Patricia, the Artist Who had the courage to leave

It is early morning in Sassine square in Achrafieh district in Beirut. People are living their lives. Their daily routine. Their essential rituals that help them run away from reality.

It is easier to forget that wax sculptor and ring maker, Patricia Rahme, is waiting for me for coffee. There is so much to see and do in Sassine. Especially during the early morning hours, when Beirut is waking up to honking mad taxi drivers, students who are finding shelter and enjoying the early days of fall in local coffee shops, housewives who are postponing their daily chores either by "haunting" the ABC Mall or lurking in hip coffee shops. There is life here...a certain magic that transcends the banality of a Wednesday morning.

But that's not why I am here today. It could make a beautiful background of the scene I am about to live with Patricia. She has made her dreams come to life. Her atelier is located in a residential street just behind the main road. It rests on the ground floor. Yet, it is hidden away from prying eyes through crawling plants that ornament the small terrace.

If there is a touch of magic in Sassine square's daily noise, wait until you step inside Patricia's atelier. In that small apartment she has turned into her work place, she has also managed to create her own world.

Isn't it grand to be able to live in your own world? She greets me with her usual bubbly laugh. Patricia always greets her guests with a bubbly laugh. And then, there is that passion that engulfs her petite frame. It is the very same passion that drove her to quit her "top notch" position in a highly regarded advertising agency to become a ring maker...

Her story has a first line. All stories do.

She was visiting Florence with a friend. A much needed vacation that turned her life into a fairy tale. Whilst walking and discovering the historical streets of Florence her friend insisted they enter a small intimate shop. It was hidden somewhere midst the enchanted city. And then everything changed.

The place looked like a museum. Sort of an atelier mixed with a boutique. It belongs to the renowned international artist Alessandro Dari. The Maestro. That is how everybody calls him. He creates jewels and sculptures. His hands are magic and that is the reason he is the trusted artist of the Vatican.

And so life changed. Patricia quit her job, and lived for a year and a month in that atelier. She joined the maestro's sculpting class. She moved to Florence, turning it into her home. A magical haven she still longs for.

Learning to sculpt. Learning the language. Getting lost in a city that is said to be haunted by spirits. The atelier is also said to be haunted by the spirit of a certain Cardinal. An imp, who happens to have a certain joie de vivre. He most certainly enjoys torturing The Maestro. Between them lies a certain link. They share rituals. Funny ones. Exasperating ones.

Patricia does not worry about the Cardinal. Nor is she afraid of him. She is too busy creating a life. Becoming the artist she was meant to be. Not being able to communicate with the maestro or the other students who have joined the maestro's sculpting class. They don't know English, you see. So she has to learn Italian. Quickly. And the language of ring making...well that is another story.

On that Wednesday morning in Sassine, we have espresso on the balcony. She recounts tales of her endless hours spent creating rings. Beirut has taken notice of the young artist who did not know she is one until she had the guts to leave. It seems, at one point in our lives, we must all have the courage to leave. And go someplace else.

The atelier's minimal and elegant décor blends well with her petite frame. In the last room, is her small working space. Dimly lit, and filled with accessories of all sorts. It is organized in its disciplined chaos. It is a home in itself.

The outer half is linked with a kitchenette, and it is used to display the rings that are taking the country by storm.

Both men and women want to imprison a finger with a ring made by La patrizia. That is her new nickname.

She is known to sit for hours with customers asking them details about the life they lead before creating the ring that will rest on a finger. The ring that is meant to be.

If we choose to own an already made ring, then Patricia insists that it is because the ring has called upon us.

It is meant to be, you see.

One ring beckoned me to own it. I bought it in January when Patricia was launching her atelier. Officially telling the world that she is now a ring maker. An artist who never knew she was one.

The ring is no longer with me. It is now with a special friend who took it for good luck. I don't know if I will ever see it on my finger once more.

But then again, if it's meant to be...