So I have been meaning to write a blog about this for some time now as it seems to be quite a major contention which has been written about and talked about for quite some time. I have always held opinions on the issues of posting work online but in this contemporary world where we are in a somewhat growing unhealthy relationship with technology the posting of images online is a non-negotiable.
Prior to going into the educational arena with regards to my current Artwork I was a member of a popular online community which allowed for artists, writers, general creative beings to interact, share work... you name it! I must have been about 16 when I started my account there and I think at that sort of age, especially with the whole internet phenomena just really kicking off on a huge scale, no one really thought about copyright and issues like that.
I uploaded poems to begin with because at the time I was having a few issues going on and found writing very therapeutic and to this day I still love reading and writing not only poetry but short stories etc as well. However being on the website allowed me to go on a visual journey through photography, digital art, illustration, vector art etc etc and I fell in love with photomanipulation. So I remember my first ever attempt and it was shockingly awful but through trial and error I grew my own style, very rarely did I look up tutorials because I find the process of trying to work it out yourself makes you more likely to not only remember the process but also evolve your work naturally. Also I was working on Paint Shop Pro 9 and there were not many tutorials out there so maybe that led to the thought process above, who knows.
I would create these images and upload them, crediting peoples stock images etc and just carried on enjoying what I was doing and it was that that led me to where I am now. But since then I have found my images all across the internet, spread out to far flung regions. People have used them as cosplay/roleplay characters, incorporated into myspace layouts, as avatars etc etc and to some degree I do not mind... I don't overly care whether I was asked or not but I think it would be polite...especially if the image is literally put into a collection of images detailing 'Zodiac Signs' for example... if credit is given where it is due. A simple link or even just my user tag or name would be nice so if other people browse and like the work they can find more.
The major counter argument being perhaps the artist shouldn't put their work online... but if it is put online with copyright written in, watermarked or just randomly stuck up without anything bar their name then that is enough to secure ownership in my personal mind. People should respect other peoples creations, enjoy them for what they are and not steal them. Why shouldn't an artist put their work online for others to enjoy or buy when other retailers are doing the exact same thing. Just because an artist is normally flying solo without being incorporated into a bigger firm it does not mean their rights should be lesser due to this. An artists life is typically an isolated one and this is another reason the internet is important, it allows for artists to gather from literally anywhere and share, enjoy, constructively critique each others work.
Personally I feel stealing peoples work is pretty low, it shows a lack of creativity and also eludes to the lifestyle which seems popular today... one where hard work is shunned in favour of immediate limelight success. Too many people stamp their little feet when work has to be done, effort has to be put in and they blame everyone else but themselves when it all goes under. Hard work is essential and people should not be ripped off for their efforts.
In short the internet is an amazing tool for getting images out there and it is understandable that not everyone will tell you if they use artists images for whatever reasons there may be but common courtesy surely dictates that you at least apply credit, a small nod in the artists direction.
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