Celebrating the Art Life | For David Lynch
Everyone, have a great day.
When I was a child, I loved The Simpsons. Bart was hilarious with his constant anti-authority attitude and trouble making, Homer’s incessant stupidity yet endearing nature won the hearts of all who watched and Lisa’s keen intellect and even sharper wit was the perfect foil for her less than exceptional (yet beautifully human) family. I vividly remember the fervor that built up around the “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” cliffhanger episode of The Simpsons which aired in May of 1995. This was the sixth season of The Simpsons and I was thirteen years old, fully gripped by the FOX Sunday night lineup. The hype was real and everyone was tuned in for this thrilling two-parter mystery event; the culmination of which would not air until the premier of season seven later that year. When I watched this episode, I had no idea what I was actually watching because four years earlier, when I would have been only nine, I was unaware of the other show The Simpsons was drawing inspiration from, directly riffing on and paying homage to in this episode; a show that would later in my life become something that would inspire me more than anything else in my own person Art Life and lead to so much artistic output, writing, creative endeavors and much, much more just like it did for so many millions around the world from artists to musicians and film makers.
The Simpsons “Who Shot Mr. Burns” episode was, of course, referencing David Lynch and Mark Frosts’ “Twin Peaks’. And David Lynch, who passed away on January 16, 2025 at the age of 78, for me was one of the most influential figures in my own creative Art Life; someone figuring so prominently in my own creative, spiritual and artistic journey through life that I felt I needed to share some of my stories and memories of the impact of his work and his ideals on the role they played in my life. If you know the work of David Lynch, I am certain this tale will be a familiar one.
We live inside a dream. Thank you, David, for the gift of sharing a vision of your dreams for all these years. Here are some of mine.
Twin Peaks
Damn fine coffee. Few things have influenced my life more than the masterpiece work of David Lynch, Mark Frost and so many incredible artists, musicians, writers, actors, producers and amazing human beings that is Twin Peaks; it exists as a uniquely singular artistic project unparalleled in scope, influence and magnitude. Twin Peaks inspired countless other artists, shows, films, musicians, writers and creative people to make art for themselves decades after the show aired and it continues to do so. I came to this show much longer after it was released in the early 1990s and it reshaped my thinking about what art could be, how to think about creativity, and it opened my mind to exploring more work by David Lynch. In the years that followed, I wrote articles, made videos, taught courses that were influenced by the creative practice and philosophy of David Lynch and made important connections in my own work because of David’s work as a Director. Recently, I started a Twin Peaks project exploring Tarot and Twin Peaks which I hope to turn into a book one day and I continue to emulate the creative philosophy of David Lynch in my own art life (lower case here as I have not yet reached the peak of this particular mountain). None of these endeavors would have been possible without Twin Peaks, without David Lynch and without his particular view on life, its joys and the creative passion that comes with the simplest of things; looking at a cloud, enjoying a cup of beautiful coffee, living each day fully and above all, being authentically you. For these gifts and lessons, my thanks eternal.
The Return
When Twin Peaks: The Return debuted 2017, it was a momentous event. David Lynch returned to the Twin Peaks project after twenty-five years and ushered in a groundbreaking project unlike anything before. For several months, I would call my parents and talk to them on the phone about each new episode, discussing each one and chatting about all the nuances and interesting moments during these conversations. A few times, we gathered to watch the episodes together and for the final episode, we met up at our family home and ate cherry pie and drank damn fine black coffee. I realize these are ‘twin-peaksy’ things but these things exist because of David Lynch. For those months in 2017, David’s work brought my family together in a way that was uniquely special; in a way that only very special art can. It was a time that I will never forget and part of what makes the art of Twin Peaks so special. We still talk about Twin Peaks all the time; all these years later. Good art does that. David’s art will endure in this way, for me, for all time.
Directed by David Lynch
I always wanted to be a film maker; even before I knew anything about David Lynch. I still do, in my heart of hearts. I love cinema; I love the movies. The films of David Lynch are breathtaking masterpieces. I won’t go through a list of them here but I would encourage you to watch them and engage with them yourself to remember and celebrate the art of David Lynch in this film medium that he loved. His explorations of life and its beauty along with its pain and violence is ever present. The vision of the world David presents in his work has influenced my own vision of the world in so many ways; from the sadness of the deep blues to the cosmic emptiness of blackness in space to wine-red curtains to white picket fences; David’s art captures life in a way that only he can. And through all of that: surrealism and abstraction; hope, optimism, joy, wonder, love, life. He saw it all; from that story he would tell about those early paintings that he would see ‘moving’ as he brought them to life David Lynch saw through and beneath the surface of the world into something greater; into the substratum of everything and he tapped into that visceral realness in his music and film and art. I strive for this too. I want to make things that are real; or at least that are authentic to life and to the very personal experience of living. I appreciate the purity of that idea; David Lynch is the reason I love to drink coffee and also the reason I love to drink it black. There is an authenticity there; a realness that feels right. I recently saw this image online somewhere:
Sometimes I feel like I want to stick that to my mind or my soul; that is how much the work of David Lynch has influenced how I see the world, how I think about the world and my own way of creating. When I was a kid I made home movies with my brothers and I would gravitate to the ‘director’ role; setting up the shots and maneuvering the camera into position to capture the perfect moment. I love the idea of composing message through image, through word, through any medium. David Lynch talks about his love of abstraction and how useful the medium of film is to work with abstract ideas; the idea is what always mattered to David Lynch. The idea will take you anywhere you want to go; you just need to catch it and do something with it. I like to think of myself as an idea person. I love big ideas; big visions. David Lynch and his art taught me to embrace those big ideas, to run with those wild, ‘who gives a fuck how long a scene is’ notions about what art can be and believe your authentic idea. In many ways, much of my creative life has been Directed by David Lynch and I will cherish that direction for all time.
Blue Skies and Golden Sunshine
Many have already written biopics and incredible books about the life of David Lynch; Greg Olson comes to mind; you should go read his work as it is excellent. So I don’t need to become a David Lynch biographer but instead, I just want to end with the idea that this beautiful man, this singular, creative life was someone who understood who he was and what he wanted to do in this world and he gave himself to that body and soul; to the Art Life. And it was through this unwavering dedication to his craft and his work and his passion that he touched countless lives in so many ways, including, in many small ways, mine. Sure, he influenced The Simpsons and The X-Files and Lost and so many other filmmakers and artists along the way. But for me, he helped me understand that it is okay to create what matters to YOU. That art and life and creativity are not something that comes from out there but from in here; from the heart, from the mind, from the spirit and from the body. That life is art and art is life and everything is everything. These ideas are not new and they are not David Lynch’s but he embodied them in his work; in Twin Peaks and Wild at Heart and Dune and Blue Velvet and What did Jack Do? and The David Lynch Theater daily weather report which brought us wonderful morning weather everyday for nearly two years; something that became a ritual and routine for me and something that brought golden joy to my heart each and every morning.
I will miss David Lynch for the rest of my life. As my good friend said in consolation yesterday, David Lynch lived! His life was full and his legacy will live on for generations. Indeed, David Lynch lived his life as fully as he possibly could with gusto and joy and wonder; something I strive for too.
David’s family released a statement and said “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole. It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
I will do just that Mr. Lynch. You will always be missed and I will keep my focus on the donut, not the hole. Thank you for always reminding me to see the golden sunshine and the blue skies.
Rest in peace.
Yes to focusing on the donut, every day! Beautiful piece.
What a beautiful, heartfelt celebration of David Lynch. Beautifully written, I felt what you were writing and saying. Go for the Art Life. It matters.