Before I die
The first wall I saw which started with Before I die was in Wolverhampton. I thought it was a one off, but having seen it in other countries, including a wall in St Helena, I was intrigued.
I hadn’t realised this was part of a wider art project.
Before I Die is a global art project that invites people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in public. Originally created by the artist Candy Chang on an abandoned house in New Orleans after she lost someone she loved, today there are over 2,000 walls around the world.
I work more and more with people in midlife and beyond. Often people have dream holidays that they want to do. They have places to visit – landmarks. This could be to visit the Great Wall of China, travel down The Nile, or Route 66. I have a friend who wanted to visit every country in the world, and he did it.
But it’s not just the big stuff. It could be much smaller about reading all the books by a certain author or going to The Globe Theatre or Tea at the Ritz.
But there are other things that many people would like to do before they die.
- This can be Saying Sorry to someone
- It could be getting back in touch with somebody
- It might be to spend time with older relatives before it’s too late
- It can be coming to terms with what life has given you
- It can be to spend more time on personal reflection
What I like about this idea is that you don’t need to wait till you are really old before you spend time on these areas, you can make a start at any age.
TASK – Before I die
What I’d love you to do is some free-flowing writing. What is it that you would love to do before you die? Start making a note of all the smaller things and then you can pull out one idea a week. Let me know how you get on by adding your comments below.