Rants of a Digital Artist

If I had stolen PS CS like most have done, then yes, maybe I wouldn't have to use smudge to blend.
And I am not saying those high profile artists that made those tuts stole PS.
I am saying the majority of users have. I see it everywhere!
However, I am not a thief and I have to save money for months on end to purchase expensive software.
Then I read journals and other stuff where artists are trying to get money to purchase a Wacom tablet, which you can get a good one for about $200. They say they can't afford it. Well how did they afford a $1,000.00 Adobe PS CS3? (Excluding college art students who got it in their classrooms or when Adobe gets rare wild hair to offer it for free).
So.. how are they affording that? It's simple. They aren't.

All this leads me to yet another gripe:
So many people have gotten PS through these illegal download sites or from friends, that yes, Adobe is ticked off about it!
So they have lost millions of dollars because of thieves and now the software is utterly and ridiculously expensive. they made the software more pricey to compensate their losses.
Therefore I have to pay more because thieves chose to get it the 'easy' way.

So, what about 'hobbyists'? I have heard people say, "Well, it's just a hobby for me. I'm not making any money creating my art."
My response is this. Let's say your hobby is knitting. Do you just walk in a yarn shop and take what you want?
And when questioned by the police, do you say, "Well, it's just a hobby. I don't make any money knitting these sweaters."
Get real! Theft is theft.
And......... this leads me to my next rant:

I see more and more artists complaining that their art is being stolen/ripped. (I don't know the complainers personally).
They're getting upset because some lunatics, without a conscience, are taking artwork and displaying them on their personal sites.
Few.. very few are selling them.
Who really has the right to complain? Adobe.. Corel..Curious Labs, and other software developers and owners. That's who.
Without the software having been stolen, the majority of the art wouldn't have been created in the first place!
So, before you moan and groan and hire that lawyer, take a long hard look in the mirror.

Another rant:
Taggers, PSPers, Incredimail Stat creators.. sound familiar? Have you had your art taken and used by these people?
Have you been asked by them if they can use your art? Then you know what I'm talking about.
First allow me to say that I support taggers who use copyrighted materials legally. I support them who try very hard to get the proper permissions and place copyright info and links back to the artists. Many of these are extremely talented in their craft.
I do not support those who don't follow copyrights, which the numbers of these are getting fewer because they literally bash each other when someone doesn't follow terms us use.

Anyway, my PSP tagging rant is this:
Be nice!!!! When they come and ask to use your art, and you don't want them to, be nice about it.
They are trying to do the right thing!

And so I have questions for you. Are you a photomanipulator? Do you use other resources to create your art?
Do you consider stock artists, artists? Then what's the difference between you and those taggers??
Let me tell you.

Hobbying Taggers (who are legal):
1. They have to get permission from the artist or they have to get a license from an agent.
2. They have to place the artists' names and copyright info on each design.
3. They can not sell their works.

Artists of mixed media or manipulation, etc:
1. They grab whatever stock is readily available to them.. rarely is prior permission or licensing needed.
2. They do not have to place each stock artist's name and links directly on each piece of art. They only have to place a link back to them in a description of the art somewhere.
3. They can sell the art (most of the time)

So who's got the better end of the deal here?

End of rants..