What Neil Gaiman, Studying for Finals, Art, and the New Year have in Common

Have you started looking forward to 2015 yet? 

Photo by Volkova Irina

My Facebook feed is filled with so many wonderful and varied artists and I've noticed some of them making statements about things they will do in the new year. 

After all, 2015 is only a little over 3 weeks away....

Personally, I'm having a bit of a self-induced crisis. 

Because I decided to go back to school this fall and finally complete a Bachelors degree. I mean, I have enough credits to be considered a senior with all the starts and stops and transfers and changes over the years. 

What to study? I chose what made the most logical sense.

I freaking hate it. 

So today, as I'm studying for finals in classes I'm getting nearly perfect scores, but are crushing my soul (sorry for the dramatic flair...), 

I thought about Neil Gaiman. 

Weird, right? 

He did a speech a couple years ago that I refer to when I'm feeling lost or confused or like I'm trying to make things more difficult than they need to be. And I thought I would share it will all of you. I own the speech in a little book. But you can watch it below. 

"Life is sometimes hard. 

Things go wrong, in life and in love 

and 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.

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..."

                -Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of the Arts Class of 2012 

from The University of the Arts (Phl) 

Mr. Gaiman is full of words of wisdom. He tells the audience to make mistakes. To write and draw and dance and live and play as only you can. 

But the thing that stands out for me, on this particular day, is this: 

"Something that worked for me 

was imagining where I wanted to be-

(an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, 

making good comics, and supporting myself though  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 alright. 

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...."

    -Neil Gaiman

I think I have strayed far from my mountain in the last several months and it's time to get turned back in the correct direction. 

What, if anything, are you planning for 2015? What kinds of goals and dreams have you come up with? How will you stay on track? Please share in the comments below!