Alison Garwood Jones

Milton Glaser was (and is) my teacher. He didn’t know that. But I know it and so do the thousands of other attuned souls who sidled up to him for wisdom.

When Milton explained that “Attentiveness is the great benefit of drawing,” I instantly understood why drawing had taken hold of me over words. 

Becoming attentive about your life is a question for every human, he said, not just artists. 

But there’s a rub: to pay attention without preconceptions was massively challenging. As he explained it, too much belief spelled the end to observation and understanding.

“Looking is not seeing.”

And so I have my marching orders: connect the dots, accept what is, ask, “Am I doing harm?” and know that the iconic will rise from the force of your intuition.

Thank you, Milton