I met my friend Chris when he was a student in the high school for talented kids in trouble that sits atop the theatre I manage in New York City. He knocked on my office door and introduced himself as an award winning poet, and implored me to hire him and take a chance on a “brilliant young Spanish kid” (his words) with big dreams and an insatiable desire to create! He read me his poem, and asked “So, am I hired?? I promise I’ll be great and you’ll never be sorry!” I was completely charmed, and although he was very young, his spirit was amazing and I took the chance.
Well, I can’t say that I was never sorry, as he’d promised- As an employee, he often drove me crazy! But the staff and the patrons loved his exuberant personality as much as I did — and he managed to narrowly avoid being fired for many years, and we grew and stayed close long after he left the job. Since then he’s gone on to successfully write songs and study acting, as well as father a beautiful and equally precocious daughter, but now has really found what is arguably going to be his most lucrative creative endeavor- as a fine artist. He sits outside the Met on Wednesdays selling his brilliant (my word) paintings–He explores many styles but they are each and all so fresh and clever! He is starting to be invited to have showings of his work -from NY to Miami people are taking notice of his creative spirit and he’s creating at an almost feverish pace. And loving every moment. I tell you his story because watching that “brilliant young Spanish kid” survive many of his life challenges by constantly expressing his pain and his joy through his never ending desire to create is one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog. He is an inspiration like no other, and for me, proof that when we express ourselves creatively, we become our truest and most fulfilled selves.
the former performer 