“Of course, as much as my art is a place to process trauma and subvert marginalization, it’s also a place to avoid all of that and just draw meaningless shit to make me happy. Sometimes it’s not about making a statement — sometimes it’s just about coping.”
“I want to work on a project that I needed when I was younger. Whether it’s comic work or illustration series or something completely different...I want to work in diverse stories and put my true self in them to reach out to those who have always felt like they didn’t quite fit in.”
“...sometimes if I’m down, but I still want to draw, the expressions of the colors won’t be as vibrant. When I’m in a good mood, I love to use bright vibrant colors and give my character big smiles and bright eyes to match.”
With photoshoots on hold for the time being, Disabled And Here is expanding the free stock collection to include digital illustrations.
We’re launching a small COVID-19 emergency relief fund to support local disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color during the pandemic.
“Because body modification is a pre-colonial art and based in self-reclamation, it is most precious to people whose bodies are under constant scrutiny and policing from multiple oppressive entities on systemic, cultural and interpersonal levels.”
“The barriers that people put in place, whether they’re intentional or unintentional, cause the disability. Sure, some of us are born different, but what causes the inability to interact with society is simply because [non-disabled people] adjusted the entire world to [their] liking.”
“The greatest way someone could support me would be to decolonize your ways of thinking and moving through the world. It would be extremely helpful if you called out someone’s behavior when they’re saying something racist or bigoted of any kind.”
“I think a lot of people, me included, tend to focus on production as a means of determining worthiness. We’ll tell ourselves we’ll reward ourselves with an activity we love only once we’ve done all our chores or completed some huge project, but really letting ourselves enjoy what we love can help build capacity for doing all our required work.”
“With the new lupus diagnosis, I am now much more attuned to my needs in ways that I never bothered to pay attention to before. When I get too tired or weak to work or socialize, I take breaks.”