Making an impression in the digital realm is not as easy as I thought it would be. I have been spending time generating artistic and musical content but not at the level I would like it to be. And then there is the ownership of it, specifically the rights of ownership as in copyrights. Generating new items, songs, art, is fun and invigorating but sharing it presents problems. Thinking it is so good that it has to be protected from theft so that I might get the full benefit of my brilliance, i.e. money! I should be so well regarded that someone would think enough of my skill to steal from me! I bring this up because there are alternatives to copyright.

Gwenn Seemel a visual artist has written about this in her book “You Share Good” and spoke about it in a Ted Talk. Also has made a success of her efforts at producing art as a non copyrighted effort. By placing her work in the public domain she has at the very least eliminated one hindrance I seem rather effective at using to prevent me from ‘sharing good‘. Mistrust and the sense I might lose out if the work is not properly “caged in a copyright”. Or the other seemingly more relevant fear, my creations will be co-opted and used against me, by not allowing me to perform or recreate pieces that I developed!?

At this point however it is just fear preventing any sort of display or sharing. I should be delighted anyone would think enough of a creative endeavor of mine to want to utilize it as they would. Still it is nice to be acknowledged and recognized for ones efforts. I once had some wire sculpture stars I made on display at a swap meet and noticed one had gone missing. Rather than being upset about the loss I was pleased someone found it intriguing enough to take it.

Surprised I was by this perspective coming from my mind.

Well it was taken, (maybe knocked off the table) but I found it a bit later, being kicked about on the ground, completely ignored, and worst of all, discarded by the person I thought had wanted it! I was more bummed by that than the perceived theft. But the emotional response I had to the instance as it initially played out in my imagination was interesting. And it still reverberates today as some sort of perspective or assessment of things that matter to me, that I could make better use of.

So that’s how that works!