CURRENT MISSION

To play, work, explore, discover, learn, teach, make music and theatre, sing, dance, write, live fully, experience deeply, and continue to grow

ABOUT ME

You can read much about me on my website, www.shellenlubin.com -- more than you will ever need to know! There are samples there of my songwriting (also at www.myspace.com/mybravefaceny and www.myspace.com/shellenlubin), poetry, pictures from shows I've appeared in and directed, and more.

I am probably best known online for a weekly think piece I write called the Monday Morning Quote. If you want to check it out, you can go to www.mondaymorningquote.com or www.mondaymorningquotes.com and read this week's, or search through the archive with any keyword of your interest. The Monday Morning Quote is also available weekly as an e-mail, on your Google home page, or as an RSS feed. You can register for it at the site.

PHILOSOPHY

Work to your weaknesses and play to your strengths. I consider self-awareness and personal evolution as deep and wide a playground as artistic expression, as writing, as teaching and learning, as parenting and friending and loving. And in all those playgrounds, I love to jump into the mud and play and explore and work at making things happen.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have been a City Ambassador for New York City, but work and family have gotten so intense recently. I still try to help members with requests for info, and keep trying to find us more hosts in this great city with so many visitors! I am also trying to network with people in the arts from around the world to see how we can continue to cultivate this amazing global community we're creating here.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I was in my early twenties I did a tour of a one-woman elementary school assembly program in a VW microbus all over the northeastern United States. The budget was so tiny, and I ended up staying with family, friends, and friends of friends all over the place. Some of my best memories of that tour are the people I stayed with and the great times I had with them.

Since joining CS in November 2006:
- Surfed with Susan at Wit's End in London
- Hosted Sherry L. Huckabee, world-traveler
- Hosted Leslie & Paul from London
- Hosted Patrick (Sherry's son) from N. Carolina
- Hosted Melody from Boston
- Surfed with Keith outside Boston
- Hosted Beata from Austria
- Hosted Jesse and Erin from Boston
- Hosted Kerri from N.J.
- Brought home the barbecue from Riverside Park that refused to end!
- Hosted Michael from Columbia, MO
- Hosted Heidi and Gems (mother and daughter) from Asheville, NC
- Hosted Michaela from Austria
- Hosted Barb from Toledo,OH
- Hosted Dmitri from Italy and Angeliki from Greece
- Hosted Sherry again, only now she's from Romania
- Hosted Audrey and Lucrece from Pays Basque, France
- Hosted Jonathan Tel from London
- Hosted Christine and Nicholas from France
- Hosted Skye Kelly from Maui
- Hosted Alexis from Wilmington, NC
- Hosted Agnietta and Linnea (mother and daughter) from Sweden
- Hosted Lauren from Wales (originally from New Zealand)
- Hosted Melody from Sweden
- Hosted Amanda and her daughter from Costa Rico
- Surfed with Grazyna and Stefan in Orlando
- Surfed with Neal in Saratoga Springs
- Performed at "The Living Room" as part of the Couch Crash Music Festival
- Hosted Amanda and her daughter from Birmingham, England
- Hosted Brita and Tim from Canada
- Hosted Juliane and Juanma from Madrid, Spain
- Hosted Grazyna from Orlando (first time I've gotten to host and surf with the same person!)
- Hosted Kay from Australia (with her friend)
- Hosted Muriel and her son Kelvin from Canada
- Hosted Mavi from Italy (by way of Spain) and Eireni from Greece (by way of Boston)
- Hosted Keith from London
- Surfed with Ines and her son in London
- Surfed with Amanda and her family in Birmingham (yup, same ones who surfed with us)
- Surfed with Toby and Sarah in Warwick
- Surfed with Keith in London (yup, same Keith)
- Surfed with Pieter and Karolien in Brussels
- Surfed with Florine in Paris
- Hosted Pieter and Karolien from Brussels (yup, same couple--love when we can surf and host the same folks like that, especially when we get along so well!)

--and an ever-growing list of breakfasts, dinners,
theatre and music outings, assists with finding a host, assists with getting tickets for shows, helping with CS gatherings, people I've turned on to CS, and CS-ers who have come to see my shows and studied/coached with me (thank you!).

Interests

So many: all of the arts, of course; cooking; getting to know people deeply and fully; writing about it in words and music; growing things, particularly plants from fruit seeds and friendships from scratch.

• dogs
• arts
• writing
• poetry
• singing
• acting
• festivals
• dancing
• cooking
• bbq
• running
• coach
• traveling
• cars
• music

Music, Movies, and Books

Singer-songwriters, alt rock, all forms of jazz, movies and writers that have voices and visions. Am currently doing an intensive study of the character of Shylock from Shakespeare's MERCHANT OF VENICE and the history of the Jewish People in Europe, particularly Italy and England, through the centuries, for a play that I'm writing, THE QUALITY OF RESPECT.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Amazing thing while traveling: When I was in college and drove through England and Scotland by myself, I didn't use a guidebook or a map--just drove. So everything I discovered was amazing--and to this day have no idea which were actually "official sites" and which were just my own finds. I remember one waterfall particularly . . . and the one-lane mountain roads where a whole line of cars would have to pull over to let a whole other line of cars pass . . . and a herd of sheep trying to run away from me, foolishly running down the road the same way I was driving! It took about five minutes for their dog to re-steer them off the road, and I started out frustrated but ended up laughing at the show!

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach voice, acting, writing, directing, and am also an expert researcher and personal coach. I learn from what I teach. I also love to learn anything that someone is extraordinary at or has their own special way of doing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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