I predict a riot!

As many of you in the UK know, Stokes Croft, the area where I live is in the national news today!

I was lucky enough to be included in the blog Handmade Europe (http://handmade-europe.com/2010/07/10/favorite-places-elinart) a while back and was asked to describe where I live. The second photo I chose to describe my area is of the squat where the saga of last evening's riot began. The police went in and arrested four activists which created a disturbance, which in turn gathered a crowd of 300, including myself. After going home, thinking it was all over, the attention of the crowd turned to the new Tesco Express...there has been an ongoing protest to try and prevent Tesco opening this shop in an area where a large number of residents were against it. This Newstatesman article below has used video footage my partner David took during our visit to the epicentre!

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2011/04/stokes-croft-police-tesco

More on being copied

When I first got to Etsy I sold something completely different. Within three weeks I was being copied by an aggressive seller. This seller put her prices down at below 50% of my prices. She had signed up to my RSS feed so, every time I listed something new she listed three of her products next to mine. As expected, I sold very little and she sold large quantities, I had to content myself with the numerous emails saying how much better my work was.

I am tired of being told to be flattered by copyists…I had my arse well and truly kicked!! It was not a flattering experience, I can assure you. Not only was my idea ripped off, I was shown to be useless business woman! To this day I feel nauseated when I remember that period of my life and how soul destroying it was.

People who suggest I should be flattered, I can only imagine haven’t thought it through sufficiently or haven’t personally experienced it.

Regarding that creative idea, I gave up and I resigned myself to moving on to something else. That is when I started creating lichen and moulds. This time I have a great deal more to feel threatened about. This is my niche on Etsy that I have been working at for two years, sometimes 14 hours a day. How do you expect me to feel? To those who don’t approve of my anger in this situation, it’s NOT a hobby, it’s my living. Being copied can mean the total destruction of your business.

Also, people often pipe up with the old chestnut ‘It’s not an original idea’ so and so has being doing this for years. Sorry, in two years of working I haven’t seen anything like my moulds (until now). Yes, I’ve seen plenty of people who make textural pictures of lichen and very occasionally mould. I’ve exhibited with the British Lichen Society right alongside some of these folks. But sorry, I’ve done something different and it’s been lifted by another seller. If you can send me a link to something that really is similar I’ll admit defeat, but until then….you ain’t right!

I recently attended a seminar run by the Intellectual Property Office in the UK. Many aspects of what I do could be registered under ‘design rights’ because of their originality (which I would do if I could afford it). Places like Etsy are a free for all, most people think by you just putting it out there, it gives them permission to set themselves up in competition with you using your idea.

What is the universe telling me? I should get ready to get my arse kicked again? Well, that’s really peachy isn’t it.

Being copied again!!

Well it's taken two years but I guess it was inevitable that I would get idiots on Etsy copying my work. I thought mold would be pretty foolproof subject but no. I'm very disappointed. I hope the person feels embarrassed.

In addition, this person must be incredibly stupid. Why?

1. They have copied something that sells very few items, if you are going to copy, the wise man says copy a bestseller.

2. Copying something that is only made by one person in the world, means you get caught out as a plagiarist straight away! Wise man says copy something that has already been copied.

3. Copy if you can bring a genuinely new twist to it or fresh perspective. Wise man says don't show yourself up as talentless moron by copying without a creative bone in the body.

Wonderful news for me!!

I've been accepted to sell at Made by Hand, at Tredegar House in Wales.

http://www.madebyhand-wales.co.uk

Wow! A great event for selling and exposure. It's going to be hard work but I have until the beginning of December to make sure I'm prepared! I suppose I better start nowish.....