Under Re-Construction.

Model showing Dixon Line: "Beauty and the Beads"

Indianapolis, Indiana---I  had heard a rumor that my friend The Architect, had thrown in the towel and was now making jewelry. I had this vision of her sitting at a table, rocking back and forth and stringing longs strands of beads. A victim. A woman that had entered the professional world of archetecture that was dominated by ruthless men had finally been sent into insanity.

So when I pulled up to her lovely house in Indianapolis, I tried to not bring it up and let the subject unveil itself.

What I found out was that the creative nature that had called her to create buildings was the same energy that was creating new structures…only smaller.

I could not believe my eyes. This jewelry was true works of art. Starting with an old vintage piece or part, a new creation was made. Her work at her new co-owned company “Babs and Sparkles,” just fell into place and her “Dixon Line” of jewelry has been featured in two magazines and she has been asked to teach and speak. Her work goes for $250 to $5,000 and up for the one of a kind pieces, less for others.

It’s true. Corporate America had taken its toll after 30 years of being an Architect. But like so many others I have met on this trip, there was a longing for change and renewal in her life.  We drove around Indianapolis so she could show me her past work.  I am always awed by a brain that can design things so large in scale like entire buildings. She has a lot to be proud of and has left a mark on the landscape of this city.

But trading Corporate America for peace and quiet…and no permits or code enforcement has changed her outlook and her future. There is something to be said about instant gratification which, with her line of jewelry, can happen in weeks instead of years.

And with two daughters and a working husband, she traded super-multi-tasking for the next step: still a busy life with many layers. Just layers of a life instead of floors.