I just finished reading Terry O’Reilly’s book This I Know: Marketing Lessons from Under the Influence. I could not put it down all weekend. I took notes. I worked on my business and, got more curious about the business I am in. I’m distilling it down. Ok, I have been working on this for two years, this distilling. And, I have many helpers and instructors.  It’s been quite a process. Anyone whose eyes glaze over when I explain what I do, teaches me, as do those that lean in and ask for more.  I’m paying more attention. Perhaps if the receiver does not have anything for the concept to land on, it doesn’t land at all. And, this I know, it is up to me to be clearer, to distill. Terry OReilly insists it helps to have a clear understanding of the “business we are in” and notes that it might not be what we think.

I thought I was in the business of creativity. No. Then I thought I was in the business of change. Maybe. And then I landed on the business of awareness. Maybe. What about the business of listening? Maybe. What about the business of expressing? No.  Or what about the business of seeing?  Maybe.

I don’t agree outright with Terry on his ideas about  creativity, but I am interested in what he has to say as it applies to marketting. “There are two types of creativity. One is pure expression employed by artists and musicians. The other is problem solving creativity”. I like to think I bring both of these together, and that lots of us do. Especially those of us in Expressive Arts Therapy, Occupational Therapy and the other arts psychotherapies.  I think about creativity as inviting in imagination, to create a playful way of knowing and exploring possibility.

I think I’m in the business of awareness. I encourage and inspire others to look inwards with the heart and the eyes.  With this perspective we discover our longings. When we do uncover a longing, for example, “I am jealous of the man across the street that reads by the window every morning” then we can take a small step towards our longing or discontent.   The small steps of awareness are like experiments. I think that three activities of awareness are expressing, reflecting and creating.  The various expressive arts activities, with a focused inquiry can  build awareness. Think of writing. Writing can be a way of expressing “something”, or reflecting or creating a piece (a story or a word) that represents this “something”.  Think about movement.  Movement can be an activity that expresses, reflects or creates, whether it be with gesture, dance or  rhythm. Art making, too, when looked at through this lens offers us a way to express ourselves, perhaps getting some distance (perspective) or moving  closer to an issue (reflecting) or be a tool for just exploring the concept, the longing, or the discovery by creating with image, colour and line.

So, what am I in the business of? Where is my heart? What do I offer clients?

Perhaps I can get closer to my heart by looking at a personal routine.  For over 20 years our family has been selecting a movie for New Year’s Day that has the potential for informing the year, shaping the direction we move.  For the last ten years, I have used a writing tool that gives expression to my movie experiences, allowing for some reflection and, then it is a tangible writing piece that lives on. The first piece of art (the movie) gives us possibility for discovery, pleasure, and entertainment. Perhaps, it is the curious inquiry that shapes the experience, i.e. how could this movie inform the year? The second piece of art (the writing that I do) is now a way of holding the present moment experience and could be a reflective tool.

Naming an inquiry, when witnessing the art created by others, can get us closer to what we know about ourselves and build awareness. For example, “I wonder what I could learn (as I watch this movie)  about what moves me, what I am feeling, what I love, what is not like me?”. In the process of change, self-awareness takes us more than half way to where we want to go.

So, this year, when watching a movie or reading a book, try setting an inquiry (what makes me laugh, which character I can relate to) and notice how and what your heart tells you about what you love or want. Or, do the reverse experiment. When you have an ah-ha moment, or tears, notice what your heart is telling you.

I’m pretty sure I want to be in the business of awareness. Perhaps my distilled message might be…  “I help adults discover how to listen to their heart through writing, music, art-making and movement. “