Oops… Its Been Four Months.

Well, hey there! Did ya miss me?

Welcome back to my Medium. I reread my last article and could not help but smile at that version of myself. If only she knew the changes that were to come for her just a week later.

I quit that shitty job, which I can now say was at the Gemological Institute of America. I was grading diamonds. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? It is the first 20 diamonds you grade, but after that, it gets a bit monotonous. Seeing your life waste away from 4:30 AM to 4:30 PM behind a microscope in a room with no sunlight in New York City really takes a toll on your mind.

Let me bring you up to speed: I now have a job at a tattoo studio (THAT is fucking cool). No, I am not a tattooer. I am essentially their assistant. Don’t think that the idea hasn’t crossed my mind, though. The arts is where I belong, whether it’s permanently creating art on someone’s skin or being in a gallery in Lower East Side. Oh yeah, I did that too.

Towards the end of my time at the GIA, I had my mom ship my iPad and Apple Pencil so that I could get back into my digital art. This is a practice that honestly saved my life in more ways than one. I created an Instagram page to share this art (the name has changed multiple times, and it is about to again — I recommend following my main page @her0nearth for consistency) and I was sharing at least once a week as a personal goal. I’ve had a lot of support and I was reached out to by a gallery in LES to showcase a piece in their gallery. I was thrilled, shocked, confused — my art? I entered it anyways, regardless of the imposter syndrome that ensued on my brain. It was really incredible to go to the gallery and see my piece amongst others. I had listed it for $400 as a joke. Across the gallery from my piece was a hand-painted piece for $25k, so I didn’t feel as ridiculous as I had originally. Seeing my art in an actual gallery in New York was definitely a, “Look Mama — I made it!” moment that I will cherish forever.

I’m now writing from my home in Queens — the borough I fell in love with the second I entered it. Queens has a homey feel to it, as if I’ve lived here before. There is a decent Italian/Sicilian community here that is very kind and welcoming. I’ve already found my ideal grocery store that is Sicilian-owned, carrying a variety of products that are imported. I have a Farmer’s Market I go to on Sundays. I have a lovely partner who cares for me deeply. I have a drive to pursue the art I have always wanted to. I have a lust for life that has been restored. It does get better, it just might take some time. The pain doesn’t last forever — nothing does.

I think that’s what keeps life exciting.