We as artists cannot live in fear, it stifles our creativity and then changes what we put out into the world. That in turn inhibits our changing the world for a better place by sharing the beauty, impressions, and thoughts that our work provokes.

It seems odd to me that the congresses are trying to control the internet and here comes some website with tons of stolen works, what purpose do you think that website accomplishes with works with the same butt ugly DA copyright on them? Nothing other than to make us fear our work is being stolen and then hope we sheep will acquiesce to the control of our freedoms.

I take thousands of pictures a week, I shoot every day trying to get better all the time. :\ If someone steals one of my photos and I find out, sure I will chase them and ask that they take it down. But that will not make me afraid, it will annoy me.  I will not give over my internet freedom to protect a picture. And I will not make my images ugly and unable to be seen with the DA watermark.

On DA I hate that I have to uncheck "download this pic" on the interface every time I put up a photo - I think that is stupid. But I try to remember to do t every time to protect my work. I really think we should petition DA to change this feature to optional. That you have to actively check it to share it not that you have to remember to uncheck it to protect your art.

Unfortunately fear is how we are controlled and made into "good" people. Sometimes fear of being punished for breaking society's rules is helpful so that we can live together with our different needs and different broken places. But the fear of communication and the fear of our creativity being stolen, that will stifle our spirit and change us. Both in the ability to feel true joy and the ability to see outside what corporations and governments want us to see.  Don't let that happen.

M