Sarah Joy Zimmerman
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joy248.bsky.social
Sarah Joy Zimmerman
@joy248.bsky.social
29 followers 74 following 30 posts
Weekend freelance medical illustrator with an interest in combatting medical misinformation and promoting evidence based medicine. Get really into knitting when anxious, which is often. (She/her)
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joy248.bsky.social
Went on a day trip to hell today. I highly recommend the yarn festivals there. #wartornportland
A frog hat on a mannequin head, on top of a display of green skeins of yarn, with a QR code for the Portland Frog Hat pattern. A postcard that says “Greetings from War-Ravaged Portland Oregon” A man holding a skein of yarn in a train station.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
joy248.bsky.social
And then, there’s the USDA. These messages are so bad, I had to make 4 images just about them. 😬 This came out on the first day of the shutdown, October 1st: Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel and clothe the American people. Then, on October 26th, with many people wondering about the status of SNAP benefits, the message changed: Senate Democrats have now voted [12/13] times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. But on November 4th, when a federal judge ordered President Trump to fund SNAP, the message had to change again: Senate Democrats have voted 14 times against reopening the government. This compromises not only SNAP, but farm programs, food inspection, animal and plant disease protection, rural development, and protecting federal lands. Senate Democrats are withholding services to the American people in exchange for healthcare for illegals, gender mutilation, and other unknown “leverage” points.
November 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
joy248.bsky.social
Figures, I finish these the night before the government reopens. I guess I’ll post them anyways, and this weekend I’ll go back and just change the tenses?
The government shutdown messages on US Executive Department websites are WILD. They are possibly violating the Hatch Act, which “limits certain political activities of federal employees” (quote from osc.gov). A narrow majority of these sites show pretty normal messages. This includes the Dept. of The Interior, Commerce, Labor, Homeland Security, Education, Defense/War, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. 5 have a message that includes something like, “the website will not be updated or maintained”. 7 mention “lapse in federal appropriations” or “funding”. And 5 say “for more information…”. The Dept. of Energy site has no message at all. BUT… These sites specifically blame Democrats. The Dept. of State includes the words “Democrat-led shutdown”, the Dept. of Justice says “Democrats have shut down the government”, and the Dept. of Health and Human Services says “Democrat-led government shutdown”. Bonus statement: the Dept. of Health and Human Services also says, “as the Trump administration works to reopen the government”. These go a bit further and blame “the radical left”. The Dept. of Treasury says “The radical left” and “in the name of reckless spending and obstructionism”. And the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development says “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government.”
November 13, 2025 at 4:34 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I hiked a couple miles up to Rattlesnake Ledge this morning with @axxroy.bsky.social. It was beautiful at the top, but wow I’m out of shape. I had to take a break about every 5 mins. Meanwhile, there were people running the whole hike and couples carrying babies on their backs passing me.
A man in an orange shirt and baseball cap, and a woman (me) in a dull pink shirt and black leggings, standing on a ledge in front of a sweeping mountain view and a turquoise lake.
July 14, 2025 at 1:14 AM
joy248.bsky.social
It’s a rainbow dumpster for Pride Month! The rainbow dumpster was found at Seattle Pride in the Park. Drawing made using Mr. Sketch “smelly markers” and a glass dip pen I bought 2 years ago and swore I’d use a lot (this is the first time I used it).
A marker drawing of a dumpster with horizontal rainbow stripes. One side of the dumpster is open and there’s a squiggly fire coming out.
June 30, 2025 at 4:37 AM
joy248.bsky.social
Here’s an understated charcoal dumpster fire for May. And I got to spend a beautiful morning drawing a dumpster in a park.
A charcoal drawing of a park scene with a port-a-potty, 3 dumpsters with one on fire, and a forested background.
May 30, 2025 at 9:54 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I hope it’s obvious, but this is satirical!

With that out of the way, I’ve had this idea for awhile but I was motivated to finish it when the pronatalist movement was put in the spotlight recently. I really believe we need to teach Americans what eugenics is and why it’s harmful!
A satirical digital painting in the style of a vintage 1930s ad for “forced sterilization”. The painted part is of a young, light-skinned blonde woman with bright red lips and blue eyes staring at the viewer behind a chain link fence. Full text: Are you a young, middle-class, well-behaved, cisgender white woman who can’t seem to get her tubes tied? Give Forced Sterilization a try! If a doctor has refused or been unable to sign off on your surgery that would make it impossible for you to get pregnant, you may be considered too desirable by eugenicists that want to create a superior race. These doctors may not realize they're using eugenics. It's just a part of our culture now! So what can you do? Prove the eugenicists wrong by becoming undesirable! Some options include: Being disabled Being a prisoner Being an immigrant Being non-white Being poor Being “promiscuous” and “immoral” Being “feebleminded” (whatever that means!) Over 65,000 people were forcibly sterilized throughout the 20th century in America because of actual laws in 33 states that legalized and encouraged it. Some of these laws were never overturned! Forced and coerced sterilization has remained an issue, with reports of it happening as late as 2020 at an immigration detention center in Georgia. If you're emotionally ready to fly into a rage, you are encouraged to go down a rabbit hole of horrifying eugenic practices. Some scary phrases to start your search with include: Buck v. Bell, feebleminded and unfit, anti-miscegenation, positive and negative eugenics, Better Baby Contest, Indian Health Service sterilizations, or Mississippi appendectomy. BROUGHT TO YOU BY ACTUAL LITERAL NAZIS The Nazi party and Hitler were super influenced by the American eugenics movement. There were even Americans that supported killing people in gas chambers!
May 21, 2025 at 4:26 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I decided to go more conceptual this month for my dumpster fire drawing. It definitely wasn’t because I procrastinated and needed to make something quickly.

Blind contour drawing, traced and colored in Adobe Illustrator
An abstracted dumpster fire illustration, made of a single navy line, a block of translucent blue, and a wavy translucent yellow shape.
April 30, 2025 at 2:48 AM
joy248.bsky.social
Here’s dumpster #3.
A drawing of a smoking dumpster made with pen dots (pointillism).
April 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I’m in Philly this week. This has been every conversation with local friends.
Drake meme with “Are you going to see the Liberty Bell?” being disagreed with and “Are you going to see the Mütter Museum?” being agreed with.
March 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
joy248.bsky.social
With February almost done, here’s my second dumpster fire drawing in the series! I used Crayola water-soluble oil pastels this time.
Oil pastel drawing of a blue dumpster on fire in front of trees and a brick wall.
February 23, 2025 at 6:25 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I completed a small step towards learning data visualization! My goal for 2025 is to start doing data viz for social good, and to combat the wealth of misinformation currently festering online.
A certificate for Sarah Zimmerman learning Python Intermediate with Sololearn
February 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
joy248.bsky.social
I made this a couple weeks ago as I tried to process the inauguration. Unless the trajectory of the American government drastically changes, I plan on drawing a new dumpster fire each month this year in a different style. It’ll be a good way to brush up on my sketching skills.
February 13, 2025 at 6:25 PM
joy248.bsky.social
One of the things getting me through these trying times is my sibling sending me photos & videos of their new kitten. Here’s hoping Onyx brings you some joy as well.
Black kitten laying on top of a couch cushion. Black kitten laying on a white and red blanket in a light blue cat bed that looks like a fish with its mouth open.
February 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM