Ryan Schude

Issue 175

“At twenty years old, I boarded the bus. I wore my dungarees, black turtleneck, and the old gray raincoat I had bought in Camden. My small suitcase, yellow-and-red plaid, held some drawing pencils, a notebook, Illuminations, a few pieces of clothing, and pictures of my siblings. I was superstitious. Today was a Monday; I was born on Monday. It was a good day to arrive in New York City. No one expected me. Everything awaited me.” – Patti Smith, “Just Kids”.

As part of an ongoing series exploring the relationship between photography and literature, this collection was directly inspired by Patti Smith’s memoir “Just Kids.” Recounting a turning point in her life, which marked the transition from a factory worker from New Jersey to an aspiring artist in New York City, Smith writes poignantly about boarding the bus that started it all.

“It was a big blow that the fare to New York had nearly doubled since last I'd traveled. I was unable to buy my ticket. I went into a phone booth to think. It was a real Clark Kent moment. I thought of calling my sister although I was too ashamed to return home. But there, on the shelf beneath the telephone, lying on thick yellow pages, was a white patent purse. It contained a locket and thirty-two dollars, almost a week's paycheck at my last job.”

Although my journey wasn’t quite as dramatic, I distinctly recall leaving an interview for a corporate sales position at around the same age, realizing I was never going to follow that path, and choosing, instead, to apply to art school. Smith put it all on the line. I can only begin to imagine the courage it took to show up in such an overwhelming city with no money, no job, and no place to stay. That same courage and attitude can be found in her writing, her art, and her music.

Ryan Schude (he/him) lives and works in Southern California, United States.
www.ryanschude.com | @ryanschude