The Gallery of Realism

Amidst a light rain, I wandered into a gallery in Soho, an activity I’ve found myself gravitating towards during my lunch breaks. The Terrain Gallery is a small historic gallery that opened in 1955 as part of the Aesthetic Realism Foundation. Dan & Barbara were gentle and kind people, having been in New York for decades. They asked me if I was a New Yorker and what I did for work in the neighborhood as I shared my life’s work— Gemstones, jewelry, and my previous years dedicated to unarchiving a jewelry designer infamous for bringing realism to High Jewelry.

As I signed their guest book, they told me, “You’re on a great journey.”

We walked through some of the art on their walls, and the gentle raindrops brought the season off tomorrow. I’d spent the summer days leaving croissant crumbs in the streets of Paris, in pursuit of education and direction. The journey had led me to classrooms where it’s asked what House I had come from & exhibits where the industry’s history and marvels lay behind glass. To new and old friends with fun at the dinner table, grooves on the dance floor, laughs in the night, and PhD-level math explained with gummy bears.

Yes, there is joy to be had in the Village. Something the Villagers have always taught me, there is honor in putting your heart on the line. It took me a Personal 75 Hard Challenge, 75 days— and then some- to push myself to put my heart, mind, and body back into jewelry and gemology.

This past summer, I found myself sitting across from people I hold with great regard, as they offered sound advice, guidance, and the title, The Brave. And as I stood, shoulders back, chin up, no longer afraid of the past or the future, I felt that title was earned.

Written with Honey