TYLER, THE ILLUSTRATOR
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See this Instagram photo by @tylerfeder * 169 likes
—story by Nina Clevinger
Let’s be real: pop culture makes the world go ‘round. It’s entertaining, it’s funny, and it is inspiring. Pop culture is all of the things we love about society mixed together with all of the things we hate – it’s fucking fabulous.
Tyler Feder is one artist who is completely enthralled in pop culture. So much so, in fact, that she creates and sells illustrations pertaining to her favorite movies, TV shows and celebrities.
Feder uses art as a way to channel her creative energy into something tangible. Right after college, she found herself working as a data consultant at an accounting firm – not exactly her cup of tea. The job drained her both mentally and physically, so she turned to art in order to feel something – anything – other than exhausted. A few years later, Feder quit her job as an accountant and now focuses solely on creating and selling her original illustrations.
See this Instagram photo by @tylerfeder * 306 likes
See this Instagram photo by @tylerfeder * 162 likes
“I am a deeply anxious person who has found a way to channel her nervous energy into art,” said Feder, when asked where she got her start in the creative world. “I spent my days in sweatpants at my desk, hard at work making things for people and running after my mischievous cat, who I love like a son.”
As a teenager, Tyler’s mother passed away. Instead of letting the loss affect her in a negative way, Feder decided to create things in honor of her late mother, who she describes as “hilarious, stubborn, and artsy-as-all.”
“I feel like I’m honoring her every time I create something,” said Feder. “Her life and death have completely shaped the person I am.”
See this Instagram photo by @tylerfeder * 196 likes
Feder runs on online Etsy shop and travels the country attending pop-up shows and craft fairs. She’s also working on expanding her horizons within the illustration world. Her next stop: girl power.
“For a while, my art has been mainly pop culture focused. And while I still love pop culture, I have been working in the feminist sphere lately,” she said. ““I want to help as many women as possible feel heard and represented through my art.”
Feder’s latest projects include an Intersectional Rosie the Riveter piece, in which she included women who face discrimination every day in America. The response she got from this was phenomenal and encouraging, which inspired her to continue on this path with her work.
“It's so much fun to draw really diverse groups of women and gender-nonconforming folk, and the response I get makes it even more worth it,” said Feder.
As for the future, Tyler wants to continue doing what she’s doing. She doesn’t ever really see herself stopping with the art, but is sort-of just taking it wherever it takes her. It’s more than just a career to Tyler—it’s a lifestyle.
Keep up with Tyler and her work by checking out her Etsy and also following her on Instagram at @tylerfeder.
