When to Listen and When Not

An item in The Jewish Week (newspaper) on February 12th, reminded me that you can't always listen to the "experts." It was an article on the fashion designer, Donna Karan.

As a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Ms. Karan was told she'd never make it as a designer. She had failed her course on draping.

But Ms Draper didn't accept the judgement lying down. She switched to Parsons School for design. True, they did make her take a summer school course. Also, they taught her how to drape. She graduated.

Ms. Karan had been, it must be admitted, stung by being failed at FIT. It made her that much more determined to succeed in the shmatta business. She did have a booster; namely, her stepfather, who was a custom tailor on Long Island. But, whatever, she made it.

Her ambitions did not move her along a path that was arrow straight. She had briefly thought that perhaps she might be a singer like her idol, Barbra Streisand. But, she realized that this was something truly beyond her abilities, not to mention her vocal chords. It was like a really good high school basketball player realizing that at 5'8" he was never going to make it in the NBA.
But, none of this hindered her desire to be a fashion designer.

There's a lesson here kiddies. You want something go after it. But, do realize that if you want to be a great actor or actress, it helps to have a realative in the business. Or, that to be a professional basketball player, it helps to be tall.