claiming your creative work

claiming your creative work, is your right as an artist. i always use my own imagery/photos for MY paintings, i then feel like it's my own creative work. it gives me the license to say "it's mine and i have seen it grow from it's infancy!". like a singer/artist, they don't want anyone stealing or downloading their music for free. Nor do I as a painter! WANT ANYONE USING MY IMAGERY WITHOUT MY PERMISSION , i always name or footnote when using a reference. good habit to get into. here is a piece i am starting, i am using one of my photos the above image for my next painting, it's from a photo session i took last summer.