The article published by Saanich News describes a story which took place in 2017 regarding an artist using pieces from various photographers without permission. At the time the artist, Suzanne Heron, was not aware that she was coping writing the work of others, and she never checked with the photographers to ensure she had the right to copy their work. Copyright and plagiarism are huge issues, and it can be very problematic for artists. It is easy to find an image online and assume you have the right to illustrate it, which is what Suzanne did and then sold these pieces on her website. Janis Morrison, one of the artists that Suzanne copied an image from, came forward after finding out her work was essentially stolen. Janis saw this as an opportunity for people to learn about copyright laws and understand that they cannot steal pictures they find online. After receiving backlash, Suzanne took responsibility for her actions and worked to fix her mistakes. She compensated everyone who she had stolen work from and educated herself on copyright laws.
I think it is honorable that she is donating 100% of the money made from these pieces to the photographers. This article is a great example of using mistakes to learn and improve. The biggest lesson I learned from this story is that when you make a mistake it is important to recognize what you did wrong and apologized to those you wronged, but also educate yourself to not make this mistake again. As a student it is important for me to follow all copyright laws and the UVic academic integrity policy.