Respectful Disagreement (And Andy Warhol Disses)

We need friends who we both respect AND can disagree with. 

Because there’s no growth without resistance. 

Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe were that type of friends. They were also upward-bound artists. 

Mapplethorpe loved Andy Warhol and wanted to be a part of his scene. Smith didn’t feel the same. But they were still deeply connected friends – even when they didn’t see things in a remotely similar way.

We need friends like this.

People who both support us AND think independently. Who’s big ideas may not match our big ideas, but we still both get to have BIG ideas with. 

Bonus: Patti Smith has Hemingway bars. So if your friend can communicate like this too, more power to both of you. 

I didn’t feel for Warhol the way Robert did. His work reflected a culture I wanted to avoid. I hated the soup and felt little for the can. I preferred an artist who transformed his time, not mirrored it.

h/t Just Kids, Smith’s love letter to their friendship. I really loved this book – Smith’s writing and language = stunning.