Day Momo (Des Moments) August 1st-15th
Neil Gaiman is a best selling and award winning fiction and comic book writer.
I recently watched his commencement speech to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Here are 9 major points on creativity, life and work from his speech:
1. Having no idea what you are doing is an excellent thing. When you don’t know the rules, you don’t what’s possible. You also don’t know what’s impossible, and this breeds creativity.
2. Imagine where you want to be is a mountain in the distance. Your mountain is your goal, and whatever you are doing in the present moment, as long as it is moving you down the path to your mountain, you’ll be alright.
3. Be thick-skinned. “Sometimes it will feel like your work is the equivalent to throwing hundreds of messages in a bottle on a desert island, and no one is responding to those messages.” Continue to put out those hundreds of messages, for just that one that comes back to you. And when that bottle and victory does come back to you, embrace your success. Release the notion, the neurosis notion, that you are getting away with something through your success.
4. When writing, don’t write for money. Write for work you are proud of. This applies to all other fields of work as well.
5. Make mistakes. Make mistakes, and continue to make art during the good and bad times. His final quote of the speech: “Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break the rules, leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.”
6. Make your own art, and be vulnerable. Show what exists within you. I quote Neil, “The moment you feel as if you are walking down the street naked, showing too much of your heart, and your mind, that’s when you may be starting to get it right.” He also said, “My best work was the work I was the least certain about.”
7. The 2 out 3 theory. To get work or hired, have 2 of these 3 things. 1. Create exceptional work. 2. Be pleasant to be around. 3. Be on time. If you have 2 of these 3, you can find work anywhere (he said this in jest).
8. Enjoy it. Stephen King told him this. His first 10 years in the profession, he was always worrying about the next book, or the next project. He now has learned to stop; to enjoy the moment, and enjoy the present ride.
9. The distribution channels are breaking down. The rules have changed. With publishing different, and social media, you can become your own creator immediately.
Joseph Metcalfe
Here’s the video of his speech:
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