This picture I drew in 1992 is no longer mine. It doesn’t belong to me anymore because I knew nothing of contract agreements and payments for artwork. It doesn’t belong to me anymore because I sold it for $40 to a company that insisted on full rights to the drawing. That means the company owns my work, and can use it in any way it pleases without asking my permission, and without paying me any royalties. That was a hard lesson to learn, and just because the drawing is now nearly 2 decades old, it is not mine to show. A company owns this picture, and it is probably illegal for me to even display it on my blog.
About a year after selling this simple drawing of a computer saying “Delete”, and the person at the computer disappearing in a POOF, a friend showed me that the design had appeared on T-shirts and sweat shirts being sold around the country. The shirts were sold in the gift shop of Seattle’s space needle for about $10 -$20 each. It was not uncommon for me to run into complete strangers who worn the shirt with my drawing. But it wasn’t my drawing anymore. I sold many more drawings to the company, each time charging a higher price and requesting that my name be attached to my work, but the company was strict about purchasing full rights to all artwork. Eventually I stopped submitting my work to the company. I was given, as a present, a single T-shirt with my design, a T-shirt I have kept for nearly two decades. I keep it partially out of sentimental reasons, but also as a reminder to myself that my art has the power to take on a life of its own, even if it doesn’t legally belong to me anymore.
Just as I’ve kept this T-shirt for nearly 2 decades, I keep all sorts of things that hold meaning for me, silly things that simply clutter my life. My friend, Todd, had the brilliant idea to create a blog for people to share stories about items they hang onto for sentimental reasons, www.sentimentalfools.com.
If you’ve got a story to share, visit his blog. I posted a story there about another T-shirt I can’t part with, one that Todd made for me in 1988.
Ah yes, the tragedies of ignorance in marketing. It is a shame that the t-shirt company made all the money off your incredible creativity. I loved this design and remember why so many people bought them up. At least a few of us know who really deserves the credit!
Thanks, Jeannie. I was pretty excited that the design was so popular, but it was a huge bummer that nobody knew it was mine (except you and a few others). $40…. I wonder how much money they made from that drawing?…. ah well.
well Steveboy, those of us who love you will remember that this was your creation!
hey Steve, I'm following your Scribbles via my Twitter acct … oh so high techie now!
I can't even THINK that high tech! I'm glad you like my blog!
Hi Steve, I came across your blog because I own this shirt and was looking for a picture of it online. I feel for you, having lost out on who knows how much potential revenue (and just artistic license) based simply on not knowing what your rights are, and I can’t help but feeling like the image is a self-referencing allegory: the computer (a corporate machine) removing the user from the equation with a stroke of a key.
In any case, happy holidays from the future.