The art of (un)marketing your business is happening all the time.
When you dare to step away from the shoulds and supposed-tos in the Meat Marketing of business, you tap the magic of your innate creativity and genius.
Sometimes I stumble across an example of this and my heart stops, awed by the beauty and power that moves through us.
Such was the case when Spotify served up the song, “Grandmothersphere” by East Forest.
The music is haunting, intimate and the lyrics…
“Do you want to know what enlightenment is?
(deep breath)
It’s with you every moment.
It’s a back and forth.
Letting go of your attachments — to yourself and to outcomes.
Letting go of the way things are.
If I could let go of everything,
Or if I could let go of right or wrong,
It would get deeper and deeper.
And it was amazing.
I could sense the lifetime of judgements against myself.
And then I let go.
With thoughtless breath, instant bliss returns.
Instant infinity.
I didn’t transcend my ego, we became partners.
We became teammates.”
This song captured me, and it wasn’t just the lyrics. It was clear to me that this person had SEEN something, and I needed to know more.
I wondered, “Who is this speaking? Where was this recorded?” (It reminds me of this recording of Alan Watts set to music.)
Here’s a quick summary of the “Grandmothersphere” story as related by the songwriter in this podcast episode.
Musician Trevor Oswalt was making a living as a photographer in the Pacific Northwest when he started creating music, just for himself, to support his psychedelic journeys.
The vocal recording in the song is Trevor’s field notes one hour taking ayahuasca.
It would be years before he would put it to music, and longer before he shared it, but it became one of East Forest’s most beloved songs, and opened the gateway to music for mystical journeys and psychedelic experiences, including a collaboration with Ram Dass.
Listen to Grandmothersphere on Spotify.
“Serve the song. What does it want to be? Our job is to listen and serve what wants to come forth.”
Trevor Oswalt, East Forest
This is an example of marketing that ISN’T.
There’s no repeatable formula to follow or proven system for finding your perfect audience.
It’s the essence of (un)marketing: following the aliveness of what inspires you and sharing it without attachment.
Trevor Oswalt had no intention of using his field recordings in his music when he made them. He simply wanted to capture insights from a profound experience. Even after putting it to music, he was reluctant to share it lest it be seen as a silly or banal attempt to describe enlightenment.
And yet, when he shared the song, it resonated powerfully and opened up a whole new path to musical success. He stumbled upon an “accidental” niche for spiritual seekers and psychedelic users that was perfectly authentic for him, and his music became the medium to share his message.
Often, the art we are most reluctant to share is exactly what connects with our soul tribe.
This isn’t a rule that being “vulnerable” or “outside your comfort zone” indicates the right direction.
My point is:
Don’t let uncertainty or fear stop you from sharing what’s alive in you.
It is the most authentic expression of your message, and it transcends marketing strategy with its effectiveness to reach your tribe.
“If you’re remarkable, it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise–ever. The best the timid can hope for is to be unnoticed. Criticism comes to those who stand out.”
Seth Godin, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
The secret to being remarkable is to relentlessly follow your joy, indulging your creative impulses and sharing your aliveness, even when — especially when — it’s certain to repel someone.
This is the art making money by simply being you…
…and it’s just one of the results created with my client-playmates. We find what’s most alive in you and follow it into a natural expression in the world as inspiring writing, videos and experiences that light you up AND create clients…no “marketing” or hype required.
I have a flexible 3-6 month coaching and messaging journey for coaches, healers and change-making experts to create a constant and effortless flow of clients for their 1:1 coaching, online courses, retreats and books. It’s a match for great or aspiring writers and teachers who want to share a message of impact and have fun in the process. DM me if you’re interested and we’ll have a chat to see if it’s a match.
Yours in creative play,
Steph
