No, said Aziraphale, it's ineffable.

Good Omens was a Gateway Drug Back into Neil Gaiman’s World of Words and I Have No Regrets

At the end of last month, Good Omens became available to (binge) stream on Amazon. I lost a lot of sleep and totally threw off what little semblance of a sleep schedule I have/had watching it all in one evening-through-morning’s sitting. I had, admittedly, not previously read the book. I had, in fact, not read a non-biographical or non-assigned non-fiction book at all for some time that wasn’t a re-re-re-reading of my annotated Dracula. However, after watching Good Omens, the next morning I found a borrowable PDF, and then moved onto the audiobook to listen while I worked. I finished that in about two days. I realized I had not ever taken the chance to read that or Neverwhere (currently reading/listening to the book/audiobook).

While listening to Neverwhere, I had a moment: When I was younger (much younger) I read through Coraline, and read The Graveyard Book multiple times—as a young person (grade—early high school) who would, in fact, spend time sitting in an abandoned graveyard down the road from my house, this was especially relevant and my personal brand of everyday-creepy. I read Stardust (and watched the film), The Anansi Boys, got my own copy of the MirrorMask film, and, even though I was in probably middle school, Wolves in the Walls had me up wondering at night when, sometimes the house shifted, if I shouldn’t be just a little concerned.

I remembered just how MUCH of an impact his writing had on me. Neil’s work and characters, (left open just enough to leave room for imagination to seep in), painted such particularly vivid pictures it made me WANT to be in or of that world or recreate it in some way. I think this is a very large reason why I was VERY SERIOUS about acting and writing/adapting in high school—to bring words off a page. I wanted to act, and write scripts, design costumes, and direct. I ended up extremely disillusioned when life hit. That, and a pretty bad heartbreak, made walk away and into art school. I now study photography and fashion. I’ve been trying to find my footing here, but always felt something else tugging, too. That little bit of spark that didn’t quite get killed by the reality of adulting.

Watching Good Omens, the details, the care, the Easter Eggs dropped in, the casting, “reading” the winding words of the book all tie up, kindled that feeling of curiosity again.
This evening, listening to Neverwhere, relit the spark of I-don’t-know-what. Creativity? Curiosity? Giving a damn about giving a damn?

I’ve spent the last month in tears, feeling extremely down over not getting hired for jobs, not being able to hit deadlines from stress-induced illnesses, and feeling a generally useless waste of resources in a seemingly increasingly downward-spiraling society. With Good Omens as a re-opened “gateway drug” (is there such a thing?), I’ve been on a Neil Gaiman book kick now for over a week and I remember feeling why I wanted so badly to create and bring new ideas myself, and how badly we, as humans need that. How much humans are capable of doing things that are good and not destructive.

Yesterday there was a literal Nazi march on a Pride Parade in Detroit, just down from where I was having lunch.
It’s almost unbelievable stuff.
It’s incredibly depressing stuff.
It’s really real stuff.

Listening to Neverwhere tonight has provided escape, hope, wonder, and a want to pursue better—a memory that there is better—and the importance of keeping the magic that is creativity and being a Creative alive.

It has me feeling that, though as a Creative (and college student), I feel undervalued often, being able to weave some sort of other-world is useful and much needed to deal with the sometimes stranger-and-scarier-than-fiction real world problems.

Adult-me has been in such a creative rut, afraid I’m not good enough or that I shouldn’t pursue this or that because it’s “impractical” or I’d just fail anyway so what’s the point? I had forgotten to wonder or be curious or answer “why not?” to “why” I want to do something. I’m now working on creating art outside my “field,” making costumes, considering looking at acting and writing opportunities, and overall feeling more fulfilled and inspired like I haven’t been since I was 14 just to STUFF, to do SOMETHING. to CREATE. to PURSUE CREATING.

It would be a shocker if this ever did/does ever reach Neil Gaiman himself. However, I do want to still put this very lengthy bit of words out to the ethers of the internet and world to say thank you to Neil for inspiring a Midwestern American photo student to want to seek out Other-worlds and prevail against Other-Mothers and keep sitting in graveyards and not give up “the fight” (whatever that is)—to just….keep on going.

Thanks, thanks, and thanks again to @neil-gaiman and his for making think feel like they could be “Potentially evil. Potentially good, too, I suppose.” But, mostly, “Just this huge powerful potentiality waiting to be shaped.”

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Good Omens was a Gateway Drug Back into Neil Gaiman’s World of Words and I Have No Regrets