I'm Tia (she/her/hers). I am an illustrator and creator with a calling to steward the earth. My creations, illustrations and artwork are often playful and light, but center on a deep admiration for our natural world and desire to care for it. Climate justice, gender equality and racial justice are also center in the/my work.
I'm not sure when I started to be called to environmental stewardship. It could have been while fishing with my dad, going on creek adventures, or hiking in the woods during my childhood in rural western Pennsylvania. Maybe it clicked when I read a book on deforestation in second grade and wrote a letter to the state Senator urging action. Or it might have been when I started wrestling with an understanding of climate change and my identity as a "coal town" native. Wherever the origin, I'm pulled toward conserving, protecting and restoring this beautiful planet - for the sole purpose that I think it's worth it. From the giant forest systems to a small patch of wildflowers to the tiniest, curious insect crawling up a tree - nature on all levels holds infinite value and complexity. I don't believe it's fair, just or moral for nature to be treated as collateral damage in people's quest for "more."
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The threats to the natural world are dizzyingly vast. Further, the root of climate and environmental threats are fundamentally tied with threats to racial equity, Indigenous rights, and justice. It's alluring to go down that deep, dark pit of despair when thinking about the mountain of threats that face nature and people, and how in the world I - one, single person - can do anything of impact. I'm not going to pretend like I don't end up in that pit pretty much every day. But there is a cause for optimism - there are so many beautiful, transformative efforts led by people who genuinely want to see nature and people thrive together.
I'm still figuring out where my impact is, and how I can lend myself both usefully and happily to the environmental and environmental justice movement. I've only recently started to allow myself to include art in this quest. I'm overjoyed in continuing to find the intersections of art and science, and further, the usefulness of art in the environmental justice movement. For now, I'm enjoying creating sustainably-sourced greeting cards that highlight and share information about insects and animals. The aim of this is to celebrate nature, celebrate each other, and provide some natural education along the way. I'm excited to continue exploring how I can make a positive impact on the planet through art.
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