Many people's bucket lists include traveling to exotic places, jumping out of airplanes and going to see their favorite musician. While I do want to travel and definitely enjoy first-class concerts, my main bucket list items have to do with living my life as a professional artist.
I spent my career in the corporate PR world, using my creativity in a different way. I wrote speeches, developed marketing plans, edited annual reports and created strategic communication plans. I worked with some tremendously talented people, and together we created many award-winning communication and marketing pieces, such as this video when I worked at Mayo Clinic.
In the back of my mind, I always knew that I wasn't completely living the way I was intended to live. But children needed shoes and bills needed to be paid, so I put off until later what I really wanted and needed to do.
As a result, my bucket list became filled with items that allow me to express my creativity the way I always felt called to do. And, yes, I could have painted as a retirement hobby, as many people do, a great way to relax and enjoy life. But that's not what my inner voice has been whispering to me all these years. My bucket list includes continually perfecting and improving my technique as a painter and living the next chapter of my life as an artist, creating pieces that people want to make part of their lives.
This month several items have been checked off my bucket list, as I enjoyed my first art show opening at The Capital Gallery in Bismarck, ND, and my first experience as an artist in residence through The Capital Gallery West in Medora, ND. It has been a busy and exciting time, and I am so grateful for these experiences. The response was enthusiastic, and I now have three commissions to work on in the next couple months! Another bucket list item checked off!
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