Did you know that it’s impossible for an artist to paint the human form without imparting some narrative of their own? No matter their assignment. No matter their intention. It’s impossible. Imagine that. So, I look at That Girl Holding a Touchscreen, and I wonder. What is the narrative hidden within her? What is she looking at?

I will share what I see. I see a curious young girl with anywhere she wants to go in the palm of her hands. This was conceived a year before Apple launched the first iPad, yet she beams in the light of a mysterious tablet. In 1962, AT&T introduced a new slogan, let your fingers do the walking. They had no clue about touchscreens at the time, but here, 60 years later, that slogan rings truer than ever. That girl holding a touchscreen can let her fingers walk her far beyond what had previously been imaginable. I believe she holds opportunities far greater than any generation before her. I wonder what she’ll be holding 60 years from now. And, of course, I imagine that girl holding a touchscreen is looking at a graphical user interface (GUI) that is divine.

We may never really know what that girl holding a touchscreen is looking at, but I have always trusted it is something inspiring. Perhaps there is nothing on the screen at all, but a reflection of her in a smudged pane of glass. That would be something, wouldn’t it? That girl holding a touchscreen is truly a treasure.