Quotes from Steven Sebring

I came up with more money, took all the footage, got a great editor and made this film [Dream of Life]. But I really didn't go into it with the intention of making a movie.

Hopefully I can inspire lots of people to learn about [Patti Smith], to read poetry or learn about William Blake or Arthur Rimbaud.

Ultimately, the film [Dream of Life] is inspirational.

Many of my family members are teachers in the arts, and I picked up the camera years ago, in high school.

Because the filming process was so organic and there was no script, the film [Dream of Life] was literally telling us what it wanted to be in the editing room.

Fashion's been really good to me. It financed Patti Smith: Dream of Life.

I was making a film [Dream of Life] about Patti [Smith], but I was taking pictures, too.

For me to see the film [Dream of Life] on a big screen - it's pretty extraordinary.

I would bring Patti [Smith ] in to the editing room [working on the Dream of Life] and say, "This is a great moment for a voiceover, or a poem," and then we'd bring in some sound design.

At the beginning I didn't even really think about making a movie [Dream of Life]. I was just thinking of documenting somebody.

I shot [Dream of Life] all on 16-millimeter, and I just wanted to learn about Patti [Smith].

Angelo Corrao was our editor [in Dream of Life], and he was just so diligent and so old-school in the way he looked at editing. He would take my far-out ideas and tame them and make sense of them.

We had a hodgepodge of footage. We didn't film [in Dream of Life ]all the time - we would just film periodically, so nothing was synced and nothing was slated.

The only self-consciousness in the film [Dream of Life] is anyone's natural shyness.

I do remember, the first time we met [with Patti Smith], the door opening with a squeak. And then there was this very beautiful girl looking out.

We were just hanging out and getting to learn about each other. But I think trust was a really big thing. Patti [Smith] is a good friend, somebody I can talk to.

We just grew to trust each other [with Patti Smith] more and more over the years. Most of the time I didn't even have a movie camera.

I like not knowing too much about somebody I'm photographing, because the process also becomes an experience for me to learn about .

Fashion has also been a great outlet, and I'd like to do more fashion photography in the future. I also photograph a lot of artists.