You Are Here
This summer, I will be moving to New York City–Brooklyn, to be exact. I can’t be more specific than that because I haven’t found an apartment, but trust me: This. Is. Happening. I’ve dreamed of living in NYC my entire life. I wouldn’t be surprised if, somehow, the idea had caught on in the womb. Maybe my mom watched Manhattan when she was pregnant, I don’t know. But the city has been a lifelong obsession of mine.
One of the reasons I’m so excited to move there is the prospect of soaking up the city’s energy, bathing in its culture, taking the night for a ride. If you’re a writer, you can write anywhere–Stephen King wrote in a laundry room during his hungry years, if I remember correctly. Somewhere small and cramped, hiding out from his kids, scribbling in between working full time and taking care of his family. BUT. If you had the chance to live somewhere that could inspire you, would you take it? I can’t wait to see what changes this move will have on my writing. What will it open up? What new ideas will I have? How will it help me go deeper, be better?
Right now I’m reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to read it because it is mindblowingly amazing. I know we have this culture of praise inflation, where everything’s OMG! I love it! 5 billion trillion stars!! But, seriously, if you are an artist or want to be an artist and if you have a big old crush on New York City, then read this book. Oh yeah, and if you want to read writing that is so good it hurts and so true it stings, then read it. And if you’re a writer, this would be near the top of my required reading list. It also won the National Book Award, if you care about things like that.
Reading this book just reminds me of the painful genesis of becoming an artist or acknowledging that you are one. And she’s so honest about the journey. Though it looks different for all of us, there’s a universality to how she expresses the becoming. The hunger for certain things, rejection of others. All the little ways you rearrange your life and those places inside you that are gathering dust or straining towards the light. Every day you wake up and choose your art–every day you say YES–is a victory. I really believe that. It’s so inspiring to read about other artists, to see what makes them tick and gets their hearts beating faster. It’s a good reminder to read more poetry, look at those art books gathering dust on your bookshelves, and dance in your living room for no other reason than because you can.
Just Kids chronicles Patti’s move to New York, the ups and downs, the crazy wonder of it. And while I know I will have a very different experience, something’s happening in Brooklyn right now and I want to find my place in this haven of artists, too. Gimme shelter.
With all the upcoming changes in my life, it’s hard to focus. But I’m trying to be present, to be here. To soak in each moment so that maybe, someday, I can drag it out of the vault of memory and wrap it up as a present of words.
