Love is the beauty of the soul

"Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." ~ Saint Augustine

This is a quote that's been on my mind lately. One of the things you have to ask yourself as you set out on the creative process is "why am I doing this?" And often we discover that hate and fear are incredible motivators. It's what drives people to war, to vote, to risk everything, even their own lives. But it can also drive our creative work if we're not careful.

There's so much ugliness out there in the world. Our work is filled with slights, prejudices, and vendettas. Who we hate is written all over our work: White men, woke women, patriarchy, feminists, cis, queer. But there's little sense of who we love.

David Lynch is one of my favorite film directors who manages to create some deeply disturbing work while at the same time there's an undercurrent of love for everyone involved in his films. Twin Peaks is lurid and also full of love for the people in the show: especially Laura Palmer who could have just been a macguffin but instead became the central character of the show, even though she's murdered before it even begins. David Lynch often would talk about how he loved Laura and that love animates the show, making it something much, much more than just a murder mystery.

Another example that comes to mind is Hayao Miyazaki's work and the redemption of his villains. In Spirited Away, Yubaba and No-Face are two disturbing characters that seem like natural candidates as irredeemable antagonists. But instead, they become something lovable over through Chihiro treating them with kindness. They aren't targets for Miyazaki's hatred.

Who do you love? Who do you hate?

What does our work say?