Tea & Automatons

Aviatrix – photo by Tony Hicks, model/costume/editing by Diana Vick

I’d like to remind you that it is incredibly irresponsible to repost pictures of art that you love without crediting the artist? What do you do for a living? Do you do it for free or would you like it to be valued? Well, artists work hard and need recognition. Every time you post without attribution, that piece of art is going to be reposted again and again without credit. You can be the hero that helps that artist get a following. It’s really the least you can do.  You can help. If you like their work, take a few moments to find their name and maybe their website. They might have lots more great art to show you.

It didn’t have credit when you found it, so that’s okay right? Wrong. Just because you don’t know who created it does not mean it’s free to use. The internet is full of theft. Don’t be complicit in that theft.

Here’ one way you can help. Right click on the image. Copy url. Go to Tineye.com. It’s a reverse image search. Put in the address. It may take a little time to find the artists name and website, but with a little persistence it can usually be done. If you can, go back to your uncredited source and give them the name of the artist. It can be your random act of kindness for the day!  If you can’t find the artist’s name, then either ask for help when you post it, or maybe just refrain from posting.

As an artist, I can’t tell you how much this means to me.  Artists?  Please put your watermark or name and web address on everything so we don’t have this problem?  It isn’t always enough but it’s a start.

Thanks for reading.  Feel free to pass this info on.