Meet Fisch

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Fisch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Fisch, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I feel like I’m one of those artists that can hyper fixate and create things one after the other, but I’ll suddenly have a long winded spell of art block where I don’t make anything for months. However, this last year (2024) I’ve really been able to keep my creativity alive after finding the right community.

Regardless of having social anxiety I attended an event where I knew no one. I had seen there was a potluck for photographers and models of all levels. It was the beginning of the new year and I was wanting to do things out of my comfort zone. I didn’t really talk much unless someone else talked to me. But after that meeting, I ended up joining them on a fieldtrip to the Crystal Bridges Art Museum. It was after that that I had known I found a community that I felt included in.

Since then, being surrounded with so many creatives it keeps me motivated and inspired to do my own things and try out my own ideas. I’ve had my camera for several years, but I had never used it so much in one year than I had last year.

Other than being involved with such a creative community, I really do think that being educated and open minded is what’s kept my creativity alive. I picked up reading and read over 20 books (which is a lot for me) and I’ve been listening to different video essays. Just gaining so much information and hearing other people’s opinions help me form concepts and ideas of things to create that really matter to me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a hobby photographer from the Midwest. It’s funny though because I hadn’t really touched my camera in years until this last year when I had been encouraged by a friend to join him on photo walks.

I’ve found that even though I’m self taught and I don’t have the basic textbook knowledge of photography “rules”, design, composition, I’m still able to capture photos that I really love.

I most enjoy doing street and travel photography, but I’ve recently been wanting to work more with models and other creatives now that I’ve started really thinking of concepts that I want to come to life.

As for my most recent project, I had created a look book with a friend who loves fashion. I had no experience in graphic design, so I used Canva and focused a lot on incorporating color and page layouts. However, looking back, there are for sure a ton of things I would change. Although, many of the photos that ended up being featured in the final are some of my favorite photos that include a model.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Being personable is very important and had helped me meet and create wonderful relationships with other creatives.

Being intentional with what I make has been great for making sure I’m creating the things that I really want to create. However, I would say that this might be a double edged sword. If I’m too intentional and specific I might miss the best shots or I might not figure out if that one idea would actually work.

“March to the beat of your own drum” ; I try my hardest to not follow trends, unless it’s really something that I’m interested in. I don’t want my work to be like the others’. Like yes I want my end products to get the same kind of praise from an audience but my work, my ideas, and my process are to be different and unique. I love taking inspiration and see what I’m able to do myself.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would love to work with different creatives, small businesses, and individuals with personal projects. The best way to reach me is messaging me through my instagram (@fischs_tank) or you can email me with the email provided on my profile.

I don’t mind working with those to reach a metric goal, but the projects that I look out for most are the ones that the individuals are passionate about. Not only do I want to be someone who can help create a final product or be a step in a process, but I also want to learn and experience new things through a different lens.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: fischs_tank

Image Credits

The photo I submitted of myself was shot by Howard Ying