How to Create and Move on Instinct
Artist and live illustrator Ali Rybczyk proves that feeling first can be a strategy.
Ali Rybczyk speaks in brushstrokes and spontaneity.
“Illustrating is the most fluent language for me,” says the 32-year-old artist from Southern California. “I translate people through line. When someone poses in front of me, I’m not just drawing their outfit — I’m drawing an emotion, the way they hold themselves. That immediacy is what makes it feel alive.”
It’s also what makes her feel alive, and the reason why her work as a live-action illustrator at events with brands and businesses such as Goop, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Google, Freda Salvador, and Coach has helped her make a name for herself. (It also explains her Instagram handle, “Le Feels,” which she says represents the emotion of what being an artist feels like.)
Ali credits her life’s “right place, right time” moments to the stars — and her instincts. Like that time she showed up at an Alice & Olivia runway presentation during her first trip to NYFW and ended up behind top editors and photographers. Or when she let her seatmate on the plane do her makeup, and the video went viral. Or when an influencer stopped her on the street to ask her what she does for a living.
“That’s kind of how my career has unfolded — instinct, consistency, and performance,” she says. “Sometimes those least-effort moments surprise you. Glam is part of the evolution.”
I met her last month in SoHo, where she was quietly illustrating the likes of Stacy London and other attendees at Christine Morrison’s book party for her new style memoir, Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays about Finding Yourself.
While I missed getting my ’fit memorialized that evening on the spot, she still graciously agreed to draw me and i/Edit editor Sara Lieberman. Her ability to find a subject’s essence in an instant is an art form. Look at how she captured us both! I love how she went off-script a bit with mine, injecting her interpretation of other looks I sent her, but leaving on my signature glasses, scarf, and favorite Esha Soni bag!
“There’s something about a blank canvas that feels electric to me. As a recovering procrastinator, especially with painting commissions, I’ve trained myself to work fast. Speed became survival. And then it became a style,” says Ali, who got her start selling illustrations on Instagram back in 2013.
Art was rooted in her from the beginning, though: Not only is her mother, Robin Hiers, an artist, but her grandparents founded the Sawdust Art Festival, a prominent and prestigious art fair on the West Coast.
“When I was a little girl, I would take stacks of blank printer paper and sit with one of my mom’s David Hockney coffee table books and just create characters,” she says. “I’d tape them all over my walls. That instinct has grown with me.”
It’s also expanded her closet, which for a long time was “paint-stained,” she says. Now, she has a dedicated painting capsule that includes old crewnecks, jumpsuits, denim, oversized tees, and structured coats: “When I wear those pieces, they represent my hard work. They also represent the little mania I undergo while painting — the excitement, the rushing, the doubting, the trust, the completion.”
Yet, when asked what clothing items make her feel most like herself, she said it’s all about her robes: a really nice linen one for around the house, a purple terrycloth for post-shower beauty routines, and a red silk for getting glam. “I’m a Taurus, and Taurus is ruled by Venus, comfort, and the senses. My robes are my coziness and my happiness. They represent softness and self-care.”
Find out what else brings Ali joy below, and come back next week for illustrations from her on how to dress for your astrological sign!
What are some favorite pieces that help you curate a vibe at home or that bring you the most joy day-to-day?
I’ve always been deeply connected to my environment. I was the kid who felt empathy if my stuffed animals were left on the floor at night! I’ve rearranged my room my entire life. I have always believed furniture has feelings. Every nook of my space feels like a mini altar, and I connect through the senses, so I have Copal and Flamingo Estate candles, Sandoval’s Captain Interior’ room mist, Onsen towels, and sheepskin rugs everywhere. I also use InBed linen bedding from Australia, and have books I’ve collected from travels. My custom travertine nightstands feel grounding, almost architectural. I’m very sensual, and my home reflects that.
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