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We have to support what we love. Not just for selfless reasons, but for selfish ones, too. For selfless reasons, supporting what we love is a way of expressing gratitude. For selfish reasons, it’s a way to ensure we will continue to see more of it, and that it will be maintained and even grow and flourish.
My work.
I’ve worked way more than full time over the past two years. I’ve run myself into debt and exhaustion. I felt that if I gave absolutely all that I had, then for certain, I would be taken care of by the good returned, one way or another.
I didn’t have a business plan, aside from writing and doing everything honestly, from my heart, and to the absolute best of my abilities...and with a giant leap of Faith.
I have dozens of journals that I've written over the past 12 years that I want to make into books and share everything that's in them. Each one holds keys to emotional freedom and happiness, often from lessons that took a long time and a lot of reflection to learn. This is the "Happiness in Your Life" book series, the "best of" and organized versions of these journals.
I began with the facebook page.
April 23, 2011
.
I wrote, designed, and created inspirational posters using photos or artwork as backgrounds that I created myself, or photos and artwork that I paid for licenses from photographers and artists so that I could use. I felt that would then also be a way to support those talented people in following their dreams. I know their and my cameras and graphics software, not to mention the time it takes to develop great skill, wasn’t free. It’s usually very expensive.
After a short while, I noticed that my work was showing up lots of places. That would have been great, except that in most places, it was cropped of my website, and often another website name or person’s name was added as the author and creator. I was really shocked. These were posters from my life, my heart, about honesty and faith and appreciation and forgiveness, even about integrity, and here they were being stolen.
It happened a LOT. I would never have believed how much. It’s unreal. It’s not just my work, but lots of other people’s work. Especially photographers. Even some inspirational pages just take photographer’s images and use them without license or permission. A
LOT
.
When you google an image, those images are not free just because they are on the internet. Inspirational posters are not free just because they are there, too. Each one represents a portion of a life that was given to make and post it somewhere online. Each one is not just some little thing that appears out of nowhere, but a creation of work…that’s why it’s called artwork and not artmagicallyappeared.
After 7 months, I made two books out of my posters, and put them up on Amazon. The very first review I got was a scathing one-star from a man who said he had received my book as a Christmas gift. He said “don’t waste your money! These are the same posters you can get for free all over the Internet.”
But they aren’t free. I paid for them.
True, they were and are used all over the Internet without my permission, which means they are stolen. They are used on Pinterest, Facebook, Blogs, Websites, Instagram, and more.
After around a year, I started one blog, then two, three...now six. In them, I can share more specific things in one place, like how to survive and move through a break up, or all of just the shorter quotes, or quotes from what will one day be the book series, or even an online version of on of the two poster books which is free to read.
Why do people just take things?
1. Some are used because someone put together a "free" page and had no idea that they are actually work. They just considered them beautiful and inspiring posters and decided they wanted to show them to others. But if work is stolen, it doesn't matter if the person who took is profits from it or not. If they really love the work, they also need to find the original source/artist and encourage them by sharing.
2. Some are used to generate income on blogs through the ads. Those people make money from artists, photographers, and authors work, without giving those artists, authors, and photographers a penny for their efforts, or even asking for permission.
3. Some are used by people who create facebook pages and take all kinds of work from all kinds of artists, authors, and designers, get lots of likes and then sell the page on Craigslist or through email for as little as $1000.00. Those pages that have thousands of other people’s artwork consist of thousands of hours of dreams, skill, and gifts, yet it means nothing to them because all they did was hoard a bunch of them and sell them off cheap to the highest bidder.
4. Some are used to become "content" for "platforms" that pages then sneak in spam ads or put image descriptions of scam/spam/ MLM Marketing which is targeted at users.
5. Some are used like a commercial to get fans to the page. In the image descriptions, they write links and enticements to their own businesses which have nothing to to with the creators of the posters/images, and the creators of the posters/images have no idea and do not benefit from them at all. (my work has been used to sell dozens of meditation cds, other people's book, website online stores, and even psychic readings by people and businesses who I'd never even heard of before seeing my work taken and being used in this way).
The average person has no idea about this. They see a facebook page and some beautiful things, and they share them to their profiles and feel good. They have no idea that they are contributing to criminal, not to mention unethical and hurtful behavior.
I don't like to use the word "stealing" but it is what it is. Stealing, by definition, is to take something that belongs to another without consent. That's all. If I used the word pinch, or swipe, snitch, or another cuter word, it would still boil down to what it is...stealing.
Facebook does provide a system which artists can have their work removed. It’s called a copyright infringement report. You fill it out, and the image will be removed within a few days. Only the page is still allowed to run and post whatever they like. Supposedly pages will be shut down if they do it a lot and get reported a lot, but there are many that are enormous and have only ever and continue to just take other people’s work and post it.
Some people have been made aware of this on pages, and one of the most heartbreaking comments in threads I’ve ever seen is, “I don’t care where they come from, I just share them.”
That needs to stop. Why? Because they come from young artists with big dreams. They come from single mothers. They come from people who have been through hell and back in this lifetime and instead of becoming bitter, decided to better spend their energy by creating inspirational works. They come from people who post them to their facebook pages. They come from “the other 98%” They are gifts that should be shared with gratitude, not stolen and the artist dismissed.
Sharing vs. stealing.
Sharing is when a page uses the “share” feature from the original page, website, or blog. This shows the page that created it, and allows people to determine who made it, and like that page.
Stealing is when a picture is downloaded from the creator's page, and then uploaded to another page, website or blog without permission. Even if the image hasn’t been cropped or altered. Even if the image doesn’t have any name or website on it, because someone else could have already cropped or altered it.
Facebook’s terms of service even clearly state that a page must not upload an image to their page unless they are the copyright owner/creator or they have permission from the copyright owner/creator...but few read that. https://www.facebook.com/help/308895412492789/
Besides the legal stuff...isn't it just common decency to ask someone before using something of theirs? Good thing people don't apply this logic to cars..."Well I just saw this car on this street and no one was around so I figured it was free and took it and used it." Instead of assuming everything is free, we have to assume that everything is what it is, a creation of work that belongs to someone and should be treated with respect.
Why does it matter?
Because it’s much easier to steal 1000 posters and throw them all up on a page than it is to create even a few. So those pages that steal end up growing very, very quickly and being thanked left and right and appreciated by the page fans, while the pages of the actual creators are still small, and they are largely unappreciated and discouraged by the amount of theft that goes on.
Isn’t it a compliment to have one’s work stolen?
In theory, maybe. But when things are stolen SO MUCH and used to promote businesses and the creator was already trying to find time in their busy life to make things, it’s incredibly disheartening to see.
It should be about the message, not who gets the credit.
So why then are we rewarding the ones who steal and not the ones who create? Isn’t that backwards? If the ones who steal really had genuine hearts, they would not download and post to their pages. They would share from the original artists. What justifies them taking things and work that doesn’t belong to them?
Inspiration should be free.
Absolutely. And so should food, and transportation, and computers, and cameras. But they're not. All take money, which is really just a form that we use in society to represent the value of work. If someone mentions a quote in conversation, it's free. But if they put it together into a poster, which is time, money, effort, and uses tools of camera, computer, and software, then it no longer becomes just "inspiration," but an "inspirational work."
It’s just a picture.
A picture in and of itself may not seem like much. But the work and time and life it took to get to the point to creating that picture makes it priceless. And keep in mind, i pages of creators are ALREADY giving their work to everyone for free to read, view, and enjoy. Just not to steal and use for selfish benefit.
But those authors and artists and photographers are all selling things. Like books or magnets or posters. I don’t want to be spammed.
This is where the support part comes in. What on Earth would be so wrong about having a link to a book where a quote poster is from, or having a poster available of a picture that inspires so many? It’s not spam. It’s on their own page. Spam is when unsolicited advertising is sent to people’s emails or posted on people’s pages. Remember, 98% of people
ARE
the other 98%. Cameras need upgrading. Computers get old. Software gets outdated. Days need to be spent creating. Those books, magnets, and posters help to support the creation of those beautiful posters and pictures. Even if you don’t want to buy one, if you share from the artist’s page, someone else may love to buy one and hang it in their home. They may love to buy a book as the quote poster interested them, and the book is not receiving and big publisher ads or marketing because it was written by the independent author/page owner.
A poster I wrote, designed, and created using an image I licensed from the photographer for $150.00. It is a page in my book "Love to you, Volume One" and a magnet on Amazon.
Maybe this baby is his or her child and that money was used for diapers...or a college fund?
This one shows up all over the Internet with my website name erased from the top right corner. If each of the people who wanted to use just this photo paid the photographer the license fee, this baby would be going to Harvard!
Isn't it "free publicity" if it's not cropped or the name erased?
Sort of....in the same way that it would be free publicity to walk into a store and steal a Ralph Lauren jacket and insist he shouldn't be upset because his name is clearly written on the sleeve.
Are the pages who do this on purpose run by "bad" people?
No. I don't believe so. I think most just think it's what "everyone" does, and think that it's necessary for them to get somewhere in life. I think they lack the belief that it's possible to get somewhere by honest means and methods. I believe that if the only route to getting "somewhere" is by stepping on, taking advantage of, or stealing from others, then that's just not a place I'd like to end up.
But everyone does it (steals).
You don’t have to. Artists and authors and photographers already love what they do. Yes, stealing and using other people’s work is going to happen, but every bit of encouragement, even from just one person, can keep a photographer or artist going. The absence of it is what’s caused so many to refuse to even put anything online anymore. This means that there is literally an enormous ocean of beauty that’s being held back from the world. Of dreams unfulfilled, and of gifts unshared. We cannot resign ourselves to “that’s just the way it is.” As Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good in the world. It’s those little bits of good that will overwhelm the world.”
Imagine how different things would be if people knew about these pages that steal and stopped encouraging them by sharing and liking and going to their blogs. Imagine if instead they were putting all that energy into the actual authors, artists, and photographers, encouraging others to also post and share their work online. Imagine the diversity of all those gifts, of all that talent. Imagine the dreams that would come true and the global benefit to having so much more beauty in the world.
If you want to see it in the future, you have to live it starting now.
What can you do?
1. Don’t take pictures from the Internet. Take an extra minute when you see a poster on a facebook page and look for an author/artist’s name. If the page name is different than what’s on the poster, type that poster name into the search box. Sometimes, even this is difficult to determine because pages will digitally erase the author/artist's name and put their own page name on instead. But if it's not been altered, you will be able to easily find the original artist and the original work. Share that one instead with the share button.
Why bother taking the extra minute to get it from the source?
Because it’s a kind way to say thank you to the person who bothered taking hours to create it and post it.
2. Visit artists and authors and photographers blogs and websites whose work you love. Tell friends about them. When buying gifts for friends or family, buy things from those artists so that you will encourage more of their work to come into the world. If they are a blogger and you love their work, and they have a donate button, make a donation…even $1.00. Every little bit only adds up when there are little bits to add up.
It’s not “only” about the money. But money is part of it, because there were costs in creating it. Just because it’s been “found” on the Internet doesn’t mean that it’s free. There’s an artist out there who paid in their time and money to create it, and never “lost” it so it couldn’t have been “found.” It was stolen.
If we want more honest, creative talent to create more amazing work, we have to put our time and energy into making sure that happens. If we want more people to give up in frustration or see thieves get away with stealing their work, their lives….then we can carry on the same as today.
We have to decide what type of behavior we want to reward and which we wish to punish.
We have to decide who we want to encourage and who we want to discourage.
We have to decide that it matters.
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Over the past two years, my facebook page has grown from 0 to over 320,000 friends. All one by one, honestly. The love and support that I've felt towards me and between members is phenomenal. I am grateful for everyone every day. The members are why I stayed motivated to carry on for so long and just keep working as hard as I could. I did only writing and posting for as long as I could financially, then got freelance jobs in graphic design to pay for living expenses plus Happiness in Your Life expenses, plus the debts that had mounted.
For now, I have to give up something, but I can't give up the freelance income as it keeps the lights on. My computer is on it's last legs and has been for over a year, and I've sacrificed every unnecessary thing possible to keep going. No new clothes, haircuts, any entertainment, dentist, doctor...but at a certain point those things just can't last anymore.
I prayed on it.
All prayers are answered...just sometimes not in the way we wanted or in the time we thought we needed them to be. After really praying my heart out for a way to keep going but not have to work 18 hours a day...I received some answers....
-I was soon offered via private message $5000/month by an MLM Marketing company to put links and ads in image descriptions on my facebook page. I said no. I won't participate in scamming the very people who I am writing for.
-I was also offered $70 per post by another ad company to put ads that look like posts on my facebook page. Ads for weight loss programs with taglines "this really works!" I said no.
-I had a little upsurge in my side hobby-turned-side business, natural skincare products ( www.natureskinstore.com )
-I was offered a full time graphic design job. I can make a good living at it but I won't have nearly the time to devote to Happiness in Your Life, as I still have my other freelance clients. I can't work fulltime x 3. There just aren't the hours in the day.
The job offer was a blessing, but I thought I'd give one last shot to see if I could still do HiYL fulltime by creating and putting out an Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign. I put it out and got a small but grateful response, and some absolutely beautiful messages of encouragement.
So, I went "all out" and made my best offer; for $1.00 people will receive my next book "Poems" as a PDF eBook...they can have, share, send as many as they like... for $1.00.
Three people bought one.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/poems
So as of right now, it looks like I will need to take this fulltime job and so I won't be physically able to give nearly as much time to Happiness in Your Life as I have given. I also have to format and edit the Poems book that's offered on the Indiegogo, which will take a lot of time. Even if it's only for a dozen people, I made a promise to them that this is what they will receive, and they will receive it, signed with gratitude. 
The Poems Book
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/poems
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In two years, I’ve written, designed, created, and posted over 900 inspirational posters, 450+ articles, on 6 blogs online. Plus a newsletter. All provided at no cost for people to read and share. No cost to anyone except for me. Monthly expenses of image licenses (which supports independent photographers and artists), domain names, software, bandwidth, the newsletter service, disc space, and the time it takes to write and create everything.
I put a donation button on my site in December 2012. So far, I’ve received 6 donations, (a total of approximately $200). Four were from the same person.
I put a voluntary subscription button on the main blog. $5 a month, $10 a month, $20, a month…so far 0 subscriptions.
I didn’t want to do a pay only site because I know in my own life, the times I needed the most inspiration were the times I was tightest with money. I didn’t want to cut anyone off of what they may need when they may need it just because of a few dollars.
If you are facing very trying financial times and want to print out and hang on your wall or mirror at home, make a scrapbook or journal, or use as your computer backgrounds or any personal use, please do so with my love, gratitude, and appreciation and absolute permission. This is what my work is for...for you.
Here is the work I've done and posted in the past two years:
www.facebook.com/happinessinyourlife (facebook page)
www.happinessinyourlife.com - the original website with previews of the 12 books in the series I am writing, (which I have not had time to compile and edit books 2-12) as well as free printable PDF posters. I will add more and redo the site to make it better when I can.
The blogs:
www.thehiyl.com (main blog with posters and articles)
www.breakuplife.com (blog on how to get through a breakup)
www.doezantamataquotes.com (blog of poster quotes)
www.quotesaboutliving.com (blog with quotes from the Happiness in Your Life books)
www.lovetoyouvolumeone.com (free online version of one of my books)
http://www.idealisthandbook.com/ Another online book, "Idealist Handbook" Tips for idealists to stay well and positive in a world that doesn't always make it easy to do so.
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My favorite facebook pages:
These pages are pages of friends I've met over the past two years. They all create their own work. They either license images to use, use their own photography, or use images that were from true public domain sites (like www.pixabay.com ) where the photographers have given permission for anyone to use their work in any way they like.
Please visit, like, and share these pages. They are truly inspiring people, and ones I love to support.
Alexa Heilbron-Ortiz (Miami, Florida)
Your Beautiful Life
www.facebook.com/YourBeautifulLife
Barb Hildebrand (Ontario, Canada)
Suicide Shatters
www.facebook.com/suicideshatters
Carolyn Greifeld
WishHunt
www.facebook.com/WishHunt
Dulce Caramia (USA)
Dulce Locuras ~Sweet Crazy Lady~
http://www.facebook.com/Dulce.Locuras.Sweet.Crazy.Lady
And a tiny music page: A Vivir To Live
www.facebook.com/AVivirToLive
El Phoenix Farris (USA)
Running from Hell with El
https://www.facebook.com/
RunningfromHellwithEl?fref=ts
Jennie Gadd (Wollongong, Australia)
You ARE Enough
https://www.facebook.com/KnowYouAreEnough
Jenny G. Perry
Peace Love Joy Sparkles
https://www.facebook.com/peacelovejoysparkles
Judy Belmont
Emotional Wellness For Positive Living
https://www.facebook.com/emotionalwellnessforpositiveliving
Julie Anne (MA, USA)
Living Happy
www.facebook.com/livinghappy1
Julie Braun (WI, USA)
Nothing but Respect
www.facebook.com/nothingbutrespect
Karen Burch (CA, USA)
Waypoints by Karen Burch
www.facebook.com/WayPointsbyKarenBurch
Karen Hackel [NJ, USA]
The Whisper of Your Soul
www.facebook.com/thewhisperofyoursoul
Penny Cook McKee
Loving Them Quotes
www.facebook.com/OldSchoolGranny
SharonRene Hutchinson
Treasured Sentiments
www.facebook.com/TreasuryofSentiments
Sharon Yocum (Califonia, USA)
Loving God
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Loving-God/246721685410530
SEYGraphics Photography (photo page)
https://www.facebook.com/SeyGraphicsPhotography
Kathy Gill-Marcussen
From Kathy, With Love
https://www.facebook.com/FromKathyWithLove?fref=ts
Cindy Johnson
We're All Random Here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Were-All-Random-Here/321687357842681?fref=ts
Anna Pereira
Circles of Inspiration https://www.facebook.com/CirclesOfInspiration?fref=ts
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So, that's it....the whole story, up to now.
Looking back, I wouldn't change a single second. I needed to get here to the top of this mountain in order to see the view. I needed to live some things that happened in order to truly understand them.
Had my work just somehow taken off right away, I wouldn't understand what so many frustrated artists endure...the struggle. I can see why many give up. It's a shame. We're all worse off for it. I do thank God for giving me both optimism and stubbornness. They are both great gifts that have sure come in handy.
I know that my current problems are miniscule compared with the problems of those dealing with living in a war torn society, or in places of absolute poverty, environmental devastation, or battling cancer, or many other situations.
I am consciously grateful for my life.
In having to get another "regular job" temporarily and leave much of the work I do here, I am sad because I want to give more, but it will have to wait. I have so much more to give.
This isn't an end, it's a "to be continued..."
With love and appreciation,
Doe