Just Kids

“It was a good day to arrive in New York City. No one expected me. Everything awaited me.”

Patti Smith, Just Kids

I have a love / hate relationship with the city, but this memoir taught me to love the city for what it is by relishing in all the creativity it has to offer. It’s a beautiful portrayal of New York in the 60s and 70s (an era I am infatuated with), self expression, companionship, and what it means to enjoy the power and freedom of one’s youth. I especially love Patti’s way of romanticizing what it means to be a struggling artist and the enchantment in being so free.

As Patti shares her and Robert’s story, it becomes so apparent how they spent all their idle moments creating, writing, thinking, talking. Today, we tend to spend our idle moments (e.g. when you’re waiting for a coffee, riding the subway, lounging before bed) grabbing for our devices, often engaging with the metaverse. I believe by doing this, we are imposing a block on the possibility of expanding our creative outlets and being able to see and think more colorfully as individuals. The story of their youth and their devotion to a life through art has encouraged me to try and just let those idle moments remain absent of technology and to see what comes to mind or happens around me when I do (ironic because I am writing this for the metaverse in the idle moment I currently find myself in).

If you do decide to buy this book (firsthand), make sure to purchase from an independent bookstore. If you already have this book and want to elevate the experience of it / have it as a decorative piece, I would recommend the illustrated version.