Bead Advice Needed!

That's the very reason I don't even look at beads on eBay or on WC hardly any more. I just do what I do. I don't think anyone could make goddesses like you do though.

I don't know what I'd do. But I just saw the original ? on WC and was going to email you. Glad the person contacted you.

I know I'd be tempted to say - yep send them to my web site - but I also see the point in not telling others what they can and can't do. Bleh.

I've never sold a bead, just string them together and give them to friends and family. BUT! This is something YOU designed, and unless you copied it from someone else, it is YOURS. This lady was honest enough to ask, and even offers to send people to your site to order from you. I think you should thank her for her honesty, and tell her that although you are very flattered that she admires your work enough to copy - you would really prefer for her to make referrals to your site. You might even add, that if she discovers a new technique that makes her beads unique - or at least different enough not to be 'copies', that you will return the professionalism, by making referrals to her.

MizKrysti

I think it's a good gesture that she even asked you in the first place. There are so many people out there that wouldn't. If she was stealing them, she wouldn't be telling you...she'd just be doing it.

I don't want to say that I think it shouldn't bother you because I can't, and shouldn't, tell someone how to feel. I guess I want to say *don't* let it bother you, because she is asking. You can say whatever you want....she's put the ball in your court and she does seem sincere that she does not want to offend you in any way and would understand if you didn't want her to. It never hurts to ask because you never know how people would react.

I'm trying to think of myself in this situation and again, I can't really tell because it's not happening to me and I can't say how I would feel. In this instance I'm thinking I might be ok with it but tell her that I'd hope that she not actively market and sell them. Of course, you can't tell someone what they can and can't do, but if they're ASKING for how you would like it to be, by all means, tell her!

Just my own opinion.

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Lori Greenberg" :

]In ]this instance I'm thinking I might be ok with it but tell her that I'd hope ]that she not actively market and sell them.

or credit you - saying something like "based on beads by "Bead Bimbo" with a link to your site?

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

newest creations: ----------- I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

Well, Jerri - your pregnant goddesses are completely unique. I think that your friend has some nerve to even be asking. It's a hard question, and I completely understand why you would be feeling this way about it. Personally, I think your goddess beads are your signature beads, and people have no right to copy them for sale. However, I can understand how hard that may be to tell a friend. Jerri - if you feel at all bothered by this, you do have the right to ask her not to completely copy your design. I've never seen anyone else do these pregnant goddess beads. If I were you, I would tell your friend that copying is only okay if she is going to give them away. Selling them would be crossing a line. Ask her to come up with her own design that would be appropriate to sell to pregnant woman, etc. And if her friends must have a pregnant goddess, ask your friend to send them to you. She shouldn't have copied your style in the first place without asking. That style is too unique. I understand that some designs are widely done and not as unique, but in this case, this is your signature design. (((((((hugs)))))))) I know how hard this must be, though, and I wish you lots of luck.

Um, if this person is a lampwork artist, is there possibly a chance that she could lurk here? And see this thread?

~Candace~ your local hemp goddess :)

I am new to beading but I'm not new to designing, so please take what I have to say here without offense?

If you've created something new and unique and someone copies it completely, unchanged and without permission then it's their problem for being so ignorant. It's almost impossible, though, to copy a person's style in a medium like glasswork and what they produce wouldn't be _your_ bead. Maybe they'll do a good imitation, or maybe as in this case from what I can see, they saw a concept that inspired them and they'll be creating something that is unique to them but with the inspiration of what you did to give them a bit of a push.

There really isn't much under the sun that's new. There are millions of individual interpretations of ideas or beads or designs or artwork. But if someone sees a piece of work, is inspired by that to create something of their own, the only thing you can really be is flattered that you gave them inspiration.

I normally work in a very different medium where things _can_ be copied exactly because it's a printed medium. There are thousands of scans of charts out there in the virtual world, designers struggle daily to remove sites where pirated copies of anything from single pages to entire books are just sitting there being downloaded without there being much in a practical way to prevent it. That's where the kind of medium like glass is so wonderful. Someone else may want to produce pregnant goddesses, and after a very quick surf of websites, I can vouch for the fact that the concept of the pregnant goddess isn't new in any way at all. How you do yours may be unique to you, and I would imagine how this other person does them will be unique too. But the concept of a pregnant figure isn't new.

Unless they're making exact copies, it wouldn't be 'stealing'.

I'm sympathetic to your feelings on the matter. It's not easy to distinguish between inspiration and copying, but ask yourself where you've seen pregnant goddesses, and what you got from those images?

There's a very well-known designer in the needlework industry who pretty much has the market for 'angels' or women in big swirly dresses cornered. Hardly any one will design an 'angel' for fear of um... intruding... into her 'territory'. Which means that a lot of designs get suppressed by the creators for fear of being made to feel as if they are thieves of a concept that is as old as time too.

I just wanted to give a different perspective on this issue. If one person corners a design concept, such as goddesses or dragons or fish or cows, then were does everyone else go?

-Su

Well, this is definitely important to think about. The pregnant goddess as Jerri makes it is unique. Pregnant figures can be done in many different ways, so of course I posted with the assumption that Jerri's friend copied her exactly. I don't think Jerri would feel this strongly if this wasn't the case.

It's possible, but I doubt Jerri would have posted the question if she thought her friend lurked here. On the other hand, it's always possible, and if she is reading the thread, she can see what everyone thinks about this issue and it might help her decide what to do.

Amen to that, Stalia!

Lol. Would I care? She might see that I was thinking about my response carefully, rather than jumping off the handle.

I haven't seen it. Her e-mail said it was a poor imitation.

Thanks Kandice,

This person isn't a friend, just someone who bought a couple of beads a couple of years ago. Talking to you all helped because I was feeling like a hypocrite that it was bothering me.

Thanks Su,

I used to read some beads sites and saw people ripping folks apart for copying. I wanted to say, "Guess what folks, just because you saw it on ebay, doesn't mean it hasn't been done before." I was doing cartoon-like animals before I'd ever heard of Sharon Peters, and mine are very similar to hers.

I definitely don't own the goddess idea.

Jerri

Uh, I meant Amen to the part about ebay and WC!

What you do with it is unique and very good. If someone else takes fire from that and does it badly, it won't hurt your work. If they take fire from you and do it well, then it's to your credit that you inspired them.

Some people will rip people apart for any reason and some people will realize that there are many levels to creativity. Scanning in a famous painting and spitting out a chart of it isn't very creative, but there are thousands of people who buy such things. Looking at a bead and trying to imitate it may be the same level of work, no originality whatsoever. But what sense of creative accomplishment does that provide? And which is more important?

I'd be happier if what I did inspired people to create their own. I'd be sad if someone just took an idea and used it as a quick way to make some money. The big thing there is that the person who can't be creative but must copy won't be an artist, only a mechanic.

-Su

I knew that. :-)