Picture This by GPP

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Trust me. Going to Paris is a challenge. Returning, even more so. And once there, life ain’t easy either.

My luggage was not lost often just mislaid over and over and sometimes not entered in the “system”.

Two suitcases permitted from San Francisco to London. One suitcase allowed from London to Paris. Paid through the nose.

Internet in hotel room not working for 4 days. Padded to lobby at all hours in sleep-suit.

Very confusing. I draw by hand, with a fat eagle feather, add paint, pastel, glitter etc (Picasso said, “I don’t look for things, I find them.” Lucky Pablo –- if he had wanted to post a feather drawing he’d have found a carrier pigeon). Prepping a drawing that took 5 minutes involves hours of stuff: charge batteries, photograph drawing, download to iPhoto, enhance, consider, un-enhance, crop, email…

The fact is, as you probably all know, social media is for people who want to waste time because that’s all they have.

The first half of the Twentieth Century was famous for creativity in literature, art, dance, music, film, fashion. Everyone was not an expert, not even equal.

(Check out the 1924 Ballet Russes production of ‘Le Train Bleu’: Stravinsky, Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Chanel, Diaghilev.)

My Old Year’s Resolution. Turn off the BlackBerry and check emails twice a day and let friends, foes and followers on Facebook and Tumblr carry on without me for a few hours.

When I was asked to take over the School of Fashion in 1995, I suggested “Everyone must cut, sew and draw.”

Forget digital. Use your fingers.

Written by: Gladys Perint Palmer

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