(This is a repost from my blog, posting it here so I don't lose it!)

ask:
out of curiosity do you have any strong feelings about CC 4.0 licensing your work?

Yes I do!! This might be a long response so sorry in advanced lol

I've always been of the opinion that none of the art I make is purely "mine" and it's ridiculous to "own" it, that's why i've decided to license all my non-commission work i post as CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike).

I view art as a social expression or conversation, and i'm aware of my inspirations shaping me and my art; i am aware that all creative work is derivative and nothing i do is truly original. But I don't see it as a bad thing, humanity has remixed and reiterated on art and expression because that's what we're built to do, as a social species.

under capitalism art is a commodity, and copyright is what keeps it as one. copyright is what allows the pokemon company to issue takedowns on free fanmade games.

meanwhile, much of the internet relies on open-source softwares with GPL licenses. programmers are free to build their own projects utilizing these softwares, contribute back to the bigger project, and everyone benefits.

after i got into webdev, i realized the importance of open source and sharing, and wanted to apply the same principle to my own art. thus, i adopted the CC BY-SA license, which is pretty much the art equivalent of a GPL license.

of course this is not profitable, but it is freeing. there's a loose protection in the sense that someone who might be looking to profit off my work needs to use the same license/anyone else is able to use my work.

this also prevents myself from making much of a profit, so there's no incentive for me to appeal to popularity or profit. i just make what i like and share it.

i am much happier about my art now, and i think it does show in my more recent works :)