Copycats

2 comments

Copycats, sadly enough I get to deal with this quite often... It's sad, uncreative and not cool!
I cannot understand how one can think it is ok to steal and use someone's work, something I worked really hard on (no, even if you're a professional illustrator, ideas and style do not come overnight, it requires hard work and dedication) and make a living with.

It varies from Asian companies printing your work on tees/ bags/ etc to happy crafters who do not understand the line between inspiration and stealing. This time it was someone who thought it to be ok to post a tutorial on how to make my Instant Comfort Pocket Boxes and using my cover design. After poining out to her this is in violation with copywrite law she promissed not to use my covers but to make them with her own design and added that she did credit me in the post (she even said to feel hurt by my accusations as 'she worked so hard to make her own designs'...). That sound to me like poring chocolate sauce over rotten meat, it still is stealing my idea! Unfortunately she did not understand this at all (even when others were commenting on her post that this was not ok)...

Every time it happens I promiss myself not to let it get to me but every time I feel so sad... And to be frank, I want to cry about it. Copywrite is such a delicate and hard thing to address that it sometimes feels that everything you send out into the world could be taken from you. It brings a certain cramped feeling to my work I do not enjoy.

My work is about joy, about being nice to each other, about being thoughful. I want to hold this feeling, I love sharing and bringing happiness, it makes me feel good and connected to others.
I truely hope that some day it will be universally considered not done to copy or steal work and everyone will be creative and honest enough to only spread their own original ideas and designs.

I wish you all an inspirational, creative and joyful week.




2 comments:

  1. hoi Kim,
    hoe ben je erachter gekomen dat je gekopieerd wordt?
    Vervelend hoor... ik vind het ook echt not done! Daarom is het ook goed om er iets op je blog over te schrijven!

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  2. In dit geval nam ze zelf contact op toen iemand haar erop wees dat het niet ok was wat ze aan het doen was. Op zich natuurlijk heel eerlijk om zelf contact op te nemen maar in de verdere communicatie bleek ze toch niet zo begripvol helaas.
    In andere gevallen werd ik er meestal op gewezen door anderen die het gespot hadden. Af en toe google ik zelf ook even om te kijken of er rare dingen opkomen. Maar het blijft lastig en de enige dingen die je echt kan doen is copycats aanspreken en een blgo erover schrijven ;-)

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