Say hello to .. Natasha Tyler.
Meet Natasha Tyler, a traditional and digital artist based in Southern California. I had the pleasure of getting to discuss with Natasha all about her art journey, how she overcomes creators block, and more.
Read the interview below!
OA: When did you start creating art?
Natasha: Honestly, ever since I can remember. My family is very creative and has always encouraged and cultivated that spirit. It’s always been a part of me.
OA: Has you style changed over time? If so how?
Natasha: I don’t think I’ve ever had a set style. I tend to play around a lot, but the one I most consistently come back to is realism. Recently I’ve been trying to get better at cartoon styles, more specifically anime. I kinda dove headfirst into digit media in the last couple of years which has allowed me to experiment with the different functionalities of the medium and what it can produce. I’ve almost always been a traditional artist, which is funny to think of now because I feel like people know me more for my digital, even tho I’m not as skilled in that medium. I have been focusing a lot more on simpler-formed landscape pieces to use as backgrounds ex. Lock screens and home screens.
OA: How would you describe your art?
Natasha: Noooo idea.
OA: How do you overcome creators block?
Natasha: That one’s hard because it’s so emotional. Even if I have ideas, the actual production of them can be what becomes stagnant versus the concept itself. So with that, It may sound funny, but fanart helps a lot or re-creating characters/scenes from media that I love. It’s just stripping it all down and focusing on the joy of what I’m creating versus worrying about producing something. Other times it’s about giving yourself the time to take that break from art, going through the motions before you get back to it.
OA: What are your biggest artistic influences?
Natasha: Oh gosh, that’s hard to narrow. There is so much ground to cover with that topic. Emotions and storytelling have to be at the core of this discussion for me. Most of what inspires me isn’t based on looks but on how it makes me feel. With that, music, colors, and nature pose heavy influences on how I work. I’m also really inspired by people in my life. I like to work them or little aspects of them into my work when I can. In terms of other artists I find inspiring, Audra Auclair, Mark Maggiori, and Furry Little Peach. My work doesn’t necessarily resemble any of theirs, but I am so admiring of what and the way that they create. I feel they have such strong identities as artists. In a broader sense, I am so moved by the cartoons released within the last ten years; I’ve also always been a huge Disney fan.
OA: Do you have any favorite pieces you’ve done?
Natasha:I don’t know that I have favorite pieces. I think many artists have this problem, but I tend to be pretty critical of what I do. Picking a favorite is mostly a matter of looking at the most recent things I’ve created, for example, the three pieces in the personal series. I think this is the first time I looked at something I produced in this way, and think I somewhat succeeded. They took a lot of work, and while parts could be better, I like the outcome. However, as I said, I could see myself revisiting these pieces in a few months and despising them ahaha. I think aside from that, the last series of art that I did, the sky series is one of my favorites. I feel weird saying that because they were created to mimic someone else’s work. I think the reason why I love them as much as I do is that they got me back into art again after a long emotional struggle I was having. There’s the art block statement coming back. It allowed me to envelope myself with things that I loved, and I think it turned out super good. Also, due to the simplicity and nature of the pieces, I felt that I could play with the colors and have fun with the customizations of them in that way. It’s the first time I’ve seen any of my work as ‘versatile pieces.
OA: What are your ultimate goals with your art?
Natasha: I would say to make people happy, but why limit it to one emotion? I want to provide comfort and solace with my work. Allow people to feel what they need to feel. If that’s happiness, amazing! If not, if someone needs to sit in an uncomfortable feeling and my piece allows them to connect with that in a way that provides release, that's the ticket too. That’s the ultimate goal.