How It Feels When Your Creative Work is Copied
credit: @_crochetc._
by Elena Chen
Does the internet inspire or conspire? I’ve been designing and managing a small a small fiber art business art business for the last year. Recently, I’ve had the flattering but hurtful experience of finding a post that copied my design and description, almost word for word. This person claimed to be an artist. I could tell they were doing well selling these products at a lower rate than I sold mine, and it conjured up a very foreign emotion in me. I used the word flattering earlier because imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery. Then why did it feel so bad?
This propelled me into a state of questioning, wondering whether creating and having it on the internet, and how easily it is for others to claim it as their own, with very little consequence, is really something I want. What about the integrity of being a part of an artistic community? Deceit and betrayal are narratives as universal and eternal as the story of life itself. I feel as if my work has been cheapened, soiled even. How is it that I feel this way, when I was not the one who had done the violation?
Upon further contemplation, I thought about how commonplace imitation is in the world of fashion. DietPrada’s entire instagram account is dedicated to unveiling acts of mimicry. Fast fashion brands like H&M, Zara and Topshop literally copy designs off the runway and fashion shows. These are multi-billion dollar companies. Built off of a business model entirely opposite to the small business model I work off of. Original designs that are made by hand, slowly, with as sustainable materials as possible. Crochet or Knit pieces are not meant to last a season or two and are designed to be staples or treasured items in a curated closet. There are plenty of documented cases of crochet and knit designers having their designs ripped off by the epitome brands of fast fashion such as SHEIN. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really come to take a different philosophy on shopping. I want my pieces to be well-made, to stand the test of time, and to express something unique to me. On all three counts, fast fashion fares poorly.
So, I suppose what it is I have realized is that there is no point that can be reached in this industry that will protect anyone from being ripped off. If what a designer has is their ability to create, then it is this strength they use to forge ahead. A wise friend of mine told me, it’s important to pursue my passion despite this disrespect, but to also acknowledge the hurt that it has caused. If anything, I feel now more than before that I have to persist. I have to keep putting my work out there, and I have to try my best to get it seen. Even if that additional exposure also attracts more imitators, I will find my way through. Crochet hook in one hand, a pair of knitting needles in the other and my most recent finished object as armor.
