Diverse Traverse

Hi! I'm Kristen! I'm a Mason Gross student, too (Design concentration). I mentioned on tumblr that I was nervous about posting original work for copy-related issues. Rich (our mutual friend, which is how I found you) said that this is you had your own art blog and that's how you circulate it, so he forwarded me to you. My question is, how do you feel about posting your art on an open circuit, so to speak? Does the copying thing bother you at all?

crankykong

Oh, hey! Nice to “meet” you! (I’m sure we’ll actually meet soon enough!) Well, I fully believe that art is meant to be viewed, (well, there are some personal exceptions) and that is always a risk you have to take. I’ve had people take my ideas and concepts before, and it’s a hard thing to deal with, but it’s something that you’ll face no matter where you are as an artist. You know the old saying of “imitation is the highest form of flattery.”  If you mean people stealing the actual images, well I have the high-res images, the physical copies, and the older post dates proving that they’re mine if it came down to some sort of confrontation.

But what it comes down to is how far you want to go. If you really want to make a place for yourself in today’s art scene, you have to make opportunities for yourself. It’s strange, it seems that getting “in” is both the easiest and hardest thing to do. But to get there you need to be seen, you need to be known, and a great way to start is by making a blog or a website for yourself. People need a way to see your work, you know? I’ve even sold a piece just because someone saw it on my tumblr and emailed me about it.

So even though, yes, you do risk people taking your work, removing your credit, or even claiming it as their own, I think the benefits of having your work on display (with lots of contact links) far outweighs that risk! Number one piece of advice: Lose the shame and promote the hell out of yourself!