Succeeding with Support
Surviving in New York City is a difficult task but it’s an adventure when you’ve got someone to survive with. It’s essential to have someone by your side that motivates you and assists to accomplish your goals. Patti Smith describes her experiences of living in the city with her closest companion, Robert Mapplethorpe, in a memoir “Just Kids”. She cuts deep into emotion as she unravels her struggles, such as paying rent and buying food with a minimum wage job, while aspiring to be an artist in the late sixties and seventies. It’s a tragic love story that focuses on the hardships of being “just kids” who are striving for fame in a tough city. Smith’s story demonstrates the essential importance of friendship in the development…show more content… Despite the fact that the most important bond is between Robert and Patti, their lesser important bonds with the many people they meet throughout their journey still contributes to the growth of their identities. As Robert experimented with his photograph themes, such as sadism and masochism (s&m), he used his peers as models and confirmed his homosexuality. Robert meets Sam, who eventually becomes his lover, and completes him in the most unexpected way. “He was rich yet unimpressed with wealth. Knowledgeable and enthusiastically open to provocative concepts, he was the perfect advocate and provider for Robert and his work” (205). “Robert liked Sam’s money, and Sam liked that Robert liked his money” (235). Further explained, Robert had always wanted to be rich and Sam wanted to have artistic abilities, making them the perfect attributes towards each other; one had what the other wanted. Meanwhile, Patti wanted to experience difference types of art, for example writing poems, songs and books, acting, and later pursuing her career in a rock band. Steve Paul, who encouraged Patti to write songs and start a band, helped Patti realize that being in a band was her real identity. “…Steve Paul offered to take me to Mexico with some other musicians to write songs, Robert encouraged me to go” (186). This support from Robert helped Patti form an enthusiastic bond with Steve to discover her passion for writing and performing her music to the world. Meeting a various amount of individuals, having strong communal bonds with them, and experimenting with your passions helps in building a powerful