The letter that changed my life

The artist who wrote it could use our help

Winston Smith and me, 2012

Hey y’all,

In 1997, when I was 13, I wrote a letter to the collage artist Winston Smith and he wrote me back a 14-page letter that changed my young life. As I’ve told the story before:

I couldn’t believe it. An artist—a real artist!—had written me back! To me, it was the equivalent of Rilke writing back to the young poet. He told me about his life and his methods. He urged me to always question authority, stay away from drugs, and keep getting straight As so one day I could pay the bills. (An artist—a real artist!—was telling me it was okay to get straight As!) I’d never heard anybody talk about the kind of things he wrote about—art, America, growing up in a small-town—it was like a time-bomb that went off in my brain.

Fifteen years later, when I was on tour promoting Steal Like an Artist, we finally met and became friends.

Winston recently survived a heart attack and needs some financial help while he recovers. With his permission, I wanted to share his letter today to introduce y’all to his generous spirit and his wild work. If you’re so moved, please consider making a donation to his recovery fund:

(A full transcript of the letter is in the PS.)

Get well, Winston! If you enjoyed this letter, I hope you’ll consider making a contribution to Winston’s recovery fund:

xoxo,

Austin

PS. Here’s a full transcript of the letter: