Creative Musings: Many Ways Awards

Have you ever looked at a friend, colleague or person in your constellation and thought ‘They should get an award.’?

Well I did and I thought … ‘I want to have an awards ceremony at my ten-year anniversary party’... So that’s what I did. There was a rigorous and thorough application process, selection process and selection committee. Not really - who’s got time for that? And so the SFC Many Ways Awards was conceived and manifested. It involved Amazon orders, googly eyes and barefaced cheek.

There are award ceremonies going on everywhere all over the world; same faces and same companies posing with coveted trophies. And by people - bear in mind I am a three-time British Business Award nominee. Me. I am the people. Although I’ve never won. I am incredibly bitter about that though - or I would be if I hadn’t submitted my applications, whilst crying with shame and embarrassment 2 minutes before deadlines, yet determined to honour the people who nominated me… oh people pleaser me… (I declined this year - the application would have been sparse unless there was an award for Burn Out). *Creates an award for Burn Out* Actually, maybe I should create an award for doing the least…

Or the most-bitter-endlessly-nominated-never-won-an-award Award.

I LIE - I HAVE WON AN AWARD - BEST DRESSED 2020. An online ceremony in which I threw on a dress, some bright pink lipstick and was wearing a pair of slippers. It was pandemic time*.

*If you’re reading this in the future - there was a pandemic. It was odd. I was best dressed.

Yet in addition to the familiar faces of Tokyo or beyond, are people who perhaps without your knowing it, are having a huge impact on the lives of the people around them; generously giving their energy, time, support and creativity to the business, art, science worlds and local community, yet would never win a major award; perhaps wouldn’t even be nominated or have the time, will or skill to submit a competitive entry.

I wanted to give awards to people who don’t have time for that. Like Laura Marushima, my assistant, Admin manager and COO, also who named this podcast - find out what award she got in the Many Ways™ Awards. People beavering away in the background or foreground who I WANT TO CELEBRATE!

I really do want to celebrate fantastic people and tell their stories through my eyes! And so I give you their stories about the many ways to lead a life!

In this Podcast you will learn:

The people in Tokyo who radically influence business, culture and community, though you might not know them
Who was on the exclusive selection committee for the SFC Many Ways Awards
Who lights up rooms, who is an incredible friend, who is an artist of incredible integrity and who is the Goddess of everything
Why I chose not to have a nomination or application process for the Many Ways Awards
The joy of celebrating people who are positive lights, influences and creators and the perfect cheek of setting up an awards ceremony for them

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook.

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