Before I die I want to...

 

Photo courtesy of candychang.com

A Worldwide Art Project Displayed in Downtown Las Vegas



I have a new found obsession with TED: Ideas Worth Spreading lectures (it is an amazing app!). Lately, some of these lectures have ended up being shared with coworkers and management either for new ideas, inspiration, or simply an awe factor.

Recently, I sent Candy Chang’s lecture, “Before I die I want to,” to my boss (the owner and rain man of design at the company) and told him I thought it would be really cool to put this concept on one of the many projects we have going on in Downtown Las Vegas.

Low and behold, there is one outside of Park on Fremont, located at 506 Fremont St., next to Insert Coins. What my boss thought was a local artists concept, we have now found out is a global movement!

Candy Chang created this concept after losing someone close to her. Picture a large chalkboard; with the stenciled sentence “Before I die I want to_______________.” At the bottom of the chalkboard is an area of chalk. Now imagine buildings and structures all over the world set up with these chalkboards, welcoming every passerby to anonymously leave their life ambitions for all to see.

Something that started on the side of an abandon building in New Orleans has spread to over 80 cities worldwide. And now Downtown Las Vegas, a place where people from all over the world and all walks of life come on a daily basis, has its own.

As Candy Chang states, “it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you” (www.candychang.com). Unfortunately, it is often traumatic experiences that cause us to pause. But if you take a moment to reflect on your life; your dreams, your goals, your aspirations, and the people you care about, you may realize just what might be missing. If nothing else, you will be reminded that time is of the essence.

 

We asked employees to finish the sentence. This is what they said:

·       Travel. Write. Invent.

·       Go 200+ miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

·       Skydive from a mountain top (as in running off the side of a mountain, preferably with the body suits that they now have with the wings attached).

·       Run through a jungle naked

·       See the world

·       Get married and have kids

·       Meet my great grandchildren

Right now, the boards on the side of our construction fence are in need of washing, but we wanted to share some of the responses we have received.

We hope this inspires you to take a moment and decide what is really important, what really matters in your life. And make that your focal point for this year!