Charli xcx, David Lynch, and the audacity of creativity

Happy Thursday, everyone. I had the extreme privilege of seeing an intimate charli xcx concert last week. She announced a pop-up show at Williamsburg Music Hall, a Brooklyn venue that seats just 650 people. Seeing a global pop star and artist like Charli in such a small venue felt surreal. OMG, that’s her!! right there!!, I thought at least 50 times during her show.

I’m deeply inspired by artists who allow themselves to evolve, both personally and creatively. Her new album’s gritty, rock-and-roll edge feels worlds away from Brat’s pulsing club classics, yet it’s still 100% Charli. What inspires you?

Charli’s willingness to experiment is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. The artists who move us most are often the ones who resist staying in a single lane. They trust their instincts, embrace the unexpected, and keep chasing the next creative spark.

That same creative curiosity is what draws me to David Lynch’s work. Charli is a living example of creative evolution, while Lynch’s legacy continues to influence artists long after his passing. Both remind us that creativity requires curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to follow ideas that might not make sense at first. A true artist lets themselves explore an idea badly before it has the chance to become “good.”

In that spirit, today’s newsletter is a round-up of David Lynch quotes about creativity, followed by some upcoming creative events I’m hosting in NYC and virtually.

The following quotes are from Lynch’s 2006 book titled Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. His wise words stand out to me as both a writer and a writing teacher. I’m also a yogi for nearly half of my life. I get a great deal of creative inspiration from breathwork, meditation, and the sweet stillness I experience when my mind is fully present in a yoga practice.

Let these David Lynch quotes inspire you to ditch perfectionism and take a creative risk today:

“I began to wonder if film could be a way to make paintings move.”

“The idea just needs to be enough to get you started, because, for me, whatever follows is a process of action and reaction. It’s always a process of building and then destroying. And then, out of this destruction, discovering a thing and building on it.”

“If you do what you believe in and have a failure, that’s one thing: you can still live with yourself. But if you don’t, it’s like dying twice. It’s very, very painful.”

“I went to a psychiatrist once. I was doing something that had become a pattern in my life, and I thought, Well, I should go talk to a psychiatrist. When I got into the room, I asked him, ‘Do you think that this process could, in any way, damage my creativity?’ And he said, “Well, David, I have to be honest: it could.” And I shook his hand and left.”

“You don’t know yourself by looking in the mirror. You don’t know yourself by sitting down and having a talk with yourself. But it’s there, within, within, within.”

“Bushnell Keeler, the father of my friend Toby, always had this expression: ‘If you want to get one hour of good painting in, you have to have four hours of uninterrupted time.’”

As soon as I heard there was a Sober Curious Musical happening, I reached out to the creative team to let them know I wanted to be involved in some way. I’m obsessed with local, artsy, hyper-niche theater and I’ve reported on the sober curious movement since I quit drinking in 2015. This musical hits all my sweet spots!

Join me on July 27th for a special talk back with the cast. I’ll also sign copies of my book and card deck.

Grab tickets here (make sure to select July 27th!) and use code TAWNY for 30% off. All ticket sales go to the creative team behind this musical. There’s never been a better time to support local arts, y’all!

Grab Tickets Here

How to Get a Non-Fiction Book Deal is a two-hour webinar that demystifies the publishing process tailored for nonfiction writers. You’ll leave with a comprehensive understanding of what a traditionally published book deal entails and how to submit your work to agents.

Understand the traditional publishing process, including:

• Book Proposal 101: Learn what exactly a book proposal is and discover all the elements needed to compose one.

• How to Find an Agent: Discover how to find the right agent to represent your non-fiction project and how to reach out to them.

• Query Letter Overview: Take a deep dive into my query letter that landed me an agent within 24 hours.

• Q+A: This course ends with 10 minutes dedicated to answering all of your publishing and writing questions.

Sign Up Here

be experimental / take risks / speak your opinions,

-Tawny