Creative Protest: Blogging Against Disablism Day 2009

This post is to blog against disablism, using the medium of anti-disablist images and designs I have created.

I am a firm believer in creative protest, and these designs I have made feel to me like a powerful statement against the disablism we face.

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=="Special" design on different items==

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A witty design as a response to the 'what's up with you then?' question that's often asked to disabled people in a rude and insensitive and nosy manner!

==Witch's Curse design on different items==

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Disabled people don't want to patronised and pitied, or called brave or be used by charities to raise money. No pity! Just respect, equality and access please!

==No Pity Designs on different items==

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For anyone who doesn't follow the rules! Anarchists, disabled people, psychiatric patients, protestors... promote civil disobedience if you dare!

If you want to break free, get non-compliant! And rubber stamp it across your chest with this t-shirt.

==Non-Compliant design on different items==

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Disability rights slogan and logo. Nothing about us without us! Works well on all colour backgrounds.

Promotes independence and self-determinism, as well as opposing being patronised or pitied.

==Nothing About Us Without Us design on different items==

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==A t-shirt for those with invisible disabilities.==

RedBubble Activity

Some news on my latest RedBubble uploads and features.

I have made 4 T-shirt sales!

1) Children Playing Stencil Art (on dark)

2) Sir Trevor McDonald" T-shirt

3) But You Don't Look Sick Invisible Disability T-shirt

4) Children Playing Stencil Art (on light)

I also had artwork and t-shirts featured in some groups.

1) "Be Kind" - Dalai Lama t-shirt (on light) was featured in the Current Issues group

2) "Be Kind" - Dalai Lama t-shirt (on dark) was featured in the Anticonsumerism group

3) My "Love Hearts" photograph was featured in the Food for Thought group

4) My The Eyes of Buddha photograph was featured in the Buddha group

5) My photograph of a subverted traffic sign, "Stop Eating Animals" was featured in the Art Action Union - Creative Activism group and the Anticonsumerism group.

6) My blueberries photograph was featured in The Woman Photographer group and Out of the Blue group.

7) My "It's a Girl Thing" photograph around breast cancer awareness was featured in the In the Pink group and was in the top 10 results of their challenge.

8) My Alternative Valentine's Card photograph was featured in the All About Hearts group.

In other news, I have had a burst of t-shirt creative activity lately!

It started with my Homophobia is so gay t-shirt which I have been meaning to design for ages, and now I have done I am really pleased with it. I hand-printed the words using a DYMO machine, then scanned, vectorized and then edited with photoshop.

Then I did a couple of disability themed t-shirts. The first is a response to ignorant people who think it's acceptable to ask a complete stranger what is wrong with them! The t-shirt answers: "It Was a Witch's Curse!"

The second disability themed one was almost the opposite - for people with invisible disabilities, who can find it difficult to be taken seriously. The phrase for that shirt is "But You Don't Look Sick!"

I created a pretty Floral Swirls t-shirt, and a mad Psychedelia one.

I then created "Twit twit twit twitter", for those of us who are twitter addicts! (I am incurablehippie on twitter btw!).

Then I was thinking about how everyone at the moment is raving about the 'Guitar Hero' computer game, but that I know increasing numbers of people who play the Ukulele... so I created an hommage to Guitar hero, called "Ukulele Hero"

Then I did some more silly and funny t-shirts.

The first was related to the saying, "Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue", including this photograph.

The second one, on a light background and a dark background, illustrates the phrase "I dream of the day when a chicken can cross the road without having its motives questioned".

And finally, a NSFW manipulation of a certain multinational coffee company's logo, "Starbucks Fuck Off".

Sir Trevor McDonald

A recent t-shirt design I did. I'm really pleased with it!

RedBubble

I have only been using RedBubble for a few months, and wanted to post about it here because it's just lovely! You can upload and sell your own art and t-shirt designs, and buy your own and others' work.

I actually joined because I wanted to create and wear this t-shirt, which I made by editing and inverting the colours on this photo of some stencil art of children playing. But once a redbubble member I really liked the great sense of positivity in the community, and I loved sharing my work, and seeing others' work there.

I need to make my profile page prettier, and aim to do so soon with the help of this fab tutorial.

When you sell your work on there you can choose whether you want to make a profit, and if so, how much. If you buy your own work you just pay the basic RedBubble price. I have bought, and frequently wear, two of my own t-shirt designs - the children playing stencil art on dark background t-shirt, and the Think outside the Box t-shirt. At the same time as making those purchases, I also bought some greetings cards from other members, and two other t-shirts from other members.

One of the immense joys of this is the immense joy that the other members of the site get when you buy their work. And I can back this up from the couple of items of mine that others have bought. When you get that mail, saying one of your items has sold, the feeling is incomparable. Someone wanted a print of your photo, or one of your t-shirts, or an image as a greeting card or canvas, and the feel-good factor is huge!

If you are already a member there, or if you join, do friend me (add me to your watchlist) and I will be happy to do the same back. It all seems to be about the effort you put into your contacts there, and putting the effort in isn't hard work at all! It's about looking at incredible creations by others, and expressing your appreciation. What could be better?!




NaBloPoMo