One thing we were on to from the start, and have had reinforced through what we’ve seen, is that people today want experience more than they want material products- obviously there’s a market for those but after a certain amount of acquisition there’s really not even enough time to take advantage of more stuff.
So, there are many companies/organizations that now focus on creating experiences for people- retreats, concerts, life coaches, personal trainers, gyms, etc. These generally provide value through teaching or showing or entertainment by giving people a new way to look at things.
Rather than from a product, these are the endeavors that generally provide magical moments that can transform people’s lives. (unless it’s the newest Apple release of course :) ). These are beautiful moments, such as when we lose ourselves in a crowd at a concert and become part of something bigger, when we’re able to realize how rich and interconnected this world really is.
Only thing is, so far these ‘experience products’ are pretty much all still consumption based; they provide an experience, whether it’s a movie, a concert, or a class program, which is designed to be consumed rather than created by the customer. When we lose ourselves dancing in a crowd, we’re creating our own dance and thus affecting everyone else’s, but we’re also still listening to music someone else is making.
I think one very valuable and relatively rare experience is when we get to be in that same group zone, connected, but to be one of the creators of it. I think these experiences build tremendous confidence and awareness of how special it is to be conscious and to have the ability to create our own environment, experiences and ultimately our lives.
We’re starting a creative retreat venture in cooperation with a local farm/artist collective to provide fun and educational group experiences where the people involved are themselves responsible for creating that magic. Stay tuned for updates.
Cheers