Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Neil Gaiman

Quote by Neil Gaiman

“The first problem of any kind of even limited success is the unshakable conviction that you are getting away with something, and that at any moment now they will discover you. It's Imposter Syndrome, something my wife Amanda christened The Fraud Police. In my case, I was convinced that there would be a knock on the door, and a man with a clipboard (I don't know why he carried a clipboard, in my head, but he did) would be there, to tell me it was all over, and they had caught up with me, and now I would have to go and get a real job, one that didn't consist of making things up and writing them down, and reading books I wanted to read.”

Quote by Neil Gaiman

Book:Make Good Art
Create image

Work

Make Good Art

In this inspiring speech, Neil Gaiman, a renowned author and artist, shares his insights on the importance of creativity and the power of art to transform lives. Gaiman discusses the value of perseverance, the joy of creation, and the impact that artists can have on society. The speech serves as a call to action for readers to embrace their artistic endeavors and to make good art, regardless of the challenges they may face. more

Author

Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman, born on November 10, 1960, is a renowned British author. His works span across various genres including fantasy, horror, and science fiction, with notable titles such as 'American Gods' and 'Good Omens'. Gaiman's writing style is distinctive and has won him a dedicated fan base. more

You May Also Like

“Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut, and sometimes it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you are doing the correct thing, because you'll have to balance your goals and hopes with feeding yourself, paying debts, finding work, settling for what you can get. Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal. And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain. I said no to editorial jobs on magazines, proper jobs that would have paid proper money because I knew that, attractive though they were, for me they would have been walking away from the mountain. And if those job offers had come along earlier I might have taken them, because they still would have been closer to the mountain than I was at the time.”

InspirationalNeil GaimanMake Good Art
Book:Make Good Art
Create image

“And remember that whatever discipline you are in, whether you are a musician or a photographer, a fine artist or a cartoonist, a writer, a dancer, a designer, whatever you do you have one thing that's unique. You have the ability to make art. And for me, and for so many of the people I have known, that's been a lifesaver. The ultimate lifesaver. It gets you through good times and it gets you through the other ones. Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art. I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art. Make it on the good days too.”

Good ArtNeil GaimanCommencement SpeechMake Good Art
Author:Neil Gaiman
Create image

“But now, I feel like there's something in me that can't stay quiet anymore. "What I was trying to say is that it reminds me of Einstein's theory of relativity. But obviously[,] Milton isn't talking about the speed of light, he's talking about how the human mind views life." [....] "But really, Milton and Einstein were kind of saying the same thing. That everything is subjective in the human mind. Our emotions, our opinions, they're all relative. It all depends on perspective.”

LifeSciencePerspectiveMental HealthYoung AdultRelativityEnglishInterdisciplinary
Book:My Heart and Other Black Holes
Create image