Damien
Damien came to South Beach to escape a family situation soaked in crime, drugs, and violence. Criminality and a marginal life seemed to just run in his family. His father is incarcerated for life, his mother is a stripper and an addict, his uncle is a life-long criminal who, with his own two young sons and wife, are in a perpetual state of running from law enforcement.
Damien described that situation as a cycle that he would be stuck in if he didn’t leave, so he made a conscious decision to take a risk. He “wanted to see if I could do something on my own – something crazy, something dramatic….and see what would happen.”
He moved to the beach, homeless and with nothing. He slept there, at other people’s houses, or in hostels. The most difficult part, he said, was “looking normal, always making sure you fit in with everyone around you.”
Preparing for the next day was a side-job unto itself. He had to carefully plan where he would sleep, what he would eat, how he would secure himself. All had to be thought through ahead of time. He brushed his teeth at Starbucks, did his clothes at the laundromat, and walked everywhere – miles and miles and miles, as he puts it – just to accomplish what others could do more easily.
Growing up, he had no role models, and turned to books and literature to find insight into forging his own values. He talked about Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Socrates and Plato as providing him with “an escape from my reality…an alternate world.” These figures were a source of inspiration and direction, and were the greatest role models he could choose for himself.
Damien spoke a great deal about the harrowing things he’d witnessed in his own family, but through it all, he maintained an unwavering focus on the long term. For him, being a learner nourished him, and gave him a way to envision a reality of his choosing and make it happen. His view is that, "if you can imagine what you want in life, no one can take you off that path." He believes too that his values – which he acknowledges were self-taught – coupled with his integrity and his endless desire to know more, have saved him, and brought him to where he is.
Damien is entirely optimistic. No longer homeless, he works two jobs: at Starbucks and as a booking agent for talent at a five-star hotel in South Beach. He also makes money as a property manager for a real estate agent. Over the past several months he’s worked on photo shoots, movies, and more. He says that his life is very good. He is appreciative of what he has, and believes in the power of inspiring others. To that end, he has started what he calls a movement through his music, giving direction and inspiration to others.
He is the conscious author of his own life’s story. He is very interested in the broader entertainment industry. He said that he “see[s] how amazing it is to develop a whole story line and watch it come to life. I want to be part of something like that.”