It's an epidemic.  People are having their content and images stolen and used on other websites and on other products and services.

Sadly, it seems that it's not a question of if your work or images will be stolen, it's a question of when. With technology today it's possible to grab anything you see on your computer screen.  Taking legal action can be time-consuming and expensive, but a few precations can go a long way towards slowing down the thieves:

1. Copyright your work and images, individually or as a group. It's not expensive or difficult. You will need to gather info about each image to document it. If you've got your artist inventory set up and current, it's a piece of cake.
   
   Yes, your copyright exists from the moment the work is created, but "...if you want to sue someone in federal court for copyright infringement, your work must first be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office."  


2. The way you prepare your images can help protect them. Make sure the images you use on your website are the smallest file size possible that still look good. Why? Besides loading more quickly and making for a smoother browsing experience for your visitors, a small file size means that the theives won't be able to use the image for much of anything.  


3. Another way to protect your online and print images is to watermark them with copyright info or a logo, large enough to see and over an area of the image that would pretty much make the image unusable if the copyright info was cropped out.  Slow thieves down down by making it difficult for them to use your images.


4. Use your name (or company name) in the file name, along with the name of the image, like "JohnDoe-Springtime." If someone steals and uses an image on the web, at least the file name will ID you and you can use Google to search for images by putting in your name. That will help you FIND the thieves.


5. If you find an image that is being used without your permission, the first step is to contact the user with a "cease and desist" letter. That usually works. If not, you can pursue other avenues if you want. If you don't, at least the image is identifiable as yours and think of it as free advertising.


6. Use Copyscape or a similar service to search the web for your content.


7. To take legal action, get some advice from a good copyright attorney first. Read this article by attorney Michelle Fabio on Blogging and Intellectual Property Law to learn more.

More resources:

US Library of Congress - United States Copyright office for copyright registration. 
http://www.copyright.gov/  

Stolen Content - Content protection and what to do in case of theft.   http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/04/10/what-do-you-do-when-someone-steals-your-content/

Creative Commons - Non-profit organization providing creative licenses for image works. http://creativecommons.org/ 

If you would, please, help us all protect our work by sharing any resources/ideas/comments you have on this topic by leaving a comment on the blog.

All my best to you and yours,

P.S. If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."  It'll be published later this year. I've read it, it's fabulous, and will be ordering 10 copies for family and friends. Honest. It's not just one size fits all "how to" or cheerleaderish "self help." It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!     

Want to know exactly how we can help you set up your ongoing learning and get it all done? If you haven't already had one, you can request a free 15-minute conversation here. It's a great start!  

Are you ready to have a better year? Here are 2 F*R*E*E* gifts from me to you:

The strike through on the word "Time" is intentional. You can't manage time, but you can manage your choices, your projects and your productivity. Instead of racing the clock, choose to harness time and get more of what you want in your life as an artist. Learn practical skills and techniques to eliminate time wasters; become clear on your goals; organize to get things done; use visual tools and systems to keep track of it all.



Presenter:
Aletta de Wal, M.Ed., Artist Advisor & Art Marketing Strategist at Artist Career Training, inspires fine artists to make a better living making art in any economy. Aletta works with part-time, emerging and full-time artists who are serious about a career in fine arts.  Aletta makes art marketing easier and the business of art simpler. Equal parts artist, educator, and entrepreneur, Aletta has worked with over 4000 artists in groups and more than 400 individually.  Her clients say that she inspires them to do the work to be successful, provides the detail to take specific action, and supports them through the ups and downs of life and art.
 
Sponsor:
ArtSpan, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, builds a community connecting the public to visual arts in San Francisco. Through SF Open Studios, youth and adult education, and art-centric events, ArtSpan creates a platform for artists to thrive, fostering a Bay Area community that values the arts. Contact info@artspan.org or (415) 861-9838 for more information. ArtSpan.org produces monthly workshops and discussions to aid artists with the professional side of their art practice.  Through these community events ArtSpan creates a platform for artists to thrive, fostering a Bay Area that values the arts.  

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F*R*E*E* February Teleconference:  

Art Marketing Q & A 

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 

9:00 a.m. Pacific time (noon Eastern time). 

Check your local time here:
 http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html 

Register now!   

If you could ask a question about marketing and selling your art online and offline and get practical, doable answers from an artist advisor who has worked with thousands of artists all over the country, would you invest an hour of your time?  

Artist Career Training wants artists to have a better year in 2012. That's why we are offering you a special F*R*E*E* Art Marketing Q & A by telephone on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time (noon Eastern time).
(Check your local time here: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html ).

Reserve your spot now!

We're collecting questions starting now, so this is your chance to get an answer you can use to improve your art business. Aletta de Wal will answer the most specific questions during a special Artist Career Training teleconference.

The live call on February 7th is free.
If you can't make it, a recording will be available for download after the call for just $15.00.

Sixty minutes could save you a ton of frustration and open up the tap to get the money flow going.  

 
Aletta de Wal, Artist Advisor and Art Marketing Strategist is the author of the forthcoming book "My Real Job is being an Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (or Get One.)." Sign up for updates here: http://www.artistcareertraining.com/realjobartist.

Sponsor:



If you like to learn on your own and know what you want to learn, please visit www.ArtBusinessLibrary.com. You will find books, recordings and e-books on every topic imaginable to help you make a better living making art.

If you prefer to learn with others, and discover what you need to learn, please explore www.ArtistCareerTraining.com for our group programs and one-to-one coaching services.  

Having an inventory of your art, and a mailing list, is critical to your success.

A well-planned art inventory will allow you to search and sort your information. It will help you keep track of your work including an image of the piece, the cost to create it, sales/location info, copyright info, exhibition history, and installation info. It will also help you to document provenance (which is the history of ownership and location of your work) which comes in handy for any copyright or other legal issues. It will be invaluable at tax time.

A good mailing list will allow you to search and sort your names and address information, set up categories (friends, family, collectors), pull out information for specific geographic areas, print mailing labels, pull email addresses for email newsletters and invitations, and keep notes about your contacts.

There are software programs you can buy to manage your art business. Cost for the software and features vary widely. My own experience has been confirmed by what I hear from artists: most of the software for artists falls short of being easy-to-learn and having comprehensive features. (If you are using software for artists, I'd love to hear from you about what you use and why you like it, and why you don't.)

It's worth figuring out if a particular software will work for you. If what you use is overly complicated to learn and won't allow you to easily update your information, you'll be less likely to update it regularly.

I've set up a lot of artist inventories and mailing lists, and taught artists how to use them, and my recommendation to you would be to start with a basic spreadsheet. If you later find specialty software that's appropriate for you, it should allow you to easily import or export your existing inventory spreadsheet and mailing list.

Most artists have Microsoft's Excel, or Apple's Numbers, or another basic spreadsheet program. That's all you need to get started and it will grow with you.

If you're a DIY person, here's a tip: For your art inventory, go the the Copyright office website and get copyright form VA (for Visual Art). Use that info for your column headings. Add any other info as column headings that you want to keep track of. It's a good start.

If you want some help with this, I've found that the most cost-effective way is for me to set up your spreadsheet or artist software then to help you learn how to use it. Some artists have me handle it all for them, and that's fine too. I can custom-design a solution to fit your budget and time. Just email me to inquire.

P.S. If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)." It'll be published later this year. I've read it, it's fabulous, and will be ordering 10 copies for family and friends. Honest. It's not just one size fits all "how to" or cheerleaderish "self help." It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!

Want to know exactly how we can help you set up your ongoing learning and get it all done? If you haven't already had one, you can request a free 15-minute conversation here. It's a great start!

As this year ends and another begins, we want to take a moment to thank YOU, because without you the world would be missing the beauty you contribute to it. Without you, there would be less inspiration, creativity, and joy in the world. Without you we wouldn't be able to do our part in helping support artists in bringing more art to the world.  

Everyone at Artist Career Training sends along their heartfelt wishes for your joy and success in 2012!

Aletta de Wal, Julie Snyder (www.juliesnyder.com) and Margaret Danielak  (www.danielakart.com) © 2011 Julie Snyder

In October 2011 I did my annual series of seminars at The Learning & ProductExpo: Art! in Pasadena where I met another group of fabulous artists dedicated to making a better living making art.  

Another highlight of the trip was time to get together with Margaret Danielak and Julie Snyder, one of the artists she represents, at The Women's City Club. With Margaret's permission and Julie's photo skills, I share Margaret's letter to me after our great visit.

Dear Aletta:

Thank you so much for the lovely dinner. It was great to see you!

Am very happy to tell you that I sold another painting yesterday during the installation of the current "Winter's Light" show at the Blinn House - home of The Women's City Club of Pasadena.  A lady came into the club to pay her dues, fell in love with Julie Hill's watercolors and bought one!  That is the 2nd "presale" if you will, from this show.  The first presale I made was to another Club Member who saw a "sneak peek" of a lovely painting by Christina Ramos that I posted the other day on Facebook.

I told you during dinner that I decided to accept photographs this time as well as paintings.  I wasn't sure how they would look in such a traditional venue.  I decided to dedicate an entire area to the work - put them all in one of the large bedrooms upstairs - and I must say, they look fabulous.  I've always wanted to have a theme - or shows within the larger shows - in different areas of the Blinn House and now I do.

My new IPAD 2 has become extremely handy in documenting my life as a curator.  We always talk about new technology and how important it is to stay current?  Well, on the last day of the the last exhibition, "A Touch of Gold" - which you saw when you visited the Club - I used my IPAD to create a film. I now have a 9 minute rough cut of a fully narrated art tour of the Blinn House - a film I'm planning to edit down to five minutes using IMOVIE on the IPAD.  Am planning to create a video for each exhibition in order to share the art with collectors and artists who live outside the area - post it on my website and blog and onto Facebook.

Thank you again for the great dinner.  I look forward to seeing you again soon, and hearing more about your soon-to-be released book!

Warm regards,

Margaret

Artist Representative Margaret Danielak is Curator of Exhibitions at the Women's City Club of Pasadena at the historic Blinn House.  She is the author of  A Gallery without Walls, and specializes in exhibiting art in alternative venues.  
 
I get a lot of questions from artists about how to get an art representative. The short answer is to be noticed because you have a strong body of signature work, have a solid exhibition track record and be professional about every aspect of your art business. For a more detailed explanation, check out:
"Sell My Art! Finding & Keeping Effective Representation"*

Margaret is also available for consultations*