Copying other people's work is a thing, it's always been a thing, and it is always hard to control. But that should not stop us from sharing our work and images on social media.
I'm mentoring two new artists who are participating in an upcoming open studio event in June. One of them was worried about posting images online, even on their website, because someone might steal their images.
Is this something that makes you pause, too? Here's why it shouldn't.
Copying has been a thing for, like, forever. Hundreds, if not thousands of years.
When I did high-end fine craft wholesale shows years ago, everyone's greatest fear was having their work photographed for mass production copies in China. When I did the same kind of retail shows, the antagonism towards people taking pictures of our work generated the same response, the fear of their work being copied.
I didn't act on those fears, for various reasons, although I'd ask the person what they were going to do with it, and ask them to give me credit for the artwork.
But I remember the first time a visitor came to my booth with a friend, raved about my work, and how much another friend would like it-and snapped a pic on their smartphone. They left before I even have time to react.
That's when I realized such practices could be a force for good for my art. Sharing with a friend? That's what I want people to do! Maybe they can't afford my work, but their friend might.
And now we have Facebook, Instagram (made for photos from smartphones), and Pinterest. I don't think twice about posting images of my work.
And last year, when I did a massive amount of volunteer work to promote the same event which was only online, due to the pandemic, my time was increased by a factor of 5 because so many artists had demanded "right click" function (aka "save image" be turned off. ("Right click" is how you can save an image.) (I was finally able to get it turned off, so I ended up only spending 56 hours reposting those images to Facebook and Instagram.)
Here's why that never should have happened in the first place: Inactivating "right click" does not stop someone determined to get our images. (Clint Watson, founder of Fine Art Studios Online (FASO) has written articles about this practice (here's one) and his take is a) it doesn't stop someone from getting those images, and b) it annoys everybody else.
Watermarks? Same story, according to Clint. He adds that false security is no better than no security. And those "false security" measures simply increase the emotional distance between our work and people who like it and want to learn more about it.
How do we even know if someone's deliberately copied our work? Remember when old rusty trucks was a favorite painting subject? And shoes? These have been popular trends, trends that I saw across the country, on the East Coast and the West Coast, and probably everywhere in between.
In my Fine Art Views article last week, a commenter shared a powerful insight about "cryptomnesia" (aka "unconscious plagiarism"), when we think we've come up with an original idea, but we actually got it from someone else and have forgotten about it. It immediately made me think of Helen Keller, who was accused of plagiarizing a poem. Was it intentional? Probably not, and this condition explains what happened in a way that makes sense.
So what's the biggest bad result that come arise from being afraid of being copied?
Being afraid to share our work on social media: Our blog, our Facebook page, Instagram, even our website.
Being afraid keeps us from easily, and confidently, sharing our work online.
Please don't give in to this fear.
Yes, it can happen. I know people whose work was photographed and mass-produced in China. But usually that happened with one piece of work, it didn't shut down their entire business, it usually only lasted through one "production season", and they discovered most people who cared about quality also refused to buy that low-quality product available at Walmart, and still bought beautifully-made original artist/craftsperson. After all, there are people who buy original works of Van Gogh, and people who buy copies of his work. The two groups rarely overlap! (More on this in next week's article.)
Yes, individuals can copy our work. I've had people actually tell me they intended to copy my work. But when I had a conversation with them, I could quickly tell who was a littleâ¦wackyâ¦.to begin with (bragging they could copy anyone and everyone, and doing it regularly), and those who simply wished they could make art that spoke as deeply for them as mine does for me.
The former obviously have ethical issues. I couldn't stop them, but as far as I know, they never actually copied my work. Maybe because it's so labor-intensive to begin with, and frankly, because it's so out-of-the-box, it's hard to sell, especially if there's no story.
The latter were easy to talk with. I'd tell them, "Yeah, I can't stop you from doing that. But this reflects my story, my life journey. I hope instead that you'll find your story, your life journey" and wish them luck. Many of those folks actually came back the next year, to show me their now-original work, and to thank me for encouraging them to create the work of their heart.
Sometimes people copy because they're trying to understand what we did, how we did it, to use as a study piece. (It helps when they don't sell it as their original art, of course. )And interestingly, this was an encouraged strategy in my introductory art/drawing classes in college. We copied the old masters, to understand what those lines were doing, to see more deeply what was going on. Was it in your art education, too?
To keep this readable today, we'll stop here. Next week, I'll share what I've learned about trademarks (slogans, taglines, etc. which is what started this conversation), and later on, I'll share insights I gained from a great documentary I watched recently about art forgeries.
For now, gather up your courage and share your work! Don't let fear make you hunker down. Light up the world by sharing your artwork, trust that most people will do the right thing, and grow your audience using social media even after the pandemic lessens.
Your comments are always welcome, often insightful, and sometimes inspirational, too! Shares, the same. You can find more of my articles at Fine Art Views, and/or visit/subscribe to them through my blog.
