Robert De Niro's Speech to NYU Graduates

Robert De Niro is by far one of my favorite actors. Since his first brilliant performance as Johnny Boy Civello in Mean Streets, De Niro has been one of America's greatest thespians.

The 71-year-old icon was recently invited to give a commencement speech to the 2015 class at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and delivered a heavy dose of reality to students. "Tisch graduates, you made it," he began. Then, with a pause, he continued: "And, you're f*cked."

The actor splashed his humor throughout the entire speech, but his underlying message was simple. He told the graduates, "On this day of triumphantly graduating, a new door is opening for you: a door to a lifetime of rejection. It's inevitable. It's what graduates call the real world."

Graduation speeches could often get boring. A lot of schools choose speakers who are unlikely to encourage, inspire, or provide advice that will be remembered after the post-graduation parties. I remember my own college graduation. The speaker was some former dean and politician whose speech was boring as hell. Just when you think you're done with lectures, here's some old dude talking to you about how to run your life.

But some still do it right: short, entertaining, memorable, inspiring.

"Rejection might sting, but my feeling is that often, it has very little to do with you," De Niro added. "When you’re auditioning or pitching, the director or producer or investor may have someone different in mind, that’s just how it is."

Comments

Weirdly Charming

If you’re a fan of art that makes you do a double-take, you need to check out Richard Brener . Based in the UK, Richard is an internationally collected artist who works primarily with ink, fineliners, and gouache. When you first see his pieces, they actually look pretty playful. Then you realize the entire canvas is packed with thousands of tiny, ghost-like shapes he calls "champs." They’re all squeezed together like commuters on a rush-hour train, and the level of detail is honestly mind-blowing. Richard spends hundreds of hours drawing these little guys over and over. It’s obsessive, very intentional, and a little bit wild. The cool part is that the longer you stare, the more the vibe shifts. Check out more photos below:

Sheri DeBow's Strange Dolls

These dolls by artist Sheri DeBow are hardly something you would buy for a child. Each piece is one of a kind, and people who love to collect strange, creepy, or gothic dolls will surely love her creations. Sheri studied painting and drawing and took sculpture courses at Napa Valley College in California. She says her inspiration comes from dreams, books, love for history and general life experiences, good and bad. To see more of Sheri's work, follow her on Instagram .

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...

finding cain

Search This Blog