Copyrighting Your Art - Does It Matter?

How much effort do you put into copyrighting your art?

Do you stamp your logo on every image you send out? Do you protect your work and worry that someone may try to steal it?

If the possiblity of someone stealing your work bothers you and you want some peace of mind, the best thing to do is to just keep the original files on your computer. For me, my camera records the data related to the time and date a photo is taken. I have the original file of my work stored in case if someone tries to sell my photo and profit off my work. I used to worry about that a lot, but I don't really care anymore for a few reasons~

First, I'm not hung up on my old work. It's done. Finished. I'm moving onto the next thing. I don't want to be that guy who ever dwells on "the good ol' days" of when I was "in my prime" and feel sad thinking I can't produce relevant art anymore. As long as I can create, my art is relelvant.

Second, you can't copy the original. Someone may steal your work. It could happen. They live with the shame, whether they know it or not, it's their choice. Regardless - they can't recreate your work themselves, because no one can copy you perfectly. It's also rare that they would make a living off of constantly stealing your art or others art without it catching up to them.

Third, art is for enjoyment. I was made to create. Who am I to put a value on it? I would love to make a living off my art as best as I can, but what's most important? Life over money. Art is primarily meant to be enjoyed, not commoditized. It doesn't mean that you can't profit and make a living being an artist. However, having your priorities straight will produce more genuine art when profit isn't at the forefront of your mind.

Putting "Steve Sherk Photograpy" over every picture I send out is like shouting, "I wrote this song," after each song a musician plays in a concert. I have a logo, but I've never put it over any of my photographs. If I put all my effort into making sure all my work is safe and protected, I would spend too much time not even creating anything. I'd rather just move forward~