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maria 💛

@mariathereseart.bsky.social

110 followers 110 following 190 posts

maria | 30 | she/they | digital & clay artist | aspiring garfield collector shop: https://mariathereseart.etsy.com https://linktr.ee/rapunzelvangogh

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 9

helloooo here is a 2025 edition meet the artist to welcome u to my page!!! i hope u enjoy whatever is happening on here

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Sep 5

printable pdfs of this zine about sunburns and aloe and sunscreen and covid and vaccines and masks are available on my kofi now!! they are free or pay what u want and u get a color version and one u can color at home just like i did <3 ko-fi.com/s/371f1d4f80

this is an imperfect analogy - Maria Therese's Ko-fi Shop

a zine about sunburns and aloe and sunscreen and covid and vaccines and masks

ko-fi.com

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Sep 5

me when my printer cant do colors anymore but i have crayons and a lot of disabled rage in my heart 🖍☀️

Page 1:
Text reads: "Imagine the worst sunburn of your life. You can't get out of bed. It hurts to move. It hurts to lie down."
Pictured: a hairless sphynx cat lying in bed, very sunburnt and crying "owwww." He is wearing swim trunks with fish on them.

Page 2:
Text reads: "Someone offered you sunscreen and you said no because you have aloe at home. So now you've covered your whole body in aloe and just have to wait it out. It takes weeks to heal."
Above: a little flashback cloud of the cat slightly sunburnt and declining a hand offering sunscreen with the sun behind them.
Below: the cat very sunburnt holding a bottle of aloe and applying it to his head.

Page 3:
Text reads: "You start getting sunburns like this all the time. So does everyone else. It's starting to make life difficult."
The cat is on the way to the beach holding a ball of yarn like a beach ball. He's in a crowd of other very sunburnt hairless cats. One says "this is so weird!" Another cat in a baseball cap says "idk how this keeps happening! i put a hat on when i go outside!"

Page 4:
Text reads: "Now imagine you've run out of aloe. You can't find it in stores. You find out the government's limiting who can buy aloe and you can't get it anymore."
The cat, still bright red, is at a store looking at a shelf that is empty except for one cobweb with a spider and a sign on top that says "sowwy :(". Above is a TV screen with Trump speaking in front of an image of an aloe plant with a no symbol over it.
The cat says "what do we do if we can't treat our sunburns???"

Page 5:
Text fills the page behind the sunburnt cat's head looking up at it in fear.
Text reads: "now imagine sunburns are contagious and can kill or permanently disable you and they usually spread asymptomatically and disproportionately affect marginalized people and there are no safety nets for people who get it and people are losing their health insurance and also sunscreen is getting banned in some cities and people are..." The rest of the text is obscured by the cat saying "uh oh."

Page 6:
The cat, still so very sunburnt and holding a beach bucket with a little shovel, walks beside Maria, a human in large glasses, swimwear, a sheer cover-up, a baseball cap, and a black KN95 mask. Maria is carrying a Garfield tote bag and holding up a bottle of sunscreen.
The cat says: "man, this sucks."
Maria asks: "do you want some sunscreen?"
The cat says: "no thanks, i'm good. anyways what was this an analogy for?"

Back cover:
Maria on the beach in the shade posed like the Spongebob "and live" meme with their arms out in a "stop" motion. Maria says: "I AM AWARE SOME PEOPLE ARE ALSO LIKE THIS ABOUT SUNSCREEN"

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Sep 5

made another zine can u guess what this ones gonna be about. can u guess ☀️ ⬇️

Photo of a hand holding a printed zine.
Front cover:
Title: this is an imperfect analogy
by @maria.therese.art
below the title is a drawing of a beach with two bottles of sunscreen in the sand

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 16

oh 100% i put leftist in quote marks bc they call themselves that but like. even the word liberal is being overly generous at this point

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 16

a printable pdf! it is free or pay what you want! ko-fi.com/s/c12b4c24bb

logic that "leftists" seem to understand (until you ask them to put a dang mask on) - printable zine - Maria Carias's Ko-fi Shop

a zine i made in my frustration at the covid denialism in among ppl who claim to be inclusive and preach about community care <3

ko-fi.com

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 16

manifesting ppl hearing themselves and taking their own advice in the year of our lord 2025 <3 peace and love <3

page 1:
the cat says: "i'm cis but i still put my pronouns in my bio! the more cis people normalize it, the safer it is for trans people to do it without being a target!"
the cat is wearing a "protect the dolls" t-shirt and a she/her pronoun pin. she's showing us her instagram page on her phone with her name "cat" and her pronouns underneath.

page 2:
the cat says "why would i wear a mask? i'm not disabled!"
maria, a human wearing a black kn95 mask and a she/they pronoun pin. they are looking at the cat and trying to hand her a mask. the cat is not taking it.

page 5:
the cat says "omg lockdown was soooo bad for my mental health. humans need in person community!"
the cat is at a concert in a crowd of cats, wearing a hatsune miku shirt and crying. she is holding a "ur music saved my life" sign.

page 6:
the cat is throwing up her paws and rolling her eyes saying "ugghhhh i GUESS i can wear a mask in essential spaces, but why would i wear one at a concert? if you're high risk just stay home!"
maria looks directly at the viewer, wearing a "i heart miku" pin, still trying to hand the cat a mask. the cat is not taking it.

back cover:
the cat says "protect the vulnerable ♡" and "we keep us safe ♡"
maria's hand makes one final attempt to hand the cat a mask.
the cat says "no ♡"

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 16

logic that "leftists" seem to understand (until you ask them to put a dang mask on)
a silly little zine by ur local tired disabled person ⬇️

front cover of a printed zine! title reads: "logic that "leftists" seem to understand (until you ask them to put a dang mask on)"
top left corner shows hand reaching out to hand a black kn95 mask to a little anthropomorphic cat in the bottom right corner. the cat is closing her eyes and covering her ears.

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 7

we are at the point of considering mobility aids and i think a rollator could be rly good for me but i live on a 2nd floor and i fear hauling one up and down the stairs would immediately cancel out any spoons that using it would have saved me

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Aug 7

trying to listen to my body but all my body ever tells me to do anymore is be in my bed 😔😔😔

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 21

update: i have a printable version now! there's a single and a double version in here (the single has instructions on the extra bit of paper so the double's just there if u dont wanna waste any 🫡)
www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hjejb...

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 20

here's my linktree! linktr.ee/rapunzelvang...
and my etsy, it's mostly on hiatus rn as i'm focusing on in person sales but i do still have a bunch of mask buttons left! mariathereseart.etsy.com

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 20

here's a pdf of the digital zine! i'm working on a b&w printable version too, i'll send that once i get a chance to test it out www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tewi8...

www.dropbox.com

Reposted by maria 💛

Alien in a jar @alieninajar.com · Jul 16

Gamer #smallshop #cats #gaming

Sticker of a cat on a desk with headphones, text says: on my puter

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 15

i'm so glad it helps!!! it's been rly scary trying to get back into performing but im hoping i can be an example for people as much as i can

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 15

why this matters - just bc we can't always achieve perfect accessibility in theatre doesn't mean we shouldn't try! disabled people belong in the arts and everywhere

Speech bubble reads: "i've never heard anyone brag about how inclusive their industry is more than (white cis able bodied) theatre people. but the truth is that theatre - from broadway to your nephew's middle school production of finding nemo jr. - has so much work to do to be truly inclusive for marginalized communities. disabled people are no exception. even tony award winner ali stroker had to wait in the wings when her win was announced in 2019 instead of sharing that moment with her peers because there was no ramp from the audience to the stage.

disabled people have been excluded from theatre long before 2020. and we've had a few wins! but systemically, not much has changed. how many have had to give up performing due to the lack of covid protections? how many disabled actors have lost their careers because the industry left them behind?"

In the bottom left corner is Ali Stroker, a white blonde wheelchair user in a formal dress triumphantly holding up her Tony award. In the bottom right corner, Maria is doing heart hands at Ali and hearts are floating towards her.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

Speech bubble reads: "i've seen artists like kimya dawson and jensen mcrae put a ton of work into making their concerts safer and collab with local mask blocs to provide masks for everyone. kimya even did her whole show with a mask on! while solo artists playing their own music may have more freedom than actors, i would love to see that kind of effort and care in theatre spaces.

if we want to address the accessibility problem in theatre, it starts with our own actions. you may not be able to singlehandedly make all theatre spaces safe for all disabled people. but whether this is your job or your hobby, you have power! not only can you show your peers what's possible, but you can show disabled performers that someone in their community still cares about them. we are worth the effort."

Below is a drawing of Jensen McRae's concert. The viewer is facing the audience, with a back view of Jensen standing on the stage in a sparkly bodysuit and a guitar on a stand next to her. The audience is mostly blobs with eyes and masks with Maria recording on their phone in the bottom left corner.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

The little cat at the top says: "i'm still not sure about masking during rehearsals. how is anyone gonna see me act???"

Maria says: "listen man i'm not your dad. i can't make you do anything. but it's live theatre! you're performing for the back row of the balcony babey!

if you need any encouragement that it can be done here are some real photos of me at a rehearsal where i was told that my reactions to people being talented were very funny"

Below are 3 photos of Maria in a black shirt and mask pasted into the image: one with smiling eyes and hearts around their head, one with hands folded and eyes closed having a spiritual experience with music notes around their head, and one excited with eyes wide and an exclamation point above them.

Im the bottom right corner is a drawing of Maria doing a peace sign.

Text below reads: "thanks for listening!!! stay safe!!!"

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 15

what you can do during the whole process from auditions to rehearsals to tech week!!

find a mask bloc near you: covidactionmap.org

title reads: "auditions & callbacks!"

Speech bubble reads: "i'm masked up while i'm waiting until i'm in the room. i usually have it on when i walk in so the table sees it before i take it off - if me protecting myself & others is a dealbreaker i don't wanna work with them!
not doing this for a living means i can afford to lose a role over this - professionals do that at your own discretion!"

Below are 3 drawings or Maria wearing a short sleeved jumpsuit and star earrings: one sitting on a bench with a mask on holding a binder labeled "music" and shaking nervously, one standing and removing her mask while speaking, and one singing.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

Title reads: "rehearsals!"

Text: "i stay masked up during the whole rehearsal process up until mics come in. no one had an issue with this when i was ensemble - i can't speak for principal roles and how important it is that everyone sees your face at any point, but it worked for me!

i tested a few different masks and the 3M aura N95 is easiest for me to sing in. bifold KN95s would slip and slide everywhere while i was singing, but a good trifold moves with your jaw!

3m auras do leave pretty visible marks on my face due to their tight seal - keep that in mind if you know they'll need photos of your face that day! try a few different styles if you can and see what works best for you!"

Below are 6 side profiles of Maria's face: the first 3 are in a black bifold KN95. One shows the mask sitting normally over a closed mouth. The next shows the mask sliding down Maria's nose with an arrow indicating motion in their jaw. The third is a copy of the second one with an x-ray view of Maria's open mouth with a speech bubble of a music note next to them. Above these 3 text reads "bifold" with a frowny face.

The next 3 are in a white 3M aura. One shows the mask sitting normally over a closed mouth. The next shows the mask staying in place and stretching out as Maria opens their mouth, with an arrow indicating motion. The third is a copy of the second one with an x-ray view of Maria's open mouth with a speech bubble of a music note next to them. Above these 3 text reads "trifold" with a smiley face.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

Title: "tech & performances!"

Main speech bubble reads: "i keep my mask on until it's time for makeup and it goes right back on when i greet friends in the audience after the show. i take extra precautions during this time, testing regularly and isolating as much as possible so the cast, crew, and audiences are some of the only people i'm ever around. i even take that time off my day job if i can afford it!

if i have any symptoms, even if i'm getting multiple negative covid tests, i stay home until i'm symptom-free. the last thing i want to do is spread any illness to my castmates, covid or not! i'd rather my director have to figure out what to do without me than without half the cast!"

Smaller speech bubble reads: "tests can be expensive - if you need free tests and masks go to covidactionmap.org to see if you have a mask bloc who can help!"

Maria is wearing a tank top and holding a makeup brush. She has very heavy blush, eyeshadow, lashes, and lipstick on with her glasses on top of her head. Next to her is a negative covid rapid test.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

Speech bubble reads: "theatre spaces don't make it easy and it'd be way less of a risk if there were still audience mask requirements. i hope that more people in the performing arts start caring enough to make it safer for all of us. theatre should be inclusive for everyone on stage and off!

ask yourself:

how many people are in the room with me?
how important is it that they see my whole face right now?
if there's intimacy in this show, is there any room for adjustments? would it hurt to fake a stage kiss? (covid is airborne, but other viruses can spread through saliva!)
would my theatre be willing to implement safety measures like air filtration and masked audiences if i brought it up? what about mask requirements for one performance?
do i have a mask bloc near me who can help?"

Below is Maria back in the Phantom shirt holding a clipboard and taking a pencil out from behind their ear.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 15

if ur a performer it is actually in your best interest to protect yourself and your peers from long covid! your body and your lungs are kinda important for that i think!!

the zine: newlevant.com/covidzine

Title reads: "disclaimer!!"

Text: "i am not a medical OR a theatre professional! i am just one silly little guy with a musical theatre b.a. who is disabled and did my first community theatre show since the Before Times this spring. it's been some trial and error and performing at all is a risk not everyone can take. this is just what i've learned in my efforts to keep myself and my castmates healthy enough to keep singing!"

Below is Maria shrugging.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

The little cat says "wait, why do i still have to worry about covid?"

Text: "because people are still being disabled by covid on a huge scale! our current vaccines help reduce hospitalizations and death from acute infections, but we still don't have one that stops the spread or prevents long term damage. even mild or asymptomatic infections can lead to long covid, no matter how young and healthy you are!

a high quality mask like a kn95, kf94, or an n95 is the most effective tool we have against covid and other airborne illnesses, especially to protect disabled people.

newlevant.com has a great zine that sums it up, i also have a ton of info in my insta* story highlights. come back when you're caught up!

so how can you make your shows safer?"

Below is a black KF94 mask with a sparkly mask chain and a white 3m aura N95.

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: *@maria.therese.art

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 15

happy disability pride month!! i see sooo few ppl talk abt covid safety in theatre so i made a lil zine about it 😷💕🧵

Doodles of little characters with speech bubbles on a yellow background surrounded by stars.
A little cat says "but i'm a performer! i can't wear a mask on stage!"
A little Maria says "same! let's talk about it!"

Maria, a thin pale genderfluid person with a buzzcut, large round glasses, a black KN95 mask, baguette earrings, a black Phantom of the Opera t-shirt, and denim shorts stands in the bottom right corner and gestures to the title in the middle of the image.

Title reads: "covid safety: theatre kid* edition!!"

Below is another asterisk. text reads: "or performing arts in general but i only know things about theatre [heart]"

In the bottom left corner is maria's instagram handle: @maria.therese.art

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 2

if u sleep weird and hurt urself one night u should be able to sleep again and be normal not worse.....i literally turned it off and back on again what else am i to do.....

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jul 2

if anyone wants to trade bodies w me let me knowwwww

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 30

showed up at the library like this to pick up let this radicalize you and an alison bechdel graphic novel the librarian said oh im sure

full body drawing of maria holding a tote bag with a keychain of a kid in a frog costume. text and arrows pointing out details of their outfit: "dan & phil hat" - baseball cap reads "dan & phil are my dads," "trans mask chain" over a blue mask, "old cut up doctor who t-shirt" - a dark blue crop top with the sleeves cut off and a graphic of the van gogh exploding tardis, biker shorts and a pink "fruits basket tote bag w/ lil frog guy," "raisin bran socks w sandals"

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 30

huge development in babys first no central air summer i just realized i dont have to wait until bedtime for Wet Towel Blanket. a game changer

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 19

i think i sweated out all my brain cells omw to work today they r Gone

maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 12

i havent even seen every campaign but like. trans man in fantasy nyc. old gay man who goes by mother. steampunk trans girl who would have had a tumblr blog. middle aged bisexual man who gets jumanji'd into a hot lady. whatever kristen applebees has going on

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maria 💛 @mariathereseart.bsky.social · Jun 12

each campaign ally beardsley says i am going to create a character that is so gender and i eat it up every time

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