Give Credit Where Credit is Due.

I first heard this as a student at Pratt. It’s a message that is relevant beyond the creative industry but often forgotten especially in the creative industry. Here's a story.

A friend of mine worked on a piece for and about someone who I look up to in the creative industry. Their co-worker — a person with a ton of followers also worked on the project but had a much smaller role in the final product. When this creative person I admire posted the final piece, all parties got credit except my friend. Why? Maybe they forgot. Maybe something was lost in translation. Maybe my friend wasn't 'big' enough on Instagram to matter. It doesn't matter which excuse is the truth. If you did the work or came up with the idea, it matters, and you deserve credit. It doesn’t matter how 'small-time' or 'novice', you are.

The point of this is not to name names and rally a small army. I’ve already made thoughts known, and credit has been given. But, this is nothing new and I see this happen all the time, especially on Instagram. Credit is not an ego stroke or a ploy for instafame, it's about respect. More importantly, it's how creative people make a name for themselves and get hired to do more work. I’ll continue to be a broken record, and call bullshit when I see it. If you’re not practicing this yourself, you better start now because it’s incredibly disrespectful. It speaks volumes about you. And I promise it will catch up with you. Pass it on and stand up for yourself and others.