Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Make Good Art
    Make Good Art
    Make Good Art
    Ebook104 pages21 minutes

    Make Good Art

    By Neil Gaiman

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    THIS BOOK IS FOR EVERYONE LOOKING AROUND AND THINKING, "NOW WHAT?”

    Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed commencement address, "Make Good Art," thoughtfully and aesthetically designed by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd. This keepsake volume is the perfect gift for graduates, aspiring creators, or anyone who needs a reminder to run toward what gives them joy.

    When Neil Gaiman delivered his "Make Good Art" commencement address at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength. He encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to break rules and think outside the box. Most of all, he encouraged them to make good art.

    The speech resonated far beyond that art school audience and immediately went viral on YouTube and has now been viewed more than a million times.

    Acclaimed designer Chip Kidd brings his unique sensibility to this seminal address in this gorgeous edition that commemorates Gaiman's inspiring message.

    Editor's Note

    Inspiring speech…

    “Make good art.” Make it on your good days. And make it on your bad days, too. That’s Neil Gaiman’s message in his commencement address to the Philadelphia University of the Arts graduating class of 2012. Lucky for the rest of us, Gaiman and graphic artist Chip Kidd turned that speech into this short ebook so we can all benefit from the “American Gods” and “Sandman” author’s wisdom on how to make it in the arts. A quick, inspiring read for folks at any stage of their career, whether you’re just starting out or have been at it for years.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 14, 2013
    ISBN9780062266828
    Make Good Art
    Author

    Neil Gaiman

    Neil Gaiman is the celebrated author of books, graphic novels, short stories, films, and television for readers of all ages. Some of his most notable titles include the highly lauded #1 New York Times bestseller Norse Mythology; the groundbreaking and award-winning Sandman comic series; The Graveyard Book (the first book ever to win both the Newbery and Carnegie Medals); American Gods, winner of many awards and recently adapted into the Emmy-nominated Starz TV series (the second season slated to air in 2019); The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was the UK’s National Book Award 2013 Book of the Year. Good Omens, which he wrote with Terry Pratchett a very long time ago (but not quite as long ago as Don’t Panic) and for which Gaiman wrote the screenplay, will air on Amazon and the BBC in 2019. Author photo by Beowulf Sheehan

    Read more from Neil Gaiman

    Related to Make Good Art

    Related ebooks

    Personal Growth For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Q&A OSCAR ISAAC

      Aug 20, 2021

      Q&A OSCAR ISAAC
      1 min read

    • Article

      How Instagram Saved Poetry

      Oct 15, 2018

      How Instagram Saved Poetry
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Loneliness Project

      Jun 16, 2021

      The Loneliness Project
      3 min read

    • Article

      I’d Like to Thank the Academy

      Oct 15, 2021

      Many of my students, and even some younger colleagues, think—assume—that creative nonfiction is just part of the literary ecosystem; it’s always been around, like fiction or poetry. In many ways, of course, they are right: the kind of writing that is

      10 min read

    • Article

      A YEAR’S WORTH OF inspiration

      Jan 29, 2022

      1. Write about a memory that epitomizes cozy for you. What makes this memory feel so warm and snug? What concrete details can you add to make the scene feel lushly atmospheric on the page? 2. The dark and cold of winter can make it a hated season for

      13 min read

    • Article

      I’m Going to Keep Writing: At 91, Lore Segal Is Still Going Strong

      Jun 17, 2019

      I still have a lot of curiosity, and a lot of celebration to do. It’s a lucky life. The post I’m Going to Keep Writing: At 91, Lore Segal Is Still Going Strong appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Dustin Kurtz

      Dec 23, 2019

      Chalk it up in the How Books Are Bad column, I guess: They shore you up as a reading subject instead of letting you blur out. What a misdeed. The post A Year in Reading: Dustin Kurtz appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Gene Wolfe And The Book Of Gold

      Apr 25, 2019

      His example was a welcome counter to the romanticized notion of the philandering rebel artist. Regular habits, a strong work ethic, and a love of revision were the secret ingredients to a successful writing career. The post Gene Wolfe and the Book of

      8 min read

    • Article

      Books

      May 15, 2023

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      Read It Again

      Apr 27, 2018

      1. I have one memory of my father reading to me. He’d returned home from work with a gift: the latest Dr. Seuss book, If I Ran the Circus.  I can still see him standing in the doorway, book in hand, his coat unbuttoned and hat a little askew, a smile

      10 min read

    • Article

      Fourteen First and Last Sentence Novels

      Apr 22, 2022

      I think of this as a new literary form, a type of novelistic prose poem, a hybrid, a chimera, whose main currency is delight, wonder, and mystery. The post Fourteen First and Last Sentence Novels appeared first on The Millions.

      13 min read

    • Article

      A Year In Reading: Garth Risk Hallberg

      Dec 18, 2021

      Simply put, Yoon Choi is the most ambitious and accomplished practitioner of the Chekhovian short story to appear in many years. The post A Year In Reading: Garth Risk Hallberg appeared first on The Millions.

      9 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Lydia Kiesling

      Dec 16, 2018

      I couldn’t help noting that this reading assignment was the corner office in the women’s work of thinking about men who are not thinking about you. The post A Year in Reading: Lydia Kiesling appeared first on The Millions.

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Lydia Kiesling

      Dec 20, 2020

      I realize that every time I write a Year in Reading I’m undergoing some psychic melodrama. The post A Year in Reading: Lydia Kiesling appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: James Frankie Thomas

      Dec 6, 2023

      I confess that I don’t log or track the books I read, so I’m going on pure memory here. The post A Year in Reading: James Frankie Thomas appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Catherine Lacey

      Dec 6, 2019

      Is it sacrosanct to so gleefully abandon a bad book in an airport? I will not mention them here because I am incapable of speaking briefly on bad books. The post A Year in Reading: Catherine Lacey appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Quarantine Bookshelf

      Mar 19, 2021

      The Quarantine Bookshelf
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Daniel Levin Becker

      Dec 17, 2019

      This year, I read in twos. Maybe this is always happening and I just started noticing. I also have a brain that’s unrepentantly hungry for patterns, so who knows. The post A Year in Reading: Daniel Levin Becker appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Quarantine Bookshelf

      Mar 19, 2021

      The Quarantine Bookshelf
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Hilary Leichter

      Dec 18, 2023

      I keep a tiny notebook on my nightstand where I try to record my years in reading. The post A Year in Reading: Hilary Leichter appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Requiem for a Reader

      Jul 28, 2017

      My first memory of my father as a reader was him telling me to hurry up; it was almost time to silflay. The post Requiem for a Reader appeared first on The Millions.

      12 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Make Good Art

    4.5/5

    177 ratings18 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Gaiman's Make Good Art speech was excellent. Sometimes I was a little confused reading it because a) spoken words and written ones have a little different flavor, and b) sometimes the typesetting and colors were hard to follow. But I have to say, it made me slow down and appreciate the words just a little more. I am not an artist, and my humanities field of linguistics is trying really hard to move into the sciences, but almost every word of this speech could have been spoken directly to me. This book/speech/work of art was about how to be successful in one sense, but it was more deeply about how to be happy. Enjoy the successes. Move towards your greatest dreams. Do the thing that only you can do. And I needed to hear that. Everyone does. Everyone needs to hear that they have something to contribute, but more importantly, we need to be told that the world does need us. Make Good Art. Do good work. That is all we can do in this world, and it is the most important thing we can do.
    • 5/5
      I love this speech. I listen to it when I want to feel inspired. It invigorates me and my creative spark. I highly recommend it to everyone.
    • 4/5
      Nice inspiring speech. Some really good advice. My favorite part is how mistakes can become art themselves. Overall, the type was a nice representation of the text.
      Some of the font was a little to small to read comfortably though.
    • 4/5
      This speech left me with a deep need to create, and I'm not an artist of any kind. It had many inspiring messages on perseverance, enjoying any success you may have and finding the positive in mistakes.
      I'm definitely going to re-read it in the near future, so that I can hold on to what Neil Gaiman teaches you through this book.
    • 5/5
      this book was completely and utterly beautiful.
    • 5/5
      *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.*Whenever I'm feeling down, Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art speech is one of my go-to videos to help me feel better about writing, the job search, or just life in general. It's everything a commencement speech should be: funny, inspirational, and actually wise. Gaiman is one of the most intelligent people of our time, and he gives good advice for how to live life. It's not all "do great things" and "change the world," which is kind of what the speaker for my graduation said; instead, he gives advice for how to be happy and enjoy life. Sometimes, all it takes to make the difficult choice between being happy and having a "steady, grown-up" job is having someone's permission to do the thing that makes you happy -- especially if that someone is Neil Gaiman.I had my doubts when I heard this speech was made into a book, because I wasn't sure that print could fully capture the humor, wit, and beauty that Gaiman puts into his words.I was wrong.I am now a huge fan of Chip Kidd, the graphic designer for this novel. Let me tell you, it is amazing. He adds depth and meaning to Gaiman's words by his designs. There's a part in the speech that says "Make your own rules," and Kidd does just that by breaking line and sentence conventions. There are a lot of little things in here that make this book so worth a read and a look. By adding a visual example of what it means to break rules, make your own rules, and make good art, Kidd shows how fantastic the results can be when you do the thing that makes you happy.Just buy it. Read it. Live it. You won't be disappointed. I think Make Good Art will be replacing Oh, the Places You'll Go! as my gift to graduates -- at least, graduates who are interested in making a career of an art-related field.
    • 4/5
      I first heard Neil Gaiman's speech from a video that became viral in the internet. His speech is really inspiring. It is transcribed here word for word, nothing more, nothing less.

      Why would you buy it? The typography of Chip Kidd is pretty good, and it emphasizes words that should be highlighted in it. And it's a physical copy of Neil Gaiman's speech!! You don't have to watch it over & over. haha.
      The book cover, however, is not really enticing.
    • 5/5
      This hard cover book collects Neil Gaiman's commencement speech at the University of the Arts, originally given on 17 May 2012. Renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd designed the text layout. The speech is part autobiography, part inspiration, with Gaiman imploring his audience/reader to "make good art" as a way of coping with anything that life throws at them. He defines art broadly enough that even scientists could consider what they do a way to keep going in life. This is one of the best commencement speeches and this volume makes a nice gift for anyone who just achieved something, is going through tough times, or even for oneself.
    • 5/5
      I had the feeling this was going to be really good. And it was. So proud to have choosen Neil as my favorite author, I just want to read this book all over again. I will enjoy my path.
    • 3/5
      The sort of inspirational, motivational platitudes you’d expect from the title, but the book design is great.
    • 3/5
      Short, with creative concepts and ideas to think about. Typeface and design make it a bit of work to read the words.
    • 2/5
      A wonderful, inspiring speech that has been marred by a terrible layout. Certain pages were impossible to read - and who the hell puts backwards text in a book like this? It gave me a headache. I'm better off watching Gaiman give the speech on Vimeo than read this again. Luckily, a link to the video is included with the book!
    • 5/5
      With all the amazing commencement speeches recently, there really need to be more books like this. Of course, if there has to be just one, I'm glad it's Neil Gaiman's "Make Good Art." Talk about a rallying cry for anyone with a creative or artistic temperament!This makes a great gift book, and I feel like it should be a must for high school and college graduates, especially if they want to pursue the arts.Read this. Pay attention to Neil's words. And, of course, Make Good Art.
    • 4/5
      Fantastic speech and very whimsical layout.
    • 4/5
      This tiny gift book I think will be the new graduation gift for anyone that wants something different than "Oh the Places You Will Go". The advice is good and the typesetting is very engaging. A book that you can reread quickly for a bit of a lift in your spirits when you need it while trying to work on something creative and the world is grinding you down about it.
    • 5/5
      This lovely little book takes Neil Gaiman's words and turns them into a work of art. It’s the perfect gift or coffee table book for aspiring artists and Gaiman fans alike.
    • 5/5
      Even if you've seen the video of this speech the book is worth reading because it holds so much good advice - and not just for writers. Neil reminds us to keep going and pursing our goals even when we're knocked down. We all need reminders every once in awhile, but this reminder has a beautiful layout and is artistically presented. The book is itself is "good art."
    • 5/5
      Gaiman's Make Good Art speech was excellent. Sometimes I was a little confused reading it because a) spoken words and written ones have a little different flavor, and b) sometimes the typesetting and colors were hard to follow. But I have to say, it made me slow down and appreciate the words just a little more. I am not an artist, and my humanities field of linguistics is trying really hard to move into the sciences, but almost every word of this speech could have been spoken directly to me. This book/speech/work of art was about how to be successful in one sense, but it was more deeply about how to be happy. Enjoy the successes. Move towards your greatest dreams. Do the thing that only you can do. And I needed to hear that. Everyone does. Everyone needs to hear that they have something to contribute, but more importantly, we need to be told that the world does need us. Make Good Art. Do good work. That is all we can do in this world, and it is the most important thing we can do.

    Book preview

    Make Good Art - Neil Gaiman

    Contents

    Make Good Art

    Excerpt from The View from the Cheap Seats

    Three Authors. On Lewis, Tolkien and Chesterton.

    Acknowledgments

    About the Author and the Designer

    Also by Neil Gaiman

    Credits

    Books by Neil Gaiman

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    Books by Neil Gaiman

    For Adults

    The View from the Cheap Seats

    Trigger Warning

    Poems

    The Ocean at the End of the Lane

    Make Good Art

    Beowulf

    Stories (edited with Al Sarrantonio)

    Fragile Things

    Anansi Boys

    American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition

    American Gods

    Stardust

    Smoke and Mirrors

    Neverwhere

    Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett)

    For All Ages

    The Sleeper and the Spindle

    Eternity's Wheel

    Chu's First Day of School (illustrated by Adam Rex)

    Chu's Day at the Beach (illustrated by Adam Rex)

    Fortunately, the Milk (illustrated by Skottie Young)

    Cinnamon

    Unnatural Creatures

    The Silver Dream

    Instructions (illustrated by Charles Vess)

    InterWorld (with Michael Reaves)

    The Graveyard Book (with illustrations by Dave McKean)

    "The Graveyard Book Graphic

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1