I believe that image-making has the power to create social change and drive transformative conversations within our diabetes community. It can shift the entire narrative and help us move away from fear-based imagery or the pervasive, and often harmful, medical aesthetics.
For now, I’ll leave out the complex discussions around art vs design, the role of functionality or purpose in the creative process, semiotics, and all that. Instead, I’ll focus on how any sort of image can bring attention to a cause — specifically diabetes. Bear in mind that words can also be read as images.
Addressing mental health and diabetes through art.
Many years ago, an article by disability rights activist and writer Victor Berel Finkelstein shifted my perspective completely. Victor stated that people in wheelchairs feel out of place — not necessarily because of being in a wheelchair, but because everything around them was designed for people and by people who were standing on both feet. This includes cities, parks, cars, tables and more. I would expand this list to include newspapers, the language used in them, their layout, and the placing of images.
Now, imagine a city where you have a hypo treatment kiosk on every corner. A workplace where colleagues don’t judge you for injecting in public — everybody does it in this imaginary city. I know it’s dreamy, but sometimes we have to dream to make things happen and to challenge misconceptions. This is the mindset I try to be in every time I work on projects at @thediabeticsurvivor.
The numbers on your diabetes devices do not define your worth.
What art means to me
Art has an incredible ability to captivate us, stirring a mix of awe and curiosity. Some pieces tap into our appreciation for beauty, while others provoke deep contemplation on social issues. Remarkable artworks compel us to pause, feel something, and think (well, only if we’re in range — if not, it might be for another day).
Brain fog: many people living with diabetes report feelings of brain fog.
I find it fascinating how something visual — something that unfolds in seconds in front of us — can communicate so much. That applies not only to painting or high culture, but also to good design and good communication when it comes to discussing our life with diabetes.
This is precisely why anything designed to advocate for diabetes can be so impactful. Many diabetes advocates using social media channels do it daily — using their creations to convey personal expressions, make statements, mobilise support for a cause, or a mix of all of them.
How can art raise diabetes awareness?
1) Art opens up the conversation
Art can open up valuable conversations not only within the diabetes community but also with a wider audience. It can make visible the often hidden nature of diabetes and start a conversation that a clinical leaflet never could.
2) Art educates
Communications with bold numbers or statements can help to educate both us and everyone around us. A good example is the placard ‘180 decisions every day’ — which shows how many extra decisions people living with diabetes make per day compared to someone without the condition.
People living with diabetes make an additional 180 decisions every day. That number deserves to be seen.
3) Art helps to change the narrative
Any piece of communication — whether visual or written — has the potential to change the narrative. Think about the #LanguageMatters movement, which brings attention to how we refer to people living with diabetes and the words we use around the condition. Art can address diabetes stigma, question misconceptions, and open up new ways of thinking about living with diabetes — for us and for everyone around us.
4) Art creates community
One of the most important points to me: art creates community, which creates empathy, which creates real change. Art doesn’t only capture the experience of people living with diabetes — it also speaks to carers, healthcare professionals, friends and family. It builds bridges between lived experience and the wider world.
Challenging diabetes stigma through art: from social media to scientific conferences
As a designer living with type 1 diabetes, I enjoy challenging the old misconception in which people with conditions like diabetes have traditionally been viewed as passive and unable to cope. Part of taking action for me means working in the diabetes industry and being actively involved in the diabetes community.
Recently, as a recipient of the #dedoc° voices scholarship, I was part of the cohort attending the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg. I presented at the #dedoc° symposium addressing stigma by connecting art and diabetes. I encourage anyone in the diabetes community to apply for the scholarship.
This article was originally published on the dedoc° Blog on 19th January 2024: https://www.dedoc.org/blog/raising-diabetes-awareness-through-art-and-design