Edit 2/23/13: This post was written in regards to images found on any website that sells art, photography, or crafts. Like Etsy, ArtFire, Redbubble, Storenvy, Society6, and many many more. Yes, it’s important to credit photo stock you download for free, as well. But, when I wrote this, what I had in mind was images taken from handmade shops and shared/used without credit to that person’s business.
At least 3 times in the last month, I discovered artwork via facebook I was interested in BUYING. But, each time, the image would have no credit, Artist’s name, link.. or anything.
Fortunately, I’m resourceful and can use key words to search for an image and discover the Artist. But, not everyone will do what I did.
No link and they’re moving on.
I know this is nothing new, but let’s address it, anyways…
When you discover an image online – art, photography, or other creative work – there’s one thing you know for certain:
You know if you like it.
You also know if you like it so much, you want to share it with friends.
What you don’t always know for certain is whether that image was created for fun only, or also for PROFIT.
You don’t always know which images are a product of someone’s livelihood.
Why don’t we always know?
Because too many images are shared without proper credit.
I’ve done it without realizing it. Maybe you have too.
And it will continue to happen.
Writing this article won’t stop it. 1000 articles like this won’t stop it.
The point is to spread awareness.
Awareness is lacking these days because we’re in a hurry.
In a hurry to share, pin, tweet, plus. To get it on our walls, streams, and boards like now.
But, what if I told you it isn’t hard to share and credit? Yes. For real.
But, wait…
Shouldn’t an Artist be happy if their work is being shared at all?
(credit or not)
Their ego is happy, I’m sure. Their bank accounts? Not so much.
It may feel good for a Professional Artist to see their work shared and loved a million times, but in the end… that piece of Art is still their JOB.
And just like it would be disheartening for you to go into an office and not have your hard work noticed, it’s also disheartening for an Artist to see people benefit from the fruits of their labor and not receive credit.
Maybe we forget to view Art as a job because many inspirational and motivational-type writers portray making Art like it’s so sexy… it’s not about the money… it’s a passion… and it’s all about the pleasure and joy of creating… ooh la la…
Well, pleasureable or not…
For many, it’s what pays the bills. It’s business, too.
And there’s no shame in that game. Caring about money & your livelihood does NOT corrupt the Art. It creates connection between the Artist and the people who want to support their work.
So, let’s give credit where it’s due.
We’re going to share our good finds with friends, anyway. So, why not support another person’s life work while we’re at it?
Here are a few things
I keep in mind when sharing Art:
On Pinterest, before I re-pin, I click on the image to see where it leads to. Because I’ve noticed Pinterest is turning into a place to drive traffic to lame tumblr blogs that don’t credit Artists like ever.
A re-blog of un-credited Artwork that was re-blogged by a re-blogger will not get a re-pin from me.
On a Google Image search I do the same – click on the image first. It may lead to an Artist’s store or personal website. If so, hopefully that site has…
SOCIAL SHARING BUTTONS.
Those ‘like, share, pin, and +1′ buttons are not just there to keep score. It helps you share work with the proper credit easily.
So when I discover good finds on Etsy, Society6, DeviantART, and other Handmade shops, I use the sharing buttons.
Do NOT download the image to your computer, so you can share it without credit. Share the love with social sharing buttons. I can’t stress that enough.
On facebook, it’s tricky. Images get shared SO quickly. I, frequently, discover shared Artwork on facebook created by Artists I’ve personally connected with on Society6 without any credit given to them.
And we can’t go back to the beginning where the image was first shared improperly. What’s done is done. Let’s not stress about the past.
But, could we keep this in mind now?
The next time you discover great Art, share it with credit, so when people re-share it – and they will – each share is supporting a hard-working Artist?
That’s worth the effort, amirite?
And here are a few things to keep
in mind if you find YOUR Art UN-credited:
Speak up!
It’s yours. Be proud of your work.
Be nice, but be assertive too!
They, obviously, like your work. And I’m sure you want them to keep sharing your work in the future. So, be polite.
But, firmly, tell them how you expect them to correct the situation and follow-up to make sure they did. When they do, thank them :)
Would you add anything to my thoughts?
What else should we keep in mind when sharing an Artist’s work online?…
It would be great if sometime in the near future Google starts helping with this.
Already if you upload copyrighted video OR audio to YouTube, it detects it immediately and puts a ‘strike’ on your account.
Something a lot of people don’t know is that if you drag an image into the Google search image bar, it does a search based on that image (for similar images).
But I imagine for now it won’t detect images unless there are a ton of them already in their database, so any prominent artist’s work it would recognize, but maybe not the work of lesser knowns.
Great post, by the way!
Oh, very cool to know – I didn’t know about the image bar. I’m sure over time, there will be more ways to find where your images are being used.
Appreciate your comment!
This reminds me a bit of the whole Jonathan Coulton controversy that went down last month: Basically, the TV show Glee did covered a song that he had covered in the EXACT same way that he covered it. He even thinks they may have stolen whole tracks from his recording. “They also got in touch with my peeps to basically say that they’re within their legal rights to do this, and that I should be happy for the exposure (even though they do not credit me, and have not even publicly acknowledged that it’s my version — so you know, it’s kind of SECRET exposure).”
So they pulled a no-credit share. Jonathan Coulton got the last laugh though. He got a ton of internet buzz, re-released his cover on iTunes, and is donating all the proceeds to charity.
Nice. I think that’s usually the way it works – as far as the artist having the last laugh – as long you keep creating and don’t get discouraged. Not getting credit for a few pieces won’t stop a creative from succeeding, but it’s still an issue that affects independent businesses.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Great topic I have heard of pinterest so I try to be careful on there. I normally go to veer to get anything especially when using artwork for my magazine and I make sure I credit veer for it. If I see anything that is not mine I credit where I got it from just in case.
Cool, I haven’t heard of veer, but I’ll check it out.
Thanks, Kita :)
Thanks for giving this play-by-play of how you link images. I love people who leave watermarks– otherwise I have no idea how to find them.
I’m always confused about what constitutes fair use for images. For instance, Bill Watterson’s Calvin has never been liscenced for reproduction, but you see it everywhere. I understand fair use for writing– less than ten percent of the content, properly attributed. But I have no idea what the rules are for images. Most people seem to say “with permission,” but that’s just not feasible for blog posts. Do you know more about?
When you say ‘images’ do you mean artwork? Or photography? Or something similar? Anyways, when it comes to that stuff, permission is nice, but I personally think if you have a credit – their name, a link to their store/site, then they should be happy – I would be. I know other Artists that are plenty happy with a link and name credit – no permission necessary.
Also, if an Artist really wants people to ask *permission* before use, they will say so on their website – I’ve seen that too. They specifically ask people to ask before using their images somewhere on their site. But, many are good with a link and name credit.
If I’m wrong about that, anyone is welcome to correct me! But the way stuff gets shared via social media it’s hard to ‘require permission’. It’s reasonable to require a name and link.
Thanks for your comment!
I use photos, or occasionally illustrations. Does that count as artwork? I have no idea, that’s why I love to see that little copyright symbol in the bottom.
Yeah, it counts as artwork, but when I wrote this post what I had in mind was Artists who SELL their work. Not just images from flickr that require credit.
I know photostock credit is a topic that matters too, but what I have noticed lately is more images from actual stores, like Etsy – with no credit.
That really bothers me because that is a possible sale for that artist. An image on flickr is free as long as you credit. But, I’m talking about affecting someone’s actual INCOME.
In short: any image you find on any site that sells art, photography, crafts, or handmade items… Or… any image from an artist, photographer, crafters personal website – because those sites, even if they’re not selling, they probably take orders.
For example: I love these aprons from Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/shop/HauteMessThreads
If I see her images shared all over facebook without a credit to her, that’s just not right. That’s her business. And I see that happen on facebook a lot.
Also, a copyright watermark is nice, I love to see that too, but some sites don’t let you add that. Society6 doesn’t let you put a watermark on what you sell.
I hope I was clear in my post, I might make a short edit at the end.
Well, that’s the thing, places like deviantART don’t usually have creative commons licences, but no one seems to be actually selling their art. (as opposed to Etsy, which is a commerce platform.) The default is generally “usage with permission”. So, I just move on to the next thing, rather than navigate that rat’s nest of regulations. I think flickr images aren’t as cool or interesting as the stuff on deviantART, but flickr at least is clear cut on the attribution side.
Hi Denise,
I’m so grateful to you for this post – it’s an issue that causes me huge anxiety because I’m always terrified of failing to credit artists for images correctly – I may have made some mistakes about this in the past, purely out of ignorance, but I try to do the right thing.
I use a lot of Creative Commons Flickr images on my site and always retain the attribution and link back to the artist’s Flickr page – I usually then share that image on Pinterest, but do so via the sharing buttons on Flickr so that the attribution and link is retained, even if I also make the pin link to my own blog – there’s also still a link to the artist’s site. Additionally, I’ve started leaving a message to the artist on their Flickr page, thanking them and letting them know that I’ve used their image on my blog. So I hope that’s OK.
I’ve also used images I’ve purchased from sites like Istockphoto and never thought I needed to put a credit to them – but I’ve noticed that another blogger puts a credit to the site they’ve purchased them from – I wonder if you think that’s necessary, if the license you’ve purchased allows you to use them on blog posts?
Thanks very much for raising our awareness of this issue – I entirely agree that artists deserve to get the credit for their work, but I’m sure a lot of bloggers share images incorrectly – and possibly illegally – out of ignorance rather than from a deliberate intention to ‘steal’.
Sue
Oh, I think most times, no credit is *not* done on purpose or for ill intentions. It’s hard to keep up with all the content out there and the proper etiquette for sharing.
As far as giving credit even if you paid for it… I don’t see why you’d have to do that unless you wanted to. The artist or photographer has been paid. It should be all good.
On my about page, I do credit sources for how this site was built – the artist that made my logo, and everything I use even though I paid for all that stuff. I’m just enthusiastic about sharing my sources and I figure some might be curious. But I don’t think that’s necessary – especially when you’ve paid for it. It’s a personal choice.
Thanks for your comment!
I’m one of those that in the my beginning journey online Denise I didn’t know any better. I admit it and I think a lot of us are like that.
Now the images I use on my blog I always give the site the credit if it’s free but the ones I purchase don’t say which artist to give credit. Oh and I don’t share stuff on Pinterest because I heard that people who do that and the original person never purchased it or shared it illegally that you can get in trouble too. When I heard that it made me a nervous wreck which is why I’ve stayed clear of it myself.
You’re right tough Denise, we definitely need to give credit where credit is due. We do that when we share content, we certainly need to do that when we share art.
Thank you for that nudge in the right direction.
~Adrienne
Me too, Adrienne.. me too. I wasn’t always savvy about credit. And I’m sure I’ll still miss something in the future. I don’t want to pick on anyone who forgot to credit someone, I just want to help people see why it matters and maybe it’ll encourage people to be more mindful :)
Glad you commented, Adrienne, thanks! :)
This is a very important topic. Bless those people that make their photos available for use. Livens up blog posts!
I hear ya! Sometimes I feel too lazy to include an image in a post, but I see how it matters.. so I make the effort. :)
thanks for commenting!
Yes, you-r-rite. You shouldn’t deserve kudos for an act that everyone should be taking – proper sharing and attribution – but I’ll give it because so few people are as thoughtful as you. Taking an extra step to help someone is rarely a bad idea or a poor use of time.
One additional thought: The Curator’s Code by Maria Popova http://www.curatorscode.org/. Are you familiar with that? If not, consider this my awareness campaign for something right up your alley and every other creative person who lands here. Here’s just a little copy-and-pasted context for people who don’t click the link:
“Part of what The Curator’s Code aspires to do is evolve our thinking about the levels of attribution. “Via” ᔥ tends to denote a direct repost — something you found elsewhere and shared with your audience with little modification or elaboration. “HT” ↬ tends to stand for indirect discovery — something for which you got the idea at your source, but modified or elaborated on significantly when sharing with your audience.”
Great resource, Joel! Thanks for sharing it and hopefully readers will check it out.
And thanks, I’m not looking for kudos. I just know credit helps business.. supporting independent Artists or ANY entrepreneur for that matter is good for everyone.
Thanks for your comment! :)
Thanks for sharing this info, Denise. My last composition took a month to write. It’s going to take another month to master so I can play it. I’d be a bit more than pissed if it were used without permission. I always keep this in mind when sharing he works of others.
I bet you would! I feel drained if it takes me a week to make something. A month – that’s a real investment of time for a project/piece.
appreciate your thoughts! :)
Excellent points and an important article, Denise. I know I’m careful to credit the Creative Commons photos I use on my site and in ebooks and such, and I don’t share a lot of visual content on sites like Facebook, but Pinterest…ack. I probably need to be more careful about repinning stuff. You’re right — it’s so tempting to just move fast and click-click-click away. Hearing an artist’s perspective — and a calm, well-reasoned one at that — is helpful.
I don’t share a lot of visual work on facebook either. I think facebook pages, rather than personal profiles, are more likely to share a lot of visual art.
I think I’m more aware of this whole matter of ‘credit’ now because I know a lot more artists than I used to. So, what happens is… art shows up in my feed, and I’m like.. oh, that’s so-and-so’s art!… but, no credit. I’ve become so familiar with people’s work and can spot it easily. And then I put myself in their shoes.. I’d want the credit.
Appreciate your thoughts on this!
You bring up a really good point here, Denise. I’ve certainly been guilty of sharing without attributing myself. More recently, I’ve been sharing artwork from artists I’m a fan of, so I make the effort to make sure people know who made the image.
The method I use now is to download the image and then share with attribution. Sharing directly from pages with the artwork doesn’t appear as nicely on social streams (at least for the networks I use), so I’ve always been frustrated with that method. I realize I’m probably not the normal user in that sharing method, but it is another option.
I’ve also been on the other side of that equation in which I wanted to know more about the artist but couldn’t find anything about that individual.
I do it that way sometimes too. Download and upload + add credit.
As many images as there are online, I’m sure everyone is guilty of not offering credit at some point. I didn’t credit someone in a blog post last year, a reader emailed me about it, and I corrected it right away.. incidentally, that ended up being the most viewed post on this site so I’m glad I corrected it quickly! :)
Appreciate your comment!