Art Belongs in the Public Domain

Upon my death, any and all art I create, all writings done, all ideas I produce, etc., shall go to the public domain.

Art is something special. It's a universal means of communication. What do I mean? I had a teacher named Pitts. He used to work for the United Nations. He has an assignment once that involved taking 20 people from 20 different cultures and showing them a good time. Some of them didn't speak english. They went to a movie theater and watched a french movie. According to Pitts, one or two people understood the language, but everyone cried when it was time to cry and everyone laughed when it was time to laugh.

Art can express ideas and sensations, can preserve pieces of history, personal experiences, and the human experience. Through art, you can learn and you can teach. You can help influence people and change cultures. You can give comfort to people.

Art is a powerful thing, because of this I believe that at some point the artist is responsible for relinquishing creative rights to everyone. Perhaps artists should do it when they're finished or when they die. Limiting permission to use or rights of ownership to a select few is limiting the potential of the art. It limits the effect of the art. It limits who can enjoy it and how. Who can learn and who can't.

I know we like to own our ideas. I want to too, but for how long? What happens when you die? Are you taking your ideas with you or passing them off to the next selfish person or entity so they can hog it? Give it up. Share it. Let people play, explore, create, with it freely.

What's the problem? Afraid someone else will cash in on your idea? So what? Does that fill you with regret over a lost opportunity? Is someone gonna make fun of you for missing out? If someone has taken another persons' idea and improved it, making it more accessible or potent, that's a good thing, right? Feel good knowing you had a part in something bigger. What if they did something bad with it? It happens. Get over it. People forget that kind of stuff in time. Remember the movie Fluke?