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Make Trouble
Make Trouble | John Waters
18 posts | 9 read | 9 to read
From an icon of popular culture, here is inspiring advice for artists, graduates, and anyone seeking happiness and success on their own terms. When John Waters delivered his gleefully subversive advice to the graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, the speech went viral, in part because it was so brilliantly on point about making a living as a creative person. Now we all can enjoy his sly wisdom in a manifesto that reminds us, no matter what eld we choose, to embrace chaos, be nosy, and outrage outdated critics. Waters notes with irony that he is eminently qualified to be a commencement speaker because he was suspended from high school, then kicked out of college--yet he is a success doing what he loves best. Anyone embarking on a creative path, he tells us, would do well to realize that pragmatism and discipline are as important as talent, and that rejection is nothing to fear. Waters advises young people to eavesdrop, listen to their enemies, and horrify us with new ideas. In other words, make trouble. Illustrated with slightly demented line drawings by Eric Hanson, Make Trouble is a one-of-a-kind gift, the perfect playbook for gaming the system by making the system work for you.
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StaceGhost
Make Trouble | John Waters
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Pickpick

Such a lovely man & such a great book to audioknit to 🎃👻🔮

Gissy Did you do it? Knitted? So pretty! 🧡🤎💛 1y
dabbe Beautiful! 🤩🤩🤩 1y
Clare-Dragonfly Eep, so cute! 😍🎃 1y
StaceGhost @Gissy @dabbe @Clare-Dragonfly thank you! I‘m knitting a few for friends too 🎃✨ 1y
29 likes4 comments
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sidherinn
Make Trouble | John Waters
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2BR02B
Make Trouble | John Waters
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1. "If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't fuck 'em." -John Waters
2. "If you wanna fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly." -Heathers
3. Jalapeño. Juh-LOP-uh-no. Because I'm obnoxious that way.
4. @MirrorMask

MirrorMask Thanks for the tag!!! I ❤️ Heathers 6y
2BR02B @MirrorMask It's my all-time fave. 💖 6y
Suet624 #1 is a particularly important reminder for me today. Thank you. 6y
readordierachel That John Waters quote is pretty much the best quote ever 6y
45 likes4 comments
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Bookish.SAM
Make Trouble | John Waters
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John Waters quote

Words to live by 😉

📖❤️📚📖❤️📚

Johanna414 I mean... he‘s not wrong! 🤷‍♀️ 6y
Readergrrl One of my favorites!!! 6y
Bookish.SAM Agreed!! @Johanna414 @Readergrrl ... I have certainly learned my lesson in this regard 😆 6y
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Readergrrl I like big books and I cannot lie! 6y
kspenmoll 🙌🏻😊 6y
mrozzz 👌🏻😄 6y
Bookish_B I have this on a t-shirt. I wore it to the Festival of Books and got so many comments! 😊 6y
67 likes7 comments
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Nickinpa
Make Trouble | John Waters
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There was so much in this short book (based on a graduation speech) to appreciate and enjoy. I like this one:
“A poor person to me can have a big bank balance, but is incurious, judgmental, isolated, and unavailable to change.”
Or this:
“I‘m also sorry to report there‘s no such thing as karma.
So many of my talented, great friends are dead and so many of the fools I‘ve met and loathed are still alive. It‘s not fair and it never will be.”

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teebe
Make Trouble | John Waters
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wanderinglynn ❤️ this quote. 7y
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AmandaL
Make Trouble | John Waters
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Pickpick

This is a transcript of John Waters' commencement address to the graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design. It's short, funny, with some good advice in the mix. It would make a great gift for a grad, but it's an enjoyable, inspiring read for anyone. 💗

readordierachel Love him 💕 7y
DivineDiana I am from Baltimore and a fan of this creative man! Did not know about this book! 7y
AmandaL @DivineDiana Oh cool! It's a one sitting read and I liked it as much as Neil Gaiman's Make Great Art speech book. 😁 7y
DivineDiana @AmandaL Another one I need to read! 😉 7y
62 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Captivatedbybooks
Make Trouble | John Waters
This post contains spoilers
show me
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Captivatedbybooks Picture contains sexual context 7y
WarpedSweetness I love John Waters! 7y
13 likes2 comments
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Readaholics
Make Trouble | John Waters
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Mehso-so

John Waters' graduation speech to the Rhode Island School of Design. It's ok. Great present for recent or future graduates. He talks about challenging society, deconstructing and disrupting the ideas that came before you. Especially focused on arts. Tells parents some advice too...

Bette 🐶❤️ 7y
Jinjer Oh that's a very cute puppy!!! 7y
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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tjwill
Make Trouble | John Waters
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BibliophileMomma Oh I need this one! 😍 8y
61 likes1 comment
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Branwen
Make Trouble | John Waters
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"Go out into the world and fuck it up beautifully." Today's the big day! I'm finally graduating! :-) #graduation #rideruniversity #phisigmatau #signataudelta

Eyelit Congrats! 🎉👏🎉 8y
Zelma Congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉 8y
rubyslippersreads Congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉 8y
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tricours Nice! What did you study? 8y
Bibliogeekery 🎉🎉🎉 8y
tpixie Awesomeness!!! 8y
Branwen @Eyelit @Zelma @rubyslippersreads @tricours @Bibliogeekery @tpixie Thanks so much! :-) ♡♡♡ @tricours I majored in Humanities with a double minor in English Lit and Sociology! I'm applying now for grad school so I can get my Masters in Library Science! :-) 8y
tpixie @Branwen 🍀🍀🍀🍀 8y
ScientistSam Congrats! 8y
Branwen @tpixie @ScientistSam Thanks so much! ♡♡♡ 8y
tpixie Love the Wonder Woman logo and quote!! ( lol I keep coming back) 8y
Branwen @tpixie Hahaha! Thank you! It took me forever to paint it on there because I was so afraid of messing it up! 8y
tpixie Well you did a great job! 8y
31 likes13 comments
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Blair_Reads
Make Trouble | John Waters
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Pickpick

A great gift for an Art School Grad!

MrBook Ooh! @BookBabe would like this one 😁👍🏻. 8y
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nakedspinster
Make Trouble | John Waters
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In honor of World Book Day and the birthday boy, himself.

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MagdaRosol
Make Trouble | John Waters
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I want to Make Trouble with John Waters and be More Alive And Less Lonely with Johnathan Lethem

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CherylDeFranceschi
Make Trouble | John Waters
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I didn't read very much this month. But everything I did read was pretty much fun. Looking forward to reading more in April! #bestofmarch #marchintoreading

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tjwill
Make Trouble | John Waters
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I haven't read the book, but I love my #bookbag from John Waters' Make Trouble! #MarchIntoReading

CherylDeFranceschi ❤️❤️❤️ 8y
RealLifeReading Fun tote!! 8y
50 likes2 comments
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MidnightBookGirl
Make Trouble | John Waters
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Adult disobedience! Loving this! #CurrentlyReading

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BookNAround
Make Trouble | John Waters
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I went to a marvelous panel tonight about women in publishing and the world of books here in the South. One of the amazing women on the panel gifted me with this. It's fresh off the presses as a finished book. The iPad is because I videoed the entire thing for the Women's National Book Association.