March 18, 2026

Disabled And Here Illustrator: Interview with Tynesha

Hi! How would you like to introduce yourself?

My name is Tynesha or Ty (they/them). I’m a passionate and strange animator with a proclivity for the grotesque. I explore these passions through animation, character design and illustration. I’m Black, agender, and disabled and while I explore all these aspects in my art, I also tackle themes of mental health, nature, and the marvels of the human body.

I work primarily in Stop-motion, Cel, and mixed media animation. However, I like to mix all three when I get the chance. My goal as an artist is to tell funny, kinky, horrific, and engaging stories through a plethora of mediums.

I go by Nearsh0t on the internet, using my childhood nickname.

Mixed media animation is getting to be a bit of a lost art these days! Can you talk about how you got into that?

As a kid of the 90s, animated cartoons were a big part of my life. For the longest time, being an animator seemed unattainable. I don’t have a studio or a cel animating desk. Funnily enough, I was able to bridge that gap of possibility when I made my first animation on a 3DS. Nintendo had a game called Flipnote Hatena, where you could create 30 second pixel animations. The floodgates opened and I’ve been hooked on animating ever since.

Is there a dream project or collaboration you’d love to take on someday?

I would like to work on a big horror anthology. I love horror, local folklore and mysteries, so I want to tell a story like that, local to south eastern Virginia. To me, horror is an amazing vehicle to examine the core of human experience, which to me is “how do we deal with what we don’t understand.”

Do you have any favorite sources for inspiration, whether it’s from general media or just life?

I’ve always had a love for biology and how animals (including humans) function. I watched hours upon hours of nature or medical documentaries as a kid, often drawing along to help me understand.

Another huge (more specific) inspiration was the Adult Swim programming block [on Cartoon Network]. They would occasionally play abstract short films. It opened my mind to what’s possible in animation, illustration, and art in general!

Lastly, I love music. I was raised on hip-hop and R&B, then later fell in love with electronica. Music and visual art for me are intertwined. When I see art, I hear a soundtrack. When I hear a song, I see a movie.

Similarly but also separately, what brings you joy or helps you recharge in general (when you just need a break)?

I love to go out to a theater to recharge. If not the movies, then I cuddle up with my dogs with a book. I also LOVE baking.

Wait, can you please tell us a bit about your dogs? What are their names and what are they like?

My dogs are named Tiamut (my five-year-old mixed dog) and Spyro (my six-year-old Chihuahua Dachshund). My husband and I named them after our favorite dragons (99% sure they’re little dragons in disguise). Tiamut is a pure sweetheart, who will give you kisses 24/7 if you let her. And Spyro is my little alpha dog, who loves cuddles but stands on business when it comes to protecting the house.

How would you say your lived experiences have influenced your art?

My grandmas, mother, father, aunts, uncles, everyone who raised me loved to make things. Whether it was my grandmas’ sewing or my mom’s painting. Making things was as natural as breathing. My dad was in the military until I was five, so art was my lifeline in a tumultuous early life.

My family was also very intentional about making sure I knew about Black artists, musicians, and writers. They sought to nurture my love of art, as making art has always been a liberating tool for my people.

Can you do a bit of world-building for the illustration you created for our Disabled And Here: Possible Futures series?

I wanted to imagine a world where we don’t treat nature as an obstacle, but as a companion to our community. That would still exist and has existed, but here I wanted to push it to the extreme. I have Lupus with kidney complications, and the outside has been presented to me as a hazard. Sun poisoning, food-induced inflammation, the works.

In this illustration, this elder is a well of botanical knowledge and is at home in their mechanized chair. The chair’s robotic feet are built to traverse any landscape while keeping the user comfortable.

The outside would be my and people like me’s greatest ally. Shade from harsh sun, plentiful healthy food, surrounded by herbs and plants that can be used to help with comfort and pain, all while powering a chair (biothermally/with hydropower) to help with mobility. Technology like this would not just be our aid – people with disabilities would be its steward. Because of the ways in which nature helps us in this future, we would be the keepers and teachers of the knowledge these plants provide.

I love that so much. If there was a more magical universe, what kind of superpower would you want most?

Telekinesis. Hands down.

Final question: what are the best ways to support you and your work going forward?

I have a patreon: Nearsh0t (a zero for the O)! I share all sorts of art and writings there. Nearsh0t on Instagram, itch.io, and Bluesky too.

This interview has been edited for clarity.