"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."

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.

When you realize; he has written novels, children's books, comics, recorded audio books, and wrote 2 episodes of doctor who

"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 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.

He speaks like he writes like the way he changes volumes and emphasis on words he sounds like he is narrating not just talking

"Leave the world more interesting for your being here."

I feel lucky to be alive at the same time as Neil Gaiman.

I have lived my creative life as this man proposes and I have found in this all the things he says are there

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.

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 !

best bit "Be wise, because the world needs more wisdom. If you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise and just behave like they would."

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 love this man so dearly. What an excellent beautiful soul.

Neil Gaiman always talks about a distant mountain.

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.

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.

This is one of the best speeches I've ever heard.

"Be wise, because the world needs more wisdom. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone wise, and then just behave like they would."

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.

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!

this video inspired me so much i just made a potato painting

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.

why am i crying in the club rn

*You almost certainly need to watch this*. If you think you're the kind of person who *doesn't need to watch a talk with the heading 'make good art'*

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.

"If you are not what you want to be, then pretend to be someone who is that and behave as they would."

dropping out of college this semester bc it’s just not working out and this made me feel wholly, and completely, and totally better about it

This speech always motivates me and cheers me up whenever I'm feeling down!

"...and I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain, I'd be alright"

Why is he such a nice person I get a aura a knowledge and experience from him .... he is a very interesting person

Makes me smile, because he's done, all of that.

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.

"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.

I still come back to this speech for inspiration :)

Anyone else choose to write on this for a school assignment?? I had the option to choose a speech by Obama, but this was on the list too. I'm glad I chose it because I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, thanks to my mom raising me.

I have to listen to this once a year and it holds up every time for a different reason.

The first time I heard this; I dropped to my knees and WEPT. THIS IS TRUTH.

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.

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.

Thank you Tim Ferris for mentioning this again and again on his podcast... I got here in the end. And it was well worth it :)

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?

I come back here and rewatch this every time I recommend it to someone else, and it makes my life much better to have done so

Most inspiring speech I've ever heard! Gaiman gained a new fan her.

a legit fantastic person a nature story teller. His voice is so hypnotic and one of a kind.

This is the most important video I think I've ever watched.

He kind of looks and sounds like Severus Snape.

WOW! ... W-O-W! ... W-O-AAA-W! Incredibly inspiring and thought provoking and so inimitably contemporary

i don't have enough time to watch the whole thing but i just can't skip because every sentence he says is a fricking gem

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."

A Pandemic rampaging through the current world.. ..make good art :)

His 'rule of two out of three' is something you can bank on. What a valuable bit of advice! What a wonderful speech.

I have recommended this speech to dozens of my hypnosis clients. I actually extracted an MP3 so I could listen on my phone during my daily commute.

Through all my trials and tribulations. Making good art saved me

"I love him for what he was, for who he is, and for who he yet may be."

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.

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 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 revisit this every so often. Just remember to pretend that your somebody who does something and do what they would do.

10:47 - the inspiration to Exploding Kittens

Listening to this makes me wants to read Neverwhere again

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!!!

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 ♥️

"Make Good Art" - flipping awesome!

I tell the kids at school something like that all the time...think about the person you want to be and make your decisions as if you were that person. Eventually you won't have to think about it at all, you'll be that person.

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.

I wish he and Sir Ken Robinson could give back to back speeches. I'm so sick of the many people who push their kids into taking "professional" courses they're not interested at all in.

It's funny timing for this speech. I didn't know it happened until a week ago. I wish I could have seen it when it happened but maybe it would not have been as effective. Most inspirational speeches were really interesting but never seemed to have any real effect on me. This speech, combined with the books I've been reading, have been enlightening and reinvigorating my soul. Negative Nancy is still in the back of my brain preaching as she does, but she has been much easier to tune out as of late. So now, I can start moving forward with excitement and curiosity.

I'm so grateful that i found this speech. Totally made my day. Gonna revisit it sometime for sure.

wooow....that speech must have inspired so many people across the globe for sure. Amazing Neil Gaiman

I don't have that many role models, certainly there are people I admire, but when it comes to someone who really inspires and influences me, I'd say Neil Gaiman is at the top of that short list.

Niel Gaiman is the reason I strarted writing and making art... This man saved my life so many times and he doesn't even know I exist

you have to be an artist, I guess. It had the same effect on me. When you remove yourself from the structured ladder that most career paths have turned themselves into, where you know exactly what will happen in the future, and start striking out on a desperate bid to do something exciting and risky and dangerous, with absolutely no idea of what will happen, it's beautiful to have someone take that immutable struggle and speak to it and praise it so eloquently. If you get it, it moves you.

I LOVE this guy! I took his Masterclass and just hung on every word!

this makes me want to invent a lot of things, to create art, thanks neil

This is the most inspiring talk I ve ever heard after Steve jobs'' speech .. in some parts I feel this is touching the precisely right chord .. especially " Make good Art " .. ! Great Speech ..

You know from the way he spoke/narrated on masterclass ad, even before the content of the class, he already attracted me to attend his class

Never heard of this writer before, but after listening to this I had to learn more. He has a spiritual foundation which is my attraction. Beautiful Words !!

Ok so im only in the 6th grade but I found this so incouraging beacause I just know im going to end up playing music...... I know it I play the sax.... Im not the best and I have pushed myself way to hard and after I watched this video I started having fun and acting like I was a pro and I feel that it is possible to be the best and write music and jist be plane creative thank you dude

Amazing and inspiring. I love his work, and this made him my new hero. Neil, you are a treasure. Thank you. You have accomplished more in 19 minutes than My therapist has in a year.

10:20 MAKE GOOD ART

Someone told me that I'm much more mature than people my age (16), and I replied that I acted my age, but the people around me acted like idiots. This opinion has since changed to I act more mature and happy because I'm a reader and a writer. This, coupled with the pure genius and inspiration exuded in this speech and the deepness and humor of many other writers leads me to believe that we (and, as an extension, all Arts people) tend to lead more fulfilling and happy lives than 'normal people'.

One of the best and most important speeches at all.

Best speech ever.

You can't do anything about people like the 'teddy with a gun' guy ... and you don't have to. They're ignorant comments speak for themselves. This is an inspirational talk, full of hard-earned wisdom and advice. More graduation speeches should be like this

I love me some Neil Gaiman! Incredibly inspiring. What a blessing that we have the internet and KZfaq so that people years later who were not at that commencement ceremony can enjoy it as well.

Even in something as brilliant as this.....there's always a crying baby.....

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 :)

One of the best commencement speeches I've seen. Truly inspiring. You are a maestro, Gaiman.

Absolutely. I think every one who wants to become an artist and listens to this will be moved. For me Gaiman is what I can be, what everyone can be. So people, MAKE GOOD ART.

I don't see what is so great about this speech that it made you cry.

Doing a great job of pretending to be wise! Thanks for posting.

I envy these kids so much! As an art student myself, I cannot even imagine how life-changing it would be to have one of the world's most successful writers before me, talking about their path to success. .

I started tearing up when he started talking about Stephen King's advice.

Ah, talk about an inspirational speech! Neil Gaiman gives one overreaching piece of advice we all should remember: Enjoy the ride! I also enjoyed the statement "The rules of what’s possible and not possible were made up by the people who have not tested what is possible and not possible. If you don’t know something is impossible, it’s easier to do." I help people learn how to overcome doubts by building determination, and Neil's speech addresses this extremely well.

2:20 I understood that reference and now I feel proud of myself. Thanks for this feel, OP.

It's Friday morning and I'm sitting at my job as an admin and being moved to tears because of this jawn. When I found out he was giving the commencement speech, my head nearly exploded and I wish I had known someone in that class so I could've snuck in. It's the first time I'm listening to the whole thing, and I really need to follow his advice and make changes so I can make art.

I cannot even start to express my love for this. What pure inspiration you have brought to the world. Share this with EVERYONE!