Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012 One of the best commencement speeches. A must watch for any artist and everyone who hopes to be creative and successful. Make Good Art.
"People will tolerate how unpleasant you are, if your work is good and you deliver it on time. People will forgive the lateness of your work if it's good and they like you. And you don't have to be as good as everyone else if you're on time and it's always a pleasure to hear from you."
"The Moment you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your art and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that is the moment that you may be starting to get it right." - That's amazing
I met him once getting some books signed. I gushed to him about how his work on making LGBT characters visible, especially the fact the first transwoman I ever read about was in his comics and I knew in my heart she had always been a girl....made me feel seen. Then I said I wanted to be a writer...he shook my hand and said he couldn''t wait to read my work.
Douglas Diggins ok well I’ve never heard of the guy writing that comment whereas Neil Gaiman is a published author with an astonishing plethora of books.
That second to last bit about gatekeepers leaving their gates, in the context of 2012, makes me so damn sad. 7 years later, every path the internet had to offer, every freedom and empowerment it started giving artists all over the world, is now run by giant platforms and their dehumanizing algorithms. It doesn't take back any quality of this insanely good, profound, human speech, but man. I hope the corporate social media age is one that will end soon. I miss the collective excitement over what internet used to make possible for individuals. That said, back to making art !
I never imagined the "professionally replying to email" bit would hit me like a bucket of cold water. I remember watching this when I was in high school, thinking that would never be me. But last year, I looked up from my computer at work, and tried to figure out why I felt so lousy. Why it felt so wrong. One year later, I'm unemployed, and have completed a manuscript I never thought would survive my daydreams. It's a precarious place to be in, but it feels like home. Onto the next step! Thank you, Neil.
I feel like he took everything that was going on in my brain-all the doubts and insecurities about art and creativity- worded them beautifully and said them back to me. All I could think of was- he gets me. *He gets me.* The bit about the message in the bottle is so true. And of course, make good art.
Great speech. I don't follow this guy's work religiously or anything, but man, what a great speech. :) Whenever I'm doubting myself, I throw this video on, and I'm back on it. He's a very wise man.
I've read everything he's published; he's my favorite author and I'm 100% with you. I've watched this video a number of times and forwarded it often and I always get positive responses. In fact, I should be getting back to work just now. ^^
"He's a very wise man" - Yeah, or is he just very good in pretending to be a very wise man? ;-) If you think it through, there is no difference, but you think it's easier the latter way. That's the genious in it.
the thing about a distant mountain is even when you've climbed up the foothills, it still looks like a distant mountain. The only ones who can accurately judge your ascent are those looking from elsewhere. You're too close to tell.
I’ve recently found Neil Gaiman because we’re reading his book on Norse Mythology in language arts class. I’m very glad I’ve found him, and I’m excited to read more of his work.
Neil Gaiman always a pleasure one of this world's brilliant souls who also happens to be one of those humans of immense good will. A treasure ... his books helped me through good times and bad.
This is such an old video but...I'm a high-school senior about to graduate. I have my dream university offer that I feel like I shouldn't have gotten and Neil Gaiman talking about imposter syndrome felt so close to heart. His lessons so worthwhile. I hope I don't forget them in the next four years.
Congrats, I hope it’s going well. I’ve rewatched this video at least once a year for the past 6 years and each time I am inspired anew but notice areas of life where I’ve been forgetting these lessons. I’m happy to report though that each year I do better, and these days I feel more comfortable in my own skin than I have since I was a kid.
I don't think this is just for artists, it's for everybody. Everything can be art and if you make a mistake, you did something diffrent from last time. I love the speech!
Its been 6 years since I first heard this speech. My life got tough at that moment, but I always remembered his advice. Time took its sting away and things got better, whenever I had doubts, or worried too much about the future or keeping the good things I had going around, I tried to follow his advice, and enjoy the ride. I have his voice in my head telling me: "This is really great, you should enjoy this" and he always manages to help me see the good stuff behind the problems of success. Totally, one of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten.
I was feeling discouraged because of a post on tumblr that was disparaging to following your dreams. I posted, "I will make life work for me if it's the last thing I do" and a friend on tumblr, who knew I was a writer, sent me this. Inspired me to push forward.
Omg, I'm so glad I've heard this speech now. I am not an artist of any kind and yet I am stuck with something I need to do. This is so inspirational! I guess I am going to pretend I am someone who knows how to proceed and will act like them. In the end, anything we produce can be a good art, can't it?
My Son graduated in this class and it was a thrill to be there to hear Neil's Speech... The class was encouraged to decorate their hats and gowns as they wanted, and as far as the hair... well it is an art school! lol
IMHO one of the most moving, inspirational and thought-provoking commencement addresses of all time. Refreshingly, Neil talks in plain language, avoiding the cant used by others who do the same job. He speaks from his own world of experience and avoids moralizing. We feel invited to sit with him and have a chat; we are not preached to from 'on high'. He cast aside any thoughts of smug superiority and spoke eloquently and honestly from his heart. Thank you Neil. This address was a gift.
Brilliant! I'm trying to write something now, not for publication necessarily, but just to see if I can turn a jumble of ideas into a finished story. This is the kind of inspiration I need.
What an inspiring speech! The wisdom in every sentence is profound and clear as crystalline water..."mistakes" are the essence of being is extraordinary. And he is English and I have cross his pathways many times over...just amazing how life is mysterious. Coraline was a misspelling wow.
I have returned to this time and again, it´s a lifeline for me, something that reminds me of my goals, my shortcomings, my abilities and my never ending journey to do things I never did before. "Make Good Art" - makes me weep like a child, every time. It is so true.
That was so beautiful & poignant. I especially liked "I learned to write by writing," "When things go wrong, do what only you can do best, make good art...the only thing you have that no one else has, is you," and, "Pretend you're someone who can do it."
I love me some Neil Gaiman! Incredibly inspiring. What a blessing that we have the internet and RU-vid so that people years later who were not at that commencement ceremony can enjoy it as well.
Most of us only find our own voices after we've sounded like a lot of other people. But the one thing that you have that nobody else has is You - your voice, your mind, your story, your vision.
"People who know what they're doing, know the rules and they know what is possible and what is impossible; you do not and you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of possible by going beyond them, and you can. If you don't know it's impossible, it's easier to do. And because nobody's done it before, they haven't made up rules to stop anyone from doing that particular thing again." "I tended to do everything as long as it felt like an adventure and to stop when it felt like work. Which meant that life did not feel like work." I just had to write down these two somewhere.
This is so inspiring and reflecting my own, decades long journey as a self taught photographer and surrealist painter! While watching/listening to this speech, my eyes glanced several times over my canvas, stored on the top of a bookshelf, underpainting done, but waiting to be completed into a painting for almost 10months... Thank you Peter Shev for sharing this remarkable speech... :)
I heard this speech in 2012 and to this day there are 6 or 7 things he mentioned in this video that I still do. I have to come back to listen at least once or twice a year. This is easily my favorite speech of all time. Just sit back and enjoy this ♥️
I cannot watch and listen to this speech enough! What a gift!! It has given me so much peace with my creative quest with my art and Decadent Digs. It is a must watch and feel profoundly blessed sharing this on my Facebook~! You Rock Neil!!!
this is the best speech on art i've ever heard i truly could not stop watching due to how smart this man is. This is perhaps the greatest advice for all writers alike....Truly amazing :)
And if a failure was saying all this, would you take it more seriously? It's called experience. It doesn't make you the smartest, just smarter than those who did not experience. It has nothing to do with success or failure. And I am saying this as a person who has an extreme fear of failure.
Excellent commencement. For those who enjoyed this, I recommend looking up the "9 Life Lessons" commencement speech by Tim Minchin at the University of Western Australia.
This is truly incredible. I wish I had gotten a speech like that when I graduated last year. Oh well, this has made me rethink what I doing with my life.
