The Joy of Being Authentic

"The authentic, I said 

breaking the handle of my hairbrush as I 

brushed my hair in 

rhythmic strokes: That’s it, 

that’s joy . . ." 

Denise Levertov, Matins 

There's a lot of advice out there about the right way to do things. As if there was only one right way. As if every marketing solution was outside in. As if with the right picture, the right body language, the right typeface you could leapfrog past the competition and sell a million dollars worth of whatzits to somebody who wouldn't give you a second glance if your twitter background was cobalt rather than cerulean. 

Maybe the pundits are right. But I'm done twisting myself into a knot over it. When push comes to shove, I think the real task is having something authentic to communicate. And making over a product to fit the latest marketing paradigm is like stuffing a hefty lady into a bodyshaper--something absurd is bound to bulge out at the most inopportune time or place. 

Being authentic is an inside job. It doesn't require perfection; In fact, wabi sabi thing that it is, its very flaws are part of what attract us to it. It communicates nakedly from heart to heart in the power of its truth. It creates immediate recognition in the receiver--an "aha!" moment. 

What would happen if instead of carefully micromanaging every aspect of your product to suit the trendiest advice, you gently but ruthlessly stripped away the unnecessary and allowed the authentic to be revealed?