David Lynch – The Art Life

I just finished watching the coolest movie / documentary I’ve seen in a long time. It’s called David Lynch – The Art Life.

I have no recollection of how I found it. I believe I was looking for something else and then it kind of found me.

David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, musician, actor, and photographer. He is best known for acclaimed films such as Eraserhead (1977), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), regarded by some critics as among the best films of their respective decades,[1][2] and for his successful 1990–91 television series Twin Peaks, which led to him being labeled “the first popular Surrealist” by noted film critic Pauline Kael.

One of the (many) things that struck me was how similar some of his childhood experiences and thoughts were to mine. Memories of playing and swimming in muddy holes as a kid, feeling the California sun for the first time, curiousity about the insides of birds and issues with leaving the house. It was like hearing my own thoughts and experiences being read back to me.

Hearing all of this was a great reminder that not fitting in with the rest of the world isn’t necessarily a weakness that needs to be fixed. It may just mean that you are an artist.

My favorite part is when he talks about walking into an art studio and seeing what he calls ‘The Art Life’ for the first time.

Later, he defines it:

“The Art Life means you drink coffee, you smoke cigarettes and you paint. And that’s it… Maybe girls come into it a little bit but basically it’s the incredible happiness of working and living that life.”

It’s a fascinating look into the life of an artist. If this sounds at all interesting to you, I highly encourage you to watch it as soon as you can. It’s available for a few bucks on most streaming platforms as well as scattered around the web for free if that’s your thing.