Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the World

This book is well written, and I love the illustrations. ❤️

Neil Gaiman is a legend. I think everyone has heard of him, from his books and from his movies. Coraline, I saw it with my children, and it was an unforgettable experience.Because Gaiman is so well known, one thinks he knows him, but a few days ago I realized that I didn't have any of his books.I bought Art Matters and devoured it in one night. I was shocked, ecstatic, impressed, admired. It is like a comic for adults that invite you to be a child again and enjoy the magic of reading. His creed, his advice, especially in pursuing our dreams and not giving up, and mainly making great art… for a visual artist like me this was amazing.Thank you Neil for being so genuine, so great, and sharing what you know. Receiving a kind response on Twitter ended up making me one of your fans. Your joy is contagious and you are an extraordinary person.Tip: buy and read everything that has his signature, it really pays off!

This was well written and illustrated. It was also child friendly. I enjoyed that the words were using a handwriting font that went very well with the pictures.The only thing I didn’t like was one single page where Gaiman said that when he started his career as a journalist he lied about who he had written for but then made a point of writing for all of those places later on so that he would be “chronologically challenged” instead of being a liar. I just strongly disagree with that being okay and with that being marketed as his sixth point of freelance knowledge to help artists and writers get ahead in life.Obviously I still enjoyed the book, but that was a major turn off for me.I bought this as a gift also and will still be giving it. I know the recipient will love it.

This was a quick read yet extremely impactful. I would recommend this to any aspiring artist/creator- especially if you are needing any kind of motivation to create. especially if you’re dealing with any amount of self doubt in regards to your art. read. this. book.

Short, punchy, fun, inspiring, and sometimes profound

Riddell’s charming illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Gaiman’s prose. Full of anecdotes, wisdom, and ups and downs (like all of Gaiman’s work), this book reminds us the one most important truth: you are here to create — now go do it!

Whether you're aspiring, new, professional, or simply love good art, Neil Gaiman's insight and advice inspires and bolsters your dreams to be an artist. Short and sweet but with real heart and tremendous validation of why art and artists are not only valuable but necessary in any society.

This book... this beautiful expression of childhood wonder never loss compressed within its pages is the first book that I have finished in years. When I say years, I mean at least six years. I could not put this down. I laughed, I cried, and my soul healed just a bit.If your soul is struggling with its own music, read this book. The words will grace your soul, and the illustrations will caress your eyes lovingly. This book is inspirational, both wanting to guide you and shove you into the adventure of forging your own path.10/10, I would buy this again and again.

Excelente calidad, llegó a tiempo. Las ilustraciones son bellísimas y los pasajes motivadores. En conjunto generan inspiración. Es breve pero a la vez hace que quieras leerlo muchas veces, se trata de varios manifiestos sobre la importancia del arte y la creatividad en la vida de los seres humanos.

Weisheiten und Werdegang von Neil Gaiman, der inspirierender und hilfreicher nicht sein könnte.

“If you have an idea of what you want to make, what you were put here to do, then just go and do that. And that’s much harder than it sounds and, sometimes in the end, so much easier than you might imagine.”I’ve never read a Neil Gaiman book before this because fantasy and horror are not my reading genres of choice. (It took me 23 years to pick up Harry Potter and that itself speaks volumes.) Be that as it may, I knew I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this.Art Matters is a pocket-sized book filled with lifetimes of wisdom. You can call them short essays, or snippets of his life, or light-bulb moments, but the words on every page jump out to grab your attention.While he speaks from the point of writing as is his experience, he makes it clear that Art in every form is valuable and must see the light of day. If you imagine something and get excited enough to want it to exist in reality, you enjoy every moment spent on making it happen. You will always have something new to look forward to and won’t regret your choices.Chris Riddell’s illustrations are part of the reason this book has such an impact. Riddell brings out the emotion in Gaiman’s words through his pencil sketches. Each page is frame-worthy and someday I’m going to put these up in my dream library.When you don’t receive the validation you seek and feel lost at sea, this book will come as the tiny streak of light making its way to you through an obscure hole in the dark cave. No matter what life brings to you, make good art. Because when the going gets tough, your imagination is what will get you going.For complete review, visit aquamarineflavours.wordpress.com

Me ha gustado mucho para meditar y tener ánimos para escribir, leer, pintar, etc. Las ilustraciones son simples y bien hechas. La selección de textos de sus discursos también está muy bien. Es un bonito detalle para regalar a alguien que ama el arte, el mundo y a Neil Gaiman.

This little compendium of words and pictures by a now-famous author and an equally famous illustrator takes us back to the origins of why we make art, and provides inspiration for keeping it up when we’re faced with uncertainty — or failure. This book should be required reading for every child, as well as for the adults they become, for we need to be constantly reminded that Art Matters, and that we can go on making it.