No longer a twenty something which I must say is somewhat scary. I am quickly approaching the equal amount of years of living in PA that I spent in Brooklyn. Even though I have grown as a artist here in PA, my roots lead back to the city where I was more exposed to the culture of the city. One of the things that I have found here in the pocono's, while our area craves art, culture & someone to engulf the area in it. There is no support for those people willing to do it.
Even though am I 30, I feel lucky to be apart of a dying breed of Italian from Brooklyn. The Italian guys sitting out on the stoop in a bronx tale, knowing what the inside of a social clubd really looked like, like in donnie brasco. I had family come over on a boat from Italy just barely over a 100 years ago. I grew not just experiencing the (UGH) 80's and 90's, but in my neighborhood we still had those old electronic stores with tacky green appliances in the window. seafood markets where you walked in a floor dressed in saw dust. The fish still alive and swiming tanks along the counter. Most stores closed by noon on sundays so that you could be with your family, and not just your parents, your grandparents, aunst and uncles, cousins and the list goes on just for sunday dinner at 2 in the afternoon.
Playing nickle and dime poker at age 6, and being able to have a glass of wine with the adults. Today....a father of 2 (soon to be 3). I am a starving artist and only those who know can truely understand that terminology. Lets just answer the question for those that are curious, starving for money is not the root of the phrase. I do a little of everything (drawing,painting,photography, writing poetry n novels, even a little singing)some better then others. I have had works hung in the Brooklyn Museum, poetry published in books & mags. I am currently looking to break out on the mainstream w/ one of my feature length works but tend to get sidetracked with trying to help other artist get established.
My first book (Blackout) that I wrote is a horror/crime drama It sold well locally and led me to some other opportunities. I put together an 8 hour performing arts festival w/ the support of some great people. attempted to break into film with starting a company with some friends, it didn't take off, but I learned a great deal from it.
Being an artist i tend to see things with that glass is half full perspective. I tend to dwell in the darken corners of my own creativity. My friends and family may say that I am morbid, I say it is just normal. Life is not that pretty picture that hollywood and tv portray it to be. Though I tend to live and enjoy the black and grays of life, I never let that stop me from being a father. I have 2 smart (too smart) boys who i see that glimmer of artistic talent which I sometimes hope they do not get cursed with like I. I just had a baby girl. Which I have wanted for many years & now we are expecting another. I am married & I guess like some marriages...it has been great at times and very much the opposite at other times. We have been together since we were 17, so you look up top and do the math. New chapters are about to open in my life, and I look to embrace the next steps in it.