Understanding Legacy

Whether we realize it or not, as we go through life we are all creating ripples that extend beyond ourselves. These ripples may live on in surprising ways, and many can be traced back to show impact. As a Legacy Consultant, I am committed to connecting these threads of impact to reveal the full tapestry of a legacy.

This process is a journey — one that is often profound and unearths lasting gems that enshrine a story for the future. It is a journey that also often extends into capturing the history of communities that are interwoven with the main story. 

This shows us that legacies are dynamic — they change and grow with time, especially when given the proper framework and support.

My Legacy Journey 

My start to this journey was personal: my grandparents. When my grandmother, Marta, passed away in 2017 it was a major moment for me. Almost immediately, many people came forward sharing stories about how she helped them and the difference she made. It was the first time I began to understand the extent of her life’s impact, her ripple effect. It inspired me to begin researching her life, as well as my grandfather’s, in more detail.

The more I discovered, the more committed I became to capturing these findings so that they would not slip into obscurity. This led me down an unexpected road where I learned to publish articles, designate properties into landmarks, get streets named, and other significant recognitions as a result.

My grandmother, Marta, in Permuy Gallery (1974).

After more than five years on this path, I have completed a range of successful Legacy Projects that expanded far beyond my grandparents. Through this journey, I have helped capture and uplift the true legacies of artists, architects, businesspeople, military veterans, politicians, organizations, and communities across several fields and walks of life.

The Right Audience 

Understanding scope and relevance is key to a successful Legacy Project.

The diverse range of projects I have spearheaded have tended to fall within three main spheres:

To better capture worthy but overlooked stories, I have developed strategies to establish a subject’s credibility. This includes identifying the ideal audience. Legacy Projects can be geared towards audiences of different scopes — whether private (such as personal family use), a specific community (such as an organization, industry, or city), or the general public.

Part of my approach involves framing – or reframing – the context within which a legacy is seen or understood to be significant and noteworthy. I contextualize a person, project, or group and its impact, even when there was not broad acknowledgment or recognition of that impact at the time. This process can better capture a subject’s influence in both direct and subtle ways, and create a new context, and legitimacy, that we can build upon.

Art as Legacy 

I use more than words to tell a story and maximize impact. For example, I have expertise in dealing with the art world. In fact, I was once paid for a Legacy Project with artwork by a well-known artist. 

The arts are an excellent resource for capturing legacy in a timeless way, and converting it into a cultural artifact. This has been done through the ages with the tradition of art commissions stretching back to ancient times.

Portrait by artist Mario Torroella.

Portrait by Mario Torroella, 2021.

In many cases, long after an individual may have been forgotten, it is often the art that endures and brings their memory back into the present, sometimes in iconic ways — as with the Mona Lisa. This breathes immortality into a legacy. To do this, I help connect people with artists who best fit their needs. This can also involve other parallel projects, such as publishing material or holding exhibitions, to better connect the art to the audience and context of the main Legacy Project.

One of the things I most enjoy about this work is the unexpected places it has led me to. On one occasion, I became involved in a unique project called Bijoux Bios which, like art, used pieces of jewelry as a gateway to capturing interesting stories. These stories would often reveal surprising glimpses into family backgrounds and historic events. This shows how even jewelry can be used to capture a legacy, and how legacies themselves are gems.

Regardless of your personal or professional background, I see legacy as an artform, and can help you transform your legacy into a work of art.

Seeds & Webs: A Lasting Framework 

While it certainly helps to have as many quality records as possible, I have developed a knack for recording key information and showing a subject’s significance using a variety of sources, even when most conventional platforms have failed to capture these stories in the past. Ultimately, Legacy Projects are about planting seeds and leaving trails in the right places to facilitate growth and establish credibility. 

This requires taking a long view into the future. Because of this, my strategies work to build a framework for truthful legacies that are made to stand the test of time. Sometimes I have had to create multiple projects and records over time to properly honor such stories. These wider-reaching approaches involve projects that take place in stages in order to piece together the full mosaic of a legacy’s impact and reach.

As time passes, these paths weave together and reinforce each other. Like a web, this connects people back to the core legacy and also fills in the framework with depth as the bigger picture takes shape and comes into sharper focus. Once these points converge, they set the foundation for a legacy that lasts.

Parallel Universes, 2019, by AGalban.

Leaving Your Mark

This work is often deeply personal. That is why I start by understanding and acknowledging the inherent value of the core story.

I do this work by choice, because I find it deeply fulfilling and am well-suited to it. I think and see things in a uniquely dynamic and in-depth way, and enjoy discovering treasures to share with others.

Fortunately, we now live in an age where legacies can live on forever through the internet. From art, public recognitions, and even jewelry, there are endless creative avenues available to capture legacies.

At its core, framing legacies and strategizing about how to best position the memory of valued people and projects is what Legacy Consulting is all about. This is why I bring enthusiasm and quality into spreading the word about a person or story that made its mark –  and ensuring it is not forgotten.

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