New Orleans artist Candy Chang created the first Before I Die wall in 2011, after the death of a close friend. By painting the wall of an abandoned house in her neighborhood with chalkboard paint and repeatedly stenciling the phrase “Before I die I want to”, followed by a blank line, she established a local memento mori practice that expanded into an global art project.
The Before I Die Project website offers many further resources, including a comprehensive how-to guide.