Since 2003, I have led a cartoon initiative called Cartoon Storytelling in which participants use real life experiences as prompt for a new story. Through a variety of creativity and writing exercises, participants learn about the art of cartooning while also creating a new story driven by a personal search to understand something about themselves.
The stories are often motivated by a personal pain -- a response to being bullied, grappling with self-esteem issues, healing a damaged relationship are most common. Very often the response from participants is: 'this is just what I needed and wasn't getting.'
Most recently, we presented the initiative in Hungary to produce the book Debrecen Tales: An International Experience, a co-production between the City of Debrecen and the University of Debrecen. The central focus of these cartoons was: living in Debrecen during times of pandemic, war, and social unrest. It features the work of Hungary-based artists originating from across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Last month in Japan we completed Tokyo Cartoon Vol. III, a collection of cartoons we produced in cooperation with the University of Tokyo and The Fulbright Program.
If you know of an organization that might benefit from Cartoon Storytelling, please reach out. I'd appreciate the chance to discuss. http://www.stevenfischer.net
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