Make Good Art
Neil Gaiman
Category: Self-help
Synopsis: Gaiman’s
2012 graduation address to Philadelphia’s University of the Arts’ graduating
class.
Date finished: 9
June 2014
Rating: ***
Comments:
The only other Gaiman book I’ve read is Fortunately, the Milk. There, I
feel better now that that confession’s been made. I know he has quite the
following, but he doesn’t write the kind of books I enjoy. That’s why I was so
excited to read this. It’s an easy way to get a peek into a writer’s creative genius
without having to read a novel you don’t enjoy.
Plus, I tend to geek out over little advice books and
graduation speeches.
But you know how the Bible says “There’s nothing new under
the sun”? That’s how I feel about this one. There’s nothing new here that I
haven’t been reading in “how to be a writer/artist/musician” books for years.
A summary:
1. You have no idea what you’re doing. This is Great, an
Advantage.2. Do what you want to do.
3. Be thick-skinned about failure.
4. Make mistakes. It means you’re doing stuff.
5. Commit the art that only you can.
6. You get work however you get work.*
See? Good advice, but nothing new or particularly
life-changing. And his personal stories to illustrate these points are
lackluster at best.
The best part about this book is the graphic design by Chip
Kidd. It’s a three-color design that uses every layout you can imagine. Way too
often, the design was so distracting that I missed the meaning and had to
re-read the text. It felt like amateur-night at a music club when they don’t
get the mix of the guitar, drums, and vocals right, and the singer is drowned
out. Trouble is, I enjoyed the graphic design more than the text.
All in all, I’ve read better. And you probably have too.
Not really.
You might also enjoy:
On Writing, Stephen King (another writer I’ll
likely never read outside of this book for writers)What Now?, Anne Patchett
Just Who Will You Be?, Maria Shriver
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