Our birthright to imagine is at the forefront of Arte Temple Studio. This is our most central tenet: that every person has the right to dream. Those whose bodies limit them from participating in traditional labor vocations are often guilted for not spending every moment of our time trying to keep up with our able-bodied counterparts. We shouldn’t be drawing, because there is a house to clean, an errand to run, a job to apply for. But we don’t have the same 24 hours as most people. We get far fewer good hours to do, well, anything. If we spend those hours desperately trying to do everything modern life demands, we will never be enough. To me, imagination is resistance. It is saying, “I have the right to dream, as much as the next person.” Imagination encapsulates our drive to make art, our ingenuity in managing our chronic illnesses, and our resolve that we are worthy of joy.

At the studio, we do this by making art our central focus and time commitment. There is so much that goes into running a business: marketing, advertisement, printing, networking, management. If we tried to do all of this single-handedly, we would not have time or energy to create. Therefore, we rely on our support group, our donors, and our volunteers to help us keep going. That doesn’t mean we don’t do business, just that we aren’t trapped doing only business, and we can spend our good hours doing what we were born to do: imagine.

We are tired of rushing to do everything the able-bodied way. Knowing that no two disabled people have identical experiences, we are building our studio on our terms, at our pace. Access goes both ways, making our work more accessible to our community, and making an art career more accessible to us.

We work towards making our content accessible by equalizing our donation tiers. It doesn’t matter how much you choose to donate, you get access to all the same benefits. We recognize that those with compounding marginalized identities often face more workplace discrimenation and challenges, and therefore may have less disposable income. We are so honored you have decided to share some time and income with us, no matter how much you are able to give.

The pace of society was not designed for disabled people, or anyone struggling with chronic pain. People will say that being an artist is as much about art as it is about business. But the “hustle” is not an option for many of us. Part of our vision was to create a space where we can create art at our own speed, and focus on the work we want to do. That means keeping expectations flexible, automating as much of our business as possible, and employing our community members to do the work that we simply don’t have the energy for. We also welcome volunteers, if you have the capacity to help.

In a culture that glorifies the individual, it can take a lot to ask for help. But help is not merely an option for many disabled people; it is necessary for survival. As a result, disabled people face stigma for remaining dependent on their family, or for collecting supplementary income, or for using mobility aids. But there is beauty and kindness in interdependence. It is soft, and natural. It is one of the many wisdoms the greater world could learn from the disabled community. Arte Temple Studio embraces community. We welcome collaboration, and we support each other. We do that by employing each other, sharing each other's artwork, and crediting each other. We seek to create a space where people can connect and support one another. For right now, we do this by managing a facebook page, but hope to coordinate meet-ups in the future.

The only thing Neshyba loves as much as creating art is teaching it. Skill sharing is a deep, deep value for us at Arte Temple Studio. We want to break down every barrier to art, prove it belongs to everyone, and provide everyone the materials they are most drawn to. But in lieu of such lofty goals, we will settle for teaching. This comes in the form of process videos, walkthroughs, and discussion panels. We are not currently producing these on a set schedule, rather they follow when Neshyba has the time and energy capacity, or releases a new piece. You can also find fun, lighthearted drawing videos and tutorials on Neshyba’s youtube channel as a free resource.