Many thanks to Takeshi Okada and team! I appreciate the chance to share my thoughts on creativity and the creative process, creating original stories and characters along the way. Domo arigato!
Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
Steven Fischer’s Wonderful, Happy, Cartoony Workshop, Tokyo!
August 16, 2020Creative Writing and Journal Writing at Northwestern University
June 16, 2020Many thanks to Debra Ann Blade and Sylvia Tan for your continued interest in my Creative Writing workshops!
Northwestern University’s Norris Center is offering free sessions in Creative Writing and Journal Writing (among many other courses) to provide some much needed relief for people needing artful, healthy outlets during these stressful times.
Creativity on SeaDream’s Ultra Luxury Mega Yacht
April 24, 2018Thank you, SeaDream Yacht Club , for inviting me as your guest speaker across the Atlantic. It was an honor to share insights about creative writing to a fully engaged audience. We may have created fantastic stories in our interactive creativity workshop, but you helped us all create cherished memories of the sweet life. Thank you for that!
Cartoonist and writer Steven Fischer with Captain Torbjørn Lund aboard SeaDream I, April 2018.
Steven Fischer presents lectures and workshops on creativity and cartoon storytelling aboard SeaDream I during their April 2018 Transatlantic crossing.
Steven Fischer (bottom of frame) presents lectures on creativity and cartoon storytelling aboard SeaDream I, April 2018.
Baltimore Homecoming!
March 15, 2018Thank you, Baltimore Homecoming, for the delicious invitation to participate in 2018’s inaugural homecoming. It’s an honor and a real treat! I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
Award-winning writer/producer/director Steven Fischer is one of 150 Baltimore ex-pats to receive an invitation to Baltimore Homecoming 2018.
The Importance of Going Within
March 13, 2018Winnetka Living recently published this article by Steven Fischer on creativity.
Call Me Giant
November 17, 2017Join us January 25, 2018 at Northwestern University’s Norris Center for an intense acting and character creation experience! Click here for details and sign up.
Director Steven Fischer leads actors through exercises for Call Me Giant, part of an actor’s intensive character creation experience at McCormick Auditorium, Evanston, Illinois. Photo by Jeff Sweeton.
Director Steven Fischer leads acting exercises at McCormick Auditorium in Evanston, Illinois, as part of an actor’s intensive character creation experience. Photo by Jeff Sweeton.
Film director, cartoonist Steven Fischer guides actors at McCormick Auditorium in Evanston, Illinois part of an actor’s intensive character creation experience. Photo by Susan Zielinski.
Cartoon Illustrations for DiamondMind Enterprises
October 28, 2017
L-R: Tom Rosenak at DiamondMind Enterprises works with cartoonist Steven Fischer on drawings for “Acres of Diamonds”.
L-R: Tom Rosenak at DiamondMind Enterprises works with cartoonist Steven Fischer on drawings for “Acres of Diamonds”. October 2017.
Media Process / Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics video shoot
October 28, 2017
L-R: Tyler Wilson (set PA), Hayden Jackson (sound), Steven Fischer (director), Mike Swanson (director of photography) on a shoot for Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and Media Process Group, Chicago.
L-R: Steven Fischer (director); Mike Swanson (director of photography, behind camera); Hayden Jackson (sound); Siva Panchamoorthy (talent), video shoot for Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and Media Process Group, Chicago.
Documentary Short Film Review “Old School, New School”
September 5, 2017Review by Kirk S. Fernwood
4 Sept 2017
Film director Steven Fischer (left) with the legendary cinematographer William Fraker on location in Hollywood for Old School New School, 2008. (photo Scott Uhlfelder)
WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
It’s the digital age, and anyone and everyone is able to share their talents (or “talents”) with the world at large, opening themselves up to scrutiny, even putting out material of professional quality appearance–even though they aren’t really professional, perhaps, in connecting with an audience via true artistic integrity. So, therefore, what exactly is it that makes for, well, “making it” in the realms of stage and screen? For 2-time Emmy nominated independent filmmaker Steven Fischer, this was the burning question he himself had been struggling with for some time, with no immediate answers to be found.
However, he then embarked on a journey across the United States on a quest to find those elusive truths found within three distinct aspects of what it means to be grounded in the arts: finding your voice, security vs. risk, and the definition of success. As he engaged some of the wide-ranging entertainment industry’s most consummate, revered, and skilled artists in their respected fields of expertise, the notions shared, the personal level of insights presented, and the sometimes deceptively simple wisdom gained very much embodies the very heart of what it means to find exactly what was being sought.
Next, my Mind:
In what this reviewer would deem a perfect amalgamation of what it means to be a part of the independent film community while also delivering a pure, insightful, and fascinating look into the greater entertainment industry machine via some its veteran luminaries, writer/director/co-producer/editor Fischer’s 33-minute documentary short hits a home run on multiple levels. Thanks to the very up close, personalized nature of the interviews here, it makes the viewer one hundred percent experience the world through these artisans’ words as they share their own revelations about what it is to find success while also making it clear that everyone truly needs to find their own path.
Emphasizing concepts like not deviating from being who you are, knowing what risks to take vs. taking none at all or playing it too safe, having a willingness to push yourself, taking constructive criticism, being a person of honesty with yourself and others, realizing there doesn’t have to be suffering for your art to be successful, and asking yourself if you’ve found happiness, fulfillment, or reached your full potential, it very much should resonate deeply with anyone striving to walk that path to what they desire to do, even outside of the industries presented here. It’s an actuality, a personal endeavor, to aim for the goals you have and do it with passion and hard work, all while knowing with confidence what your talent is, developing it by being hand’s on, and accepting no shortcuts. It’s affecting and so real.
The “cast” Fischer provides us for this journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Included are renowned cinematographers like 6-time Oscar nominee William Fraker and John Bailey, 4-time Grammy winner and John Coltrane Quartet jazz legend McCoy Tyner, 134-time Tony nominated/41-time winning stage producer Emanuel Azenberg, 50-year theater teacher and performer Sam McCready, whose former students included names like Branagh, Neeson, and Boyle, poet James Ragan whose work has been translated into 12 European and Asian languages while also having read for 5 heads of state, Carnegie Hall, and the U.N., Kirstie Simson, a worldwide name in new dance instruction, as well as actors Ben Jones, Brian Cox, and Tomas Arana, all of whom stand out for their prolific deeds either on or off screen.
In total, with its completely relatable, down-to-earth vibe, fluid pacing, totally engaging interviews, and wealth of knowledge offered to any and all who have dreams of pursuing careers in the entertainment industry or other paths, “Old School, New School” is a must-see documentary effort that especially resonated with this reviewer and the goals I have been aiming for. It’s motivation, challenge, and steadfast encouragement found here, something we could all use more of in this hectic situation we call life.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
L-R: Fred Weil, Steven Fischer, Brian Cox, Chris Cassidy shooting Old School New School, New York City, June 2010.
Discover Norris Mini Courses at Northwestern University!
March 8, 2017Here’s an excerpt from an article by Aine Dougherty, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Northwestern offers lots of interesting classes for its students, but if your class schedule is full and you’re still itching to learn, look no further than Mini Courses at Norris University Center. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community members, Mini Courses give participants the chance to learn new skills in just a few short weeks.
Courses cover a wide variety of topics, from cooking to dancing to drinking, so no matter what your interests are, you’ll be able to find a Mini Course that suits your needs. Or, you’ll get the chance to discover a new passion. Some of the most popular courses include Ceramics, Cherokee, Latin Ballroom Dance, and Wine Appreciation (for those over 21). The Spring 2017 program will offer these choices as well as many others, including Baking, Belly Dancing, Public Speaking, and Mixology.
Acting & Character Creation with Steven Fischer
Aspiring Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies need look no further than Steven Fischer’s Acting and Character Creation class, where they can learn from an two-time Emmy-nominated instructor who has 25 years of work experience as a director, writer, animator, and actor in live-action and animated films. Fischer, a Mini Courses instructor since 2012, says that a typical session of his acting class involves “a lot of acting exercises and improv games” that help students generate performance ideas they can then use outside of class. Fischer affirms that his course is a safe place to create because there are no right or wrong ideas, and he says that participants can make the most out of their experience “simply by being open to something new.”
Film director-producer Steven Fischer works with actors at Northwestern University.
According to Fischer, all of the Mini Courses participants are “the best of the best … They are all ready to work; they are ready to share and give of themselves; they are open. They’re just terrific people.” Don’t you want to be one of them? Sign up today!
Early registration is open now and lasts until March 29 – sign up during that time to save $8. Regular registration lasts until April 16, and courses begin during the third week of April, meeting on weekday evenings for around six weeks. Find more information on the Mini Courses web page, and sign up for the class of your choice at www.nbo.northwestern.edu
Old School, New School 