I’ve been stuck in limbo since 9/11 when at the time I lived across the street from the WTC. As if experiencing the horrible attacks that day weren’t enough, it changed the entire trajectory of my then thriving career as a Broadway Musical Theater Actor. Since then I’ve lived as a nomad. I fled to Europe for 11 years where I further developed my skills as a pastry chef, I worked in one of the largest kitchen supply stores in Europe as a demo chef, I was selected among 1600 people to be one of 16 contestants on a TV competition reality show where I won the pastry portion of the competition. I taught dance at one of Europe’s most prestigious dance academies, and established myself as a prominent jazz vocalist traveling and performing all over Europe. Upon returning to the States I felt I had an arsenal of skills at my disposal to easily find work however I wasn’t getting hired in any field. Of course I taught dance at a few conservatories on a freelance basis only because no one was offering a contract position and that was not enough to support living in NY. I got a job as a pastry chef working for a restaurant with 2 locations as the sole pastry chef. I created pastries in house for both restaurants and for their side catering venture. In addition to my duties as the pastry chef due to my obsession with cleanliness and hygiene I was given the task of back of house management with a slight raise in my salary that after taxes made no significant difference. As a skilled calligrapher I executed the menu boards indoors and out and all signs for both locations with no extra bump to my already basic salary. As a performing artist I was requested by the owner to represent the restaurant for clients sales when presenting catering options which I did enthusiastically. The hours where overwhelming and the salary never matched the effort. Yet I stuck with it until I was laid off due to the selling of the restaurant. I’ve applied all over the city for work that I’m far too over qualified for with no response. I’m a performer artist, a visual artist, with excellent organizational and people skills. I can go on and on however I think you can get my frustration. What does a man with many skills do when the world is focused on not your skill set but how many followers you have on social media?