Especially as it seems this person has no interest in actually confronting me or speaking to me about it - so I am going to be pretty blunt in this post, as I don't appreciate false accusations or backtalking of people you don't know.
Sorry if the post is a bit messy - I'm in a hurry,. have to cook and have to edit today's video.
Basically - not that long ago I was told that another miniature artist had said I was 'notorious for copying' which had be confused. This person also sent 3 of my pictures together with 3 of hers (not to me, but to a friend of mine), calling it evidence and saying I had copied her work...
Now - the 3 pictures were animals; A black cat I made for a halloween tutorial in 2013, a grey sleeping cat I made for a miniature fair in 2015 (I think) and the hamster I made for one of my youtube tutorials.
The funny thing is, that though I have seen a couple of pictures of this person's work in the past, I never looked further into it. In actual fact, I have very little interest in looking at other people's work - it's not something that inspires me. And in fact, I had NEVER seen any of those 3 pictures before.
So why were they used as 'ecidence'? because they happened to be posed the same way as animals she'd made. not the same colors - just the same poses.
The thing is... That those were VERY generic poses. a playful kitten,. a sleeping cat and a hamster standing on its' hind legs. I'm sorry if this offends someone, but it doesn't take a genious to know how animals move - and it takes 2 seconds to google ''playful cat'' or ''jumping cat''; whichever pose you're looking for, google is bound to have a photo of it.
I love animals. I have a good idea of how they move - and I usually find poses that I feel represent those animals. Eg. A german shephard is to me a majestic dog - which is why I made mine ( a couple of years back) standing on all 4 legs, looking straight ahead. An english bulldog however, is clumbsy yet charming looking, and so that is why I made one, laying flat on its belly with the hind legs poking backwards and a big smile on its face.
And what about the 3 'evidence animals'??;
For the black cat I simply searched "playful kitten" on google, found a picture of a real cat and copied that pose.. the same for the sleeping cat - actually, the only reason why I made the sleeping cat at that time was because I wanted to make a cat for a fair which was only a couple of days away, and I happened to not have any pre-made cat eyes... As for the hamster,.. well, I have had 3 hamsters in my life and the standing pose is once again, a very generic pose for any hamster, and any rodent for that matter (out chinchillas do that too, does that mean I can't make a standing chinchilla?)... but, but why did I make a box for the hamster?? (the person accusing me had done the same). How do you carry a hamster home from the store?! in a box! I'm sorry, but the accusation was straight up ridiculous. People don't own the copyright to an animal pose... so don't build up hate towards someone unless they are CLEARLY copying you; same pose, same color, same accessories, same everything. AND even then, it IS possible for 2 or more individuals to make the exact same thing without ever having seen what the other person made. If one person is capable of coming up with something, someone else is capable of doing the same.
Yes, there are cases where you can see that someone copied your work,.. this case, is not one of those.
Yes, there are cases where you can see that someone copied your work,.. this case, is not one of those.
Where do I get my inspiration?; from real life.. pictures of real food, real animals, real furniture. I love looking up photos of food photography or searching for different types of furniture, different types and breeds of animals etc. I study the faces of people who walk past me on the street or the people I talk to. I randomly stop to take a picture of a small stool outside of a house or a sign in front of an old butcher's shop.. Most of the time I avoid looking up other peoples' work, both because I'm not interested in looking at it, but also to avoid situations like this one.. I've seen pictures of other people's work - I'm aware of a lot of the other miniature artists out there, but I don't find inspiration in the things they make, and quite frankly, I don't have time to manically look up what other people make so that I can copy it. I need pictures of the real thing in order to study the colors and textures - looking at a recreation is no help. I don't watch tutorials or search 'how to make' because I love figuring things out on my own. It's not enjoyable for me to have someone show me how to do something. Being accused of copying, when it's not true, really hurts...
So if the person happens to be reading this; no, I was not inspired by your work. when I made the black cat for instance, I wasn't even aware of who you were - never seen any of your work at that point. Next time, confront the person instead..
I could go much further into this and list many reasons for why this whole thing is so STUPID - but I'm not going to waste time on that, when I've done nothing wrong...
And on a side note; I very much believe in giving credit if you were inspired by someone else. But it would also be a lie if I gave credit to someone, whom I wasn't inspired by.
I know that there are people out there who won't believe what I'm saying, and unfortunately I can't do anything about it. Just know, that by making false accusations, you can seriously damage someone's life.
More on the topic click here
And on a side note; I very much believe in giving credit if you were inspired by someone else. But it would also be a lie if I gave credit to someone, whom I wasn't inspired by.
I know that there are people out there who won't believe what I'm saying, and unfortunately I can't do anything about it. Just know, that by making false accusations, you can seriously damage someone's life.
More on the topic click here
For what it's worth,..I believe you!! You're an awesome artist..she is obviously jealous of your work and talents, why else would she be saying these things. I mean when somebody acts in this manner it is a direct reflection of their own insecurities. In my opinion even if somebody does "copy" this person,..she should be flattered that someone else like her work so much they wanted to do something like her. Instead she would be offended!? And put somebody down and talk behind their back!? Well...to me that's offensive!! Anyways...I'm sorry this happened to you...KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!! STAY STRONG and KEEP MAKING AWESOME STUFF!!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your support, but I wasn't and am not inspired by her work - that was what made it even more upsetting - she just assumed something.
DeleteI totally understand what you were saying I was just saying "IF" somebody was to copy her...not you :) but this is how she acts!? It's ugly! period! I mean why does she even post her stuff? Does she not think her stuff won't be copied?? That's ridiculous!! Anyways... I honestly believe when people are mean and talk about others (weather its true or not) they are insecure with themselves therefore feel the need to this. It's a reflection of how they see themselves. I have been following you for awhile and watching your videos...you are the kind of person who likes to help others and are an inspiration to others such as myself! I only wish I had half your talent! I tried to make something you made a video on ..and it looks like my 6yr old made it! Lol..you make it look so easy! I love what you do! I know its easier said than done..but try not to let her bother you so much!! You Rock! ;)
DeleteI can't believe someone thought you were copying them. It's so obvious from your videos that you have your own talent and don't need to copy anyone. Especially with animals, there are certain poses that animals make that many people adore (like when my cat sticks its tongue out as it gets distracted cleaning itself). Or when a dog puts his paw up. We try to make life in miniature (as you said). Anyway, thank you for all your tutorials and youtube videos - I am learning so much from you.
ReplyDeleteApparently there is another woman who makes amazing animals (super talented as well) and she was also recently criticized by someone as a copycat (according to a woman who buys her animals and posts photos on instagram) and she was also very upset (of course). I hope both of you just ignore it because you are both such talented artisans. And you are very generous to share your techniques and help the rest of us improve -- although I agree with onesadmom that mine don't quite come out the same way :) - which also just shows that talent is needed.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad! You are a truly amazing artist and you freely share your skills and techniques without demanding that we buy your goods. I can lose myself in your tutorials - I just don't know how you keep coming up with such great videos. Ignore the meanies - you're way too good to need to care what they think.
ReplyDelete