We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kent Darwin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kent below.

Kent, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

My best investment I have ever made was buying 200 shares of Apple stock. When I bought Apple stock, it was about $35.00 a share. The stock grew to about $100.00, then fell over a matter of weeks back to $80.00, so I sold half of the Apple stock. Within a year the Apple stock spit twice, 7 shares for each share owned within a short period of time. So, now that each share purchase price I own is $1.67. ($2,338.00). Today the Apple shares I own are worth almost $300,000.00.

Kent, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am 84 years old. I am fortunate because there is no age limit to drawing and painting. I do pen & ink drawings, watercolors and oil paintings, and photography. I was asked to be the Featured Artist for the Coppell Arts Center in Coppell, Texas, November/December, 2024 through January, 2025. I was able to exhibit pieces of my art that represented my years of pen & ink drawings, watercolors and oil paintings. I traveled almost weekly with 3M Company. I did pen & ink drawings in my hotel room at night that relaxed me and I had the pleasure of the outcome. My watercolors and oils paintings are painted in my art studio. I have oil painted commissioned pieces as large as 7′ by 3′ and watercolors as large as 4′ by 3′. My subjects are mostly landscapes, seascapes, flowers, animals and portraits. Most of my paintings are commissioned pieces of from photographs of their special place or favorite animals. I am grateful to have my art hanging in homes and offices across the U.S. and some foreign countries.

Since 9173, I have donated art to non-profit organizations to help raise money. Since our church reopened after COVID, I have been the art coordinator responsible for finding Featured Artists to exhibit their art for two months in our church sanctuary. In the four years being the coordinator, I have met some very gifted artists who filled our walls with art that is to viewed, not just looked at for a few seconds. One exhibit was a mother/daughter pieces of their Fluid Art style of art. Both sold several pieces of their art during their exhibit. The daughter was 17 and her mother’s occupation for 20 years is driving a 18 wheeler in and around Dallas and Fort Worth with no overnight travel. It was their first exhibit ever. when the mother hung her first painting she glowed with such a satisfying smile. The glow did not end until their entire exhibit was hung and photographs taken. Precious memories created with all who have exhibited their art.

As I mentioned earlier, I worked with 3M for almost 33 years, retired at 60 in February, 2001. Growing up in Arkansas as a child, I used to pray for snow; with 3M I worked in Nashville, Knoxville, Chicago, St. Paul, and Coppell, TX. Prayers answered… the times and places were the unexpected results. For 30 of those 33 years I worked in the 3M health care divisions. Most of my years, I was a contract negotiator for our products, services, technologies, and resources to hospital buying groups, like HCA, Humana, Daughters of Charity, and Voluntary Hospitals of America (VHA). VHA negotiated product contracts for 1,800 hospitals out of the roughly 6,000 hospitals in the U.S. I negotiated a 5 year, sole source contract with VHA which is in Las Colinas, TX. (near Dallas). Living in St. Paul, I told my management that I needed to be near VHA, not from St.Paul. They agreed, so Kay, my wife, and I moved to Coppell. Our daughter, Susana, had graduated from University of Iowa by then and was a Copy Rights Editor lawyer in Chicago for Britannica when it was transitioning from paper to digital.

I sang in the Coppell Community Chorale for 30 years, and was on the Coppell Arts Council for 25 year. I still pick up my guitar in the art studio, turnoff the lights, and play and sing for pleasure. Singing, like drawing and painting, has no age limit. Fortunately, at 84, my health is good.

When I was 76 my hearing loss was profound, and I realized I was withdrawing from conversations in the car and noisy rooms. After being tested, I was told that my understanding was down to 3% in a noisy environment. In December, 2017, I had a Cochlear Implant that reteaches the brain to hear. I am now at 82% understanding, and I can do slide presentations on climate change since 2018. And The Cochlear Company in 2018 asked me to be a volunteer mentor and advocate for candidates considering a Cochlear implant. I have worked with Cochlear candidate. From Maine to Washington to CaliforniaTexas Florida, and Mexico. Helping the candidates have been very satisfying. If any of you reading this have family or friends with profound hearing loss, they should consider becoming a candidate for a Cochlear Implant. It is covered by Medicare and other insurance companies. Too few audiologists are not trained or have knowledge about the implant values, primarily because they sell hearing aids.

Kay and I have been married for 62 years. I am a better human being because of Kay. We have had a very good journey on our good Earth.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

At my age, I live by being mindful in four ways that helps me to be focused:
1. Each day I am mindful that I have been given this day to live, not yesterday or tomorrow, today.
2. I am mindful that I have been given certain gifts and talents that I use and share them.
3. I am mindful to treat everyone with dignity and respect who I interact with daily.
4. I am mindful that it is okay to treat myself as I would treat my best friend. I learned this when I was 65.
It changed my life for the past 24 years in a positive way, mind, body and spirit.

Managing people: I had a manager who taught me a great managing foundation by his action and few words. When talking with those who report to you: 1. Don’t promise something you can’t deliver. For example: When I was giving a
a raise to an employee, I would tell the individual the % increase and when I would ask for it to go into effect. I told them that two people above me could change the per cent or date of the compensation plan, my manager or Human Resources. 2. Catch people doing things well. Be specific when you share that observation to reenforce that behavior.
3. Don’t ask the employ to do something you would not do or have not done. 4. Make sure you don’t try to force a change in their moral or value system. 5. Enhance their work ethic by example.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My wife, Kay and I have been married for 62 years. We are frequently asked how we do it? We learned that I, nor she, are
clairvoyant. So, we must talk. Kay will tell me things that I may not want hear, but need to hear. I am a better human being because of our honest conversations. The same openness by me, goes for her, too.

In an argument, we learned not to bring up (“dead horse” arguments from months ago) into the current argument. When that happens, it normally does not belong in the current argument. Just know there will be “dead horse” arguments from
time to time. Choose to accept that you will disagree. You are still two individuals and will have some differences on some subjects..

When Kay was 20 and I was 23, we repeated the wedding vows “…in sickness and health…” the words faded like a morning fog. Now at 81 and 84 years of age, those vows have taken on new and definite meanings.

I have been Kay’s caregiver for years, and I have many titles based on her health conditions, and all the specialist she has on her calendar. Most of the physicians will have a “honey to do list for me” to assist Kay at home. And some things that Kay needs me to do for her. My titles are: hair stylist, pedicurist, physician assist at home, massage therapist, chief cook and bottle washer, and doing things that she used to love to do, gardening, caring for the pool, and other things her body won’t let her do any more. Health is the X factor in one’s life, so make the most of your life and travel as soon and often as you can. Don’t wait. If I waited until 65 to retire, we would have only 9 years to travel when her health hit a wall and traveling ended in 2015, Ah, what memories we have to share.

Contact Info:

• Website: Email: [email protected]
• Other: Google: Kent Darwin Arts.com should get you to my art

Image Credits

Kent Darwin