~ Tuesday's thoughts ~

Watching this back I realised you can see the blanket my mum made for me in the background, so there's a case in point: we were inspired by Sandra Juto's gorgeous crocheted blanket that we'd seen on Flickr and tried to make something similar for my home. When i shared the blanket on this blog and on Flickr, i linked to the original inspiration. Sandra very graciously left me a comment on the photo, so i was reassured that she was flattered and not annoyed.. but there is still that grey area, isn't there. If my mum and I were to start selling those crocheted blankets, would that be wrong? Maybe it would be... maybe we'd have to substantially change the design and take it in a new direction... find our own style, our own signature. Just as when I have been inspired by photographs in the past i have absorbed the inspiration but not replicated what i've seen... i wanted to find a new way to see.

Anyway, blah blah blah, these are just some thoughts today. This topic could run for weeks :)

Comments

[Diane]

Thanks for sharing this Susannah. Very interesting and timely. I'm taking an online art workshop at the moment that looks at how we can find our "authentic voice". Create art that is our style. Learn how to be inspired and create without "copying". Its more in depth than that but nevertheless, you get the gist and how very important it is to be teaching this kind of thing!

I also know the frustration of having your images taken and shared or copied or whatever. I've been online as a digital artist for just over 10 yrs and actually this is nothing new but it is worse than I've ever known it. I took my online store/website down last year for lots of reasons, one of them being, I just didn't have the energy to "fight" these pirates any more. So now I'm just blogging and slowly building up my digital art again and will be selling it through a "subscription only" website that belongs to a close friend of mine (jaguarwoman.com). She has suffered horrific copyright infringement whereby customers have bought huge amounts of products only to upload them immediately to a filesharing website, free for anyone to download! I could tell you some stories! Ugh!

So yes, your thoughts via video are very timely. I also understand its becoming a huge problem for the publishing world where books are being copied, digitised and uploaded to filesharing sites.

So, as artists, what do we do? Do we give up? Do we chase down every single offender? Where do we get the energy to do that? And isn't that energy better spent creating our art?

Ugh! I better get off my soapbox LOL Just wanted to share my thoughts on the subject! x

[amy]

just a thought on the beginnings of this video post... i think you definitely do have a recognisable style. in a good way.. in the lovely way that you use light and colour.

[Verne]

It's funny you should say this actually, because I felt like I was trying to protect your work at the weekend! I told my friend about Unravelling, and a little about the structure of it and how you interact with us and she thought it was a brilliant idea. So much so that she started talking about her own ideas for e-courses, which is fine in pinciple, but as she'd never mentioned anything before I felt as though she was taking your idea and using it for herself.

I found myself arguing with every idea she came up with and telling her not to do anything like yours. I know deep down that it was probably just talk, and even if it wasn't, she's into a different sort of media and art. But anyway - the though of someone just taking something so personal to someone else, as though they think it's ok for another person to do all the hard foundation work and pick it up at the end.. Argh, it annoyed me! Wow.. it's eary to rant on this topic!! :)

[Randi]

I've had lots of experiences with this kind of thing lately. On both ends..

I received an email about a month ago from a fellow photographer claiming i'd stolen her picture, logo, and layout ideas. I was very sad about this because i had never intentionally done so.. and if i had i would have given her credit. (after reviewing her site I noticed our logos were just both birds and not even the same kind!) It offended me that someone would claim I didnt have my own ideas.
On the other side of things: I noticed on my wedding photographer's site that she had taken all the ideas i came up with for my own wedding photos and replicated them with another bride and groom. Many things were similar even down to the little details. I knew I didnt want to do what had been done to me and cast judgements, but I wished she would have given me a little credit. I never said a thing to her, but it still bugs me a little. (at least it wasnt stealing images or anything so serious.)
Anyway, it is definately a very grey area.. people are possessive of their ideas, but no one really know who came up with what originally. Ultimately i've learned to be more flattered if my ideas are copied and not upset and to always remember to give recognition to those who inspire me.

[Jamie]

so, it sounds like you'd be open to creative commons licensing..

http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

my question has always been- how do we enforce this?

and just to play devil's advocate, should art be free?

i guess i'd argue that it already is, in a digital realm, whether it's legal, or not. if you can't (or don't) enforce the laws you have, what good are the laws?

this website makes an interesting case:

http://three.org/ippolito/writing/why_art_should_be_free/#artas

food for thought..

[Roxanne]

The nice thing about flickr is the choice it gives us re:who can copy, blog our images. But, yes, the whole ripping thing is such a drag. I think people are far more rude and ignorant in their behaviour online because of the perceived anonymity. Sad, but true. And, definitely, you have a individual style ~ the softness of your images, and colours.

[Still Lily]

I have grappled (is that a word?) with this and my designs and have come to the realization that if I want to share my work with the world, then I run that risk of exposing my work to others and the chance of duplicating my designs is out there...hmmm...it took me a long time to come out of the closet and now that I am out I feel a bit vulnerable and exposed, but also liberated and so happy to share. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I am happy to hear fresh thoughts on this.
Thank you for this timely post Susannah, you really do present thoughts/ideas at the most wonderful times, you do know that about yourself, don't you?
Still Lily

[Catherine]

Your mother has a lovely colour sense, but that particular style of blanket is thoroughly in the public domain, I'm sure - we made those granny squares in Girl Guides and that was more years ago than I'd care to admit. I do agree with being careful about copyright, but I don't think your blanket is a problem.

[chez danisse]

Interesting thoughts. Just recently someone asked if she could replicate a new design I created in the pottery studio and I felt myself pause. It made me a little uncomfortable and I felt even more uncomfortable about feeling uncomfortable. I don't know if I've ever had anyone ask me that sort of question, so I was caught a bit off guard. I really wasn't sure why I cared or if I should care. My feeling surprised me. I still don't know why I felt that little childish twinge of...no, that's mine...but I did.

[Rachel B.]

I think a lot of people don't see the difference between being inspired and copying. That's where putting your work out there in the world becomes a scary thing. Oh- and my Grandma has been making blankets very similar to Sandra's designs since before I was born. So I think your Mom is fine on that point.

[Emily Perry]

Thanks for the great post. I have a friend that has had a slew of crafting tutorials ripped off, and others that have had people take credit for their images on their sites. I think the knock-off thing is always going to be an issue online. It is one thing to be inspired by someone's work, but you need to find a way to make a style your own, and develop you own maker's mark. Thank you again for talking about it!

[Anthony]

My overwhelming feeling on watching this video had nothing to do with the subject matter. I was just thinking about how you seem so much more confident and relaxed in front of the camera compared to the first video you put up here. Growth is always good to see.

[Alena]

It is something I have been thinking about lately, how a lot of art forms use "quotation marks" but you never see that on photography. Work gets quoted, or {photo}copied all the time. I used to have an on going argument with my production person over whether to put any new work I was doing on our website, as soon as I did you would start seeing it everywhere, but if I didn't put it out how would clients know what we did? Then recently I had to put together a portfolio for something and I didn't feel I could use any of my signature images as they had been so over copied that they just looked boring and one of the many copies. I think that's what really broke my heart and shocked me about the work I did (leading to wanting a new direction despite a successful studio). People say imitation is the best form of flattery but.. it can still cut deep.
Of course part of the argument has to do with identity as our art and identity are so entwined. It also has to do with how we feed our families, you don't want all your hard work being taken out of the mouths of your babies.

[Paris Parfait]

I have had my photos online stolen several times; at least twice, I've had to issue take-down notices to get the site host to remove the images. Another time, I wrote a woman several times over a period of months, before she finally took the photo down (only after I'd threatened to issue a take-down notice). You're right that people wouldn't presume to take your work directly from you, but seem to think they can get away w/ it online. This is wrong; there are copyright laws and the Digital Millenium Act that protect our work and people are legally required to credit and/or link to any and all work that is not theirs. Altering a photo does not make it theirs. It's unfortunate that we have to remain vigilant about how our work is used online, lest people continue to think they can get away with such bad behaviour (theft, really).

As for your Polaroids, they are beautiful and you do have a distinct style w/ these. xo

[Julie]

I've not posted before, having only recently found your blog, but felt compelled to add my comments - I completely agree with you, it is wholly unacceptable for this sort of theft to carry on, and yet, so difficult to stop. Another example of it is currently under discussion on the Little Cotton Rabbits blog (linked on my blog) - her work has been ripped off (poorly) and is being sold online- sadly not the first time this has happened. Shocking though.

Something else you said also touched a chord with me - that people act differently online - I think you see this in action often in the comments section - people write things that they would never ever say to your face, but seem to think that the annonymity of a screen makes it acceptable to say the most outrageous and rude things, particularly when commenting on someone's personal blog. Although I've been fortunate with the comments I've had to date, some of the things that have been said to other bloggers have just blown me away, and not in a good way. Not sure what the solution is to that either, but definitely plenty to think about...

BTW, sorry for waffling on for so long, and I really love your blog - am hoping to have the chance to go back and read some more of your posts soon x

[Neil]

That was a fascinating talk. I think we all agree that you have a very specific style.

This was the first time I watched a video of you, so it was exciting to hear your voice.

[Brenda]

I agree with all of the above. In addition, I often hear that someone who's copied or used someone's work is "paying them honor" by doing so. ??? That using another's signature style is showing them honor and respect. ??? When I hear this (said to me about my work or about others' work), it's usually with utmost sincerity, a bit of befuddlement or confusion about why there would be any cause for concern, and immediate contriteness. In a DIY world, it just doesn't occur to many that this isn't an honorable practice.

That said, I've also had unfortunate experiences, direct and indirect, with defensive, aggressive folks (when their copying/infringement is addressed), and they continue that sort of activity to this day. Oy. And aggravating, to say the least!

I appreciate your honesty in discussing this - it's so much easier to not say a word at all!

[Samosasforone]

I like your video blogs!