Turn painting into love · paint all over the world
    Fatih Kucuk, a 36 year old artist, was born in Sariz, a small town near Kayseri, a city in the central Anatolia plateau, Turkey.
    Who would have thought that Fatih Kucuk, a graffiti artist, was color blind!
    Through art, practice and social participation, Fatih studied film and television production at the graduate school of Ordu University. At the same time, he spent three years in 79 villages and towns in Turkey, volunteering to paint murals for schools in remote places. He also actively recommended himself to schools of remote places at home and abroad - as long as the other party provided accommodation, he will be a volunteer to help the school draw murals.
    During the three-year period, Fatih visited oversea countries including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as creative volunteers.
    By 2019, Fatih had left paintings in about 200 rural schools in these countries.
    After Fatih found out that he was color blind, he made good friends with all walks of life at home and abroad by painting murals, visited 79 towns in Turkey, painted 200 rural schools over the world, and built a "cartoon mill" in the mountain forest art education park step by step. It is free and given priority to local or rural children. Except for various art schools in all Turkish systems, cartoon mill is the only open base that can learn animation art, art lovers from all over the world are attracted by it.
    Fatih found that today's animation implies violent values and he aims to change the world through animation teaching. He hopes that the next generation will be imaginative, understand how to appreciate beauty and have a strong heart. He has painted in more than 10 countries such as Russia and Japan with volunteer painters. Deeply attracted by the rich humanity charm and beautiful scenery in Taiwan, in recent years, he has been more committed to planning and establishing an animation education park for rural children in Taiwan.
    Therefore, Fatih traveled thousands of miles, turned painting into love and painted all over the world. He also founded cartoon mill and voluntary teaching of animation to change the world. He is worthy of being called a "Turkish color blind artist". 
The first gift of life
    Turkish artist Fatih Kucuk was born in Sarız, a small town covered with snow for five months a year. From a young age, Fatih grew up in his mother's wool shop full of colors.
    In this chilly town, Fatih's mother makes a living selling hand-knitted sweaters and scarves.
    When he was a child, Fatih used to help sell woolen yarn to customers in his mother's shop. Until Fatih was ten years old, he always got the wrong color.
    The small town where Fatih lived has insufficient educational resources.
    Although Fatih has a strong interest in science and art, he cannot have good teaching resources, so Fatih's academic performance was poor.
    The first gift in his life is the colored pen given by the teacher of the school.
    Before graduation from Sarız High School, a teacher told Fatih that some universities accept students with special talents, and the teacher thought Fatih had special talents and should be able to enter the University!
Denied by the police school because of color blindness
    Fatih's family believed that if they continued to live in this snowy town, Fatih would not be able to find a job, so the family moved to a big city.
    Fatih told his family that he wanted to learn art, but his family wanted him to be a policeman with a stable income.
    Therefore, Fatih went to the police school for an interview, but unexpectedly, when Fatih was doing a color blindness test, he was found to be completely color blind!
    Fatih could not have imagined that he only found this disability after helping the family business at home for so many years.
    Fatih was also denied by the police school because of his color blindness.
    Later, Fatih began to prepare for the college entrance exam, and finally he successfully enter the "19 Mayıs University" in Turkey.
    In the four years of college, Fatih studied very hard. He also earned pocket money by painting murals. At the same time, Fatih also chose courses of drama credits.
Transnational voluntary teaching of animation
    After graduating from 19 Mayıs University, Fatih and his friends jointly set up a theater in Samsun, Turkey. Fatih was not only a screenwriter but also a director for four years.
    One day, in order to practice "the dream of voluntary teaching animation changing the world", Fatih resolutely left the theater and embarked on another journey of his life. At that time, Fatih was penniless and had only one coat.
    So Fatih began to draw portraits of pedestrians at the bus stop to earn ticket money.
    The painting for money trip lasted three years.
    Meanwhile, Fatih visited 79 towns in Turkey. When traveling within the country, Fatih helped repair the ancient architectural structures and enhance their value.
    In Fatih's mind, he believes that people, like water, will be shaped by the container, so as long as the building is beautiful, people will be attracted here.
    After visiting various cities in Turkey, Fatih helped schools in overseas countries make murals as a volunteer.
    Fatih began overseas travel. He visited many countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
    At the same time, Fatih also studied urban aesthetics and market decoration art.
    During the three-year journey, Fatih earned a living by painting portraits and murals.
    "As long as you have a skill, you won't be starved and can go anywhere you want," Fatih believes.
    For the past three years, Fatih slept in different hotels, bus stations and railway stations every day.
    While studying animation, Fatih also observed the educational systems and animation history of these countries.
    Fatih began studying the history of world animation while pursuing a master's degree in television and film from Ordu University.
    The history of animation begins 35000 years ago: a painting of a bison found in a cave. It is painted with eight feet, showing the movement of running.
    In the ancient Egyptian tomb of 4000 years, a painting arranged in order was found, showing the continuous action of wrestling.
    Another example is the bowl of 5200 years ago in Iran. There are six rams painted on the bowl. When you rotate the bowl, you will find that the rams are jumping and eating grass.
    Animation has developed into a high-tech entertainment industry 100 years ago.
    During World War II, the United States, Japan and Russia had already used animation as a publicity tool. The social images of men and women will also be in the forms of animation.
    Nowadays, animation is used for entertainment, education, publicity and marketing.
    However, there is violence in many animations, and children form an internal tendency of violence after watching these animations!
    Once in Turkey, three children jumped from the balcony because they thought they were pokemon, Tom and Jerry, Martha and bear. These animations all have the implication of violence.
    Because of this, Fatih decided to set up an animation school. He believes that animation should be scientific, artistic, kind, just and moral. Fatih hopes to carry forward these goodness in the animation art across the world!
    Of course, Fatih himself knows that it is a difficult and rocky road to set up an animation school.
Dream Built On One Lila
    At first, Fatih sent a lot of emails to local governments in Turkey to seek sponsorship of a piece of land.
    However, most local governments believe that Fatih's plan has no future value……
    Some local governments, although accepting the proposal put forward by the law, can not provide a suitable location.
    The animation school planned by Fatih is the only place to study animation except in Turkish university.
    In 2016, Fatih's proposal was favored by the government of Kas county, a Mediterranean coastal fishing village in southwest Turkey. The local government allocated an abandoned school land for him.
    At that time, there was only one Lira left in Fatih's pocket (about NT $5.39).
    After Fatih signed some documents related to the land use of Kas county government, Fatih first used the remaining money to buy a piece of paper and a pencil to draw the blueprint. Then he went to the street to help people draw portraits to make money. With some resources obtained step by step, Fatih was able to buy Tents, iron hammers, bread and a bunch of grapes.
    This abandoned school, which was used as a barn by villagers, has no water, electricity, roof and windows.
    Fatih spent a month repairing the school building.
    During that time, Fatih only ate grapes, cheese and bread made by villagers.
    Because there is no water, Fatih needs to walk 10 minutes to carry water every day.
    Fatih also has no comfortable bed to sleep, and sometimes even wakes up to face poisonous snakes.
    Although the process was arduous, Fatih always believed in himself and worked harder. Occasionally, some villagers come to help, finally, the school officially began classes after three months.
    At first, the villagers didn't know what Fatih's school was doing and were unwilling to help Fatih.
    However, after Fatih contacted and taught the villagers' children, the villagers began to come to Fatih and help him. They also shared Fatih's plans in social media, and gradually more and more people supported his plan.
The Cartoon Mill was born
    When people began to believe in Fatih, support Fatih and donate money to the project, the materials needed for the construction of the school gradually became sufficient, and people in other counties and cities began to donate stationery for the "cartoon mill".
    The school has dormitories, libraries, theatres, kitchens, studios and windmills. This gradually built school is the "cartoon mill" that has caused a sensation in Europe and Asia.
    "Mill" represents production, as well as the meaning of Fatih and students to create animation here.
    When the villagers are busy farming, their children will come to the cartoon mill after class, and Fatih will help with their children's homework.
    When the news about the cartoon mill began to spread in the Turkish media, Fatih's plan made greater progress.
    One day, Fatih received a call from a lady. He was invited to make an animation for the national television TRT Cocuk. So Fatih became a member of the production team.
Promoting global animation schools
    Fatih has always adhered to the original intention of creating and serving the countryside in nature. One year after Fatih produced animation on the national television channel in 2017, he used the money he earned to buy a piece of barren land in the countryside of Kekova, no longer borrowed the land resources of the government, and established a cartoon mill that really belongs to him.
    From October to May of the next year, Kas county government will arrange 62 schools in the county for students under grade 8 to study in the cartoon mill in turn, with 20 to 40 students participating in the course every week.
    This kind of learning method that encourages creativity is very enlightening to children.
    Cartoon mill will be free and give priority to local or rural children. You can contact Fatih or the local government.
    In winter, the cartoon mill will only have a simple agenda of a half-day tour, while in summer, the cartoon mill will have a one-day tour or a two-day and one night summer camp, which combines nature hiking and various group health activities. Of course, it also has other professional animation talent training programs.
    Fatih set up the cartoon mill to promote art education, aiming to change the world through animation teaching, hoping that the next generation will be imaginative, understand how to appreciate beauty and strengthen their hearts.
    Today, this teaching program has been a successful model in Turkey. Fatih hopes to set up such animation schools all over the world in the future!
Painting legend of Taiwan and Turkey
    Fatih was quite fascinated with Asian culture. When he studied at the graduate school of Ordu University, Fatih took "Asian animation" as the research theme, and he was bonded with Taiwan.
    In 2016, Fatih went to Banqiao Guangren primary school for the second time to create and beautify the walls of the campus with children.
    2019 is Fatih's third visit to Taiwan. This time, Fatih participated in the "earth art project" of Taitung soil and water conservation bureau. Combined with the totems and legends of the Amis, he created two large murals for the Zhenxing branch of Wan'an elementary school in Chin-Shang Township, Taitung County.
    Fatih's creative feature is to insist on creating together with the local people. He collects the local Amis tribal folk customs and legends as materials to create community history and memory.
    The murals are inspired by the matriarchal social culture of the Amis. All kinds of roles are the epitome of the perseverance of Amis women supporting their families.
    In addition to drawing the wall, Fatih also cooperated with the children's after-school time to jointly create the animation of Ami Legend - ten suns. He guided teaching to make the creation closer to local life.
    The animation lines are simple and colorful. It describes the legend of the Amis nationality. It is said that there were ten suns in the past. They were too hot for warriors to shoot the sun. Women successfully netted seven suns by weaving a large net. The rest three turned into star, moon and sun respectively. The crops could grow finally.
    On the other side, the low wall themed with the cultural characteristics of Ami lover's bag turns the Ami totem symbolizing love into a love wall by painting it on the wall in blue, red and green.
    When talking about Asians, Fatih thinks that Japan is too organized. In contrast, Taiwan is not that much chaotic, and warmer and more open than Japan. It will be a great place to promote art education.
    Fatih said that he is working on copying the successful experience to Taiwan, and intends to set up a park on suitable land and set up a Taiwanese version of the Turkish Cartoon Mill (animation school), hoping to continue to contribute to Taiwan's remote villages and set up a platform for the exchange of art and culture between Turkey and Taiwan.
    Of course, Fatih will also continue to create animations, and plans to build a team in the process, hoping to start a higher-quality animation production plan in the future.
    Fatih's willpower and action make him dream pursuing solid, while Fatih's imagination allows others to dream outside the box.
    No one stipulates that the sky must be blue. Fatih's dream-building spirit and hard work, realizing the hope of life for children in remote areas, is not only the best example, but also a veritable model of life!

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