Link with Love

LinkwithLove is a new online intiative that I’m lovin’.

Kal Barteski is a local artist with energy to burn. Not only is she the mother of three preschool girls who seem to be up a lot at night when the rest of us are sleeping, she is an artist with unique spirit, promoting

people to believe in themselves and connect effectively with others. Dunno how she gets it all done, but she does…I often check her blog early in the morning before I go to work…her style is to attack the day with joy and energy and quirky enthusiasm…something I find somewhat infectious. As a “non-morning-person” (I put that, ahem, delicately…but this cannot be overstated), I benefit from her “GO” attitude as I work to get myself moving for the day. I have her artwork in my hallway, and have blogged about it before…I posted a copy of the poster on my blog…when I emailed her to ask her for permission to post her work, she promptly consented, along with a friendly and kind note.

One of my favorite paragraphs from her blog is on an electronic post it note on my computer, written shortly after Christmas a few years ago. I like to look at it when I’m tempted to complain in the myopia of being swamped with tasks and losing sight of the good stuff that is there for the noticing:

At the moment – I am buried under 14 loads of laundry and the sinking feeling that I am never really ever going to catch up. We are all sick. Penn is cutting several teeth. The dogs are stir-crazy. The madness of the holidays is piled up higher than our dirty clothes. And I have a monster zit in the middle of my forehead. I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the awesomeness of our families. Overwhelmed by the cheer and the generousity of our loved ones. Overwhelmed by love. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of “stuff” that accumulates from ‘the spirit of the season’. Overwhelmed by my own consumerism. Overwhelmed by the things I need to do to get this place back to a functional home and not a toy distribution centre. Overwhelmed by the fact that our splendid coffee maker is broken. (BOO!) And overwhelmed by the amount of blessings I have. Overwhelmed that the two small people that fill my heart are growing too fast. Overwhelmed.

A few weeks ago, she discovered some of her artwork had been copied (over and over…like, 1.5 million times over) and it now was being used on mugs, T shirts, even a porn website. People had stolen her work and now were using it for their own financial gain…nasty.

She took action…she expressed her dismay…and then flipped the problem on its head and began a campaign that has gotten some serious press. “Link with Love” is a movement that is now developing momentum…which has people commit to give credit to stuff they post on their website…linking back to its original source. Pictures, poetry, writing, artwork of all kinds…it is about accepting our responsibility to know better and do better about respecting other people’s stuff, and educating and advocating others to do so. Respecting other’s stuff…we have no more right to take someone’s electronic creation without permimssion than we do to take a picture off their wall in their house. It even goes one step farther to encourage internet users to be proactive in noticing when something has been reposted without proper aknowledgement…and doing something about it.

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Her plan reminds me of non violent resistance approach that I admire. Sometimes, I hear people talking about the line, “Turn the other cheek” after one has been slapped. It was a line used by Jesus, and is quoted in the book of Matthew, in the New Testament. Often when people hear that, it is assumed that it means…”If a guy hits you on one side of your face, let him hit the other side too”. An uncomfortable, even painful idea—and not only figuratively. That’s not what it means…it’s a way of turning intrustiveness and flipping it to look the person who has harmed you in the eye, and say, “This is NOT OK”

The intent behind “turn the other cheek” actually is a form of resistance…of equality–saying in an upfront way, “It is NOT okay to do treat me like that”. From Wikipedia:

At the time of Jesus, striking someone deemed to be of a lower class with the back of the hand was used to assert authority and dominance. If the persecuted person “turned the other cheek,” the discipliner was faced with a dilemma. The left hand was used for unclean purposes, so a back-hand strike on the opposite cheek would not be performed. The other alternative would be a slap with the open hand as a challenge or to punch the person, but this was seen as a statement of equality. Thus, by turning the other cheek the persecuted was in effect demanding equality.

This approach feels similar…Kal and her colleagues are cheerfully and assertively letting cheaters and stealers and ignorant plagerizers know that it is NOT okay to use other people’s stuff without asking them, and given the proper credit. It’s cheerfully letting people know to watch the use of intellectual property. I love how her response creates a positive energy around something which had to feel pretty nasty to her. She could have complained about it and left it there. Instead, Kal looked for a solution and created a tidal wave of energy that is fun and has integrity. Kal looked at the larger picture that has created the problem, and sought to address it with bright colors and the collaboration and cooperation of the electronic community that seeks to create an environment that is safe and inspirational for all…working together, watching out for each other, and
enjoying the creative work of many along the way.

I respect this. Thanx, Kal! Why does this matter to me, a therapist? Cuz my life’s work is about helping people improve connections, to have relationships that are meaningful. This works at cyber relationships and integrity in connections–enhancing the work of artists in a way that honors who they are.