Meet Linda Bonner

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

Hi Linda, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I’ve discovered throughout the years that finding purpose happens when you do things you love, experiment with different passions, are ready to adapt, and change course as your life changes.

My purpose today is much different than when I was raising my children. While I had outside hobbies and employment, they were my focus, my purpose.

Fast forward to today and I am living out my purpose of having an engaged and creative life, in a community of friends, with the purpose of helping and encouraging others.

This plays out in several ways. One way is that I love connecting people to resources and others that will make their life better. The other way is being of service, both in my work and in my personal life.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am fortunate to have 2 business that both allow me to be of service and be creative.

The first one is Linda Bonner Studios, a creative company. I’m an artist specializing in miniature art pieces and a greeting card designer and instructor. For the last year my focus has been on teaching card-making workshops to seniors in their living communities and it has been remarkable! So far this year I’ve taught 75 workshops and my business is expanding to nonprofit workshops and service projects within the community.

I get to create card designs for everything from patriotic to cancer awareness, Valentine’s, Mothers, and Fathers Day, to fall and winter holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa! I love sharing time of creativity and connection with seniors and others as they create unique handmade greeting cards.

As a miniature artist, I create tiny masterpieces for Art-O-Mat (www.artomat.org) where they’re sold in vintage, repurposed cigarette machines that now dispense original art. Since 2018 I’ve created over 10,000 art pieces that have been sold around the world.

You can learn more about my creative company at www.lindabonnerstudios.com.

I am also a bestselling author, speaker, and coach at Blessed with Extraordinary. I have the privilege of serving families raising children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through my book, coaching, mentoring, and sharing resources. My mission is to equip families and caregivers with resources, support, encouragement and hope so they can build the very best life for their child and their family. You can learn more at www.blessedwithextraordinary.com.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One quality that guides me every day is passion. I’m blessed to be doing work I love, that allows me to connect people to each other and focus on my creativity at the same time. This passion for creativity, connection, design, and teaching come together for both my creative business and my work in the disability community.

Another quality is gratitude. I’m grateful not only for the opportunities I’ve been given but the people who are now part of my life because of these opportunities. Having a grateful heart and attitude keeps me grounded, allows me to see the good in others, and stay focused on what’s really important.

The last quality is optimism. Having a positive mindset helps me look to the future with a focus on what’s ahead. It’s letting go of the past or mistakes, learning from them, and using the experiences to move forward without regret.

There are many qualities that define success. For me, these 3 are less about success and more about living a fulfilling and rich life. It’s easy to complain and be the victim. Cultivating a positive mindset, doing something you’re passionate about and leading with optimism are necessary to build the life you imagine!

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I have had some of the most incredible mentors and coaches throughout my life that have helped me gain the skills to feel successful.

Getting to the point of engaging with these individuals was the hardest part. I’ve always had trouble asking for help. I was raised with the mindset that you have to figure it out and that you can’t count on anyone else.

I now know how wrong that was and it’s taken me years to get comfortable reach out for help when I had challenges or was just stuck. I’ve had to be purposeful in letting my guard down and letting people in to help me.

Learning to be OK with asking for help has been the most empowering skills I’ve ever learned. By collaborating with others, my life is more fulfilling and I’m more confident.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blessedwithextraordinary.com/. https://lindabonnerstudios.com/.
• Instagram: Blessed with Extraordinary. /. Linda Bonner Studios
• Facebook: Blessed with Extraordinary. /. Linda Bonner Studios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-bonner-4953211a7/