Faye Orlove finds ‘goddesses’ among celebrities — and enshrines them in her art

Hollywood-based illustrator and director Faye Orlove is enchanted with portraiture.

Whether it's her Celebrity Goddess Tarot Cards featuring everyone from Malala Yousafzai as The Moon to Taylor Swift as The Sun, or her sold out Kardashian votive candles, it's clear Orlove is inspired by powerful women. 

A bold self-starter with a distinct style of illustration seen everywhere from MTV to Buzzfeed to this very site*, the D.C. native is also an accomplished creative director and editor. Her bi-weekly webpaper, Fvck The Media, is an excersize in punk journalism and a must-read for anyone who's sick of click bait and advertising clouding their politics and culture. 

As part of our #SheMadeIt project, we spoke to Orlove about self-motivation, her pop-culture inspired "junk" and her struggles with shipping candles.

Faye Orlove | Artist, Illustrator FayeOrlove.com | 25 | Los Angeles, California

Across Women's Lives: What do you make?

Faye Orlove: Lots of pop culture inspired junk to add to your pop culture inspired shrines.

AWL: Why do you make it?

FO: It fulfills my soul! And maybe one day the Kardashians will sue me and I'll get to meet them. Or their lawyers.

AWL: What is the toughest challenge you've faced as an entrepreneur?

FO: Shipping prices! It costs so much to ship and I want to sell my products for reasonable prices that I find myself undercutting their value to compensate for high shipping prices. It's a hard balance. Also my Kardashian Kandles are always breaking it's a freaking nightmare. If anyone can teach my how to pack them so they stay alive, please please contact me.

AWL: What's the product you're currently selling that you're most proud of and why?

FO: I love my Goddess Tarot Cards and Celebrity Activity Book. Everything can be purchased here. 🙂

AWL: Can you share a piece of advice for fellow women who want to start their own business?

FO: Just do it. Ya know? Like no one is going to hand you money and say, 'start a store.' If you want to make candles or movies or lanyards or dog houses, you just should. If you're waiting for a sign or for someone to motivate you, you might be outta luck. I dunno. I don't deal with the unmotivated. I like people who are doing things. So, like. Just do it. I hope Nike doesn't sue me.

*Full disclosure: We've hired Faye Orlove to do the branding artwork for this and a couple of previous Across Women's Lives series. She's a breeze to work with and we love her work.

If you know a female maker selling her wares online, let us know! Just message us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag #SheMadeIt — or leave a comment below—and we'll amplify your pick. By the end of the week, we hope to create a crowdsourced database of women worth giving your business to.