The Hard Work's Never Done

25 year old art student living in New York City. Employed as a barista.I lost a bet, thus the coffee icon.

[lord-kitschener]

I mean the whole damn point of the Nativity story is that the supposed son of God (interpret Jesus how you fucking want, of course) was born to a couple of poor, exhausted peasants in the stable for the inn, and his first bed was a feeding trough for animals. That would nowadays be like a poor couple where the mother gives birth in a parking garage behind the motel because they couldn’t find a better place and nobody else would take them in. It’s a pretty gritty setting, and the idea is that God was reborn in some of the rock-bottom lowest circumstances. The only thing majestic was all the angels and shit, and of course motherly love

I get that a lot of the art portraying Madonna and Child as fabulously wealthy europeans in splendid robes and golden light was meant to glorify God + whichever nobility was sponsoring the artist, and while of course it’s genuinely beautiful art, it just always struck me as horribly missing the point, which is that the supposed son of God started in incredibly humble circumstances, among the kind of people that everyone else looks down on

[babettesfeastables]

‘Massacre des Innocents’ by Leon Cogniét, 1824. Although the Feast of the Holy Innocents is in a couple of days time, this painting is still really relevant in that it portrays Mary as how She really was: a scared refugee mum, so fearful that Her son was going to be one of the Innocents killed by King Herod.

[durnesque-esque]

My new favorite mordern interpretation is this work, José y Maria by Everett Patterson (http://www.everettpatterson.com)

[libraford]

I had to look at this like FIVE TIMES to register all the layers of symbolism going into the piece by Patterson. 

The hoodie as a veil. 

Weisman cigarettes

Each of them is haloed by an advertisement sticker. 

No Vacancy sign on the motel. 

Dove sticker over Maria’s head. 

Neon sign with a star symbol also over Maria’s head. 

The crown over the ‘Dave’s City Motel’ sign. “New Manger.”

The sign behind Jose’s elbow likely says ‘Herod.’

The wee little plant growing through the cracks at their feet. 

It’s like a New Testament ‘I Spy.’ I love it!

Ugh.

New favorite interpretation of the nativity. 

[theprinceofprinces-deactivated2]

The paper at José’s feet has an advert for Shepard Watches Maria’s hoodie says Nazareth High School The sign above José’s head proclaims ‘Good News!’

[naamahdarling]

This is incredible and lovely.

[cocomeeker]

Not to mention that Mary rode in on a donkey, and Maria is sitting on a plastic pony 

[clickbeetle]

*calls myself “she” but in an unmistakably unfemale way*

[clickbeetle]

i am a “she” in the same way a boat belonging to an honest old fisherman is a “she”

[clickbeetle]

*places a hand on my waterlogged boards and tangled nets* she may be falling apart but she gets the job done :)

[rosyc-deactivated20250912]

night is breathing close to us, dark, soft

[art-woonz]

Art By IG: @bryanthegirl

Instagram: @artwoonz

[dum-meme]

@memecaptainsteverogers

[memecaptainsteverogers]

Twenty first century pens (and artists) are amazing! 

[lesbianpeachs]

Y'all realize poor eyesight (aka needing glasses) is an actual disability right?

Its simply one our society has normalized and made accommodations for. Its one you can function with at virtually no impairment for most because its easy to get glasses/contacts and enough people need them that we’re taken into account.

People laugh at the concept of needing glasses being a disability, but that’s because its become the standard to see disabilities only as things extremely difficult and unbearable to live with, or things that aren’t for “normal people.”

That’s wrong. How life is for people with glasses is how life should be for people with any other kind of disability - normalized, unstigmatized, unquestioned, accommodated, with resources made available.

It should be just as easy for someone in a wheelchair to have access to things that make life functionally indifferent from people without wheelchairs - just like living with glasses is for most.

Society needs a redefinition of disability - or, scratch that, they need reorienting on what “disabled” looks like and how life should be for disabled people. Being disabled isn’t defined by its hardships - it is a state of being that is unfortunately 99% accompanied by ridiculous hardships because society refuses to accommodate and still thinks they don’t have to because to them, its a simple fact that “being disabled is hard.” Why should they change?

A disability is something that leaves you at a disadvantage, in pain, non functional, etc. without some sort of aid.

Without glasses I could not drive or work, and it would severely impair my ability to even be social. You know what else does that? My other disabilities that are considered “real disabilities.”

You know what aid I have ease of access for? The thing not considered a disability. And I’d bet money that’s a direct reason why.

[mistformsquirrel-deactivated201]

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ All of this.

[irresistible-revolution]

i will say, that while glasses are certainly normalized, cost=wise there’s definitely barriers to getting tests, different kinds of prescriptions, quality of frames and lenses etc. that being said, everything else is spot on.

[abcscandal-deactivated20250327]

^^ op is extremely correct and so is this comment. a significant number of latinx and black children in impoverished school districts don’t have the funds to pay for tests and prescriptions. this has turned out to be one major factor that affects these students’ performance in school and, more importantly, their ability to learn in a classroom they cannot see well in. it’s not just abt normalizing accommodations, but making them accessible to everyone!

[ayamccabre]

Another thing with how normalised glasses are: no one thinks twice about people only needing them sometimes, or only needing a very weak prescription. But someone who only needs a wheelchair sometimes? Or who could technically manage without one but everything would be harder? That’s controversial. It needs to not be controversial.

[blelbinems-deactivated20190925]

fucks sake

[doctordragon]

god dammit

[setsu-nana]

Okay now which one is clearer? 1?

or 2?

[heckheckhheck-deactivated201712]

S T O P

[lazy--tuesday-deactivated201806]

Maybe just take off the glasses!?

[turtlemuffinbutt]

[blonde-and-blessed]

I just got contacts and I kept blinking trying to focus on the first pic 😂

[samhorine]

union square - portrait of a neighborhood

[ouch-that-hurts]

“But your abuse made you kind”

I was always kind. My abuse tested my kindness and you are testing my patience.

[brunhiddensmusings]

‘no, my abuse made me a spineless jellyfish living in perpetual fear of standing up for myself, but thank you for framing that as a positive thing you like about me’

[ace-feminist]

“I am a good person despite my abuse, not because of it”

[kyuubified]

Abuse made me hypersensitive to other people’s emotions while neglecting my own boundaries and comfort because I’m afraid of upsetting someone or having them lash out at me.

[ptsdkachu-deactivated20200524]

Abuse made me defensive, vitriolic and angry LMAO

[saythefisherman]

Thanos is a weak ass bitch of a villain because ever since killmonger I need all my villains to pull up with some style, looks, a certain je ne sais quoi. Killmonger stole a thousand year old artifact and wore it as armor and wore solid gold fangs. What did Thanos wear? The same body armor for hundreds of years and a dumb glove that wasn’t even designer

[dankmemeuniversity]

[yesterdaysprint]

New Castle Herald, Pennsylvania, May 16, 1922

[karlcat]

anyway *goes to push my glasses up my nose by the bridge; misses and accidentally gets fingerprint on lens* fuck okay hold on

[trainthief]

(Me handing out a latte with foam art I deeply screwed up): “ever heard of Rorschach? you dumb customer fuck”

[trainthief]

(Me dropping a whole tub of mocha on the ground): “Jackson pollock? Anyone??”

[pinkmisspiggy]

being touchstarved makes u absolutely buckwild when someone does smth simple like .share a chair with u

[pinkmisspiggy]

like having someone touch your hand with the tips of their fingers shouldn’t feel like So Much it shouldn’t feel like your whole body is going into anaphylactic shock but here we are. here we are.

[pinkmisspiggy]

ok 2 many of u relate

[gypsyastronaut]

[historium]

NYC Skyline 1941

[mockwa]

дракончик