seen them. I’ve seen my son and Josephine, I know of their love for each other. They were free. Free from consequence. Free from failure. So free from fear. Foolish, they were. It pains me now. Yes. But they did love.

She looked down at her hands, and felt her mind grow numb; the sounds swirling around her became muffled. She sat that way for some time. So accustomed to the mist and fog skewing her vision, she wasn’t aware her sight was blurred from tears she dare not let fall.Words finally began forming in her mind, words she’d been afraid to let in. Kellen doesn’t say much, but he’s a good man. Sometimes life makes a good man do what he wouldn’t do otherwise. Sometimes justice must be served.

End of Prologue

Get an autographed copy of A Portrait of Josephine and even an acknowledgement in the book itself! Click HERE to learn how.

Your voice matters! CLICK HERE to read the prologue to A Portrait of Josephine for FREE and place your vote. Or visit http://www.portraitofjosephine.com/

Gather's First Chapters Contest Gives Opportunities for New Authors

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:50:00 +0000

The fun social networking website, Gather.com offers a contest called "First Chapters." In this contest, writers share their first chapter with the Gather community and then they vote whether they liked the chapter or not. If the writer receives a high enough score, then the writer's story moves onto the next chapter where readers will vote again. What a fun, dynamic way to draw attention to a novel. In this same spirit, we are running our own contest.

Publishers and agents are attracted to manuscripts that have potential. They feel even better about books that already have the support of readers. For this reason, I am asking for your help. Your vote could help a novel be published. The process is simple and free.

Looking for more?

A Portrait of Josephine is a soon-to-be published novel by Allison Frederick. It is a classic mentor/apprentice story about female empowerment between a young, graduate student from the 21 century named Abby Archer, and her mentor, Galena Conner, a British milk farmer’s wife from the late 1880s. These women are based on the inspirational qualities of two famous female artists, painter, Georgia O'Keeffe and sculptor, Eva Hesse. Follow their path as the main characters explore the essence of their feminine being and as they reject the boxed in roles their respective societies have of them.

Get an autographed copy of A Portrait of Josephine and even an acknowledgement in the book itself! Click HERE to learn how.

Your voice matters! CLICK HERE to read the prologue to A Portrait of Josephine for FREE and place your vote. Or visit www.PortraitofJosephine.com

Building a Brand So Sweet: See's Chocolates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:29:00 +0000

Building a Brand So Sweet, it Lasts for Generations: The Story of See's Chocolates

An inspiring business success story always gets the juices flowing as the reader feels the flow of success and wise decisions bringing them along for the ride. Combine the rush of a good story with a story about chocolate and you have an irresistible combination.

It all began with the matriarchal figure of Mary See. Mary's recipes for chocolates and candies built the See's Candy Empire that has wooed America since 1921. See's Candies uses the finest quality ingredients and always has. That is one of the secrets to their success. Even during the Depression, they didn't cut corners. Their customers can always count on a quality candy and that is why their customers keep coming back. Does your customer have the same, quality experience over and over again?

The See Candy story is a classic American success story. They were descendents of Ireland, whose family immigrated to Ontario. Mary's son, Charles, was working as a salesman, selling ingredients in bulk to bakeries. There was a popular candy shop chain in Ontario and Charles felt that he could create something better. He and his family, including his mother Mary and her meticulous and loved candy recipes, moved to Los Angeles to open their own store.
It was popular in the 1920's to brand food products with a "trust-worthy, mother or grandmother" image. In 1921, the company that later became General Mills, created Betty Crocker, a fictitious woman who, in 1945, was voted the second most popular woman in America (behind Eleanor Roosevelt).* Charles went along with this trend, using his mother's photograph as the logo for See's Candy. This tribute not only reminded Charles and the employees where their great recipes came from, it also instilled the "warm fuzzy feeling" one has when we think of a gray-haired, plump woman's baking. We trust that it must be delicious. The logo and its emotional assurance and ability to generate fond memories of grandma's baking in some of us, is just one example of the cleverness Charles displayed when running his company. Does your company's logo have a broad, emotional appeal? Recently, logos have moved into the abstract or graphic look. Could your company's brand benefit from using a photograph?

Though the 1920's was profitable for the See's and they had several shops, the Depression of the '30s held them back a bit but they were able to keep their doors open and were even expanding by 1936. They renegotiated their leases, the employee salaries, and lowered the price for a pound of chocolate. ** All these measures ensured their success. Of course, they never compromised their quality so their brand was maintained. If your business has gone through lean times, have you been tempted to cut corners on your product? If you do then your customer cannot trust your product again.

Many business owners dream of selling their business for a lot of money. This was true for See's Candy. In 1972 the surviving family sold their business to one of the best businessmen in America's History, Warren Buffett.

I've highlighted only a few of the business decisions that led to the success of this company. Charles See was a visionary and a problem solver. He was committed to a course of action and took his family business to a level of success that few companies achieve. If you would like to learn more about this legacy and how you can apply their innovative thinking to your business, I encourage you to read "See's Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story" by Margaret Moos Pick.

References* The Betty Crocker Story, CS News book review, 2005**" See's Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story" by Margaret Moos Pick, (2005). p. 28

Looking for more? Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success Profiles, including books & movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences.

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. http://www.famisswomen.com/ offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting http://www.portraitofjosephine.com/

Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine – Through September 7th, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:49:00 +0000

I recently learned of a unique exhibit of 18 pieces of Georgia O'Keeffe's work and 60 photographs of her and her life. The art exhibit runs through September 7, 2008 at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

"For the first time, the exhibition pairs paintings and photographs to establish two opposing public images of the artist. Georgia O'Keeffe and the Camera includes works by famous photographers such as Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Eliot Porter, Todd Webb, and Arnold Newman. The exhibition will also include examples of O'Keeffe's paintings and works on paper that mark major moments in the development of her art"*

If you live in the area or are looking for a last minute Labor Day vacation, I encourage you to check out this exhibit.

O'Keeffe was both the artist and the subject of art. This exhibit shows how both roles fortified her career.

Looking for more?
Another FaMiss article about O’Keeffe: Changing Our Dreams into What We Do: Georgia O’Keeffe vs. Sylvia Plath

Podcast that tells about the theme of the exhibition: Georgia O’Keeffe, An Overview – introduces the idea of how photography help promote her painting career. http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/3009.shtml

*http://www.portlandmuseum.org/exhibitions-collections/current.shtml

Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success History & Literature, including books & movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences.

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com

Changing Our Dreams into What We Do: Georgia O’Keeffe vs. Sylvia Plath

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:03:00 +0000

Some people have such an innate sense of what they want and who they are. I have never been that kind of person. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) is my icon, my model for self-certainty. It seems she never wavered from her painting. Her boldness and confidence governed her daily decisions which supported her artistic life. She married a much older man, a man who was also in the arts; a gallery owner, champion of artists, and famous photographer. O'Keeffe seemed to blossom in this partnership, becoming even more strong and assured. She had the confidence to break away not only from her traditional master painters but also from the styles of the male painters of her time. Her painting "Red, White, and Blue" (1931) was a jibe to her contemporaries. In an interview (see the youTube video below), a much older O'Keeffe lit up with orneriness as she described what this painting meant to her. She said that at that time all the artists were discussing the "Great American" this and the "Great American" that but, she laughed, few of these men had been west of the Hudson River. O'Keeffe knew there was more to the American Spirit than New England breeding and Western dime novels. She had lived in rural Texas and New Mexico, truly embracing a holistic vision of America.

I read about Georgia O'Keeffe, study her art, and watch her interviews to see if I can figure out what made her so certain about how she should live her life. Why was she able to focus so clearly on her painting? How did she have the courage to boldly share her vision of the world without heed to the critics? How did she blend so well with married life, using it to reinforce her art rather than minimize it?

I am tempted to believe that some people are just born that way, but isn't that always our default when we don't understand a phenomenon? We pinpoint genetics, fate, or God's will as the reason for a mystifying origin. I can't be satisfied with that and I imagine neither can many of you. If you are like me, longing for a level of mastery, creative expression, and success enjoyed by someone like O'Keeffe then you won’t be satisfied by the standard line "She was born with it" either.

But I am beginning to wonder if the answer lies more in not what a woman did but perhaps what she didn't do. O'Keefe's husband was very famous and successful but O'Keeffe wasn't threatened by this. She didn't make herself smaller, or tuck herself into the shadow of her husband's successful career. In fact, her paintings grew bolder and larger after her marriage. Poet Sylvia Plath (1932-1963); however, chose a different response. She was a published, popular poet before she married another successful poet. But it seemed that as her husband became more successful, she became more self-effacing. She developed writers block. She set the priorities of her husband and children before her poetry. She denied her creative expression. Perhaps she thought she was doing the proper thing, setting aside her creative ambition to tend to her daily responsibilities. But her actions weren't selfless. Her need to creatively express herself was so strong, so undeniable that it eventually ate at her from the inside and she chose to kill herself rather than live in her creative vacuum.

I believe that for many of us, men and women alike, we blur ourselves, our dreams, our true nature in shrouds of expected responsibility and excuses of lack of time and energy. We think we are doing the right thing by working at a job that doesn't support our creative needs. We think we are giving our children a perfect childhood when we are available for their every need. Meanwhile our core self, our creative self gets smaller and more obscure. At the same time our bitterness and disappointment grows by leaps and bounds. The truth is, most of us can't create in a protective isolated chamber (unless you are Emily Dickinson). If art reflects life, then it is through life that we create art. And most of our lives are filled with responsibilities, earning a living, caring for loved ones, nurturing our health. Each of our responsibilities requires time and creates distraction. Every interaction has the potential to cause us to doubt ourselves and make ourselves smaller like Plath, or to enrich our perspective and foster creative ways of expression like O'Keeffe.

Some of us store our personalities in boxes and call them dreams. "One day when I retire I’ll do this." Or "if circumstances changed, I would be doing this." The trouble with putting off who we are is that our true self or our "dreams" as we call it keeps gnawing at us. We use this taunting to justify our anger, our fears. We use it to blame the ones we love, saying they prevent us from being who we truly are. But is this true? Are we being honest?

Perhaps the key to changing our dreams into a reality is to change what we do every day. The choices we make on how we spend our time, where we focus our energies, and whether our daily actions are consistent with who we truly want to be. O'Keeffe lived to be a very happy, accomplished 98 year old. Sylvia Plath killed herself at the age of 30. Both were incredible artists, whose work has influenced thousands of women but one seemed happy with her life and we enjoy a larger body of work from the woman who turned her dreams and self into a daily reality.

Looking for more?
Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success History & Literature, including books & movie reviews highlighting successful historical and modern women experiences.

Georgia's spirit in her own words:

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. http://www.famisswomen.com/ offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting http://www.portraitofjosephine.com/

Women Who are Happy at Work: Are You One of Them?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Book Review: Be Happy at Work: 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs, and Why (2005) by Joanne Gordon

As I watch the summer 2008 Olympics, I wonder why in the world I never considered beach volley ball to be a career option for me. I watch those women and wonder if they fret on Sunday afternoon, dreading the return to work on Monday morning and I doubt it. Why was I so narrow in my thinking when I chose my careers? Why did I think that disliking the job was part of my penance which justified my pay check? Why did I think that I didn’t need to be happy at my job? Now, I wasn't always unhappy in my jobs but I certainly held my fair share of crappy jobs, but this was normal, right?

The book Be Happy at Work: 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs, and Why not only makes a perfect gift for a girl about to graduate high school or college but it is also perfect for someone who finds herself in a career transition, is job hunting, or hates going to work.

Joanne Gordon selected 100 women in a variety of fields who love their job. She tells us why they love their job and how they arrived in this position. She features a huge variety of women including the unusual financial planners and engineers, but also more unusual careers such as a synchronized swimming performer and park ranger. She found that all these women had for main traits in common: process, purpose, people, and being proactive. I loved the stories because in many cases these women held jobs I never even considered. I evaluated what they liked and tried to imagine if I would enjoy this line of work. In some cases I ruled out career ideas I've held since I was a little girl; realizing that I probably wouldn't like them that much.

As women we balance so much. If we also hate our job or are bored by our job then it is really hard to maintain the energy we need to keep the rest of our lives going. Rather than drink more coffee or take some other stimulant or coping mechanism, why not use Gordon's book to help you find the job or career path that will be so exciting to you that it will give you energy rather than drain you.

Looking for more? Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success History & Literature, including books & movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences.

Gordon has a newer book out (2006) called Career Bliss: Secrets from 100 Women Who Love Their Work

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com

Got the Middle of the Week Work Blues? Rx -Ellen DeGeneres

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:21:00 +0000

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

So the question is - Why be normal? Enjoy the rest of the week.

Looking for more? Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success History & Literature, including books & movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences.

Thelma & Louise: Instead of Freedom, They Chose Prison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

"You get what you settle for."
Thelma and Louise 1991 movie

I missed this movie when it first came out. Finally making the time for this "girlfriend" classic, I looked forward to wild adventures and renegade women. Instead I found women who managed to escape from one prison only to securely lock themselves in another.

The movie unfolds into one shackle after another as each woman makes a choice to leave behind a world that either bores or pains them only to plunge into a lawless, lifeless abyss.

I was so disappointed in the courageous attitude of these women who seemed to spend more time reacting to events than to planning and creating them. Still, I do love the quote "You get what you settle for." It helps keep me in check when I am grumbling about my place in life. - I have what I've settled for. So the question each of us should ask is are we happy with what we have?

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com

Girlfriends Hit the Road: a 1920s Road Trip Book Review of Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West (2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Book Review of Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West (2007) by Joanne Wilke

Author Joanne Wilke is a wonderful storyteller whose childhood memories waffle into the readers’ nostrils like homemade apple pie. She beautifully captures the story of her grandmother’s trip to California from Iowa in 1924.

Eight young women loaded their belongings into two Model T cars and headed to California. Wilke tries to answer the question why did these girls do this? How did they find the courage and convince their parents to let them go? Even though Wilke worked from living testimonies of some of the women who made the journey, read their journals and letters back home, this adventure had many gaps and conflicting accounts. Wilke supplements the story with her own childhood memories of spending the summers in Iowa with her grandmother. These added stories really make her grandmother come alive to the reader.

This is a fun, relatively short tale of a cross country adventure before there were real roads, reliable maps, or even enclosed cars. This grand scale of this journey makes me wonder if the women were able to return to their lives and be happy for the memories or if it woke a restlessness in them that was difficult to quench.

Looking for more? Please visit FaMiss - Women's Success History & Literature, including books & movie reviews highlighting historical and modern women experiences.

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com

Volver: Movie Review - A Woman's Interior World

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:50:00 +0000

The world revolves around the lives of women in Spanish director Pedro Almodόvar’s latest film, Volver (2006). It is a wonderful depiction of survival, loyalty, and integrity yet the action on the screen bears little resemblance to what is really going on in the lives, hearts, and heads of the women.

Almodόvar demonstrates once again (as he did in the film All About My Mother) that he truly understands the dual nature of women. He understands that women often have their external life, one that is busy and complex, but it is in their interior life (often very different than what is seen by others) where the core of her being dwells. His female characters are smart, fallible, sophisticated, genuine, and complex, perhaps some of the most complex female characters ever represented in film.

Volver is a relational film though perhaps few women can relate to the circumstances Penélope Cruz finds herself in but it isn’t to the situation that we can relate but rather who her character, Raimunda, is.

A beautiful, fun (in a strange way) film, one to share with your girlfriends.

This film reminded me of a quote by Edith Wharton:

"But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in and out; the drawing- room, where one receives formal visits; the sitting-room, where the members of the family come and go as they list; but beyond that, far beyond, are other rooms, the handles of whose doors perhaps are never turned; no one knows the way to them, no one knows whither they lead; and in the innermost room, the holy of holies, the soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes."*

*The Fullness of Life, part II (1893) Early Stories of Edith Wharton, vol. 2.

About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com