Tuesday, April 24, 2012

It Makes Me Happy.

It's been pointed out to me, quite a bit lately, that cartoons I've drawn are showing up on various sites - some with credit back to the artist (that's me!), and some without. Some were shared as they were originally presented, and some have been edited in some way.

I thought I'd take a minute to establish my thoughts on sharing the content found on this site.

  • I draw this stuff because it makes me happy to do so. It makes me happy when I can create something that can not only make me laugh (it's totally self-therapy), but make others smile as well. LOL's make my day! It's labor-intensive and for a full-length cartoon like this one, for example, I'm pretty much dedicating an entire day (8 to 10 hours) to creating it. 
  • Because making others happy makes me happy, I share what I've done online. Anyone who uploads a Facebook profile picture, writes a blog post, tweets a photo or shares a video on YouTube is automatically agreeing to the fact that that content is no longer theirs to control. That's not to say that this is fair, but that is simply how this all works. Just about everything online is downloadable and editable in some way, and I'm fully aware of that when I share things.
  • It's also true that when I see that someone has pinned my stuff or an image of mine is on Facebook, it makes me smile, big time. Warm fuzzies abound!
  • That said, I share these cartoons with a deliberate credit on the image. You'll either find my site address or my name on every cartoon I share. You'll also see on my right sidebar that what I share on this site is protected under a specific kind of Creative Commons license, which in very simplified terms means that content originating from this site is available to share freely, given that it happens under certain circumstances, and with my permission can be used in other ways.
image credit

So what does this boil down to?

  1. I don't want to be an jerk about things. If you like what I do enough to share it, I'm very flattered by that, and I'm honored that you think enough of it to point it out to other people. Pin it! Make it your FB profile photo! Tweet 'til you drop! Tumblr the heck out of it! 
  2. That said, if you're going to share my stuff, please abide by the Creative Commons protection I have on them. If an image already has my name or website on it, then you're golden. But please don't doctor my images so that the credit is removed. I don't want you to be a jerk, either.

Cool? Cool.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.



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9 comments:

  1. JessApril 24, 2012 at 8:47 AM

    i'm glad you've made a statement about this. you work hard, and deserve all the credit!

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  2. Michelle GonzalezApril 24, 2012 at 10:25 AM

    I agree as well, and have done what I can to post a link to your blog on those posts of your photo (by others) where I see credit has been removed. Sarah and I LOVE your cartoons, and when she's having a tough day (for diabetes reasons or otherwise) we often come back to your blogs for a chuckle. They always lighten our load and make us smile.

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  3. KimApril 24, 2012 at 10:27 AM

    Michelle - that is so awesome! I'm glad to help. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ColleenApril 24, 2012 at 5:37 PM

    Interesting. I saw one of the cartoons and noticed your name was not on it. I was even going to write you about it this evening. I don't know where I saw it but if I see one again with no credit, I'll try to remember where I was.
    Love the cartoons. They always make me smile or... burst out laughing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SaraApril 24, 2012 at 9:31 PM

    One of my teammates from Haiti showed up on campus one day last year and saw a flyer for an event using one of her pictures (loaned by a fellow teammate). She was really upset. It wasn't that she didn't want her picture used - we wouldn't take pictures if we didn't want people to see them. But because they didn't ask permission, they didn't know that was a picture of Stephenson. They didn't hear his story or know her story of taking the picture. I think that's why credit is important - so you don't lose the story or the passion behind the art.

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  6. MarcieApril 25, 2012 at 8:30 PM

    Thanks, Kim, for allowing me the use of your cartoons. The kids thought they were great! I think they learned something and had fun while they did.

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  7. JoanneApril 25, 2012 at 9:34 PM

    It's happened to me too with my video... I see it pop up in places with no credit, or people Make postcard with some of my saying in the video. Just have to shrug my shoulders, say oh well and be flattered by it. I guess.

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  8. Mike HoskinsApril 25, 2012 at 9:34 PM

    Glad you wrote about this, Kim. Glad you can spread some joy and see the results of others loving what you've created. It is totally awesome art, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JoanneApril 25, 2012 at 9:36 PM

    Please ignore the grammatical errors in my comment above. My i Pad is being temperamental and won't let me fix any errors. Grrrr.

    ReplyDelete

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