Books › Catching the Big Fish
Catching the Big Fish
First published 2006 · 192 pages
A gentle, eccentric plunge into the depths of the subconscious to reel in the purest creative ideas.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting down for a quiet cup of coffee with a famously eccentric artist who turns out to be profoundly serene. The chapters are incredibly brief, sometimes just a paragraph or two, creating a steady, rhythmic pace that mimics the meditative practice it advocates. It is less a traditional memoir or a rigid how-to guide than a collection of gentle, surreal ripples on the surface of a deep pond. The prose is deceptively simple, stripping away the anxiety of the creative process to reveal a tranquil, expansive approach to art and life. It will deeply delight blocked artists, spiritual seekers, and anyone looking to quiet the noise of the world and dive into the deeper waters of their own consciousness.
- Mood
- meditative
- tranquil
- introspective
- expansive
- Tone
- earnest
- serene
- conversational
- quirky
- philosophical
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the creative process · inner stillness · accessing the subconscious · nurturing ideas · artistic intuition
- The writing
- Deceptively simple and sparse, utilizing gentle metaphors and a conversational rhythm.
- The arc
- Moves from the restless search for inspiration to a grounded, expansive sense of creative serenity.
- Who it's for
- Blocked artists, spiritual seekers, and creatives looking to quiet the noise and tap into their deepest intuition.
About the book
In this "unexpected delight,"* filmmaker David Lynch describes his personal methods of capturing and working with ideas, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.Now in a beautiful paperback edition, David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish provides a rare window into the internationally acclaimed filmmaker's methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.Catching the Big Fish comes as a revelation to the legion of fans who have longed to better understand Lynch's personal vision. And it is equally compelling to those who wonder how they can nurture their own creativity.Catching IdeasIdeas are like fish.If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper.Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they're very beautiful.I look for a certain kind of fish that is important to me, one that can translate to cinema. But there are all kinds of fish swimming down there. There are fish for business, fish for sports. There are fish for everything.Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness-your awareness-is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger the fish you can catch.-from Catching the Big Fish
Description from Open Library.
Books like Catching the Big Fish
See why they match
Big MagicElizabeth GilbertA warm, conversational permission slip to stop agonizing over your art and start playing with it.
Still the MindAlan WattsA warm, conversational invitation to drop the heavy baggage of the ego and simply exist in the present moment.
Search inside yourselfChade-Meng TanA gentle, humorous guide to finding zen in the middle of a chaotic corporate world.
The Artist's WayJulia CameronA nurturing, structured retreat for the soul that dismantles creative blocks and invites joyful play back into daily life.
How to Have a Beautiful MindEdward de BonoAn empowering guide to cultivating inner attractiveness through the art of creative thinking and engaging conversation.
How to meditateLawrence LeshanA grounded, practical exploration of inner stillness that bridges the gap between scientific observation and spiritual practice.