On the 16th January 2025 we lost David Lynch, an iconic film maker, artist, musician, and all-round creative visionary. His death marks the end of an era, but his work will continue to influence and inspire filmmakers and creatives for decades to come. Let’s remind ourselves of the incredible life of David Lynch and some of the lessons he taught us.
David Keith Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana, on January 20, 1946. The small-town life of his youth became a recurring theme in his later work, usually as an unremarkable backdrop to something extraordinary.
Lynch attended the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., and later the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but it was the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia that he really started to form his “style” when he moved from painting to filmmaking.
Did you know that Lynch’s films’ DVDs don’t have chapters because he thought films should be viewed from start to finish?
Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) (1967) was an animation and Lynch’s first major cinematic work. It showed off his knack for blending surreal imagery with haunting soundscapes. It got attention at the Pennsylvania Academy and was the real start to his filmmaking career.
He then moved to Los Angeles to attend the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film Studies, where he started working on the idea for his first feature-length film, Eraserhead (1977).
Lynchian—what is it?
Lynchian has become a word to describe David Lynch’s particular style or flair, but what exactly does that mean? Well, it includes:
- A combination of the ordinary and the strange. Lynch’s work usually starts somewhere familiar, like a small town, but then there’ll be… oddness and/or darkness!
- His films have a dreamlike feel. The events in them have the fluidity of dreams, which can be more symbolic or emotional than traditional linear storytelling.
- Duality. Lynch loved the idea of what we see on the surface versus what may be hidden underneath.
David Lynch’s best works
“Best” is subjective, but here are some of his most well-loved films and shows.
1. Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead was Lynch ’s debut feature, and it really established him as a unique voice in cinema. The film is a surreal, black-and-white exploration of fear. He didn’t just direct it; he also wrote and produced it, plus he did the sound design. What a talent!
Did you know that Lynch loved coffee so much that he had his own coffee brand for a while? He made a pretty hilarious advert for it starring a Barbie. Mattel asked him to remove the video.
2. Dune (1984)
An adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune, is set in a distant future where a substance called “spice” is central to pretty much everything. This was Kyle MacLachlan’s first big break, and he’s expressed his sadness at the passing of Lynch, saying:
He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.
Dune was a critical flop, and Lynch refused to talk about it for the rest of his life, but many of us have a soft spot for it!
3. Blue Velvet (1986)
This is a neo-noir psychological thriller that uses that small-town background we mentioned to peel back its layers and show a world of darkness lurking underneath! Many studios had turned this down because of its very violent and sexual content, but Lynch eventually managed to get it made. Even though it divided people a bit, it did later get a cult following. Kyle MacLachlan was back for this one, too!
4. Twin Peaks (1990-1991; 2017)
Lynch‘s first TV show, Twin Peaks, was a mix of mystery, horror, and melodrama that started with the murder of a high school student. An FBI agent (MacLachlen again, by the way!) investigates, and he uncovers bizarre stuff!
Did you know Lynch drew a comic strip called The Angriest Dog in the World that ran for nearly a decade?
5. Mulholland Drive (2001)
An amnesiac woman is found in a car accident on Mulholland Drive in LA by an aspiring actress (played by Naomi Watts), who then tries to find out who she is. This is a Lynch film, so of course, it then gets very surreal and unsettling! Watts adored Lynch, saying:
I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease.
Not just movies
As mentioned, David Lynch wasn’t just a filmmaker. Are you familiar with any of his other work?
As an artist
Lynch created some seriously weird [complimentary] paintings, photographs, sculptures, and drawings. They were another outlet for his experimentation. He was influenced by Francis Bacon and trained as an artist. He said that he “wouldn’t know what to do with color” and preferred the depth of using black.
As a musician
Many of Lynch’s music projects were related to his films, but he also released his own albums. His first solo album, Crazy Clown Time, was released in 2001. It is in a blues style but with the kind of experimental layers of sound you’d expect from him!
Lessons from Lynch
What can we, as creatives, take away from Lynch’s incredible career? How can we apply a Lynchian approach to our own work?
1. Trust your vision
Lynch’s work often went completely against what was traditional, but he had the courage of his convictions to forge ahead with his ideas. Having that ability to power through can be a luxury, but it certainly makes for authentic work that can stand out.
2. Embrace ambiguity
Not everything needs explaining; leaving room for interpretation can make work more engaging and thought-provoking. After saying Eraserhead was his most spiritual film, Lynch was asked to elaborate and said, “No.”
3. Explore different mediums
Creative people often have multiple outlets for their ideas, and Lynch had… tons! Try experimenting with different forms of expressing your thoughts and feelings, and you might get some unexpected breakthroughs!
Did you know that Lynch was into transcendental meditation? So much so that he set up the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.
David Lynch’s death has sparked an outpouring of memories and sentiment from around the world, with people talking about what a nice person he was and his obvious filmmaking talent. If you’re not familiar with Lynch, go check out some of his work. And if you know Lynch’s work well, why not revisit one of your favorites and raise a glass for him?
