SpiderMeka Portraits

SpiderMeka Portraits Heart surgeon using a lens as a scalpel. Breaking beauty myths and healing toxic trauma. Beauty is what happens when we love who we are.

Before Harpo Studios closed in Chicago, I was the premier resident retoucher for Oprah Winfrey and her celebrity guests. How could I move forward and top that? By opening my own studio to photograph every day people… and make them feel and look like celebrity. Beauty is what happens when we love who we are – not when we wish we were someone or something else.

12/11/2025

Calm Truth 6:
Confidence is a Renewable Resource.

We don’t have to feel like it’s earned… or that it’s out of character, especially in a certain area.

We are simply disconnected from the environment we’re facing — often because of stress, overstimulation, or old beliefs about how we “should” appear.

Confidence returns when the nervous system feels safe again.
When we feel connection.

That’s the work of “Calm”:
Helping you to reconnect with the confidence you already have.
Even if you don’t recognize it’s there.

🤍
If this resonates, Calm Before the Camera goes deeper.

SpiderMeka

12/10/2025

Gratitude moment.
I’m sitting here in my cozy blanket, still a bit tired but buzzing… letting all of this marinate.

Thank you every message, every note of encouragement, and every “congratulations” sent in the middle of your own busy day.

“Calm” is out in the world, and I’m exhaling, just like I”m guiding others to do.

Thank you for celebrating this with me.
🤍





12/03/2025

Stop saying you’re not photogenic.
The solution isn’t changing your features — it’s changing your connection.

If tension is your go-to when the camera comes out, Calm Before the Camera gives you Seven Truths to help you breathe, connect, and show up as your real self.

Feel the difference the next time someone says, “Smile.”

💫 Learn more: link in bio

12/02/2025

I almost didn’t do it.

I start plenty of projects that I don’t finish.
I thought my timeline was naïve.
I fell behind in my own schedule quickly.
I wildly miscalculated the amount of work it took… and my bandwidth.
I doubted why I ever thought this would be useful.

Then the phone rang. Not a text. A call.

Someone who is super intelligent called me to photograph her, but she was panicking and overwhelmed. She asked was it ready yet because she wanted it immediately.

Another said she would pay me to just come sit in her house and record it because my voice and what I had to say relaxed her so much.

A photographer expressed his gratitude for me creating it and said he can’t wait to share this with his clients.

More people kept popping up.

Someone brilliant who freezes.
Someone charismatic who chokes.
Someone stunning who panics.
Someone who said, “I feel ridiculous in photos.”
Someone who whispered, “I’m confident everywhere else… except here.”

Each one of them said some version of: “I need this. I wish I had this sooner.”

Each one of them affirming that “Calm” isn’t just a good idea. It’s a necessary guide.

I started to feel brave making it. 

I’m guessing you’ll feel brave, too, after all the myths we’re about to bust… stresses we’re about to release… expressions we’re about to make… outer layers we’re about to redefine… excuses we’re about to destroy… and ease we’re about to create.

It’s done and ready for you now. 

Tomorrow, the Seven Truths can be accessed.

SilkStudioMagic CarryItWithYouAlways VirtualSilk FollowTheSpider

12/01/2025

Catherine Johns had her first photo session with me in 2018. 

To say she wasn’t a fan of being photographed is an understatement. She’s a connoisseur of professional stance and intentional energy, but preserving a single moment was harder for her. Relatable?

Catherine came to see me for some updated photos 12 days ago.

She experienced “Calm” during the week leading up to her session.

I will never forget the difference in her this time around.
“Softer” because defense was gone.
“Playful” because she gave herself permission.

Maybe she didn’t suddenly love the camera, but she did feel safe.
More connected to her movements.
More connected to the space she stepped into.
More “relaxed.”
More ready.

This is what “Calm” does.

Listen to her own words.

*Calm Before the Camera launches Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 on spidermeka.com.

 

12/01/2025

Confidence creates presence.

On a scale of “Bring it! My phone is full of selfies!”
to “I’d rather have a root canal,”

How confident are you in front of the camera?

If you lean more towards daring dentistry, how do you gain confidence?

Presence doesn’t come by just posing.
Or by luck.

It comes from focus.
From grounding.
From remembering TRUTHS about your body, your features, and your personality.

This is why I created “Calm Before the Camera.”

Not to teach you how to perform, but how to show up as your confident self, without outside (or internal) pressures.

Launching Wednesday.

12/01/2025
11/30/2025

This is the quiet part.
The final breath where everything slows down… weaving the last “threads” together.

I’ve been (mostly) hibernating to work steadily, meaningfully.

“Calm” opens this week.

If you’ve ever wished you looked great in photos instead of feeling dread… this is made for you. A virtual silk session for your presence, ease, and self-connection.

I’d be honored to have you experience this.




11/28/2025

I have a lot of displaced adrenaline.
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday…
a massive storm of selling, flashing, discounting.

I never felt like I fit into days like this, and I feel that way especially now, because in all the chaos, I’m offering something… quiet.

I don’t feel like the audience for this is waiting for me to run a sale. They’re waiting for permission to feel less self-critical, less tense, less camera-shy. That transcends the calendar.

Black Friday is a moment.
“Calm” is a journey. A full and long-lasting experience.
I’m hoping to strengthen relationships, not disappear after a flash sale.

“Calm Before the Camera” is coming — softly, intentionally, and right on time.






I created “Calm” becauseI hear the same story:“I like who I am…I just don’t see that person in my photos.”This program i...
11/26/2025

I created “Calm” because
I hear the same story:
“I like who I am…
I just don’t see that person
in my photos.”

This program is my answer.

A reclamation.
A re-alignment.
A reawakening.

11/17/2025

Seven Truths that change how you feel being photographed.

Don’t think I knew what I was doing, lol. It’s a different arena photographing and videoing yourself. 🤣 it’s so much easier pointing the camera at someone else. 💕 But “Calm”’is officially DONE!

It’s being tested by some kind-hearted and truth-telling individuals right now.

While they’ve got the full dose, would you mind sharing what would make YOU feel calm in front of the camera? 📸 🪷



…IMeanCalm

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4311 N Ravenswood, #301
Chicago, IL
60613

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