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"Hi, my name is John ... and I use clip art." 

If you’re a clip art junkie, it’s not too late. Admission is the first step to recovery.

I know clip art is easy. It’s free. And you love the hunt for that perfect piece of clip art to go with your text. But it’s definitely not your best option. It’s outdated. It doesn’t evoke emotion or compel viewers. It’s just plain noise.

Look around you – does 21st-century America use clip art? When’s the last time you received a campaign postcard with an Uncle Sam clip art in the corner? How about Target . . . seen any stylish clothing ads with a clip art model?

In a culture already crowded with messaging, adding clip art doesn’t enhance your message, it detracts from it! And with so many other options, there’s just no excuse to keep using: 

• Empower others: Seek talented photographers in your congregation. They are probably out there! Here are some good photography tips. Hint: A good stock photo is almost always better than a bad photo of real people and places in your church.  
• Buy it: Purchase reasonable stock photography from sites like iStockphoto.  
• Find freebies: Search for high-quality, free images online (check out flickr's Creative Commons). Believe it or not, you actually can find some decent photographs in the Microsoft Word Clip Art library. Simply choose “Results should be: Photographs” instead of “Clip Art." And when it comes to images found online, just make sure you are giving credit where credit is due. Yes, even though we’re working in the church world, it is NOT okay to just pull photos off the web and use without permission!

USE THIS:	NOT THIS:

So next time you find yourself starting to click Insert → Picture → Clip Art, don’t do it! Call me. I’ll talk you off the ledge. Find the local chapter of Clip Art Users Anonymous. Whatever it takes.