Tim Fischer on Self-Discovery and Transformation: Finding Yourself, Living Your Truth and Embracing the Power to Change Your Life

Artist and author Tim Fischer is an inspiring testimony that the journey to becoming who you want to be and achieving your dreams isn’t linear, or impossible. It simply takes persistence, faith in yourself, who you are and who and what you want to be. Add to that a bold stroke of stubborn optimism along the way, and you start to see the path before you painted with added clarity.

Born and raised in Herkimer County by kind and loving working-class parents, Fischer had an upbringing filled with fond memories. However warm and loving his family and friends, childhood for Fischer was not without feeling a little lonely and out of place at times. This relatable sense of being foreign amongst those around you is something many experience depending on where you are and who you are surrounded by. For Fischer, it was in part due to his affinity for daydreaming and art, two things that few amongst his family or peers could fully understand or relate to.

“In retrospect,” Fischer pondered, “my parents, I think, probably were a little bemused. Nobody in my immediate family was artistic, and here I was daydreaming and drawing. Looking back, I think they were a little unsure how best to support my interests, but they did their best and were as supportive as they could be.”

As a teen, Fischer dabbled in numerous interests and hobbies beyond drawing. A few of these interests included self-taught photography, videos, writing a screenplay and a novel. Fischer never really viewed himself as an artist, and after high school he enrolled in college for engineering. As an adult, Fischer gravitated to standard nine-to-five jobs to support himself.

“I was operating under a strong sense of obligation to do what I was ‘supposed’ to do.” Fischer shared, speaking to the idea he once held that to be successful, his life had to look a certain way.

“It’s the struggle of understanding and living your truth.” Fischer said, referring to the challenge of being a dreamer at heart with this sense of duty to be successful in a way opposite of his artistic truth, “Like birds in the sky or fish in a stream, I always wanted to find my natural place in the world and just get on with it, but it’s been a very elusive thing for me.”

A profound moment occurred on one unassuming day in his twenties, in which Fischer challenged himself.

The task? Creating a new, complete piece of artwork, start-to-finish.

Sitting down with paper, charcoal, and pencils, he took to work, and sometime after, he was left with a newly completed work of art. From there, he gained momentum and continued to create with purpose.

Fischer never really stopped creating but had periods of time where there was a gap between, in that way that tends to happen when artists and creatives get swept up in the mundane demands of everyday life and the things one must do day in and day out. In those stretches of time, Fischer noticed he felt less himself when too much time passed between his artistic endeavors.

As he created, he began to share his art more and listed some of his work on Etsy. Eventually, he even sold a few through this platform. Fischer shared a profound understanding he came to realize as he allowed himself to create, “It was a slow journey of finding myself … Its who I always was.”

Of his journey, Fischer expressed relatable stages many go through when finally finding yourself and embracing who you are and who you always were. Sometimes, in those moments we experience feelings of frustration or loss at the time that passed. Fischer emphasized the importance of all the stages in a journey, and not getting hung up on the loss of time gone-by, “It was a winding path of happenstance … Ultimately, I believe we have the experiences we were meant to have.”

While reflecting on his influences and inspiration not only now, but throughout life, Fischer mused, “You find positive voices along the way.” Pointing out the inspiration and profound insight found in everything, from movies and books to people around you. You can sit down to simply watch a movie, but that movie can have a profound impact. A character may say something or experience a challenge or defining moment that resonates with and impacts you in a way that inspires as well.

Of his childhood, he recalled fond memories including his grandfather ushering him over saying, “Timmy come here,” and sitting down to watch Bob Ross together. This was a profound experience that not only brought him and his grandfather together but gave him a role model too. Bob Ross demonstrated that art can be a career, and being authentically yourself and comfortable with who you are and what you do, is possible.

Fischer spoke to integrating these lessons overtime, “The upside to spending many years feeling aimless is that I think it also allowed me to become myself in a more authentic way, without the outside pressures.” He touched on the importance and impact of storytelling, not only in writing, but in how you speak to yourself too, “You are writing your experience.” Life is a small part of what happens to you, but how you navigate external circumstances and how you speak to yourself and view yourself creates your reality. After all, we are often our most vehement critic, or passionate supporter.

Fischer’s journey to finding himself and his purpose brought him to many new places and experiences in life. At the time of this article, he resides in his hometown area with his wife, their beloved dog and two cats. In 2023 Fischer published a profound and enchanting children’s book, “Under the Blanket Sky” with Penguin Random House, which he wrote and illustrated. The story follows a boy and his fantastical owl friend as they forge a deep bond together over the course of one fleeting summer.

Fischer currently works part time as a physical therapy assistant and continues to live his dream as an artist and writer. Reflecting on the twists and turns in life, and what his life looks like today, Fischer voiced the profound truth, “The greatest power we have is the power to change our lives by changing our minds.”

You are never stuck, if you are at a dead end, you simply need to turn around and try something new.

By Laura Simonelli