Which results in that NOTHING works anymore. File search, email search. Literally nothing will work anymore.

/usr/bin/locate and /usr/bin/find will still work.

      >$ man locate
      >$ sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.locate.plist
      >$ locate brain

      >$ man find
      >$ find [this directory] [criteria and action]
      >$ find . -name "brain" -print

"NOTHING, literally nothing works anymore" is an alarmist exaggeration, even if you would do the ham-fisted thing of adding your entire home directory to Spotlight's exclusion list. The sane and logical option is to add only your Pictures directory (or whatever folders you keep images in) to the exclusion list.

No it's not, because then you can't use any search on Pictures.