The Slenderman Lesson

Slenderman  drawn by K (when she probably should've been working.)

By now I am sure that you've heard of the genuinely scary story of the two girls that lured their friend into the woods and attempted to murder her.  I'm sure you've heard the name of Slenderman bandied around on the news shows as the bizarre reason for their horrifying actions.  You may have even seen some of these news shows interviewing concerned parents expressing shock that children as young as Kindergarten age know who Slenderman is (well, duh!) and telling parents they should outright ban their child from ever visiting the website Creepy Pasta and websites like it. 

This may shock some of you but I am not going to do that.  But let me back up a bit.

A couple of months ago I got a phone call from the school guidance counselor regarding K.  A disturbing drawing had been found on the floor in the hall at school.  This drawing was of a goth-ish, manga-ish character who liked knives or blood or both --the details are somewhat sketchy (yeah, pun intended) because I never saw the actual drawing.  I do know there were no knives or blood in the drawing itself.  She told me the drawing had been created by an un-named artist and K had told the teacher who had drawn it.  The school never wants to tell you who else is involved when your kid's behavior is being scrutinized, but I knew immediately who the artist was. K and her best friend, Josie* are both artists are always collaborating and comparing their work. K wasn't being a tattle tale or trying to get her friend into trouble.  She is quite proud of her friend's art skills and saw no reason not to give credit where it was due.   

In interviewing both K and her friend, the counselor discovered that the idea for this artwork had come from visiting Creepy Pasta.  She said I should check out this site.  She said it had a dark theme, a scary vibe and she found it disturbing.  I want to make it clear that I appreciate the guidance counselor's concern and attention to this. I'm glad she wanted me to be aware of K's activity online (which I was and am.) I didn't take her phone call lightly and I take it even more seriously after hearing this news story. I thanked her and I made good on my promise to speak to K about it.

With all of that being said, I am not concerned about Creepy Pasta or its influence on K. I didn't then, nor am I now banning her from visiting Creepy Pasta.  I spoke with Josie's Mom and she was on the same page (yeah, another art pun, sorry) as I am.  Yes, I know, 'knives and blood' sounds creepy.  But is it any worse than creepy stories we used to tell each other at sleepovers like "The Hook" or playing with Ouija Boards?  The reason I'm not concerned is this:  I know my kid.  This is a girl who cries when her brother kills a bug instead of taking it outside.  This is a girl who conducts funerals for dead goldfish and hermit crabs and insists on custom made origami boxes coffins and mandatory paying of respects from all family members.  K's own depictions of Slenderman are more cute than terrifying.  K and her friends are horror dilettantes nothing more.

The lesson to be learned from this cautionary tale is not that we should ban our children from creepy-story websites.  This is the same old argument that "violent video games cause violence" wrapped up in a newer package. The lesson to be learned is to be vigilant, be nosy, be aware, be up in their business.  Ask questions about their interests.  Ask questions about their friends.  Ask questions about what they believe, even silly things like belief in ghosts and monsters.  Don't stop asking questions even when you're getting eye rolls and sighs.  Be willing to immediately drop everything (and I mean immediately, like even if your hands are full of raw chicken juice or whatever) and listen when your kid wants to talk about something.  I really mean that last one, it really pays off. 

I won't be so arrogant to say that I have perfect insight into everything K thinks or does but I know her heart.   I know she can separate fiction and reality.  As important I know her friends.  I know her friends' parents and what sort of people they are.  I would be interested to know what these girls' parents, either the perpetrator's or the victim's, saw any signs, got any vibes, discounted any off feelings.  I am not judging them.  Who would ever predict their 11 year old daughters to be into a thrill-kill? Who would expect their child to barely make it back alive from a sleepover?  No one could guess at such a thing.  I think that their hindsight could be beneficial to other parents but I would understand if they are too shocked to share it.

 I talked to K about this news story, not surprisingly she'd already heard about it at school when it came out.  I accurately predicted that she would call those girls totally crazy and not very smart to believe in a made up character like Slenderman. 


*Name changed to protect privacy

First SOPA now the Orphaned Works Act. Get it together, Congress!

Remember SOPA, the anti-piracy bill that had the internet using art community in a mighty uproar?  The SOPA Bill was a good idea on paper, let's make pirating difficult for art theives.  Sounds legit --only in reality it was about as effective as trying to kill a housefly with a shotgun. Like our government was going to actually devote time and tax dollars to go busting every pre-teen hopeful singing along to Justin Beiber on You Tube?  Sorry about that but my point there was to illustrate how much of a NON threat something like this would be to a major recording star like the Beibs and how little SOPA would do to counteract real piracy.  Argh!

Well now the pendulum is about to swing the other way with the Orphaned Works and Mass Digitization Act.  Orphan works are copyrighted works in which the author cannot be identified or contacted.  Right now the law says that orphaned work cannot be used in new work or distributed or circulated.  But if this bill passes art theives can use work that appears to have no owner provided that they've done an "extensive" search for the author.  Right. Just for shiggles I once tried to trace a drawing of mine I saw someone had posted on Pinterest just to see who had started the pin. I never did find them and I knew where the orginal drawing was!  Basically you can use someone else's work, claim you "looked" for the owner but couldn't find them and then go right on using it without repercussion should the angry author step forward and demand you knock it off or, heaven forbid, pay them. 

The Orphaned Works Bill also would have every blogger, artist, writer  anybody who creates anything HAVE to register their work with the US Copyright Office or whatever you've created would be considered Orphaned Work.  Some say this is an infringement on free speech and allows big government to track our every move.  I say it's more like an infringement on my right to not be bothered with stuff that's a big pain in the ass. So, what can be done?

Well for one, firing off angry emails voicing your concerns to your Congressman is only a small pain in the ass.  Click this link to find the name and email of your Congressman or woman and then send them a copy of the letter I've written below or write your own. 

Dear Congressman _______,

I am writing this letter to ask you to vote against Senate Bill 2913 and House of Representatives Bill 5889 (The Orphan Works Act of 2008) before Congress. I strongly oppose this bill because it infringes upon my rights as an artist and any person who expresses themselves creatively.

The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 (S.2913) and (H.R.5889) has negative implications for all artists from young children crayoning their first drawings to commercially successful artists.  This bill is would undermine existing United States and International copyright laws that protects artists, cartoonists, photojournalists, multimedia journalists, writers, illustrators, videographers, musicians, American citizens, and all people who create art. This bill would seek to allow small time art thieves and big companies alike to use and profit from my work without permission and, should they be caught, suffer no repercussions provided that they claim they couldn't find me to ask permission.

 As of right now I have the right to decide how my drawings, illustrations, photographs, videos, music  or writings are used -- or NOT used.   All I need to do to exercise this right is to create something and sign my name to it to implement my copyright.   The strong protection of this right helps prevent any one person, company, institution or government from gaining control over my art and images without my permission. I am against any law that directly or indirectly undermines that right and so should you be.

 Please, vote against the Orphan Works Act.

Thank you,

(your name here)

 

Feature: Some of my Fellow Etsy Artists.

For the past two weeks I've been tidying up my studio (which also doubles as guest room) and not doing a lot of creating or online busywork. Mostly, I've been scoping out Mother's Day gifts and birthday gifts for both my Dad and my daughter--and myself too to be honest! There is a great deal of talent on Etsy which is good for Etsy, and the crafty world in general, bad for someone who is just starting out and trying to get their shop noticed. Another downside to Etsy is that the fine arts are overlooked in favor of toys, jewelry and clothing. These are products from some of my fellow Etsy artists. All are talented and have great shops--check them out!

I love this quirky 3-D card "Sorry Been Busy" by Patsy Mole. Isn't that something we all say when time has flown too quickly and we've been woefully negligent about keeping in touch with friends or family? I've probably said it at least 3 times this week! Don't you just love those bees?

Karen, who named her shop Rachael's Garden for her daughter, paints modern folk art--and will tailor it to your own personal details if you want. This painting "More Bubbles" reminds me of my kids overusing the bubblebath and flooding the bathroom. Good times!

Patti, of LilyPutsArt, made this adorable ACEO titled "Possum Opossum." She has a pet opossum that lives with her and that provided the inspiration for this whimsical family portrait! She also makes some pretty cool sculptures.

Jerise is the talented artist who made this beautifully colorful card and she also did all of the intricate calligraphy at the bottom. Even though it is titled "Winter Trees" this card reminds me of spring. All the weary greys and browns of winter giving way, little by little, to new lively colors.

This clever little flip book was created by FernandaFrick. (I can't imagine the amount of time it took to make each frame!) "Bouncing Vegetables" is hands on art that's fun and cute! It's one way to get kids to enjoy veggies--even if they won't actually eat them.

Even though winter is on its way out--scarves are all The Spring Accessory to have. Kirsten, who made this gorgeous scarf, doesn't sell paintings but she definitely is an artist with an eye for color. This corduroy and organic cotton scarf is just one of many yummy offerings from her shop anabelfuzz.

A blank book is just full of possiblities isn't it? You could sketch in it, keep a diary, make a scrapbook or just sit it on your shelf looking uniqe and mysterious until you find just the perfect thing to put inside. This bubbly blue handmade book was painstakingly crafted by Lori of ElvieStudio.

"Contemplating a Painting" by Deana of Bellacosart is a 9x12 acrylic scene that reminds me of my own creative process. Before you do anything, you need a hot mug of something to make sure you keep it going!

I hope you have enjoyed this slice of the Etsy art scene. Now hop on over there and see what other treasures are waiting!