Artistic Reflections on Disability and Acceptance

Everyone Loves Dogs By Lessa

This piece was created on paper, in a vertical rectangle shape, using colorful markets in pink, blue, orange, green, and black. There is a poem centered along the piece and it reads: “When you hear me, I make a mistake, You raise your hand, And I don’t fear it, There is a weight on my head, It isn’t stress, It’s your hand, Patting me like a dog, Everyone loves dogs, And you love me, And you love me..” There is a green road-like line going through the middle of the piece, horizontally. Throughout the piece there are dots, stars, squiggly lines going in a circle, and hearts. At the edges of the piece there is a green house and bookshelf. There is a blue silhouette of a dog’s head. There is also a pink book, a pink silhouette of a cat’s head and a pink drawing pencil.

Description of Art: This piece was created on paper, in a vertical rectangle shape, using colorful markets in pink, blue, orange, green, and black. There is a poem centered along the piece and it reads: “When you hear me, I make a mistake, You raise your hand, And I don’t fear it, There is a weight on my head, It isn’t stress, It’s your hand, Patting me like a dog, Everyone loves dogs, And you love me, And you love me..” There is a green road-like line going through the middle of the piece, horizontally. Throughout the piece there are dots, stars, squiggly lines going in a circle, and hearts. At the edges of the piece there is a green house and bookshelf. There is a blue silhouette of a dog’s head. There is also a pink book, a pink silhouette of a cat’s head and a pink drawing pencil.


Artist: Lessa (They/It) Interview:
This project has been exciting for a number of reasons but especially because we had the opportunity to talk to each of the artists about their piece. Here is just some of what Lessa (They/It) shared with us on August 9th, 2024.

Lessa (They/It) is a lover of digital and physical art, in fact they sometimes take commissions. They are a young adult living in a housing program for LGBTQ+ youth and described themself as a queer non-binary lesbian with both physical and mental disabilities.

Describing their Art:

“When I first got to (housing program) I found it really hard to sleep in my bedroom because I was anticipating the other shoe drop, where it would be revealed that it was not in fact as safe as it was.”

Lessa recalled some advice that people should avoid reaching to pet the top of a dog’s head because it could create fear. They said there is panic that comes with being helped because you expect a “smack” and not the weight of a “gentle hand” on your head.
“I’m allowed to not be a perfect human being and still be helped. I’m allowed to make mistakes and there still be a roof over my head and food on my table.”

Lessa feels like the program they’re in reaches out, not with anger but with concern when they are struggling. They want to know how to make it better, make it okay, “And what is more okay than a dog?”

When it comes to systems… Lessa feels like the people who get to decide if they are “disabled enough” don’t understand the disabled experience.

“People in power around disability seem to be inclined to assume they know the best and treat disabled people like they’re all children or stupid, especially people with mental disabilities.”

Lessa was intentional about using the line “When you hear me” in their poem to emphasize how important it is to listen to disabled folks.
When it comes to the folks who view this piece…

Lessa expressed hope that you find humor in the way they compare themself to a dog but also see the symbolism.

“A dog is man’s best friend, this person just wants to be liked, understood, and accepted. Dogs will tear apart entire houses and people will forgive them. And yet, if a person does that because of a mental illness or a disability, they’re usually demonized…Try to understand why.”

Neuroqueer Survivorship/Supervivencia Neuroqueer – Faerie Bear Art

About Faerie Bear Art

Faerie Bear Art is an art adventure by Skye Ashton Kantola (she/they) founded in late 2016. Skye is a fat, white, trans, queer, and intersex, chronically ill autistic person. Skye’s art focuses on trauma healing and uplifting marginalized communities. 10% of all art sales are donated to BreakOUT! Youth, a QTPOC youth lead organization focused on abolition and decriminalization in Louisiana. In some cases, the profits from certain pieces are also split with collaborators.

Ink Zentangle Highland Calf – Faerie Bear Art

An ink illustration of a highland calf who is galloping towards the right. This artwork contains an embedded words, "Productivity does not define your worth. Your worth is unconditional."
An ink illustration of a highland calf who is galloping towards the right. This artwork contains an embedded words, “Productivity does not define your worth. Your worth is unconditional.”

About the Art

I created this shortly after my chronic lyme diagnosis and after beginning the first several months of treatment.  As my ability to work and be “productive” in ways that are rewarded by capitalism have decreased, I’ve been struggling to disentangle self-worth from ideas of productivity.  This is valuable and important and hard. I’m learning to listen to my body more and trust my own emotions.  I used to ignore pain, fatigue, and my emotional state to force myself through work.  Now if I cry, I know it’s because I’m too tired and I’m reaching meltdown status.  I need to stop and rest. Let’s create a world together in which people are valued for their humanity, not their productivity.

About Faerie Bear Art

Faerie Bear Art is an art adventure by Skye Ashton Kantola (she/they) founded in late 2016. Skye is a fat, white, trans, queer, and intersex, chronically ill autistic person. Skye’s art focuses on trauma healing and uplifting marginalized communities. 10% of all art sales are donated to BreakOUT! Youth, a QTPOC youth lead organization focused on abolition and decriminalization in Louisiana. In some cases, the profits from certain pieces are also split with collaborators.

Ink Zentangle Mule Deer – Faerie Bear Art

A mule deer is facing left with a small butterfly settled on the deer's tail. The deer is designed with various zentangles throughout their body and along their ribs, text reads, "I believe you". There are also some watermarks directing people to Faerie Bear Art on various platforms.
A mule deer is facing left with a small butterfly settled on the deer’s tail. The deer is designed with various zentangles throughout their body and along their ribs, text reads, “I believe you”. There are also some watermarks directing people to Faerie Bear Art on various platforms.

About the Art

I started making this when I attended the Annual National Solving the Campus Sexual Assault & Dating Violence Puzzle Conference (Puzzles for short).  The conference had been partly delayed and the schedule derailed due to an unexpected snow storm along the eastern seaboard and I happened to be one of the few people able to attend both days as planned.  One of the keynote speakers wasn’t able to arrive until the second day and she ended up kicking off the conference then.  I was having a particularly challenging time with my health while attending this conference and was doodling as I listened to the keynote speaker present about solidarity, survivorship, believing and supporting survivors.  

I think about the valuing in believing people and what that means often, especially WHO is believed and who isn’t.  Whose stories are prioritized and who do those stories serve?  For example, what proportion of the stories about people with disabilities actually come from us? And when we do get to share our own stories, how often are we expected to fit within the able-bodied framework of inspiration porn? What happens to the stories that don’t serve dominant frameworks of our value to society or our “quality of life”?

About Faerie Bear Art

Faerie Bear Art is an art adventure by Skye Ashton Kantola (she/they) founded in late 2016. Skye is a fat, white, trans, queer, and intersex, chronically ill autistic person. Skye’s art focuses on trauma healing and uplifting marginalized communities. 10% of all art sales are donated to BreakOUT! Youth, a QTPOC youth lead organization focused on abolition and decriminalization in Louisiana. In some cases, the profits from certain pieces are also split with collaborators.