Filmmaker David Lynch was best known for his surrealist films like Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive. Many remember him for giving life to the murder mystery television series Twin Peaks. Since his passing, several fans have made the pilgrimage to the Bob’s Big Boy branch in Burbank, a place Lynch frequented, to pay their respects. Here are a few lessons we can learn from the unique personality.

Always write down your ideas

Several interviews of Lynch had him stressing the idea of always writing down your ideas once it hits you. Don’t let it rest by thinking greater ideas will come or, worse, by assuming you’ll never forget such a brilliant thought. As he grimly put it, “I write them down so I don’t commit suicide later, having forgotten the idea.” 

Don’t let failure keep you from trying again

As a lover of the unusual and having the tendency to embrace weirdness in his creative process, Lynch’s projects always faced some scrutiny from executives who didn’t understand his work. In one of his earliest box office projects, Lynch was tasked with bringing Frank Herbert’s Dune to the big screen. Although he gave in to the pestering notes and requests from higher ups, the project ultimately bombed and was deemed a failure. Though he looked back at it as a terrible experience, he soldiered on with his creative ventures and eventually bounced back with 1986’s Blue Velvet. Another timeless film of his, Mulholland Drive, was also a failed TV pilot before he repurposed it as a film. It went on to land him the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival. 

Be one with your weirdness

One question that had plagued Lynch for most of his life was, “What does it mean?” Kyle MacLachlan, who took the lead role in Twin Peaks as Agent Dale Cooper, explained in his New York Times opinion piece how he always avoided trying to explain his films. “David knew that anything he said would be putting his thumb on the scale. And he wanted people to experience his work on their own and take away what they wished.” What we can take from this is to simply let ourselves be. Don’t let others detract you from being the person you want to be. Be comfortable with your unique attitudes that make you stand out from the crowd.

David Lynch will forever be cemented as a unique visionary who told stories that could confuse and enlighten. Without Lynch, we would never have been able to enjoy shows like the X-Files or Gravity Falls that took inspiration from Lynch’s works. Let us remember him through a parting message he left attendees with during an appearance at a Meditate America event last September, “May everyone be happy. May everyone be free of disease. May auspiciousness be seen everywhere. May suffering belong to no one. Peace. Jai Gurudev.”