SoulCollage® Consideration: Copyrights – To Have or Have Not

Although I say that there are no rules to SoulCollage®, there are Principles of SoulCollage®, published on the SoulCollage® website. Most are more like “agreements,” but there’s also a section labeled, “SoulCollage® cards are for personal use only.” Part of the reason for that is we use copyrighted material in our collages as the images all come from published material, and so, to be absolutely certain you will never encounter any copyright issues, SoulCollage® cards should not be copied, sold, or bartered, except as a back-up in case of damage.

That said, I’ve never worried too much about sharing my cards on the SoulCollage® with Megan Menkveld Facebook group, for instance, or Instagram. According to SoulCollage® principles, I can share publicly when “sharing one’s own personal process,” and that’s basically what I do. I’m not putting my cards on display at a gallery, for instance, or charging to view them, and I certainly do not sell them! They are mine, all mine!
If you are concerned about copyright issues, here is my opinion, just my opinion. First, we are collaging, which is a generally accepted art form, which, by definition, uses material previously created by someone else. Art friends have said that as long as you substantially change the original piece, there’s no legal issue. They are not legal experts, but they do know people who collage who are not in jail for it. There are also no SoulCollage® police, and finally, there are sources out there for copyright-free images, such as www.pixabay.com, and your own photos and/or art as alternatives to copyrighted material.

I think collaging for personal purposes, using images with a unique spirit separate from the original use, and not making money from it, is fine. I try to be mindful about the process of creating the images I use, expressing gratitude for it, and loving what it brings to me and my deck. Thank you, images, and their original creators.