good morning dear reader,
On the forums on Etsy over the past month or so, copying another sellers work has been a hot button issue. Whether it be jewelry designs, note cards, original paintings or anything else, there are many artists & artisans there who are upset that other people are copying their work. Some have legitimate claims as the copycats are blatantly copying the item as an almost exact replica. I've seen this on eBay too, artists work being reproduced as prints, usually from a seller in an another country.
What raises questions with me is similar work, designs, styles......As a visual artist, I'm influenced by all of the images I see every day albiet graphics in a tv commercial, another artists work, clouds, fabric designs, fonts in a magazine......you get the drift. If something is colorful, geometric, swirly or just beautiful to my eye, it's stored in my mind. At some point in time, these images may make their way into my artwork or jewlery designs as my own interpretation of something I have seen.
Artists & artisans on Etsy are upset if someone else lists something that looks similar to one of their items, which brings up discussions on copyright, reporting the seller with similar items etc.
My art mentor Rusty & I had a discussion about original thought a while back & he told me......
everything you can think of artistcally has already been done at some point in time by someone else...remain true to yourself and do your own thing
What is your point of view on this issue? Do you think there is anything wrong with being influenced by anothers work?
What about the people who claim the work is original because they changed a few colors or elements? Personally I think that's bullshit. If you have the need to try to copy something to learn a technique or style, then do it & trash it or put it in a reference file...don't claim it as your original & try to sell it or display it.
I hope you have a beautiful day....
hugs & good karma,
Bridget ♥
I believe many people are influenced by others work, though they may do it a little different, they are influenced. As you mentioned I may see something and in my craft it may make its way to the cutting table but I do my best to be an island (so to speak). But to take ones work whether handcrafted or drawn and to duplicate it in the vice versa affect is just plainly stealing...
ReplyDeleteI too have seen cards like mine (colors and placement) on Etsy posted after a few of my own cards but this is the way of the world... NO?
I love your work and enjoyed reading your blog! Thanks so much for the lovely comment you left on ours! Jo :)
ReplyDeleteI have so much to say about this subject and I also have mixed viewpoints. I don't even know where to begin. One thing I do know is, this topic is a surefire way to make enemies on Etsy. I wrote a post similar to yours about originality, and eventually it had to be closed by admin because of how touchy this subject was getting.
ReplyDeletethanks for taking the time to read my post about this issue & for commenting.
ReplyDeleteInteresting issue. One of my favorite quotes is by Lionel Trilling: "Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal."
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a subject that will never settle peacefully into our hearts. I do believe that we each have a voice and should use it; the dilemma,I suppose, is this: How much of our voice is our own, and how much of our voice has been influenced by the world around us? Where are the boundaries? How much is too much? We live in a world infused with millions of differing perspectives, hopefully the language we ultimately choose to communicate to others with is uniquely our own.
ReplyDeleteindustrialpoppy
I agree wholeheartedly with your view of "copying"
ReplyDeleteI used to paint many years ago and learned many techniques by copying what a previous artist had done. I created a likeness of that artists painting as a result and it was a great learning experience for me. I never claimed that the original design was my own however. I still have several of those "learning" paintings hanging on my wall at home. Often, I would use a different color palette, or change the clouds a bit, toss in a few extra flowers etc. just so I could call at least a small part of it my own.
On the other hand, it is one thing to create a piece of jewelry with the exact type of stones or wires and then go out and sell it as one of your own creations.
A truly creative person would be inspired by an original design, then perhaps create something that may be a spin-off of that design.
Unfortunately, I've seen some things on etsy that made me blink twice, thinking I'd hit the same shop twice without realizing it because I was seeing essentially the same creation. HMMMM...that I consider to be a little bit TOO complimentary to the original designer.
I'm glad my post prompted such well written replies. Thanks all.
ReplyDeleteIronically enough this was a topic a friend and I recently had. I myself had painted several pieces and decided to sell recreations on etsy. Suddenly I was getting targeted by individuals for stealing my friends ideas. I was at a loss until I saw her work (not posted on etsy). Some could easily be construed as copies in different colors. It sounds far fetched but I had no idea, having only seen a few of her projects. And honestly, we have no idea who painted first! I immediately removed them from etsy because though they were original to me, to others they ruined my credibility. We basically came to this conclusion: In art, you are selling bits and pieces of your soul. When someone copies it can be as if they are stealing your identity. But then again, we are all alike in many ways and it's debilitating to an artist to say a "part" of them, in fact, is not.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell when someone blatantly steals a craft with a wee little change. That annoys me above all else.