Lizzie Rubens, the SuperArtist
by Marina Krim
A few weeks ago, we lost our friend Elizabeth Rubens very suddenly. Her family, we and her many friends around the world will miss Lizzie deeply. Here are the remarks I shared at her memorial in Davidson, North Carolina on Monday, May 15, 2023.
Thank you for having me today. My name is Marina Krim. I am proud to call myself a friend of Lizzie’s.
I’m also here on behalf of all of Lizzie’s friends around the world — Sarah, Michelle, Christina, Laura, Ingrid and Kelly in the San Francisco bay area, Nicole in Pennsylvania, Florence and my mom Mica in Los Angeles, Erica in New Zealand, Ellie in Germany, Gaia in Italy, Johanna in the Netherlands — Lizzie put her heart and soul into her friendships with all of us and has inspired us very much.
My family has a unique connection to Lizzie and her family. 10 years ago, my husband Kevin and I lost two of our children, 6 year old Lulu and 2 year old Leo in a terrible tragedy in NYC. They were murdered by their long-time babysitter. This tragedy, as terrible as it was — it has also produced a lot of unexpected and magical inspiration and outcomes.
Not long after our tragedy, we created a non-profit called the Lulu & Leo Fund, that has since developed into a bigger initiative called Choose Creativity. People would ask us how we got through our heartbreaking experience. And we’d tell them that we re-built our shattered world using our creativity. And that word creativity was often misunderstood by others. So, as a former teacher, I felt determined to help people really understand the power of creativity and how to really tap into your own creative superpowers.
This is when the dynamo, Lizzie Rubens, came into our lives.
We created a program called SuperArtist. A SuperArtist’s most important superpower was their creativity. My mom sewed these lovely little capes that doubled as a kids smock that we briefly sold. We would email out creative challenges to exercise your creativity every few weeks.
So I think Lizzie would appreciate that I get into full SuperArtist character here….(I’m going to put on one of the original SuperArtist cape, circa 2013)
On our very active Lulu & Leo Fund FB page, we began seeing photos of this young girl from Davidson NC, rainbow colored hair, high top sneakers, wearing her SuperArtist cape everywhere, completing every SuperArtist challenge, sharing her ideas, embracing everything we did, and having an absolute blast along the way. She began to open up to some of the other women she met on our FB page about some of her personal challenges and how happy this program made her.
Lizzie embraced her inner creativity. She lived for it. She was the ultimate SuperArtist. She created hearts made of seashells in the sand on vacations. She made sculptures from rocks. She painted using collected branches, acorns and feathers. She realized that all her favorite book characters were SuperArtists themselves. She lived and breathed creativity. She inspired us.
Over time, these SuperArtist superpowers evolved into the 10 Principles of Creativity — These 10 words Lizzie embraced like no other. When I read them to you, you will not have a hard time envisioning Lizzie. Authentic, Curious, Expressive, Unconventional, Present, Resourceful, Intuitive, Patient, Inventive and Inspired.
Lizzie embodied all these creative Principles but If I were to pick my three favorite for Lizzie, it would be Authentic, Present and Inspired.
I’ll start with Authentic. Lizzie’s personality and energy made her a single name presence in conversation in our home — she was just Lizzie. She put her Lizzie stamp of authenticity on everything she did and with everyone she met. There was nobody like her. Her zest for creative living, her love for books, her generous heart, the unique way she nurtured her friendships, and her honesty is unparalleled. The world just doesn’t feel the same without her.
The Present Lizzie knew there was so much magic to see in the world if you just paid attention to discover it. Life was a constant “I Spy” game for Lizzie. One day she’s looking for objects that resembled the letters in her name. Other days, she’s hunting for natural objects that resemble hearts. She noticed colors, shapes, and many other magical details in the world that most of us miss. She challenged others to be present when scattering her books around town as the Book Fairy.
Then, there was the Inspired Lizzie. Lizzie would send packages to friends around the world filled with books, knitted blankets or a homemade craft that she felt were perfect for the receiver. Each book she sent was chosen with heart and contained a thoughtful message. She never missed a birthday or anniversary for Lulu and Leo in the stars. Each year, all her saved change was used for a donation to our non profit. These inspired moments of generosity matter. We have learned so much from her.
Our non-profit created a curriculum centered on the 10 Principles of Creativity used in elementary schools, after-school programs and community organizations around the country. One of the most important aspects of the curriculum is the literary component, which was pretty much inspired by Lizzie’s love of books. Lizzie would send us pages and pages of her thoughtful ideas of books she felt represented each one of the Principles. She didn’t ask for anything in return. She learned from the characters she loved so much. She reflected on how each character demonstrated the Principles. Lizzie inspired us.
Lizzie was dedicated to helping others. As the Book Fairy, she brought our Choose Creativity program to her local library. Imagine this — Lizzie, in one of her colorful outfits, wings and crown included, surrounded by beaming, enthusiastic children and sharing her love of stories with others. That was Lizzie’s happy place.
Lizzie inspired us. My husband Kevin, who wasn’t able to be here today — when he needs to make a decision about something or feels conflicted or uninspired — He asks himself, What would Lulu and Leo do? He has a new name to add to this question — What would Lulu, Leo and Lizzie do?
So what would Lizzie do? Lizzie was on a constant quest to find beauty, hope and magic in the world. She will inspire all of us to go on our own Lizzie treasure hunt, finding signs of her beautiful self in all our surroundings. Every sunflower, a fairy, a creature that needs some help, or any underdog for that matter will be a hug from Lizzie. It comforts me to know that she is taking all her favorite stories and book characters — Arriety from the Borrowers, Snoopy, Peter Pan, the Little Prince — to share with my daughter Lulu and son Leo up in the stars.
I think we can all see that inspiration often comes from the most unexpected places. I would never have expected a young woman in Davidson, NC would find life-changing inspiration from Lulu and Leo’s deaths. In the ensuing years, we and so many others have become inspired by that unexpected, fierce young woman, SuperArtist Elizabeth Rubens.
