What Would Dolly Do? Live Boldly and Share the Light
My heart has been heavy this week as I reflect on the passing of Dolly Parton—a woman I never knew personally but admired with every fiber of my soul.
Like millions of people around the world, I was captivated by her talent, humor, unmistakable style, and radiant presence. Dolly could walk into a room wearing rhinestones, towering blond hair, and a dazzling smile and immediately command everyone’s attention.
But what I admired most was not simply how she captured that attention. It was what she chose to do with it once she had it.
More Than Rhinestones and Stardom
Dolly Parton built an extraordinary creative and business empire without forgetting where she came from. She used her success to support children’s literacy, education, health, disaster relief, and the communities that helped shape her.
Through the Imagination Library, she helped place books into the hands of children who might otherwise have grown up without them. She gave generously, often quietly, and showed us that success becomes more meaningful when it creates possibilities for someone else.
Dolly understood that confidence and kindness are not opposites. She could be bold, ambitious, glamorous, and powerful without making other people feel small.
She did not dim her personality to appear more serious. She did not abandon the accent, humor, clothes, or history that made her unmistakably herself. Instead, she transformed all of it into part of her power.
That may be one of the greatest lessons of Dolly Parton’s extraordinary legacy: We do not have to become less of ourselves to deserve more from life.
Where We Begin Does Not Define Us
As someone who also grew up with very little, I saw something of my own dreams reflected in Dolly’s story.
Her experience of poverty was far more profound than mine, but her life demonstrated that where we begin does not have to determine how far we can go—or how much good we can do along the way.
I want to build a beautiful and abundant creative life. I want my paintings to reach the people who need them, my words to open meaningful conversations, and my work to create opportunities for joy, wonder, and connection.
But I do not want success only for what it might give me.
I want to use it to help other people recognize what remains possible for them. I want to create spaces where people feel welcomed rather than judged, encouraged rather than diminished, and brave enough to reconnect with the parts of themselves they may have pushed aside.
Dolly showed us that we can dream absurdly big while keeping our hearts open. We can rise without pulling the ladder up behind us.
Wear the Damn Outfit
A dear friend shared a “What would Dolly do?” graphic this week, and the idea has stayed with me.
Wear the damn outfit.
Add the sparkle. Buy the boots. Laugh loudly. Dream bigger than what currently feels reasonable. Choose kindness over cynicism. Be generous. Take the chance. Stop dulling yourself to make other people more comfortable.
Most importantly, be unapologetically yourself.
How many times have we made ourselves smaller because we were afraid of being judged?
We save the special outfit. Silence the wild idea. Soften our opinions. Postpone the dream. Wait for permission that may never come.
Dolly did not wait for permission to become Dolly.
Her life reminds me that authenticity is not something we earn after becoming successful. Authenticity may be one of the very things that allows us to create a meaningful version of success in the first place.
Today, I am sharing my mixed media painting Born to Radiate in her honor. I cannot imagine a more fitting title for the way she lived.
The painting is filled with movement, energy, warmth, and unapologetic light. To me, it carries the reminder that radiance is not reserved for a chosen few. We are each born with something meaningful to offer—but we must be willing to let it be seen.
Why We Need People Who Help Us Shine
Living boldly does not mean we must do everything alone.
In fact, I believe it becomes easier to step into our full power when we are surrounded by people who genuinely want to see us flourish.
As women, we can become so accustomed to caring for everyone else that our own creative spirits are quietly pushed to the back burner. We shrink our needs, postpone our dreams, and convince ourselves that rest, play, exploration, and friendship are indulgences.
They are not.
We need places where we can put down our responsibilities for a moment. We need people who remind us who we are when we have forgotten. We need opportunities to laugh, make something imperfect, tell the truth, and imagine a life that feels expansive again.
That belief is at the heart of the Joyful Journey Retreat Bonnie and I created for women seeking creativity, connection, and renewal.
It is not about becoming someone new. It is about returning to the woman who may have been waiting quietly beneath all the expectations—the one who still wants to wear the boots, make the art, take the trip, and dream the big dream.
We still have a couple of spaces waiting for the right Joy Seekers. If something inside you has been asking for room to breathe, create, and reconnect, I invite you to explore the retreat and imagine yourself pulling up a chair.
A Weekend Filled With Art and Community
This message about showing up, sharing our gifts, and celebrating one another feels especially meaningful as I prepare for two exciting art exhibitions this Labor Day weekend.
On Friday, September 4, I will be in Charlottesville for the opening of Teeny Tiny Trifecta 9 at Second Street Gallery. The exhibition features three original 8 × 8-inch works from each participating artist, with every painting priced at $125 to make collecting contemporary art feel welcoming and accessible.
I am absolutely thrilled to participate for the first time and experience hundreds of tiny works filling the gallery with color, energy, and possibility.
That same evening, the 55th Annual Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park opens in the historic Spanish Ballroom. My painting Still I Stand will be exhibited alongside work from hundreds of Mid-Atlantic artists—and Todd will have work in the show, too!
There could not be a more fitting painting for this moment.
Still I Stand is about resilience: remaining rooted through uncertainty, continuing to grow, and refusing to surrender the light within us. It carries its own quiet version of Dolly’s message—stand tall, remain yourself, and keep moving toward what calls you.
These exhibitions are not only opportunities to show and sell art. They are gatherings built around discovery and human connection. They allow artists and art lovers to meet, share stories, and experience that magical moment when a painting speaks to something inside us.
Sharing the Light We Have Been Given
Dolly Parton once said, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
That is the challenge I am carrying with me.
I want to walk through the world with confidence while remaining tender. I want to pursue abundance while practicing generosity. I want to enter rooms fully as myself and help other people feel more welcome when they enter behind me.
I want to wear the damn outfit.
I want to protect the spark, share the light, and use whatever success I build to create more joy, connection, wonder, and possibility in this world. Thank you, Dolly, for showing us how to shine—and, more importantly, how to share the light.
Now it is our turn.
What would “wearing the damn outfit” look like in your life this week? Tell me in the comments—or take one brave, sparkling step before you have time to talk yourself out of it. 🩵
Check out my Recent Paintings at www.preciousburger.com to learn more about "Born to Radiate" and see the other two paintings that make the trio!
With JOY and Gratitude,
Precious Burger
Contemporary Mixed Media Artist | Educator | Speaker
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