In light of recent events, I'm opting not to discuss the main subject of today's Vlogbrothers video in case discussing Neil Gaiman at great length isn't good for your mental health right now (or ever). But being a relatively seasoned writer, I think I can craft a narrative around the video without making it all about who the video is named after. So let's, in a general sense, talk about books and art and what it means to call yourself a creator.
Welcome (or welcome back) to Vlogbrothers Rewatch -- where sometimes 18-year-old videos don't age well at absolutely no fault to their original creators! This is an ongoing series of articles in which I document my long, treacherous journey through the entire back catalog of Vlogbrothers YouTube videos. Using this playlist, I am rewatching everything in chronological order, one video per day, starting from the very beginning.
Seeing my name on a book in a bookstore is a dream I've had for almost 25 years. It hasn't happened to me yet, but I've come as close as I might ever be lucky enough to -- an article I published in a print magazine was technically on the front cover, displayed in a store. My name was somewhere on the inside, and that's not nothing!
And I can imagine from that experience that a whole book with your name on it in a bookstore probably feels even cooler. As an artist, whether you publish a song or sell a painting or find one of your books in a bookstore, it's difficult to allow yourself to celebrate that win sometimes. Because, after all -- weren't you a creator before something you made became this "officially" accessible?
The answer is yes, of course. The only prerequisite for being a creator is that you actively create things. So just because you published something doesn't mean you're suddenly relevant for the first time. You already were. Never forget that.