Unemployment diary: I'm a 22-year-old actress and barista in Maryland who's been out of work since March

• The Unemployed States of America takes readers deep inside the decimated American workforce.
• Annika Cowles is a 22-year-old actress based in Bethesda, Maryland.
• She lost her jobs as a barista and worker at a hotel in Philadelphia in March, and was about to begin rehearsals for her first professional theater job when the pandemic hit.
• After she lost her jobs, her parents came to get her from Philadelphia and brought her home to Maryland.
• This is her story, as told to Leah Feiger.

I'm an actress, and I was about to start rehearsals for my first professional theater show when the pandemic hit. I was supposed to be in "The Wolves."

Within days of hearing that the production was over in mid-March, I also found out I lost my job at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, where I worked as a barista and hostess. Now I live in Bethesda, Maryland, with my parents.

I graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2019 and was feeling really fortunate to have work right out of college. I was supporting myself financially and I was doing okay.

At first with the pandemic, I didn't realize how serious it was. I saw Snapchat filters with black masks and heard people talking about it, but I didn't know how bad it would be.

When I lost both my jobs, everyone at work was really kind and supportive.

I had great bosses and coworkers, and we still check in on each other. But I couldn't stay in Philadelphia, and I was really privileged to have a good support system.

When I called my parents, my dad just said, "Pack up your stuff and I'll come get you." I went home the next day.

I'm on unemployment now, and I've been looking at different acting opportunities. I've done a few remote acting jobs here and there, mostly just recording myself. It's really tough in the theater industry, too, since there are so many people other than the actors. It's our designers, directors, and people that work in the box office. No one wants to get sick, and I don't see us going back anytime soon.

Now I'm trying to figure out who I am outside of my career.

I've been taking advantage of a full fridge and nearby hiking trails. There are great hiking trails in the Maryland and Virginia area; I'm going to go backpacking with my friend to some national parks soon. I've always wanted to do that, and we're really excited.

I'm trying to be positive, and I'm a firm believer that you get to choose your own attitude.

I'm also really fortunate to be living at home with my family, and I recognize that privilege. I don't think I would have been able to support myself on unemployment if I wasn't living with them, just with food, rent, and bills.

We've been doing a lot of family bonding, too, and it's been really nice, since I didn't go home very much from Philadelphia. The rest of my family is doing well. My sister just went back to college, which is scary, but she and her friends are really smart and will be okay. My mom made these binders for one of my grandmothers with printed PowerPoints of how to access Netflix and things like that, and she's loved it. She just finished "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and she's really proud of herself.

Obviously, there are days when I'm feeling less positive, but I'm trying to stay in contact with all my friends and coworkers and with the different theaters to make sure I can be part of future projects when we get back to creating.

Even before the pandemic, when I met people and told them I was an actress, the one question I always got was, "What's your backup plan?" I always just responded, "Well, what's yours?"

I'm getting asked that even more now. But even in this time of uncertainty, I know that being an actress is what I want to do with my life. The arts is something we all use, and we crave it every single day, whether it's television or magazines or theater. I don't think our desire for it will go away anytime soon, and the pandemic has shown that.

When we find this new normal, I hope artists will be paid more, and it'll be considered real work.