Full video

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[Music]

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There are a lot of ways the people

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around us can help improve our lives. We

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don't bump into every neighbor, so a lot

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of wisdom never gets passed on, but we

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do share the same public spaces. So over

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the past few years, I've tried ways to

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share more with my neighbors in public

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space using simple tools like stickers,

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stencils, and chalk. And these projects

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came from questions I had like, "How

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much are my neighbors paying for their

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apartments?"

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"How can we lend and borrow more things

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without knocking on each other's doors

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at a bad time?

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How can we share more of our memories of

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our abandoned buildings and gain a

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better understanding of our landscape?

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And how can we share more of our hopes

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for our vacant storefronts so our

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communities can reflect our needs and

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dreams today?

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Now, I live in New Orleans and I am in

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love with New Orleans. My soul is always

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soothed by the giant live oak trees

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shading lovers, drunks, and dreamers for

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hundreds of years. And I trust a city

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that always makes way for music. I feel

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like every time someone sneezes, New

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Orleans has a parade.

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The city has some of the most beautiful

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architecture in the world, but it also

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has one of the highest amounts of

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abandoned properties in America.

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I live near this house, and I thought

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about how I could make it a nicer space

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for my neighborhood. And I also thought

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about something that changed my life

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forever.

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In 2009, I lost someone I loved very

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much. Her name was Joan and she was a

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mother to me. And her death was sudden

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and unexpected.

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And I thought about death a lot.

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And

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this made me feel deep gratitude for the

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time I've had and

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brought clarity to the things that are

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meaningful to my life now.

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But I struggle to maintain this

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perspective in my daily life. I feel

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like it's easy to get caught up in the

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day-to-day and forget what really

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matters to you.

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So, with help from old and new friends,

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I turned the side of this abandoned

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house into a giant chalkboard and

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stencled it with a fill-in- thelank

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sentence. Before I die, I want to

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so anyone walking by can pick up a piece

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of chalk, reflect on their lives, and

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share their personal aspirations in

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public space.

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I didn't know what to expect from this

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experiment, but by the next day, the

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wall was entirely filled out and it kept

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growing. And I'd like to share a few

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things that people wrote on this wall.

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Before I die, I want to be tried for

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piracy.

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[Applause]

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Before I die, I want to straddle the

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international date line.

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Before I die, I want to sing for

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millions.

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Before I die, I want to plant a tree.

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Before I die, I want to live off the

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grid.

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Before I die, I want to hold her. One

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more time.

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Before I die, I want to be someone's

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cavalry.

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Before I die, I want to be completely

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myself.

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So, this neglected space became a

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constructive one, and people's hopes and

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dreams made me laugh out loud, tear up,

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uh, and they consoled me during my own

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tough times. It's about knowing you're

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not alone. It's about understanding our

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neighbors in new and enlightening ways.

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It's about making space for reflection

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and contemplation and remembering what

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really matters most to us as we grow and

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change.

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I made this last year and started

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receiving hundreds of messages from

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passionate people who wanted to make a

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wall with their community. So my civic

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center colleagues and I made a toolkit

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and now walls have been made in

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countries around the world including

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Kazakhstan,

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South Africa,

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Australia,

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Argentina, and beyond. Together we've

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shown how powerful our public spaces can

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be if we're given the opportunity to

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have a voice and share more with one

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another.

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Two of the most valuable things we have

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are time and our relationships with

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other people. In our age of increasing

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distractions, it's more important than

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ever to find ways to maintain

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perspective and remember that life is

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brief and tender. Death is something

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that we're often discouraged to talk

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about or even think about. But I've

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realized that preparing for death is one

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of the most empowering things you can

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do. Thinking about death clarifies your

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life.

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Our shared spaces can better reflect

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what matters to us as individuals and as

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a community. And with more ways to share

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our hopes, fears, and stories, the

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people around us can not only help us

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make better places, they can help us

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lead better lives. Thank you.

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Heat.

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Heat.