Something special happened last night. A photo from my personal art work blog @jennychapmanartwork was featured on Tumblr Radar. Some of the posts from @adventuresofalgy have been on the Radar in the past, but this was the first time for one of my photos without Algy.
But that wasn’t all. The post didn’t get very many notes, as Radar posts go (quiet time on a Saturday), nor did I gain a huge number of new followers. But something else happened. A young person from a country thousands of miles away, who I don’t know in any way, and who is of a different generation to me, with a completely different life and interests, sent me a very nice message saying how much they liked my work, and asking whether they could use an edited version of the Radar photo for the cover of their new single (they post their musical work on Soundcloud).
There has been a great deal of discussion in the photographic community recently about Tumblr’s faults - as well as some about about its virtues.
There has also been a great deal of discussion over the years about copyright, credits, “stealing” and the use of original work, with or without consent.
I’m a professional, trained artist, and a professional writer. I attempt to scrape a living from selling original work in one form or another, and I often fail to make enough money. But despite that, I post on Tumblr knowing that I’m essentially giving my work away - distributing it to anyone, anywhere, who might possibly like it.
Radar - and every single reblogger - play a vital role in distributing original work to the unseen, unknown audience around the world that make up the total Tumblr community - and I do mean the total community, of every age, race, culture, location and interest group. Without reblogs, our work would never reach out to anyone beyond a small, closed circle.
It’s thrilling to be on the Radar, of course. But it’s even more thrilling that a complete stranger in another part of the world finds something that appeals to them in something I created. That is why I’m here on Tumblr, and that is why I will stay for as long as Tumblr remains broadly the same environment that it is at present.
And so of course I said “yes” :) It’s probable that no one who sees the version of my photo on the “cover” of that single will know where it came from or who created it. So far as I can tell, Soundcloud don’t even provide a means for crediting cover art. So why, as a professional, did I say yes? Because Tumblr is about sharing for free - I shared for free, and someone liked what I shared enough to want to use it for their own purposes. Economically less than ideal, perhaps, but otherwise great :)
I love sharing what I create, and I love seeing what other people all around the world create. Tumblr is a constant source of inspiration, as well as simple pleasure and relaxation. It brightens my days (something not to be understimated in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands in the dark months), and it makes me very happy indeed if I can help to brighten other people’s days in some small way with my own creations.
Tumblr could do with some improvements of course - who couldn’t! Nothing is perfect in this world. But that doesn’t really matter.
So I say Long Live Tumblr!
I’m here for the duration, and I hope that you are too :)
Jenny ( @jennychapmanartwork, @adventuresofalgy and @lovefromalgy)
