Let me take a second to climb up on my soapbox for a brief post.  I was recently made aware of a couple of things…my personal photos being used by someone else without the appropriate source being noted and several Etsy shops where artists were remaking my canvases and selling them as their own.  Some of you may go ahead and just close out your browser right now…some of you may stick around and hear me out.  I know everyone says that imitation is the best form of flattery, but honestly, I just don’t see it.  I don’t feel it.  And I don’t really care for it as an artist.

When I was made known about these things and took a look around their shops…it made my stomach hurt and it hurt my feelings.  It sucked looking through the shops and seeing my ideas…my designs…my work…recreated in a wanna-be fashion.  I have worked very hard to perfect my art process.  I’ve done trial after trial.  I’ve tested and retested ways over the years and then to see someone try and rip that process off and sell it as theirs…straight up same size canvases, same wording, same everything…it’s kind of cruddy.

I’m not one for confrontation.  I’m not one to slander people’s names or their shops.  Honestly, I don’t have the time or energy, but most importantly that kind of heart.  What I will say, is it does hurt like hell to see other people ripping off your hard work and selling it for their own.  I understand being inspired by others, but taking someone’s work…their heart…their time…their income…and copying it as your own is just straight up redonk.  I have contacted these shops…some have been super nice and fixed the problem, others have been not so nice.  I do feel it is my right to protect my work and I’m kind of totally digging my copyrights now.

As an artist…as someone who creates for a living and pours their time and energy and my own personal creative process into my work…I will never sell you something which is not my own.  I will never take someone else’s work and claim it as mine.  Instead, I choose to be inspired by all the amazing artists out there and stretch my mind and creativity to create newness…my own ideas.  God has given me a mind to put to work and I plan on doing just that.

Just for fun businessyness #madeupword…for all you artists out there…here is a great resource from Etsy which outlines your copyright.  Whether you have an Etsy shop or not, your work is still protected.  It’s excellent and expands on what all your copyright covers and it’s a lot…which is nice to know.

Now I’m stepping down off my box.  And because these kind of posts aren’t really much fun, I’ll leave you with a picture of Amon in his socks and diaper getting his teeth brushed by Josh Kelley.

Happy Wednesday.