Steal My Thoughts, And I'll Thank You

Steal My Thoughts, And I'll Thank You

I'm sure everyone has heard of the wonderful Golden Rule. I'd like to know anyone, nationally or globally who has not heard the wonderful words that make this rule so truthful and golden. In saying that, I'm sure everyone has heard so many of these wonderful rants about art theft, whether from an artist who's had it happened, or those who support the wonderful idea.

I'm not here to rant about how horrible you art thieves are, and I'm definitely not out to harass you until my fingers become numb from throwing pointless insults, while some of your hearts beat rapidly, thinking your reputation is over, and while some others laugh at me, and continue on with your thieving. I'm not here to do that. I'm not made to do that. Instead, I'm here to inspire you, thief or otherwise.

It is the beginning of October, and already, both on Deviantart and Sheezyart, I have filed more than 150 cases of art theft. If there was ever to be an internet problem as globally giant as the war of the Middle East, it would be the theft of art. It's that simple. Now, as with every report, the routine is the same. Questions arise in your mind, you search the account and identify the differences in art style, and the lack of information the artist even gives about the art piece. This is my top priority to look for, because art theives must use less than the 10% we tend to use. The lack of literal intelligence, as well as the lack of information on an art piece, in which so much time has allegedly been done on, sticks out like a sore thumb to me. I should know. I use to be an art thief myself before I woke up years ago.

But here we are, in the year 2006, heading into yet another brand new year for our generation, and every month, I seem to catch more of these art thieves. I don't have to go around to my friends and rant on about how you're an idiot for stealing my art, scream and harass your own friends, or send a hoard of mine after you. I'm not as unintelligent as you are at the moment. I don't have to come to you, and ask you, 'why have you stolen my art'? I already know. I already understand why. You want to be famous, and have recognition, and know the wonderful luxury of being a powerful and talented artist.

But your reasons do not sufficiently fit the profile of any artist on this website, or on the other. When you view these websites, and you see these beautiful images that are nothing more than eye candy, or symbolic poses you become entranced by, you do not see the work. You see the finished result, the accomplishment and the pride of finishing such a marvelous piece so that your eyes are attracted to it. We all have this, even talented artists. Every artist, who you may believe has the best artwork in the world envies some other artist they believe are better to them. I myself simply believe all artists are the same. We are inspiring ourselves, motivating ourselves, and doing the same to others. It is what artists do.

An art thief, such as yourself, does not fit the profile of any artist, because you do not have the most powerful thing an artist does. Emotion. Feeling. Understanding. You do not understand that the picture you have stolen is the result of years, not two hours of Photoshop, but years. Years of practice, years of motivation, determination, the want to be somewhere, the want to most importantly change yourself, so that you may authentically place yourself among your kind. The artists. You thieves do not feel, when you steal art, you do not feel the accomplishments an artist does. You do not feel the sigh of relief leaving your body when the last strike of ink has been placed on your image. When your copyright and your very name is slashed across in watermarks.

Instead, you feel guilty unconciously. On the surface, when you save that image to your computer, your only thoughts are you can use it to become famous. To become wealthy. You do not understand. You only know what you think is right. What you think you are doing, what you think you know, is that you are going to be horrendously popular from this single piece of work that does not even have a fingerprint identifying it to you. Your sigh of relief is simply because no one has caught you. Your feeling of accomplishment is simply because you have successfully gotten people to believe it's your work. You give only a second of your time to glance at the artwork, and deem it yours. You do not understand.

You see, the problem with art thieves is that they do not think of the future realistically. Informatively, they believe this one simple image will never be found by the true artist. They believe this one simple image, who's creation was the sacrifice of years from it's true owner, is the key to luxury. Be it wealth, popularity, or recognition. But let me tell you something, and if you are an art thief, or are thinking of stealing that image and tracing over it an hour from now, a day from now, let me tell you something.

You are wrong. An artist is not something to envy. Our artwork is done for a purpose that is kept to the individual. It may be a symbolic gift to another we care for. It may be a symbolic handle that we can hang onto when we are in doubt the world needs us. It may be nothing more than the result of boredom, but it is ours. It is our boredom. It is our work. You art theives fail to do research on this career you so desire to have. There are artists who only work so that they may feed themselves. There are artists who only work because they were lucky enough to be recommended to some high paying company. There are artists who are up to their neck in art trades and commissions.

What are you to tell your fans, who look up to you thinking you drew this image you posted? When they want to trade with you, when they want to buy from you, to give you money for a piece of that talent they believe is yours? What are you to tell the CEO of a company who has spotted your account and wants to pay you $50,000 a year for your talent they believe is yours? Are you going to lie to the world as you have yourself?

You know the artwork you plan to steal is beautiful. It's why you want to steal it. You believe it'll get you somewhere, and it will. It will get you on the black list of many friends. It will get you the insults of many artists. It will get you absolutely nowhere but in the negative section of people's minds. They will not give a damn about you. You are stuck in vanity, looking at the result, looking at the surface, looking at what only your eyes can see. You are blind to what the heart has done.

Artists, as wonderful as our artwork is, have it very hard. I myself, am into financial business, which may come off as boring to many, but it's entertaining and fun to me. It is no different with artists. The work is hard. You must be patient, you must be willing to learn, to have motivation, to stop procrastinating even though you hear so many artists and their procrastinating problems. They have one thing in common. They get it done.

So the next time you decide to steal, or you know someone is going to steal, tell them why they are making a mistake. I don't care if you send them to read this. I don't care if you report the hell out of them using the website systems. I don't care if you are an enemy or friend of mine, someone I've stolen work from in the past, I don't care if you hate this website and love the website I hate. You should not, by any means, let anything get in your way of setting things right. Art theft if not right. It should not exist. An artist's world is harmonic because all of the work we place in our images is balanced by the comments, the love, the flattering of the people who see our artwork. By stealing their work, my work, someone stealing your's, an art thief is destroying that balance. Don't let it happen, to you, to a friend, to anyone.

By stopping art theft, by telling someone who's going to steal, by trying to get them to understand, by reporting or being on the lookout for stolen artwork, you are doing the artists and the art thieves a favor. There's no need to hate art theives. Understand, here, now, that they simply don't know what they are getting into, what they are doing. You must tell them.

Tell them, and maybe they'll get it, and that's just one more person that will spread what you have told them. If we are going to start reporting the news, or spreading rumors, make it worthwhile. Make it so that the result is not tragic, and so that hate does not spread any farther in this world as it has already. You, yourself, while you may feel no one is listening to you, or you feel that no one is paying attention, you can make a difference.

There are many people in this world, that have infected it with beauty and the power of positive energy, and you may never know their name. But you know they exist, because the result of what they did, proves it.

Don't steal art. Steal instead my inspiration, and steal instead this essay to give to someone else, or steal this piece of knowledge and intelligence, and pass it on. At this time in our world, no matter how old you may be, no matter what career or path you choose, we can all agree that the violence, and the hate, should remain in the fantasy world of our images, our art, our games, our books. The world and reality does not need anymore hate than what it has. Fix it. The words of an individual today, may be the voice of a nation tomorrow.

Make those words yours, and inspire the nation to be your voice. Thank you.