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2009 into 2010, I was commuting from Philadelphia to New York almost every day. I would wake up around 5am, get a workout in, and then hop on the MegaBus from one city to the other. Often time was so tight that I would change from my gym gear into proper ‘model wear’ for castings in a Starbucks bathroom. I’d usually head into my agency to get my castings for the day and then run all over the city meeting clients, sometimes doing test shoots with photographers. Sometimes I would crash on couches or floors because I had early castings the following day. . . And then this happened ^^^ and the grind got a little easier. Tony Duran requested to shoot me very early in my career, something I’m still very grateful for. All of the above, the traveling, long days, sometimes not getting enough food or even denying myself food to fulfill the requirements of the industry - all of that was work. Work that I did for about a year and a half before making any money, grinding. All of that was tough but shooting with Tony nearly made me say ‘fuck it all.’ . . Remember in the Dark Knight, when Harvey Dent says “ The night is always darkest just before the dawn?” Yeah, that’s how this felt. Tony was shooting people like Brad Pitt so I was already intimidated. I flew out there to test with him and be part of a photo-shoot to promote these insanely expensive watches, shooting with seasoned models that made me look like a chump. . . I’m a very sensitive guy and he could give a shit. He was doing me a favor, he didn’t need me there. I was so frustrated, I remember calling my mom earlier in the day saying I wanted to come home. (Momma’s boy). After him laying into me all day, around midnight he asked me ‘do you even want to do this?’ I was tired, and angry, and didn’t have anything left to say. . . He asked me ‘what do you think is sexy about you?’ I honestly drew a blank. I had transformed my body, but after the challenges of the day, in my mind, I was still the chub chub ‘fat friend’ back in south Jersey. He asked me again. ‘What do you think is sexy about you?” Again, I said I didn’t know. This time he yelled.... (continued in comments)

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This is the story about how I made my way into the modeling industry, and eventually moved to New York: . One night at the bar, a man approached me and asked my name. Nothing out of the ordinary there. He kept coming back though to ask me more questions. “How tall are you?” “What is your waist size?” “Do you know your inseam?” I was getting annoyed but answered anyway. What did I have to lose? I’m also really awful with sarcasm, he could have just been joking. I didn’t know and I was too busy to care. . At the end of the night, he approached me again and handed me his card. He informed that he was drunk, and probably wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow, so I needed to email him and remind him where we met. I thanked him and we closed down for the night. . He turned out to be the men’s director for one of the biggest modeling agencies in New York. I didn’t know this at the time, and I was still in school. I thanked him and said that I’d like to continue to focus on my art but I appreciated his interest. . Fast forward to 6 months later, post Eurotrip, laying on the couch with my girlfriend at the time. We were watching one of those who wants to be a supermodel, or America’s next top model. I can’t remember which. I recognized one of the judges - it was the same man that had given me his card almost half a year ago at Pure. . Seeing this guy on television partnered with my new found courage from traveling, gave me the confidence to give modeling a shot. I took a few digitals and sent them out, along with an email that I copy and pasted from agency to agency. An agent at @red_models responded almost immediately and asked me to come to New York the following day. I got along with everyone at the agency and felt a kindred spirit in the owner, a big hearted man that always made time for the models. I was signed that day and began testing with photographers around the city. . These photos some of my first with @jeremykoststudio that had been lost in the ether so I apologize for the quality. Jeremey knew I was a fan of superheroes so he brought along an inflatable Hulk for me to use as a prop. (Props FTW when you have no idea WTF you’re doing.)

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By the time I came out of UArts in 2008, I had a degree under my belt, making bank bartending 3-4 nights a week, training clients at the gym, sharing my knowledge and new found love for strength training with the same friends I met at the bars, and I was creating like a madman. The nights I wasn’t bartending, I would work out of my studio apartment, sewing together stuffed monsters. My sleep schedule was so sporadic that I’d often stay up all night, faux fur, plastic eyeballs, and hot glue…. everywhere. Like a muppet horror movie. . . My previous junior and senior theses were three dimensional and interactive. First I made a giant pile of leaf pillows - I drew a bunch of leaves I found in Rittenhouse Park, printed them on fabric, and then sewed them together. I tossed them all in a pile in Hamilton Hall and encouraged people to JUMP in them. My next installation I bought a toy box, painted it and then filled it with random animals that I’d always wanted to see in an animal cracker box - something different from the norm, like baboons, hummingbirds, sharks, and porcupines. Then I drew this giant toddler on the wall, bending down to dig into the box, knocking over a giant glass of milk in the process. (Don’t cry over spilt milk). . . I was dating an amazing girl and decided it was time to take a trip - a big trip. The money I’d saved up got us two plane tickets, two train tickets, and took us all over Europe. London - Paris - Nice - Madrid - Barcelona - Rome - Sorrento - Croatia - Berlin - Munich - Switzerland - Brussels - Amersterdam. We explored the catacombs in Paris, visited Park Guell in Barcelona, did mushrooms in Amersterdam, and swam up and down the coast of Croatia. We visited platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame, had sex as quietly as we could in hostel showers, and I also had my first beer.(Yup, that is accurate, I wasn’t drinking at this point.) This trip opened me to the transformative power of travel - especially backpacking, moving from place to place, on a budget. (Continued in comments) 📸 @taghinaderzad #travelbug #hostellife #europe #eurotrip #backpacking #travelgram

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I had just started my fitness journey when I moved to Philadelphia for college. I was starting to see results from my training - physically and mentally. Movement, along with art, was quickly becoming a healthy outlet for me to work through trauma from my childhood. I use to self-harm a lot. Lifting heavy weights gave me the same relief minus the scars, plus a strong body. . . Art schools don’t typically have gyms or sports teams much to my dismay. I joined 12th street, the unofficial gym of UArts. It was full of super fit, super friendly, men. My school was located right next to the ‘gayborhood’- a collection of bars, clubs, and restaurants that proudly flew their rainbow flags and welcomed everybody. . . I think because of being raised pretty much exclusively by my mother I was open to all people. She was always an advocate for ‘do what makes you happy.’ I made friends quickly, including one of my best friends, @kevin.kreider. He was my first trainer. I told him I wanted to look like Ryan Reynolds in Blade Trinity (forget about Deadpool, y’all remember how ripped he was in that movie?!) Within a few months, my body had transformed. . . I eventually began working at the gym as a receptionist. A handful of members encouraged me to get a job at one of the bars in the neighborhood, enticing me with promises of ‘lots of money.’ I applied to Pure nightclub (@voyeurphilly) and got a job as a barback. I loved it - everything about it. I met people from all over the world, worked with amazing human beings, and basically got paid to work out, carrying boxes of alcohol and beer all night. . . At the end of a very long night, one of my dear friends and legendary bartender, Ricky Mac, asked me ‘Why don’t you ever work with your shirt off?” I asked him what incentive do I have to work with my shirt off (I got tipped out from the bartenders). “I’ll give you 40 bucks to finish cleaning with your shirt off.” (Continued below) #fitnessjourney #fitnessmotivation #fitnesslifestyle #movementformentalhealth

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This may be my first ’photoshoot’...ever. I was 19, maybe 20, studying printmaking at University of the Arts. I was interning with an artist named Alex DaCorte at the time, spending hours punching out holes from colored paper to be used later for murals. Somehow, he convinced me to throw on colored American Apparel briefs (remember those?) and do a photoshoot. I was nervous so props were helpful, especially this magical globe that would spark in me an insatiable wanderlust. . . Travel has always been one of my greatest teachers - exploring new lands, experiencing other cultures, getting lost in a world that is unfamiliar, is when I feel the most alive. When I’m completely immersed in a place I know very little about is when I’m at my best, because I have to be. It requires a heightened level of responsibility and presence that I often slip away from here amongst the comforts of modern life. . . . I’m prepping for what feels like the most important trip of my life - Japan. The beginning of March, I’m heading to the Land of the Rising Sun to immerse myself in a culture that has influenced me as an artist and a mover in so many aways. The Japanese artist Kitushika Hokusai is why I became a printmaker, and his work inspired one of my first tattoos. I actually start to shake as I’ve been researching this trip - I’m excited. . . . In preparation for my departure, I’m going to take you #humanheroes on a journey from this captured moment all the way up until I leave on the 3rd of March - covering all the places I’ve been blessed to explore/live. I’ve got so much content that I’ve never shared, along with so many stories, which is why I created an Instagram in the first place. So check back tomorrow for the next destination, and in the meantime tag someone who could use a vacation. 👹 #exploremore #exploretocreate #wanderlust #keepmoving #movementformentalhealth

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I adopted YaYa from a shelter but it’s more accurate to say she rescued me. She rescues me all the time! She smiles when I come home. She paws at me when she knows something is off. She kisses me when I ask for one. And when I really need it, she lets me cry into her fur. . . She came into my life when I was dealing with heartbreak. I didn’t know who I was outside of the relationship, and I mentally beat the shit out of myself for the mistakes I made. She helped me find myself again and heal. She taught me about patience, and responsibility, and love and how important it is to live for something other than myself. . . YaYa means grandma in a multiple languages. The intention behind her name is to show her the same unconditional love that my grandma showed me especially while she heals and works through the trauma she’s endured. . . . I think that’s what unconditional love is about - forgiveness. Forgiveness and empathy. Our choices define us and my choices, the good and the bad, have lead me here. If I hadn’t made those choices, YaYa might not still be here, and the fact that she is, is only ever going to be a good thing. #gratitude #trusttheprocess #forgivenessheals #dogpapa #adoptdontshop #rescuedogsofinstagram

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Miami always makes me think about @mrturk. You are so missed Jonathan. I know you’re strutting your stuff somewhere in a universe-patterned blazer and star-dusted slacks. #restinpeace #restinpower #mensfashion #miami #swimwear #mrturk

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She makes it all worth it. 💙 #citydog #love #relationshipgoals #healing #growth #change #responsibility #dogdad

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A huge thank you to @pigeonma.draws for this AWESOME portrait!🦁 Swipe to see his process from beginning to end. It’s always a treat to see how an artist works. . . Expect lots more art #humanheroes and stay tuned for a HH instagram! #👁⚡️👁 #artistsoninstagram #artistspotlight #illustration #drawingtutorial #movementformentalhealth #movingmeditation

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“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. “ MLK 🌀 I haven’t posted one of these in a long time. Maybe because I thought they were silly, or they fed the ego. Maybe because I’ve been too self-absorbed and thought I was better than taking a selfie. Unff.. yup that was it. That’s the ego! That is zero - when we compete and compare with any inclination towards superiority. . 🌀 That’s what growth is #humanheroes - getting honest. Not only recognizing when we show up as a zero, but more importantly - acknowledging and atoning. That’s why they’re called growing pains - because the truth hurts, and will continue to hurt until we get honest. . 🌀 Growth is also knowing when to take advantage of a dope dressing room where I couldn’t tell where my hair ends and begins. 🤪 much love #humanheroes #gethonest #ownyourzero #movementformentalhealth

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I’ve been getting a lot of requests for more yoga videos on my page so here is a cut from a #budokon inspired flow. I call it “ground and pound into helloooo tight shoulders.” 😅 Have a great weekend #humanheroes and hope to see some of you at #HeroFlow on Sunday @jameshotels . . PS. We got a “super would blood moon” on Sunday. Start thinking about your intentions for next week and beyond. 🌕🐺

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🙇🏽‍♀️ Mental Health PSA 🙇🏼‍♂️ Movement is always my go to when I’m trying to quiet that negative voice that I believe lives inside all of us. It’s part of being human along with giving yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling. . . Sometimes those feelings can bleed into the good forces of our lives. Friends, family, and life-partners are solid support structures but it’s not their job to hold us up all the time. We are responsible for our mental health. . . I’ve been using @betterhelp for the last 6 months. It’s super affordable and you get to decide on the level of interaction between you and your therapist. You can skype, call, or even text(don’t text). The point being you can move at your own speed if you’re still working through some vulnerability or trust issues. . . This isn’t a sponsored post. I don’t work for #BetterHelp. I’m sharing this with you #humanheroes because this service has helped me grow. It’s like getting into the arena of my mind with my therapist acting as the referee. I look forward to it every week. I uncover things about myself I could never unearth on my own. You gotta work for a healthy mind with the same level of discipline you bring to all aspects of your life. . If you’re looking for someone to talk to, check out @betterhelp. Already using it? Still feeling the stigma of speaking to a therapist? Let’s start a conversation about it. Leave a comment or DM me about your experience. #strongertogether #humanheroes #movementformentalhealth #mentalgym #keepmoving 📸 @wadleywadley