Meet Tyler Stone

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tyler Stone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tyler, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I’m not sure I ever really did. Sometimes, I just have to force myself to step back and say “hey, this is working. You’re clearly doing something right.”

One thing that has helped a lot with my imposter syndrome is connecting with people in the same field. I’m in a discord group with other TikTok/YouTube science communicators, and they are some of my best sources of inspiration and encouragement.

Likewise, going to the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual meeting in 2024 did a lot for me as a paleoartist. I got to meet lots of other paleoartists who were all very complimentary and encouraging, and to connect with multiple scientists who were excited about my art. Getting encouragement from people in the field was a great antidote for imposter syndrome!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m Tyler Stone! I’m a two-time Emmy-nominated editor and photojournalist at a local news station here in Iowa. In addition to that, I am also a freelance paleoartist – an artist who reconstructs prehistoric life as accurately as possible based on all the currently-available evidence. In addition to illustrations I’ve made for private clients, my work has been published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and The Biologist magazine. On top of all of that, I have a successful TikTok account (@tylerstoneart) where I talk about my art and the science behind it. I’ve also recently started making videos for YouTube.

If it wasn’t already obvious, I am BUSY. Between a full-time job, freelance work, and content creation, my plate is almost always full. It can get overwhelming at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love my day job – it can be very challenging and emotional, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. I love being able to serve our viewers every day.

Paleoart, however, is a true lifelong passion for me. I’ve been fascinated by dinosaurs and prehistoric life since I was a little kid, and I’ve been drawing them for just as long. I think I actually find it MORE exciting now – every piece I make is its own little journey. Even with hours of research and multiple drafts, I’m often surprised by the final illustration. In some ways, I feel like I’m having a parallel experience to scientists in the field, because I’m also discovering this creature for the first time. Getting to do that professionally is a dream come true, and getting to share that journey (and the science behind it) with TikTok makes it even more fun!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

As far as skills go, the most valuable for me are having an understanding of art, and knowing how to do good research.

If you want to be an artist of any kind, you have to learn your fundamentals. You have to understand light, shadow, form, perspective, color, etc. You need to know how to put together a good composition to communicate your ideas. And of course, you need to practice enough with your medium of choice, traditional or digital (no, AI does not count) to be confident with it, and to know how to get the results you want with it. There are plenty of ways to do that, and no required path to get there. For example, I learned my fundamentals in art school using traditional media, but I pretty much only do digital illustrations now, and that’s something I learned how to do on my own.

For scientific illustration (paleoart or otherwise), you need to understand how science works. You need to learn to read scientific literature, and be able to understand the jargon of the field you’re focused on. It’s very challenging, especially if, like me, you don’t have a formal STEM background. Scientific literature is like sheet music – it’s meant to be understood by those who know how to read it. Learning to do so takes a lot of time and effort, but it’s a vital skill that you need to succeed in this field.

The thing that has allowed me to learn all of that, and find professional success in the process, is simple: it’s passion. I wouldn’t have taken the time to build my skills as an artist if I wasn’t passionate about it. I wouldn’t have forced myself to read incredibly dense scientific papers until I understood them if I wasn’t passionate about paleontology. And, ultimately, I wouldn’t have found clients as an artist, or an audience as a content creator, if I wasn’t clearly passionate. What you see in my videos is what you get. My passion for the subject and excitement to teach about it are genuine, and people respond to that. They can find the information anywhere, but no one else shares it with my voice.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents have been nothing but supportive, not just in my endeavors, but in all my interests. They took me to the library all the time, and always helped me find all the books about dinosaurs, or whatever other subject I was interested in at any given time. They also never discouraged me from pursuing art. They saw how much I loved it, and they encouraged me to keep doing it, and to pursue it seriously as an adult. Parents, always support your child’s interests. You never know where it will lead.

Also, I’d like to give a special shout out to my elementary school art teacher, Mrs. McKenzie. She was probably my biggest cheerleader after my parents, and I know I am where I am today in part because of her encouragement.

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