11 thoughts on “Neil Gaiman Speech at University of the Arts”

  1. Thanks for this Matt Neil Gairmen chamring wise and inspiring. Think we call take something from this! Together with a lovely post about the WP community being all about the people and giving with grace. Points to ponder and cherish, so thank you.

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  4. Oh, this made my day. And just imagining being deaf made this even more enjoyable, when watching with the (autogenerated?) subtitles on. This is so perfect … with all the mistakes in translation.

    Some excerpts:
    06:05 min
    … and I decided that (NOT but) I do my best in future not to write books just for the money.
    If you didn’t get the money then you didn’t have anything. And if I did work I was proud of and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work.
    Every now and then I forget that rule. And whenever I do the universe kicks me hard (NOT cart) and reminds me. I don’t know that it’s an issue for anybody but me, but it’s true that nothing I did were (NOT with) the only reason for doing it was the money was ever worth it. Except this bitter (NOT is better) experience. Usually I didn’t wind up getting the money either.
    The things I did (NOT like that) because I was excited and wanted to see them exist in reality have never let me down and I’ve never regretted the time I spent on any of them.
    [NOT The problems a failure or heart ???]
    The problems of failure are hard; the problems (NOT have) of success can be harder because nobody warns you about them.
    The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you’re getting away with something and that any moment now they will discover you.
    It’s imposter syndrome; …

    Thanks for putting that up!

    Reminded me about your Interview with the Vague Direction People on Youtube,
    where it all started with math homework 🙂
    I really, really LOVE that … anyways.

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  5. 08:58
    … because you’re successful.
    There was a day (NOT dead), when I looked up and realized that I had become someone who professionally replied to e-mail and who wrote as a hobby. I started answering fewer e-mails and was relieved to find I was writing much more.
    09:17
    Fourthly I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you make mistakes it means your’re out there doing something and the mistakes in themselves can be very useful.
    I once misspelled Caroline; in a letter. Transposing the A’s and the o and I thought Coraline looks almost like a real name.
    Remember whatever discipline your are in. Whether you’re a musician or a photographer, a fine artist or a cartoonist, a writer, a dancer, a singer, a designer whatever you do, you have one thing that’s unique 🙂 You have the ability to make art (NOT → OUT )
    …
    and when things get though, this is what you should do:
    → make good art
    I’m serious …

    someone on the internet thinks what you are doing is stupid …

    [Oh yes, this guy whose video I’ve seen last week who said that responsive webdesign is stupid… And I thought „WHAT?“ … and after going through some very, very long 30 minutes I finally had to commit…. he was right -> but NOT GOOD ART, nor fun.]

    … but the one thing that you have, that nobody else has is you, your voice, your mind, your story, [ ermmm …. AND what about my EARS?! 🙂 ] your vision.
    So write [NOT right] and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.

    6) Secret …
    People get hired because
    somehow they get hired
    [or hiRED]

    15:53
    I then made it a point of honor [NOT Obama] to have written something …

    OK.
    I’ll better stop now. That’s just perfect. And a good way to emprove english language skills in a funny way. Thanks Ma.tt 🙂

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  6. Matt, this is a great speech. I passed it on to some close friends. But why are you claiming it was at MIT when it clearly was not? It is confusing my friends.

    Andy

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  7. We all make mistakes now and then, but luckily we have the ability to correct them and US and improve (NOT emprove) on our way to “make good art”.

    I’m currently thinking about printing that on a t-shirt.
    The domain make.good.art would be nice also. 🙂

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  8. Wonderful and inspiring. All kinds of things are art. Truly loving people is an art and any job done well is an art when done by someone who loves doing it.

    Just as a painter can hate what they are painting and not really be an artist at that moment. The converse is true an accountant can be an artist in those moments they love what they do and do it with gusto.

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