Meet Thomas VanDyke

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Thomas VanDyke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Thomas below.

Hi Thomas, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?

I have learned that self-care is one of the most necessary pieces of understanding in all of life. It’s different for each person, but it’s universal for all people. Self-care is not just knowing how to manage yourself, it’s about balancing and putting into practice, and continually learning. Knowing myself, and being honest about my own needs and desires has been one of the most difficult aspects of using self care to be effective.
The activity that has most impacted my life holistically is bouldering or indoor rock climbing. It helps me manage my time, my physical and mental health, helps me focus on short-term as well as long-term goals, and is something enjoyable that I look forward to doing. I have a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly schedule set, and goals to work toward at various intervals.
I started rock climbing outdoors when I was young, but gave it up after college. Years later, I was excited to find a climbing gym in my neighborhood, and decided to give it a try. My favorite thing about rock climbing is that it is about 50% phsycal and 50% mental. It’s kind of like doing a jigsaw puzzle with your body, and the stronger you get and more you think, the more complicated puzzles you can work on.
The reason rock climbing works for me particularly well is that it’s not only exercise, it’s a reward to myself for fulfilling other goals. It gives me something positive to work toward, keeps me healthy, and gives me pleasure and excitement.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I currently run Thomas VanDyke Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Brooklyn, New York, with my wife and partner. Most of my career was spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is where I grew a passion for working with artists, planning exhibitions, and designing spaces. We work with artists from all over the world as well as from our neighborhood in south Brooklyn. A major focus of the gallery is supporting emerging artists from Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, and many other countries. We are the only commercial gallery in New York City with a dedicated sculpture garden and utilize the space for exhibitions and events. We have residency program where we host artists from a different country and provide them with living space, a studio to work in, and an exhibition of their work. Our plan is to grow this program over the next several years.
We are currently preparing to participate in Taipei Dangdai, a contemporary art fair taking place in Taipei from May 9-11.
My favorite part about this line of work is the people I get to meet. It’s fascinating to learn so many different perspectives from people all over the world.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Knowing myself, learning how to ask for help, and setting realistic goals are the three things that have most impacted my journey. For me, knowing myself meant being very honest about what motivates me and what kind of person I am. I might wish I were different, but that doesn’t do any good. It’s only when I recognized how I operate, and start to understand how I work, that I work most effectively. When I can foresee what will be a barrier, I can plan do deal with that one way or another. When I know my bad habits and good habits, I can use them to my advantage. It took me a long time to understand how I learn things. For me, it’s hands-on experience. Reading, practicing, or watching a demonstration don’t always work, but I know that if I’m engaged, I’ll retain the knowledge.
Asking for help can be extremely valuable. There are a lot of people in the world, with a lot of experience, and learning from them can be advantageous to say the least. Don’t be afraid to stop and ask for directions. No one knows everything, so there’s nothing wrong with you not knowing whatever it is you need to ask about.
If you know yourself, and are able to ask for help when you need it, then you should be able to set realistic goals. I used to over-promise and idealize, for example, how much work I could get done in a certain amount of time, focusing on what was theoretically possible, instead of what is realistic. By taking my own working style, things I can’t control, and reasonable variations, not only can I be more realistic with my time, I can actually get more done overall.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

I was very lucky to have extremely supportive parents. They were always around and willing to talk. They made it clear that I could come to them with any issue, concern, problem, challenge, or situation that I wanted to talk about. They were always ready to listen and offer support without judgement. But even more than that, they instilled a set of morals in me that I am thankful for. There’s a general sense of right and wrong that I use to navigate the world. I think most people do have a similar set of morals, and I have my parents to thank for mine. They didn’t force me to believe anything, but presented stories or information, and let me draw my own conclusions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thomasvandyke.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasvandykegallery/
• Linkedin: Thomas VanDyke

Image Credits

All images courtesy Thomas VanDyke