Awesome Copy Cats!!! Open source Art.

You know you're kitty is living in style when they can sit inside a Van Gogh!

Nope, this isn't another one of my art TV's... this one is made by AMoonShadow ... it's on her Etsy store here... and she has some wonderful painted computer mice, and bags here. I really LOVE her piece.

Her e-mail raised an interesting question though.. One that many of the artists I work with struggle with every day. You see, in one of my other lives, I'm a web designer & Flash programmer.. and I get to help other artists put there images, their ideas, there baby's out on the web. For the whole world to see... Their concern, will it get stolen, borrowed, left uncredited... will they see it in a shop 2 years from now with someone else's name on it making millions? It's scary.

Or is it? As a programmer, I know flash scripts, javascrips and html pages, and CSS, get "borrowed", all the time. Many try and credit the authors... many do not. But without this free exchange of information Firefox would not exist (what are you browsing on?).

As an artist, I'm inspired everyday by things I did not have a hand in making.. tree's, animals, steam engines, other people's art, computer monitors and TV's for that matter. No I'm not trying to copy anyone, I'm trying to continue a conversation. I would love to see people dumpster diving for TV's & monitors... get them out of land fills, recycle them, and find alternate uses for them. I know others feel the same, I've seen more patterns for shopping bags on the web than you can imagine.. grab one, make one, use it, or buy one from an artist you know.. let your voice be heard.

I challenge you, put you're art out there! Don't hide it in the cave that is your little home for fear that it will be stolen. Let other's be inspired, let them hear the voice that is uniquely yours. See what comes back, I bet you'll be surprised and perhaps inspired yourself! I know I have been, Thank you AMoonShadow!