Project Worldbuilder

Throwback to this triptych I made during the pandemic; easily some of my most vulnerable work. With everyone treating disabled people as expendable during that time, I wanted to highlight how visible my "invisible illness" really is. So I documented visual representations of my pain, my pills, and the things I had to give up.
No one is immune to the potential to become disabled, especially if you live long enough, so it benefits everyone to be mindful of how we speak about disability and how we make our world accessible. The label of "invisible illness" is one I take issue with because who is it invisible to? And why? The people around me can always tell when my pain is at my worst, despite my immense efforts to constantly mask it. And that masking was born of necessity - once I became disabled, I realized how quickly people tired of hearing me talk about it. The general public does not want to know if you're in pain every day. When someone asks how you're doing, they expect you to say "fine". It's YOUR fault if you break that social schema to talk about how not fine you are. So you bottle it up. You push it down and disconnect from your body and try to power through silently so other people don't have to feel any part of your discomfort. You carry the burden alone. And people call it "invisible".
It's been years since I created these pieces and a lot has changed. My treatment methods are different and I am on a verryyyy slow journey to reconnect with my own body in a healthy way. And yet, my original point still stands:
My illness is NOT invisible. You're just not paying attention.

Why yes, I will be at Mask Fest again this year 😎