David Lynch - Memoriam - ⛺︎ ∙ Cinema

this morning I dedicated my time to a fairly standard activity for me -- watching Twin Peaks and whittling birds from scraps of the beloved mulberry tree in my backyard that recently fell in a storm. around 12:45pm in my timezone, a good friend sent me a message on discord to deliver painful news: director David Lynch passed away this morning at 78 years old. while I generally avoid intense connection to public figures that I don't personally know, I found this news incredibly painful. I have always heavily defined myself by the art I feel connected to, for better and for worse, and Lynch's works have resonated heavily with me. Twin Peaks in particular has been an incredibly strong part of my life in the past few months. I won't get too detailed here, but my personal struggles and loss have left me feeling extremely disconnected from my own sense of humanity.

something which strikes me heavily about Lynch's work and has been a particular comfort over the past few months is his clear and intense love for life, from its most intense feelings to its smallest joys. the visual language which he employs showcases an intense focus on detail, and his narratives showcase such a reverence for the concept of life itself. the interconnection of the entire world, the unadulterated joy which can be found in the most seemingly small and mundane aspects of the world, and the fascination with the strange and everchanging people around us are ideas I find myself thinking of often but am often unable to properly articulate. Lynch's art include some of the few genuine and true reflections I have ever in my life seen of my own thoughts on those ideas. Life is absurd, and a love of the absurd is a love of life itself.

I don't make this post necessarily to mourn or to lament, but simply to reflect. I think he would have appreciated the knowledge that his art has found such a personal connection among so many, and will continue to far past his existence on this mortal plane. I know it certainly has and will forever continue to inspire me, both in my personal worldview and in my artwork. May he rest in peace.

"No matter what the weather is, I wish for all of you blue skies and golden sunshine internally all along the way."