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Dearest absurd child

Quote | | Paul Greer

“I am perhaps happier now than I have ever been and yet I cannot but recognise that I would trade all that I am to be you, the eternally unhappy, nervous, wild, wondering and despairing 16-year-old Stephen: angry, angst-ridden and awkward but alive. Because you know how to feel, and knowing how to feel is more important than how you feel. Deadness of soul is the only unpardonable crime, and if there is one thing happiness can do it is mask deadness of soul.”

—Stephen Fry’s letter to his 16-year-old self

via Mabel

Happy Birthday Mr. Lynch

| Paul Greer

image via

Yesterday, as well as being New President Day, it was the birthday of illustrious film maker David Lynch.

I recently finished reading his book “Catching the Big Fish“, a very personal account of his approach to creativity, and the role that meditation plays in it.

I have often felt that techniques like meditation may result in bland art, due to lack of “pain”, a deluded idea partly inspired by Captain Kirk (I’ll explain another time). Mr Lynch is a very good example of how this is not the case.

In the book he writes:

“Anger and depression and sorrow are beautiful things in a a story, but they’re like poison for the film maker or artist. They’re like a vice grip on creativity. If you’re in that grip you can hardly get out of bed, much less experience the flow of creativity and ideas. You must have clarity to create. You have to be able to catch ideas.”

Here is a little seen, very short film by Mr Lynch:

movie via Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat

Belated birthday greetings to you, Mr Lynch.