Your Next Chapter Podcast Episode 46: Colleen Darby – Artists as entrepreneurs

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Colleen Darby has always been an artist but at a young age she was told that she “needed to earn a living” and so her artistic talent and dreams were put on the back shelf. But strong dreams often have a way of staying around and years later, when her Marketing Director position was rocked by a significant pay cut, she had dinner with her husband and spoke that dream out loud again.

Not long later she was an Artist in Residence at a hospital, a next chapter in a long and richly rewarding creative story that still continues today.

In 2013 at 50, when her child left for college, and with a personal experience of living through cancer, a painting sabbatical and a new project beckoned… and she responded. Colleen remembered a time when she was an Artist in Residence when a stray comment “such a beautiful day outside” was met with a sad “I wouldn’t know, it always looks the same from here” from the patient. This memory fuelled her passion project – LandEscapes Painting Series – A View for a Room: Transforming Healthcare Spaces.

A powerful, transformative journey has been the result, a journey that also involved a cancer diagnosis that ultimately deepened her commitment to her project, changing Colleen, her business, the healthcare industry and the lives of a great many patients and their families her come into daily contact with her art.

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Show Notes

  • Don’t give up your day job right away! Combining your career and passion together takes the pressure off
  • Use your talents to give back – that’s the essence of a purpose filled life
  • Get involved with a group of like-minded people who have skills and knowledge that you don’t have – it’s a hugely worthwhile investment
  • Speak your dreams out loud – “this is what I want to do” and doors will open and opportunities will reveal themselves
  • Practice non-attachment to the outcome you envisage – release your expectations as to what it should look like
  • Be super passionate if you are starting a Kickstarter campaign – a compelling video on the page is essential

About the speaker

Colleen Wall Darby is an inspirational artist, specializing in the Arts & Healthcare field. She is a registered Healing Artist, a member of the Global Alliance for Arts and Health, and a former Artist in Residence with the University of Buffalo’s Arts in Healthcare Program.

Colleen’s paintings can be found in medical facilities, corporate spaces and homes. She has licensed her artwork to major retailers and her children’s art has been published in books, annuals and magazines. Colleen created programing and leads “Art of Healing” workshops.

She was selected to paint a mural for the TV show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Powell family episode. Colleen has also worked as an Art Director, a Creative Director and a Marketing Director throughout the years.

In 1995, Colleen was diagnosed with cancer when she was four months pregnant. She credits that experience and her time spent working as an Artist in Residence as the catalyst for her work today.

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