Half empty or half full? Just grateful to have a glass.

A reframe of the classic optimism/pessimism question

This illustration shifts the entire "glass half empty vs. half full" debate—from arguing about perspective to recognizing you have a glass at all.

The work explores how the traditional framing keeps you fixated on what's in the glass.

Optimists see half full, pessimists see half empty—but both viewpoints miss the baseline: you have access to a container, presumably something drinkable, maybe clean water.

Not everyone has that starting point.

Debating whether your glass is half full or empty is itself a privilege. This perspective invites recognition of what you have rather than fixating solely on quantity or framing.

Gratitude for basics doesn't erase legitimate dissatisfaction with your circumstances. You can be grateful to have shelter while acknowledging your housing situation needs improvement. You can appreciate having work while recognizing your job is burning you out.

The reframe works as perspective-taking, not as dismissal of real problems.

When you catch yourself in 'half empty vs. half full' thinking, does shifting to gratitude for the glass itself change how you feel?

Or does it feel like bypassing legitimate concerns?

What are you assessing with this glass analogy? Could you just be grateful for having the glass instead?

"Be grateful for what you have" can become toxic positivity when it's used to silence valid complaints or ignore inequality. Context matters.

This isn't about suppressing your needs—it's about recognizing your baseline before demanding more.

Recognize your baseline first

This shifts the half-empty/half-full debate to recognizing you have a container at all. Use it as perspective without dismissing real needs for improvement. Particularly fitting on mugs—literal reminder while holding your glass. Available as hoodies, tees, mugs, and canvas.