In this video from Eyes on Cinema, the eccentric director advises you to "keep your eye on the donut" in order to stave off that which aims to derail your creativity and stop your flow of ideas.


Even though Lynch's lecture starts out sounding like he's awkwardly explaining the birds and the bees to a bunch of kids who probably don't want to hear it, his point is truly salient. Focus on the donut instead of the hole, because, as Lynch says, "the hole is so deep and so bad." (As I'm writing this, I'm finding it harder and harder not to let my 12-year-old-boy mind go straight to innuendo.)

But it's true -- think of all of the things that get in the way of being creative: work, family, friends, money, skill level, blah blah blah. That's the hole -- and it's never-ending. The donut is your idea, your vision, and it's surface area is limited, and not only is it surrounded by things that want to steal your focus, but it's filled with them, too.

Which are you focusing on right now, the donut or the hole?

Source: Eyes on Cinema