Have you ever stolen anything before? Think back to your childhood, collegiate career, first job... I bet you have. You are probably thinking: "What? I have never stolen anything in my life!" But I guarantee that you have, and probably did not even mean to. Am I just cynical about the human race, or am I actually getting at something more than material object theft? Something of mine was stolen recently, and I feel the need to address this subject.

This past week I was just trolling the internet, being my little optimistic self, and happened to stumble upon an article featuring a production that I had worked on. Intrigued to see what the reviewer thought of the show; I clicked on the link, which displayed a familiar looking image. The cover photo was a picture that I had taken, but was not credited to me, which got me thinking:

Do not take credit for someone else's work.

I do not care how minimal the scale: whether it is using someone else's picture in an article you wrote, or presenting an academic group project that you had no part in creating. Give credit where credit is due. Do not assume that others will not mind you using things they created; always ask first. Most often it will be a resounding "Yes, I would love to let you display my work," as imitation is the best form of flattery. But simply taking something that is not yours and adding it to your work, without acknowledgment of the founder, is rude and distasteful.

Give credit where credit is due.

Every artist or creator feels a very close connection to their work. People often joke that their projects are their "baby," having spent so much time and labor on it, tethering an emotional connection. Imagine seeing your child in the arms of someone else, who claims to be their parent. Definitely not something most people would enjoy.

In all honesty, I am not intensely offended that the reviewer used my photo without my permission, as it was a picture I took with my iPhone. But it would have been nice to receive credit.

I challenge you to always give credit where credit is due.

*All photos used for this article have been linked to their original source*