I never go on bitter diatribes here, and I certainly hope this will be the only one.
The site Pinterest.com which is growing crazy fast in popularity is awesome. I love it. I love using it for inspiration, to get good recipes, and even for showing people my work through it occasionally. What I hate--HATE--is seeing a friend's work or my own work being pinned on DIY (Do It Yourself) boards.
Why this is ridiculously insulting:
Let's be clear, if I knit a really basic scarf and someone pins it to a DIY board saying "knitting ideas" well, that's kind of one thing. It's a basic knit and maybe you're just looking around for knitting inspiration. Fine. (Note how the board title uses the word "inspiration" rather than DIY?)
It is totally different to pin someone's unique idea/item with all of YOUR ideas about how to best make a knock-off.
I make tiny paintings and set them into necklaces. Yeah, it's not rocket science, but that doesn't mean everyone who looks at them automatically knows how I do it and do it well. Heck, it took me a long time to get everything about the pieces to a point I feel they are high quality--I'm still looking for ways to improve! So it really stinks when someone pins or repins something of mine with instructions about how to make it. Although I have only personally had this happen to one or two of my items, I have seen it happen to DOZENS of my friends.
-You insult the artist's creativity by doing this and acting like this knowledge is free.
-You insult the artist's skill by making the assumption through a comment or tag that this is an easy thing to make.
-You insult the effort and investment the artist has made in their work by implying that this is something that would be more financially viable for you to make than to buy.
I'm not saying you should never pin a finished item to a DIY board, but what I AM saying is to think carefully before you do. Look at the source (easy enough--it's at the bottom of every pin). Is it from Etsy? Then chances are it was handmade with care by someone who is running a small business not a charity or DIY blog. Think about the artist or artisan behind the item you're about to pin before you share with the world how you think you could Do It Yourself.
Rant over.
Agree? Disagree? Please, say so! I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Agree!
ReplyDeletebut remember, just because they pin it there doesn't mean they will actually go and try to make it.
I say all the time 'I can make that!'
But do I?
No. Often, I would much rather buy a well done version than have my error-ridden try.
I think it was Led Zepplin who said something like this:
"Am I insulted they copied our song? No, I am flattered the f**ing ripped us off!"
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI see your point, but I would like to make two of my own here in response to your wonderful and heartfelt blog.
1) I have to say that the statement you made that stuck out most for me in this post, and is obvious from your Etsy shop, is that you HAVE and DO take the time to perfect what you do. That is the true art form within. And that is what many (no, MOST) shops lack. Point blank.
And in that, I have to add that my opinion has always been, "OK, go ahead, try and do what I do. Good luck." I have a customer who orders little scenes from me that she tried to make herself and she IS a wonderful crafter . . . but she didn't feel she could do them as well as I do.
Also, yes, I have seen other shops create similar product to your work. But YOURS stands out. The style, the consistency and the quality of the work is indisputable.
2)Long before the internet and long before Pinterest there were people going out to art fairs, boutiques and shops and seeing work and going home and copying it. . . Saying "I can do that!" or trying.
I'd like to think, deep down, that the percentage of folks who truly ARE working at and running a small business on Etsy are of a higher standard than most and would not outright copy anothers work.
As for those that do, their day in the sun, if any, will be short. And in my book, they do not want to be artists, they only want to succeed at being an artist. It is a huge difference and it almost never leads to any successes.
And with that attitude also comes a s#%$load of baggage that will never work in the end for them.
That all said, is it frustrating? Of course. Is it justified to be upset? Absolutely. Just turn it inward and make BETTER art, better craft, better stories for YOUR clientele and leave them to wonder why it is they fail again and again! :)
Wishing you a beautifully creative day ahead,
nicolas
Nicolas,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate you long response! Like Raige Creations said above, most won't actually end up making those things, and I do understand that. It still doesn't make doing it right. Pins come up in google image searches and no one likes to think of they're product as coming up because of the comment a person made when they pinned it or it being on a DIY board.
I love what you said here, "they do not want to be artists, they only want to succeed at being an artist." You are so right! This is such a brilliant statement and an idea I too often forget when I get upset. Thank you so much for the reminder--it really was needed :).
Thanks so much to both of you for pointing out that even when there is a negative side to something it doesn't mean the situation is entirely negative.
I also don't like to see my work or friends work, or really any full time crafter or artist's work on DIY boards. I personally think it's disrespectful to the artist. But these people just don't get it. I was out one day with a couple of acquaintances looking through galleries and craft booths, and every time they saw something they liked they scoffed at the price and said "I can make that myself." Or we would be looking through prints and they'd start discussing how they should just take a picture of the art so they can make prints themselves. Not ok! Maybe I'm biased, I believe in supporting the artists who pour their heart and soul and talent into their work. Even if I COULD make something myself, I'd rather have the original piece made by the artist. It means more.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! What I do is not rocket science either, but I have worked hard on the process and the idea and people with a DIY mentality don't get. I frequently get asked for my how-tos on how to do what I do so that they can go and do it themselves. That is downright insulting. I don't make many of the same things over and over again, so I am constantly reinventing myself, still if I saw that someone was blatantly copying my ideas I would be pretty raw at that audacity. There is enough room in the world for everyone to have an idea and make it their own. Stop trying to take credit for what you did not invest the time and talent in. Or better yet, go ahead and use what I make as a stepping off point BUT make something of your own, unique and even better. I would be happy for that. But to try to capitalize on what someone else has done and to copy it outright is cowardly. I actually feel sorry for those who do that. I say trust in your own light and let it shine without trying to eclipse another. And I agree with Laura, having a piece created by an artist is so very satisfying and meaningful. I know first hand what beauty you create. It means more to me that you took the time to create it just for me. Thanks for the thoughtful post. I have been excited by Pinterest and concerned about it at the same time. I will be looking at it much more critically from now on.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the day!
Erin
I'm new to the world of Pinterest and am just beginning to get into all of it. I hadn't even thought of the tried and true "Consider the source." With all of the information on the site it can certainly be an eyewash and important information (like from whence it came) can easily be overlooked. Thanks for this rant - it's true and needed for those of us just beginning. I have a slew of friends who adore the site for their DIY needs. I'll certainly be having this conversation with all of them. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand what it's like to be plagiarized, artistically or in writing, as I've had both happen to myself and my friends. It sucks when people make snide comments about how "easy" it is to do something, or otherwise disrespect your work.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I often see things that I think are awesome, and for me a lot of the fun I have artistically is in figuring out how things are done and interpreting them for myself. I'm a deconstructor... I like taking things apart and figuring out all the basic components, and then putting them back together my own way. It's just the way I think and process, and for me "copying" a scarf or a cool drawing idea is akin to painting a landscape; the original is a reference that my brain has deconstructed and turned into something new. I wouldn't copy something directly and I always credit the source of my inspiration if it even remotely resembles the original. I have a DIY board that I pin tons of inspiration on; I hope that I haven't offended anyone by doing this.
Jamie, copying something for your own purposes is totally cool for the most part. I've certainly done my fair share of copying paintings in an effort to learn and improve and through it have really found my own style. It's now been several years since I felt the desire to imitate. Copying is definitely a part of growing as an artist.
DeleteWhat I'm talking about isn't the copying aspect (although honestly, it's illegal to copy and then sell, so be careful to not do that). I'm talking about the public nature of DIY boards. Many people pin things to a DIY board with will NEVER try to do themselves, but by pinning it there they've opened up the piece publicly to the suggestion that they CAN do it. That it's OK to do it, and maybe even that the artist won't mind. The truth is, they do at least a bit.
It's not the act of doing it yourself that is the problem here--that's a topic for another day. The problem is that pinterest boards are public and when you pin something there saying you can DIY or even as DIY inspiration, your followers, however many or few they may be, see that. In a sense, you've just made a public statement about how you feel about the piece even if you didn't mean to.
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ReplyDeleteI heartily agree!
ReplyDeleteI think having an inspiration board is fine. But I hate seeing all of those diy boards. It's so offensive to all of the small business artists... I've even seen some of my work on them before.
I know that most people who do this don't mean to be rude, so it's nice to have a journal entry like this that explains the situation to them. They probably think that the artist themselves would never see their diy board anyways, because pinterest is such a huge website, but that simply is not the case.
This is really the only gripe I have with Pinterest. Anyway, thanks for writing this awesome journal post! :)
From a chef's point of view, I have this insight to give. If you give x number of people, regardless of talent, one single recipe, you will always end up with exactly x number of very different results. That is to say, 20 people cooking the same recipe will result in 20 very different versions of that recipe. This is the creative process. If you want to keep things closed, then you have to accept that you must also close yourself from letting yourself be inspired by other people's creative process as well.
ReplyDeleteOther people will never do what you do the same as you, if they even take the step to do it at all. As far as I see it, the Pinterest thing is part flattery, part inspiration, with a dash of ignorance, on the pinner's part, thrown in. Do you really think that anyone will every do exactly what you do exactly as well as you have become, through hard work, able to do it? Don't worry about it. Those are your fans, and part of having fans is accepting that there are people that you've never met that want to be just like you. Being popular, successfully and happily, means that you accept both the good and the bad of that reality.