Are you familiar with Jen Wallace? Jen edits the well-loved independent design blog Indie Fixx, and also runs the Feed Your Soul free art project – which is what I would like to discuss today. Jen has been coordinating Feed Your Soul since February ’09, bringing together artists who generously contribute works which are then shared as free downloads on the site. Free. Art. I love it!
I have downloaded several prints in the past (the one shown above by Irena Sophia is one of my favorites), but it had been a while since I checked in with the project…and there are so many new art prints to love! I was immediately drawn in by this print by Jo Cheung, an artist that was new-to-me:
That is one of the things I love about this project; it introduces me to tons of great artists creating fresh, exciting work that I may not have come across otherwise. Which brings me to the other item on my blogging agenda today: the issue of copyright and the decision to share or not share your work freely. This is a big issue and one I am not going to delve into too deeply right now (though I would love to hear your own thoughts on this), except to say that my personal feeling is it is good to be generous with your work. I think it tends to come back to you in a very positive way when you make your work accessible.
Shown above, clockwise from top left: Laura Amiss, Jaclyn Evalds, Hadley Hutton, and Anna Wadham.
I know that for many artists these days, exposure on blogs is a great (free!) way to attract attention and gain new customers. Likewise, I love featuring the work of independent and fledgling artists on this blog, in fact it is one of the things I most enjoy posting about! Sadly, at times I come across work I LOVE that would be a great fit for the blog, but the artist has chosen to refrain from sharing their work, whether by covering it with huge watermarks, or stating on their site that they do not want their images shared in any way. I always respect this choice, and I completely understand the need to protect your creative work – which can be so hard today, with copycats and others whose motives are questionable – but at the same time I have to say I think that guarding your work too closely has its own consequences, namely missed opportunities for exposure and ultimately, missed sales.
The flip side of this, of course, is the responsibility of the rest of us (whether on blogs, Facebook, Flickr, or other sharing sites) to credit images and artistic works properly, and to respect the wishes of those who do NOT want their work shared. What are your thoughts on this issue? If you are an artist, do you find it “worth it” to share your work freely? Have you found rewards to your business from doing so? Or have you had any negative experience – with copycats or others who stole your ideas?
And while we’re talking, why don’t you click over to Feed Your Soul and pick out a free print – there are tons to choose from! :)
(all images courtesy Indie Fixx, see above for individual illustrator credits)
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