Hook, Line and Sinker

David Lynch, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, 2006
This is a slim book that can be read in one sitting. If you have ever seen Lynch interviewed, you know he's a man of few words - it's the same with these brief chapters on Transcendental Meditation, creativity, film (mostly his own) and the secret to leading a happy life. Lynch credits Transcendental Meditation with saving him from depression in university and bringing happiness to his life and depth to his work; but what strikes me as the real truth is that Lynch was always an eccentric person - even before discovering meditation - and he would have produced interesting artistic work no matter what. The main frustrating thing about this book - about TM in general - is that you read about its amazing qualities but nothing is told about how exactly you go about learning it. I suppose this is because you are meant to visit Lynch's website advertised at the end of the book (or TM's) and pay for one of their courses. It's a shame that Lynch didn't devote more time to explaining how he goes about creating his stories, finding characters or choosing the people he works with. By the looks of it, he relies a lot on chance and twice-a-day solitary dives into the "Unified Field" to convince himself that there is something more to his unique genius.