Editorial stance

What I believe

Creative work does not happen in a vacuum. It is shaped by the conditions people live in. Their bodies. Their environments. Their access to resources. The systems that include or exclude them.

Disability is part of that reality. Not as metaphor, inspiration, or narrative device. As lived experience that shapes how creative work gets made, sustained, and sometimes blocked.

Disabled artists are not a niche. Their work speaks to broader questions of craft, identity, and making under constraint. You do not need to be disabled to find value here. But you do need to be willing to engage with perspectives that may challenge how you think about creativity.

What I won’t do

I do not treat disability as a metaphor for struggle, tragedy, or triumph.

I do not position disabled artists as objects of inspiration for non-disabled audiences. That framing uses people’s lives as motivational material. It reduces complex human beings to a function they serve for others.

I do not platform perspectives that deny disabled people’s autonomy, dignity, or right to define their own experiences.

I do not reduce creative work to “overcoming adversity.” That framing flattens both the work and the person making it.

I do not aim for false balance. Not every perspective deserves equal weight. Some perspectives undermine the legitimacy or humanity of others.

How I make decisions

Guests. I prioritize disabled artists whose work reflects a range of disciplines, experiences, and ways of thinking about creativity. I am interested in depth, not tokenism.

Topics. I focus on creative practice: how work gets made, what sustains it, and what gets in the way. Conversations may include identity, systems, and barriers. But always in relation to the work itself.

Framing. I ask questions that treat guests as artists first, without separating their work from the realities that shape it. Disability is neither ignored nor sensationalized. It is part of the context in which the work exists.

I aim for conversations that are honest, specific, and grounded in lived experience. Not abstract debates.

Where I might be wrong

I do not assume this perspective is complete or final.

I am still learning how to better represent the diversity of disabled experiences. That includes experiences that do not fit dominant narratives or are often left out of conversations about art and creativity.

I may get things wrong. In how I frame a question, in who I platform, or in what I miss. When that happens, I am open to critique and committed to doing better.

This show is not about having the last word. It is about making space for conversations that are thoughtful, grounded, and evolving.