My students once asked me if I would ever invest in stardust (at a business course). The question caught me a little offhand. But I said Yes. Provided I attach great value to the shiny star particles.

People buy for two reasons, to increase pleasure and to alleviate pain. These are words from my copywriting course, partly inspired by Sigmund Freud’s words. Simple as this, but not everybody can sell a dream…

Why would you buy stardust? For its attributes? It is golden, sticky, and shiny…Stardust is that “intangible product” with a promise labelled. Selling stardust is like selling services, which I have been doing for the past 5 years. It is like harvesting autumns, and pocketing the sun… So damn hard and so damn beautiful…You make-believe that the world is imperfect without your promise. As we already live in a world of perfect plenty. What is there more to want?

Can I sell stardust? “I wonder,…,if I could sell blessings?” – as deftly put by John Galsworthy in The Modern Comedy. You can sell anything provided it is backed up by shiny strong network of dust, forming the embodiment of your dream, or your organizational culture. Your culture is both sticky cobweb and maze. It must stick to your buyers’ hearts and make them ask for more…directions to get out of the maze. The mission is the story and the engine. It beacons and shines to those who see.

“Stuff your eyes with wonder… live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
–Ray Bradbury

What is the world made of?  “The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of, you can make of it whatever you wish.” – Terence McKenna  

See the world and read its texture, follow the wind and translate its whisperings. When days are grim, write few lines. When hope seems to have moved to another realm, write another story and listen to another human on quest for Better. When your soul disintegrates, assemble words to paint a picture that you can visit any time you want. Bring shiny warm words to the Moveable Feast I call writing.

“If the world is cold, make it your business to start fires” – Horace Traubel. Start a fire or at least gather wood each day. Do something different. Sing a credible song, play a beautiful tune. Attune people to your song. Leave them better than you found them.

© Iulia Halatz

Art – Stardust by Rob Gonsalves.