Why Reblogging Is So Important to Artists | Why Being Nice Online is Important | Storytime
First of all, I wasn’t going to talk about this. Because I thought it wasn’t needed, because I thought there was enough information out there asking people NOT TO REPOST ART and if we do, at least give PROPER CREDIT.
But there isn’t. That’s alright. Let’s talk about it.
Two days ago I was approached by the lovely @vaugleysassygrunt who told me someone was reposting my art. They said this person had been changing their url all day and sent me a hyperlink to the art they had posted.
My first immediate thought was “Oooh boy, my first art thief, that’s so exciting”. Along I went to this person’s tumblr and was about to send them a message when I saw they had already addressed the issue by saying they found reblogging annoying and that’s why they preferred reposting. That they never claimed the art was theirs.
Of course my first thought was “if you don’t like reblogging what are you doing on tumblr?”. But we shouldn’t give in to our first thoughts. They’re often rash.
So I get into a conversation with said art thief and try another way. Because THERE IS another way. We can’t nunchuk our way to awareness. This is what I wrote:
Hi, friendo! I’m sorry people are giving you a hard time, but crediting art is very important for us artists :( It’s how we make our carreers. I understand you don’t enjoy reblogging, but it can help people find our art and find more of our work if they need to. I also am really embarrassed to have to ask, but could you please credit sandersssons-comic or sanderssons in the quadruplets AU? It’s a series I spent a lot of time on and I would hate it if people only read a part of it. Thanks and have a good day :D
They repond right away. Telling me they accept my apology (?)
Also that they found the image on google images.
Also asking how much artists get.
FIRST LESSON TO TAKE FROM THIS: Google Images, such as Google itself, it’s an image SEARCHER. It COMPILES images from the whole internet. An image being on Google Images DOES NOT MEAN IT’S UP FOR GRABS. Google Images provides the proper source of the picture.
BESIDES, Google Images can be a great tool for finding the author of an artpiece. Just go to Google Reverse Image Search. You can do it from your phone and from your desktop. Just put the image on and Google finds the original source for you!
So I proceed to explain to this person that artists don’t make much. Most of us get money from comissions that depend on the complexity. Some get Ko-Fis and Patreons and online shops with stickers and key chains and some other goodies.
ALTHOUGH, FOR YOU I ALSO SAY: PEOPLE ARE ENTITLED TO THEIR ART EVEN IF THEY DON’T GET MONEY FOR IT. BECAUSE IT’S THEIR OWN AND THEY MADE IT. DON’T BE A DICK.
I don’t mean to be rude but you could just get more money by being an art teacher or something that pays good minimum wage.
And you can imagine this big red flag raising in my head. Disengage. Disengage. Disengage. But this was a HUMAN BEING. And a misinformed one. I had already made contact. Might as well. I explained that we DO NOT WANT other jobs. This is our jobs. This is our choice of carreer. And it’s not hard to respect.
Reminder, that should go without saying: YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAY ON PEOPLE’S LIFE CHOICES
Our friend says they don’t understand cause they’re in high school and they don’t draw a lot (as if art knowledge just comes by osmosis when you draw a lot)
I said it was totally cool not to understand. Because it is
SECOND LESSON: SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THINGS. I came back to tumblr for the Thomas Sanders fandom. A fandom that thrives on kindness and caring and validation of different people
They thanked me for being cool and explaining things and asked if we could be friends. I said that absolutely
(After our little talk, they started giving credit to the pictures they could find. Read as: the ones that had signatures on the image)
We talked yesterday a whole part of the day. We get acquainted. They’re finding themselves as non-binary, they’re in high school. Things like that. I tell them I’m 20 and in college for journalism
In this proccess I explained how comissions worked and, again, why reblogging and not reposting was important
So yesterday night I’m already in bed when they message me “Hi”
I responded I was tired and going to sleep. They said they were going to bed too. And that they hated when they were accused of something they didn’t do. Which was stealing art
And I said that, indeed, they weren’t STEALING art per say. But reposting was a dick move. They got PISSED. So I tried to find an analogy they would understand.
Ok, think of it like this
You’ve painted a tradicional piece in oil and put it in your gallery with other paintings
Someone can’t come and take the painting off the wall and put it on their gallery
Even if they say it’s yours… It doesn’t bring more people to your gallery. It exposes your work… But that’s mostly it.
The Mona Lisa got stolen once and people have made counterfeit paintings in the past
Which, goes without saying DOESN’T MAKE IT OKAY. Just because someone already murdered another, it doesn’t mean we can go around on a killing spree.
Besides, tumblr has original content and tools to get replicated inside the website. And so I told them.
Why are the majority of people here artists who clearly don’t realize they can get a part time job?
And I told them, AGAIN, they do not want part time jobs. They want these jobs.
They said I lied then, when I said art didn’t pay well. And proceeded to say they didn’t understand why people want to be starving artists.
Also that tumblr didn’t have the kind of images they wanted. EVEN THOUGH THIS WHOLE THING WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE ARTISTS FROM TUMBLR WERE FINDING THEIR ARTWORKS REPOSTED ON THEIR ACCOUNT.
I was also making them upset.
I tried to explain further, but they blocked me.
Fortunately, I was able to send one last message and I think it’s the biggest message I want to pass here.
I’m sorry I’m upsetting you but I’ve been nothing but respectful
Be respectful. Even when you’re mad. Even when people are rude. Kill them with kindness. If they’re too immature to listen to you, that’s on them. Practice what our dear youtubers preach (Thomas Sanders, Jack, Mark).
This person is still reposting, yes. They’re giving credit, but still reposting. It’s a start, I believe. It’s more than I would have gotten sending a hate ask.
So now, princes, princesses and non-binary royalty, I give you the
Artists are ENTITLED TO THEIR ART. You. Are. Not. It doesn’t matter if it’s on tumblr, on google images or on the street. If there’s a signature or not. Getting money for it or not (also, since I’m here, don’t forget that art is not only visual arts, but also videos, music, podcasts and a bagillion other things. If it’s not yours, don’t post it)
You DO NOT get a say on how people should get their wage (just like you don’t get a say on how they dress, on where they go, or who they love)
When you REBLOG, you help the artist to get known. It costs nothing. When you REPOST, you’re a dick. You’re not helping anyone and you’re giving yourself more trouble than just clicking a simple button
It’s okay not to know everything, but listen when people talk respectfully
Don’t be hard on people when you can be nice. Aggravating people will only make enemies of people who can be friends
Be mature enough to accept sometimes you’re wrong
