A Stand Against Image Piracy

Artwork adds life to a piece. Whether it is a simple drawing, a complex background, or anything in between, there's no denying that a website would be boring without a little color and art to it. The problem comes when people get so greedy for images to spruce up their items and sites that they end up stealing others artwork. As an artist myself, I find this very insulting and I'm completely against it. Not everyone is an artist. Not everyone can use their own work. This is understandable. It still is no excuse for people to steal others, though. There is no excuse for that. It just shows how lazy and inconsiderate some people can be. There are so many artists and websites out there that are willing to lend their work for free that one doesn't have to steal from other places. It's all about having respect for not only the artist you are stealing from, but the other artists out there too. People need to have better respect for the craft. Just because they are not an artist doesn't mean they have to insult others by stealing the work. What makes it really rude is people use it for their own benefit. There are plenty of different ways to use images, and a rising online use is for signatures (images at the end of a post) in forums, message boards and other community websites. People even edit (or sometimes not at all) others' images and sell them to make a profit. Not only did they steal from another person, but now they are using it to benefit themselves. That's like breaking into someone's house, stealing the furniture, and putting it upon EBay. Though there are free websites where artists gladly share their work, they should not be abused. Just because they are free and willing to be nice doesn't mean people should take advantage of their generosity. I hope everyone will have the kindness to thank the owners of such sites when they use the work. It is always nice to be reminded that people appreciate the time and effort an artist puts into the art. Artists put time and effort into their work. Artists who say otherwise obviously don't really care enough about their work and probably should look into other things to do. It's not just a canvas of paint, or a sketch of pencil, or a group of pixels on the screen. It's meaning, expression and purpose for us. I appreciate it when people admire my work, compliment me on my work, but not when they steal it for their own use. I hope others, and not just artists, will stand up against image piracy. It may not effect you personally, it may not be your problem, but that doesn't mean you can't do something about it. Even if it's as little as telling friends you feel it is wrong, and if they are doing it that they should stop it, that's more than enough to help out artists. To some it may not seem important, obviously nothing life-threatening, but it's all about respect. I hope more people will realize that looks and being cool on the internet are not worth hurting another person's feelings.