Ok, so sorry, I have to get this off of my chest before I explode. I am a nice person, I really am! But, you cross a line when you say I stole something.
The other day I posted a few logos that I had made. Just playing around...seeing what I was capable of, right! Well apparently this girl off of Etsy owns the rights to be able to doodle a camera. O_o Yes, I said that right. Because, I drew a camera that looks just like hers I stole it. Here is the problem that i have with it. 1: Amanda don't steal 2: I worked for 4 hours on that durn thing! 3: did I say I worked on it for 4 hours?
Now, here is the other thing....How does someone get to think that no one else can draw the same image or use the same concept? That would be like me going to every other photographer who used the same pose as me and telling them they infringed my copyrights. Do you think America's Next Top Model goes after all these photographers and says that they are infringing their copyrights because they are copying their shoots? No. Now, I could see where infringement would be an issue if the item was being sold and taking away from her sales, or maybe I was pretending that I was this amazing designer. Truth is, I suck at drawing and its not for sale! If you look at the camera that I drew, and the one that she drew you can see that the lines on mine are much wider. Also, that mine looks like I don't have the steadiest of hand- which I dont! lol!
I as an artist I feel extremely flattered when someone copies me. It means that someone really enjoys my work,and that I have inspired them! The important part of that is they have to make it their own! Thats what I saw when I saw her work - Inspiration, and I feel I made it my own, I worked hard on that thing!! Not to mention, I saw it on a google search of - camera doodles while looking for free vectors. But, why do we as artists do what we do? We were not born and say oop im a photographer, or oop im a designer! No, we were given inspiration for something. You could have taken an art class in high school and realized that you were an amazing painter, or you could have been given a camera for Christmas and realized that you loved taking photos. Whatever it was, we did not just wake up one morning and say "hey, I think I want to be a photographer (or other) today."
Here is the other part that really bothers me. Lets use this hypothetical situation: What if I was going to school for design and I was asked to create a logo for a photography company and I came up with that same looking camera without looking at hers? What if I came up with the even just the same concept.....Would I still be "infringing" as she thinks? I think she would think that I was...so its a lose, lose situation!
On her facebook page she has an album of her "offenders" where she states that they have stolen her design. One of the alleged "thieves" has a photo of an owl where she claims that this is 100% her design. I laugh at this because, I have the same exact owl that I downloaded completely legally off of 123vector. com. Not to mention if you do a google search for free camera clip art....her "design" comes up on several sites for free by other authors.
I send her a message letting her know that I drew the camera myself, and that I am indeed not a designer, that her art was an inspiration, how much I loved her work, that I have no problem at all linking to her (you know since mine isn't for sale & hers is *marketing*) and that I hoped I didn't cause any hard feelings. I asked her to remove the childs face from the image that she took (yes took) and got no response. Then she posts my blog on there....my bad, forgot I had it on there...changed it and linked to her! No problemo! The odd part is that according to Etsy, she changed her policies as of today....hmmmm- its killing me to know what she changed...lol!
Bottom line....I can breath easily knowing that it was not stolen! Its people like her that make the industry so hard, everyone has to start somewhere and learn and do. That just happened to be my doing point, not my starting point! If I could bang out a drawing like that just starting out I am doing the wrong thing. So should I be flattered that I was able to replicate her camera to the point where she thought it was one she did? YES!!!! and I am!!!! I give credit where credit is due, the end! And, you can't own the copyright of something so universal like a doodled camera or a concept as she puts it, especially when its plastered all over the internet for free! If we could do that, I call dibs on the copyright of my fav pose!
For goodness sakes I have 2 followers on my blog and one of them is me!!! Seriously...I don't think its reaching that many people! But I am definitely sharing this! :D
Thank you for letting me vent! :)
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