Don’t forget to credit artists; it’s theft

With the technology we live with today, it’s extremely easy for an artist to put themselves out there and share their work with the public. But with that comes a huge risk: Art thieves. 

Aaron Carter went on a rampage this weekend on Twitter after German artist Jonas Jödicke accused him of stealing one of his works to promote his clothing line. 

On Friday, Carter tweeted out a link to his website, noting that his hoodies were back in stock, attaching a drawing of two lions going head-to-head. 

Eventually, the tweet reached the original artist, Jödicke. When Jödicke tried to explain to Carter he needed permission to use his art, Carter publicly berated the artist. 

“You should’ve taken it as a compliment dick…this image has been made public and I’m using it to promote my clothing line aaroncarter.com guess I’ll see you in small claims court,” Carter tweeted at Jödicke. 

Any rational person would think to credit Jödicke, or at the very least, apologize for stealing his artwork, if not remove the tweet entirely. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that people with larger platforms have stolen art from lesser known artists. 

In May 2018, Chris Brown came under fire when he stole a comic artist Gabriel Picolo’s drawing and reposted an edited version of it on his Instagram. 

The artwork was Picolo’s illustration of Teen Titans for DC Comics in January 2018. In Brown’s version of the drawing, he edited the name of the drive-in from “Alfred’s Drive In” to “Black Pyramid,” which is the name of Brown’s streetwear clothing line. 

By sharing his artwork online, Picolo has made a name for himself, accumulating millions of followers over the years. However, his 2.6 million follower count does not even touch Brown’s 42 million. 

Brown used Picolo’s art to promote something that had nothing to do with his work and without his permission. Taking someone else’s art and using it for your personal monetary gain is wrong and shameful. 

Artists typically share their work online to gain exposure for their work. When their work is posted without any kind of credit given, it hurts the artist. The reposted work could get tons and tons of likes, shares etc. but if no one knows who made it, then what good is that to the artist? They don’t receive the recognition they deserve. Instead, that exposure has been taken away from them.

Creating art is not as easy as some people may think. So many things go into creating artwork. From planning, to sketching, to finishing the final product. These things could take hours, or even days. Whatever the time frame, they should get at the very least the recognition for the art that they have created. 

Social media is a great place for new artists to showcase their work, but let’s not make it harder for them to get their names out there by not giving credit where it’s due.