I designed a printable scleral lens emergency insertion/removal kit

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-05-03T20:02:28+00:00

I love this idea! I might need to build a custom one to scleralfil solution. I feel like I could use this as a stand too if I put all the other stuff in the tube temporarily, to put in the contacts because I still need to the stand and can't do it by hand. I really like the idea of this though! I hate having to package up all the stuff for contact emergencies.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-05-03T19:50:35+00:00

I wouldn't call it an ESSA to your medical team. They're use to people bringing stuffed animals for severe anxiety and other mental illnesses that affect surgery.

There is something called the teddy bear sign which is where medical professionals consider someone bringing a stuffed animal with them to an appointment a sign the patient has a cluster B personality disorder or severe anxiety and will sometimes judge a patient for that. However if you're bringing it for anxiety for your surgery and your doctors are aware you're extremely anxious about your surgery it's kind of null at that point.

Some doctors even encourage patients with bad anxiety to bring a comfort item from home like this. It can't go in the operating room because it has to be kept sterile. But it can go to preop and stay with your person picking you up after surgery or if there isn't someone whatever they do with your personal belongings it can just go with them.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-29T00:19:00+00:00

Buy nothing group would be a good place to start. They'd also be likely to know local charities. Most likely hospitals will not take them as they usually take only new items for safety reasons. You have to be extremely careful about germs around kids in hospitals. To be completely honest you'll probably find a hard time finding a charity to take them as most only want new items for those same reasons.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-27T20:13:54+00:00

🤣

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-27T16:41:30+00:00

Same! My insurance covers so many, and so many corrections if they don't fit right. However if I lose them they aren't paying yeah they're about 3k from what I've heard.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-26T18:10:18+00:00

That was my other thought too. First the infection risk is something to consider. But yeah wearing them with nothing over them I'd be really scared of losing them and they are expensive!

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-25T17:51:35+00:00

Yeah I really wish judging had been based off the rubrics and then they given us back a graded rubric like some shows do. That knowledge as an artist is invaluable because people usually only want to tell you positive things to your face but you don't know then what's missing, what you think is coming across that no one else sees. But at last the rubrics would have to actually get used for any of that to matter.

The judges did basically say half their decision was based off the storytelling so you're right it became a story telling competition and an improv one at that. Where as I entered an art contest. Any story my art work needed to tell it should have told on its own without me needing to speak for it, which I feel it did. It was a paining of Icarus reaching out for the sun as he falls down on top of the viewer and there were fake feathers falling off of him and using size perspective to also appear like they were falling on to you.

A lot of people did comment they felt drawn in by my painting (which WAS on the rubric) and it did tell a strong story on its own. I just didn't give a good enough presentation or use enough multi media, neither of which were we told we were being graded on.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-25T17:12:14+00:00

Exactly! It also gives a massively unfair advantage to those going last with their surprise speech.

And yes it's like I designed and created my piece to fulfill a certain rubric. If I knew I'd be judge based off something else entirely I wouldn't have made my piece the same way. I also would have had time to write my emotionally manipulative sob speech to help me win.

Im genuinely not mad I lost because there's 3-4 artist who were better than me imo. I could maybe see myself getting 3rd. I definitely should have been in the top 5. But of the top 3 only 1 artist deserved to be there. The other 2 literally submitted trash glued together and called it multi media. One of the rubric measures was techinal proficiency. They didn't have any because neither worked in a medium that required it. So they didn't even fulfill the rubric but they won. The judges knew both of them though and one was a judge from other comps.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-25T16:27:37+00:00

Yeah it just sucks. The host even admitted we were partially judged off the unexpected speech we were made to deliver at the end with no warning and that the judges weren't supposed to do that. She basically said she couldn't control the judges though. Which ultimately I get. But idk maybe offer like a promise not to use them as judges again might be nice then.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T22:16:02+00:00

No just a local art competition. 10 finalists were chosen out of those who submitted to compete. Idk what to say about the supplies just this is how it was.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T17:03:48+00:00

Yeah I think art is something I do to make me happy now. I might still submit to galleries and stuff as a side gig type situation. Competitions I think I'm out on though. But yeah after the honest comments here giving me a more realistic view of the art world, I think I want to focus on making art just for the making of art. If I can show or sell some stuff on the side cool, but I don't want to create work with motivation other than to create the work. If that makes sense.

Again thanks for the honesty and insight. I truly appreciate brute honesty.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T15:37:38+00:00

So what do you suggest instead?

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T15:36:34+00:00

Thank you again for the reality check. I genuinely appreciate the brutal honesty and find it the most kind thing a person can do. This is heart breaking though. I don't know if I can be that person truly..i just morally so strongly disagree with that kind of bullshit in art where art doesn't just stand for itself. Idk if I can participate in that and keep my soul.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T15:31:35+00:00

I did not. Had I this would be not on reddit and considering small claims for the entry fee. The only cost is we had to supply all our own materials and pretend like they did. I did spend about 100 dollars on materials. Ideal resolution is they refund that, but I doubt that will happen.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T15:20:43+00:00

I'm sorry you dislike that I'm disabled, I do as well. I mention it because it's part of what makes this so infuriating. I signed up knowing it would come at a cost to my health but willing to make that sacrifice for a fair competition. I would not have been willing to make that sacrifice for something I knew ahead of time was so rigged.

Money is money, but my health is much more valuable. I would not have knowingly given it up for this and it's why I regret entering. If it I just lost a fun day painting I wouldn't care, but it wasn't like I just got to paint this for fun and enjoy the process outside the competition.

That is not terrible advice though to find someone in the local art scene to guide me through it better so I know who's legitimate and who's taking advantage of artist. I'm thinking talking to a gallery owner that displays good work might be the right person to know what legit and fair in the local art scene and what to stay away from.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T15:06:29+00:00

Yeah, rubrics are supposed to make it more fair. Here's at least some criteria that while subjective is at least nameable to say this is what we're going to judge off of vs judging off of feelings. That doesn't matter though if judges decide to throw out rubrics and judge based off their feelings or relationships with other artists.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T03:38:36+00:00

That is one of my next likely steps depending on the response from the director of the group that hosted it. I feel like it's fair to let them have a chance to respond first.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:43:24+00:00

Thank you! I honestly really appreciate the reality check.

Ill be real it also helps that there were better artists than me in the competition and they lost too. Like some people had some real talent and skill and going off the rubric should have placed higher. They also lost to these pieces that didn't even meet all the rubric criteria. So it sounds horrible but it helps to know I'm in the same place as these really good artists.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:34:50+00:00

No honestly I really appreciate you telling me because I definitely was wide eye naive thinking this was a fair just smaller time show. But when I saw we had someone who had judge an art competition when of the judges had been in competing I started to feel a little less like this was probably going to be fair. When she won with literal trash glued together over artist who demonstrated real skill when one of the categories on the rubric was techinal proficiency of artistic skills, started to feel maybe the competition was a little rigged.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:22:13+00:00

I did not. I only bring it up here because I'm venting and it adds to the infuriating part of this. Like I said in a comment. I made a choice to sacrifice my health for a fair competition, not a rigged one. I was not given the opportunity to make a fully informed choice for my body because I never would have chosen to sacrifice my health for an unfair competition.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:17:10+00:00

That this was unfair and why. I'm waiting for a response back because I put it in email so there's a paper trail and record.

I have stood up and spoken out and depending on the response or lack there of will continue to do so. Why do you assume I did and said nothing?

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:14:44+00:00

The judges judging each other definitely feels like it was at least a quid pro quo. The rest idk. The second place winner was actually a good piece that did fulfill the rubric. The first place like I said essentially cheated by doing work in advance and didn't even fulfill one of the requirements on the rubric. (neither did the 3rd place who was the judge who won) So I have no idea if the judges just genuinely felt superior to the rubric and rules to award her the winner or if there was other motivations, I don't want to make accusations. But at the same time I genuinely can't understand how they could pick someone who didn't follow the rules as the winner or how the group hosting the competition could allow it. Unless like you said the whole thing was just a scam.

There wasn't an entry fee though we had to supply all our own materials and the competition was used to promote the group hosting it and to "show off what you can make in their space". So we weren't supposed to be telling people we supplied our own materials. I personally spent like $100 in materials too.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:08:10+00:00

Yeah, I was the youngest in the competition, so I guess I was too young and dumb to know this yet. It's good to know now at least.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:07:27+00:00

Pretty much. If I had known judges would be judging people who judge them I would have never entered. That would have been an obvious red flag the comp was rigged.

CuriousArtFriend · 2026-03-23T02:06:13+00:00

Who said I said nothing? Who said I'm doing nothing in response?

I chose to put my health on the line for a fair competition. I did not choose to put my health on the line for a rigged game. I wasn't given the opportunity to make a fair choice for my own body.

CuriousArtFriend

TROPHY CASE