As soon as you meet Alison Wright, it is obvious she has artistic flair. She expresses herself through her attire, office décor and self-created artwork.
Alison Wright, marketing & communications associate, incorporates her love for art into her everyday work to make a difference in the lives of residents and their families.
As marketing and communications associate at Country Meadows, Wright is involved in advertising, public relations, marketing and other creative work. While she was not hired for her artistic talents, she happily shares her skills, just like several co-workers share their gifts at Country Meadows.
“To me, being able to bring the thing I’ve loved since I was a little kid into my career makes me feel energized and accomplished. It feels good to be able to use something unique about myself to impact my career in a positive and unexpected way,” she says.
Recently she was tasked to find illustrations to purchase for a new children’s activity page to help youngsters understand life in a retirement community. Despite doing extensive research, Wright was underwhelmed with the selection of available images. That’s when she offered to share her own illustration talents.
Country Meadows communities are full of fun surprises—not what one would expect of a typical retirement home. Wright created this interactive activity page to inspire children to find the excitement and fun when visiting an older loved one or residents.
“I have loved art since before I can remember. I have dozens of manila envelopes stuffed full of old sketches, and my computer is packed with files of digital art work that I’ve turned my hand to more recently. I briefly held an art major while I was in college before discovering my chosen field in communications,” she shares. “My artistic background has been self-taught, trial and error, lots of patience, and lots of mistakes. Because of that, though, I’ve been able to grow my skill in a very free and natural way that’s only made me love art more.”
Turns out, unbeknownst to her fellow Communications team members, Wright has already illustrated three children’s books. It was a natural fit to charge her with bringing life to the activity page. “The page’s intent is to frame retirement living in a way that shows children it can be interesting and exciting to visit their older loved ones,” she says. “With that in mind, all the concepts are designed to be bright and appealing to a young audience. I worked to incorporate games, puzzles and visuals that would engage kids and show them the unexpected sides of life here. I pulled inspiration from the other children’s books I’ve illustrated.”
Wright is fulfilled knowing that her work may help families stay connected. “One of the things I appreciate about working at Country Meadows is that the focus is not only on caring for the residents physical needs, but also keeping them connected to their loved ones and the world around them,” she says, adding, “There’s a focus on building an environment where their family, friends, and even the kids in their life will love to come and be with them.”
Click here to download our children’s activity sheet, Explore our Retirement Community.