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Sunday, April 12, 2009
hmmm suspect.
So I was going to re-open my Etsy store but there is a problem. This other artist. It seems like when ever I make something they make something almost identical. About a year ago I had talked to the artist and at the time they seemed to think that their work is completely different and it is all just freakishly coincidental. It is just really hard for me to believe. I make something then sometime later this artist makes almost the same thing. Maybe the planets have aligned and it is all a strange coincidence. I dunno. Here are some comparisons for you to decide.
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yours is WAAAY better.
ReplyDeleteI agree that yours is totally better....
ReplyDeleteI would also send that person a cease and desist letter, and notify Etsy about them.
People can be so shiesty - but that shouldn't stop you from being able to sell your work online!
agreed. And that totally blows. I am having similar issues at the moment. Grrrr. I think it is impossible to escape (even for someone with "the art escape plan" (hahaha...pun intended). I think you just have to keep putting your work out there and people will be able to see the superior quality....and then there is always karma to back us up. Still burns though:)
ReplyDeleteggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
ReplyDeletedon't even get me started.
Wow. You should educate this artist on the differences between appropriation, plagiarism, and coincidence which he or she obviously doesn't understand.
ReplyDeletewow, what's going on with all this plagiarism? liz first now you? wtf. either way your is better, ( i mean their chain saw, totally wimpy.) thanks for the post. that's a great way to handle it.
ReplyDeletejess
Hi Arthur, seems like an irritating 'coincidence' to me. i suppose the thing to remember is that you already have a good credible established profile. (even here in new zealand have seen images of your work).
ReplyDeleteI guess this is one of the down sides of using images of existing things- those who copy have the defense of having an egg beater, or chainsaw or milk carton etc of their own which seeded the idea. - there seems to be a move over here towards this kind of imagery- some of the most common being the bread tag, glass milk bottle, the price sticker and yes even the chain saw.....(suburban nostalgia?)
All one can really do is rise above it.
Im a big fan of the coffee stain brooch- which is truly one from out side the box.
Word Jamie Sachs!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous -Agreed. I can't claim the imagery as my own. I just think the timing is a little suspect. I am still not ruling out the coincidence thing. They, make other things, I make other things. It is just kind of hard to believe. I am moving on to new different work now so I am going to let them have their "fun". I guess I just have to be aware that these things are going to happen when I release so much imagery of my work all over the internet (flicker, blogger, facebook etc). I think the best thing to do is adapt, prepare and fortify for when it happens again. If anything I think having this post is a good documentation of it all.
ReplyDeleteI think coincidence. These are everyday items and if you google milkjug silhouettes, chainsaw silhouettes, flying bird silhouettes, etc. you'll get tons of image hits that you can use. Do you ever take a peek at the carrotbox blog? So many similar pieces of jewellery - we are not so original as we like to believe. Picasso was inspired by African masks, Modigliani by Cycaldic sculpture, etc. Maybe this guy was inspired by you. Your stuff is much better though - just let it go...:-)
ReplyDeleteHey Arthur,
ReplyDeleteI think you should send Phil R. into their etsy shop and have him buy something as evidence. Then you should get an injunction and shut that mother down! I am sure Boris got yo' back son!
But in all seriousness...
Do you think you are losing money because of them? If the answer is no, then just put it out of your head. As humble as you are, I can assure you that people buy your work (at least in part) because you are Arthur Hash, and because you consistently turn out interesting stuff. They are not just buying a pink chain saw, they are buying you. You are not going to corner the silhouette market, but you can corner the Arthur Hash market.
Lots of things you make are not easy to copy, and if it really bothers you, make the stuff that they can't copy. If they are truly copying you, then perhaps the shame of acolytism will eventually catch up with them. Or they may eventually find their own voice.
Be well,
-Gabriel
Hey Arthur,
ReplyDeleteWriting in the wee hours I stumbled across a very old and very wise opinion on the very subject of plagiarism:
http://books.google.com/books?id=7xNaYw1JL0IC&printsec=frontcover#PPA278,M1
John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1848), scroll down to page 278, and start reading from V (5).
Hope that helps or at least is enlightening.
Best,
-Gabriel
Call me object blind - or whatever the equivalent to tone deaf is, but I don't see the similarty in the work of the copying artist vs. your work. The only copying s/he can be accused of is that s/he merely used the same images/objects as you - but since no one actually owns these images, you can't really say that someone is taking your idea. Also, the size, materials, context and usage are completely different. It looks more like a compare and contrast (different interpretations of eveyday items in jewelry) rather than a direct rip off. Then again, I'm not an artist.
ReplyDeletehi Arthur,
ReplyDeleteanonymous coffee stain brooch fan from nz again. (hey if i ever work out how to make a profile to leave identified comments under that can be my name)
I do actually agree that it doesn't seem a coincidence. But i really DO think you have an established enough profile as a real Jeweller (or jeweler as you spell in your neck of the woods) to not worry too much. No one who copies otto kunzli ever got famous.- or lasted for long...
you are far too clever to let this bother you. and i like your new ring pop outs.
cheers.
agreed with gabriel. i've bought a few of your pieces. (and really, i don't buy jewelry.) while i wasn't buying a piece of you, per se, i was doing it to buy an arthur hash piece. your work is very distinctive. and most of your customers will know the difference.
ReplyDeleteBest way to look at this is this:
ReplyDeleteStay consistent with your work and challenge yourself.
Copycats will have a hard time keeping up with your own artistic acrobatics. As long as you produce consistently and with your own style, copycats can only play catchup.
Eventually they will reveal themselves as frauds because they will try to zig when you zig and zag when you zag.
Prove yourself better by re-inventing your work faster than they can copy the style.
before i scrolled down to see the comparison photos in this post, i actually figured out who you were talking about from seeing the work on etsy in the past.
ReplyDeletei had an experience in a workshop i was assistant-teaching, where i was working on something of my own, and a student asked me what i was doing, and how i did it. i was happy to explain, and took my lunch break, only to come back and find that student doing the EXACT same thing as me. I didn't realize how shocked and angry a situation like this would make me feel. i felt crazy! I asked them if they were copying my piece, to which they answered "yes...is that ok?" i answered "as long as you don't put it into any type of exhibition or production, it's ok".
in reality, i wanted to throw a fit and say "NO it's not ok, why on earth would you feel it's ok to just steal someone's [my] idea like that?!"
when i went back to school in the fall, i asked my professor, the amazing marilyn da silva, how she deals with so many students and other artists so blatantly copying her style of work which has become a sort of trademarked technique (the color pencil on gesso on metal, for example). she looked at me for a long time and said "you come to realize that your ideas are your own, even if people copy them. the trick is to stay one step ahead of them". she winked and smiled in that marilyn way and went back to work.
i don't know if this story helps, but know that it's good to acknowledge the initial burn of the situation, and then keep on kicking ass.
Ah, I find this so funny. Welcome to the world of Etsy and basic metalsmithing. While this guy has probably sold a million of these, which means making a million of these, you seem to be too busy being "The Arthur Hash" pontificator and "established artist".
ReplyDeleteTime to get back to work, Arthur...