Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Originally, I was a life-long musician, who cared about very little else. I sang in a band and in choirs, played multiple instruments, wrote new music all the time. It was my whole world. But, in 2019, I was hit by an SUV while riding a motorcycle to one of my college classes (music business, it was my favorite. I even called my professor from the ER because I didn’t know what else to do with myself lol).
I was very, very lucky, all things considered, with the worst physical injury being a few shattered ribs that required surgery to avoid more damage, and just a week in the ICU. Less luckily though-I was left with chronic pain caused by my own breathing, and, at the time at least, very little hope of ever going back to music professionally.
I lost my financial aid afterward, meaning I had to drop out of college right before the pandemic shut the rest of the world down. At the time, the only thing I could do to keep myself sane without hurting myself was fall back on an old skill I’d learned from my high school girlfriend- making beaded bracelets. I made hundreds until they started driving me just as insane, and then slowly branched out to more intricate jewelry, jumping through technical hoops until I had accidentally mastered a whole new set of skills I never expected to pursue. I spent years narrowing down a meticulous quality standard, gained a following of supportive, incredible people, and have sold tens of thousands of pieces, both in person and online. I’ve shipped to all 50 states, 26 countries, and 5 continents (including Antarctica!), so far, and I’m still just getting started.
Beading (and painting, but that’s a bit more common lol) has been my full-time job for over 4 years now, but it certainly required ALOT of things to happen in just 7. But as a self-proclaimed “Maker of Things, Haver of Skills, Doer of Stuff,” juggling quite a bit at once is kind of my default these days.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Most definitely not! Afterall, who expects beaded bracelets to somehow become a career out of basically nowhere? Honestly, the worst part of any creative practice is the uncertainty of it all. With no one to compare myself to, no one to look to as a standard of success, how was I to know what was possible? But, then again, maybe that’s exactly why I succeeded in the first place.
Sure, the physical issues-health, funds, public opinion, etc.-are never easy, but, at the very least, there’s usually pretty well-charted courses to overcome them. Not knowing if the thing you’re betting everything you have left on is even possible to achieve? That will always be the worst test you can face as an artist (at least in my opinion).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Getting to expand people’s idea of what beadwork can be-especially when so many of those ideas are limited to children’s friendship bracelets or the colorful (and wonderful) works of Indigenous and Native bead workers-and being able to offer a new, unique spin on such an ancient and rewarding trade has really been a highlight of my life so far.
Part of making bead weaving more fitting for “modern” wear means making it not just pretty or elegant, but really making it desirable. I use minimal metals, making them desirable for people with allergies and sensitivities, or just a general boredom with the popular metal jewelry of today. Every choker and necklace ties in the back with a soft ribbon, making them both fully adjustable and size inclusive. I draw a lot of inspiration from places like Haute Couture designers and centuries-old jewelry worn by royalty. I even hold myself to the kind of quality standard that means I won’t buy gemstones and crystal beads online, insisting on hand-inspecting each strand myself so I don’t feel pressured to compromise just to avoid wasting materials (I also pick out any defective or deformed seed beads and use them to coat the tops of my gift boxes for the same reason. The eye painting I’ll include a photo of used the same method, coated in probably millions of tiny beads around the border that I painted over for dimension and texture).
I know I could probably coast by on simply being the only person really making the things I make in the way that I make them, letting a niche audience find me, but I think I may be a bit too ambitious for that sort of thing. What’s the point in letting a “niche” art form stay niche when I know the only thing keeping the masses uninterested is simply them not knowing what it could be? The way I see it, if I’m going to reinvent something that so many would assume has peaked, I may as well do it in a way that amazes them into thinking ever bigger.
What matters most to you? Why?
Honestly, I think the most important part of anything is what it brings to our lives. Weaving the way I do, usually with just a vague idea and a set of colors, has taught me so much about myself and how I approach Life as a whole that I sometimes forget I used to not bead at all.
There’s a level of trust involved, not just from clients offering me creative freedom, but in myself. Being willing to take on projects I have no idea how to tackle, somehow pulling it off better than I could have expected (almost) every time. Living my own life the same way, setting goals no one but myself can see, always unsure of how to make them happen, always determined to do it anyway.
Somewhere along the way, it became a lot more than just beads on a string and ended up teaching me how to be the kind of person who inspires confidence that doesn’t hinge on compliments, but on practiced effort.
Pricing:
- anywhere from $28 to $1,500 at the moment, having a wide range of options is important to me
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ko-fi.com/tylercatastrophe
- Instagram: @imtylercatastrophe
Image Credits
T.A.Solona
