Words can be hard, but visuals take the jargon out of the equation. In some ways, I feel like visual representation of physical conditions can be a less intimidating, more direct way to explain to people what something feels like. And even if it is a piece that can be interpreted in different ways, they can be conversation starters. Like my floral stomach: I’ve had people say it resonates with them because of their Chron’s disease, IBD, chronic pain, anorexia, gastroparesis, and more.
The educational aspect for me goes beyond just correct medical information, and includes providing an avenue for people to share their experience with health and disability.
I would love for you to talk a bit about disability advocacy and how we can help.
The biggest thing I’d say is: Normalize access. If you go to a restaurants website and they don’t have anything about their accessibility (where their accessible entrance is, if they even have one, etc), email them and ask for it to be posted. Request for event planners to include access information on their flyers. If you see a wheelchair lift or a curb cut that is blocked by garbage, tables, or advertisements, request for it to be moved, and point out that they’re blocking an entire group of people from accessing their business.
It may seem like a small thing, but when you’re in a wheelchair and you show up to a place that said it was accessible, only to find out that the wheelchair lift is not at all easy to find, it’s outside, and the door to enter is locked from the inside (yep, that happened) it gets old REALLY quick. Making accessibility information public and easily found benefits everyone and hurts literally nobody.
The second (and equally important) part of this is to follow disabled voices, and listen to what we have to say. Did you know that I’d prefer you call me “disabled” rather than “a person with disabilities?” Or did you know that when you tell me that you don’t “see me as disabled,” that actually is NOT a compliment? There’s enough of this topic to make 18 blog posts about it in itself (and people have!), but I’ll leave it at this: when deciding what’s important to disabled people, it’s important to prioritize disabled voices in the conversation.
If you want to know more about any of this, I highly suggest the following accounts to follow on insta/twitter:
@Nina_Tame
@Crutches_And_Spice
@JessicaOutOfTheCloset
@TheSparkledLife
OH. Last thing I swear:
caption your videos dang it
Use #CamelHumps for hashtags (that way screen readers identify each word, and don’t just try to read the whole thing as one)
Use Image Descriptions (I need to be better about this!)
What have you learned the hard way that you want to spare other people the pain of learning when it comes to anything wood burning or business related?
Make what you like. Make what you like. Make what you like. I spent almost a year talking myself out of burning anatomy art, for fear that it would be too weird. That year was the most frustrating, unfulfilling artistic year for me.
And clean your dang tips. LOL. I still am awful at this, especially when burning a blackout background. I get so mad because I keep having to turn the heat up, or can’t get a nice smooth black and then I realize it’s because I have so much gunk on my burner! Every time I take 10 minutes to clean my tips I always go back to burning and am like, “Why didn’t I do that sooner!”
What goals do you have for your art or your business?
I have two goal shows: Oddities Flea Market in NYC (Ryan Matthew Cohn if you read this, hi), and doing the OOAK Show in Chicago (also Hi!) but those are big goals, and especially with COVID-19 being what it is, I’m not too keen on putting a timeline on those goals.
My other goals include specific projects that are on my “bucket-list” if you will: burning a kitchen island, kitchen cupboards, a waterfall table, a full skeleton on a table.
Deserted Island with power. You can choose ONE
Burner: Razertip SK (the only burner I’ve ever used, after my dad’s soldering iron)
Nib: Chisel Tip for sure!
Type of wood: Olive Wood!!!
Non-essential tool (but basically essential to you): projector. Or coffee. But probably the projector!
Can you show us some of your favorite tools, must haves? Your favorite nibs? Or hacks?
Oooh yes. So, I have a chisel tip that I have sanded down (sorry Razertip), to be even more narrow for when I am doing teeny line-work on some of my more complex illustrations. Here’s the two tips in comparison:
