A new documentary... Join me in telling Lynda’s story
Hello friends, supporters, artists, and film enthusiasts, I invite you to join me in helping me produce my new documentary, Make Use of Suffering.
Make Use of Suffering is about a friend I admire deeply, Lynda Simmons. Lynda’s story is one of strength in the face of tragedy. Lynda lost two of her three sons tragically over the past two decades, and since then she has dealt with an unusual amount of death: her close friend drowned, a family member died of COVID, and a couple others passed unexpectedly. To help cope with the deaths of those close to her, she turned to painting and collage, which she credits for saving her life. She also finds inspiration and solace in the work she does in the community. She has facilitated art groups across the state of North Carolina for people to share personal experiences with each other.
Lynda’s story is one that inspires me to live my life differently. She pursues a radical kind of love for her community that is as fierce as it is tender. I’ve loved getting to know her and getting to learn from her, and I feel honored that we get to collaborate in telling her story. Make Use of Suffering will be a portrait of her as an artist and community engagement specialist.
There’s no lack of suffering these days, unfortunately. We are in strange times in many ways, and it is our choice to decide what to do with this reality. It is my belief that stories of people like Lynda change hearts and minds. I know her story has changed me. I look to Lynda’s story for strength.
We are in the middle of production. We have filmed around 15 hours of media, and plan to organize a number of shoots over the next year. Our plan is to continue production through the end of 2025. We need your support to continue, though. We need to raise a minimum of $7,000 to continue with production to get the footage we need for the film.
We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to make this happen:
https://filmfundraising.com/make-use-of-suffering
Thank you for considering joining me in telling Lynda’s story.
-David