It was early March, when John and I met Patti Smith, when we did not have to distance ourselves, and we could hug one another and stand shoulder-to-shoulder.
Given the threat of coronavirus, it feels like a world ago.
photo: Lisa Field
We gathered in a beautiful black tent and Patti delivered us to ourselves as only she could do, through wildly-tamed, powerful and poetic spoken and sung words. She offered us hope amidst turbulence, and topped off our reserves. We would have no idea in the days to come how much we’d need what she gave us. It would only take days and everything would change.
We had designed a @waxingpoetic bookmark to honor Patti, as a gift to the beautiful community who attended the concert by the sea to support The Council for Alcohol and Drug Addiction , and when I met Patti after the show, she smiled and pulled the bookmark from her pocket and told me how much she loved it, calling it her talisman.
photo: Lisa Field
Backing up just a bit: Patti’s childhood home was about 20 minutes from mine in NJ, and so I always felt special kinship to her through this coincidence (growing in the same Jersey dirt does that) and the spelling of her name (she and I, both “Patti” with an “i”). But I mostly feel akin to Patti because of how her singular voice speaks to my singular ear, reminding me of my art school days: rebellion, expansive learning, establishing my own voice as an artmaker, and of course, listening to Patti Smith.
On the bookmark, Patti’s words read,
“We are the forgers, the survivors, and our dance is fierce.”
Are we ever. Is it ever.
As we move into an uncertain times ahead, I’ll be carrying Patti’s music and these words with me like an invisible shield of survival, to forge ahead, protected by the power of our voices, our actions and the ultimate dance - what we decide to do with our gifts here.
Thank you @lisafield for these beautiful shots and thank you @merrylbrownevents for the opportunity to join in this beautiful evening with gracious host @lyndawienman – it was an honor to serve @Cadasb
In my magical meeting with Patti, she said she would be honored to have her words on our jewelry, and it is my absolute honor to make that happen! I will be using some of the time away in social distancing isolation to dive into this dream project. If you have a lyric or excerpt of Patti’s that you’d like to see on something special, please share with us on social or email us – we’d love to hear about your favorites.
And if you would like to pre-order this special limited edition bookmark, and count it among your treasures too, please use the link below.
Thank you @thisispattismith for all of the gifts you have given me, and all of us. I am so grateful. You are a true heroine.
Xx Patti
