I want to have a frank discussion about several aspects of a topic that have come up on at least three of the forums I participate in. As many of you know, I don't participate on sites or forums that are wire work specific. There are many reasons for that. Some of those reasons have to do with issues that I will discuss here. I am peppering this discussion with images, so you won't be bored...heehee.. Creativity... how creative are we being with the materials we work with? Okay.. we'll get back to that one.
Dino Bone, September 2010
On two of the forums I regularly frequent, a statement, or a belief if you will, has been said about folks who design in wire. I cringe, but I know it is true. Copying is rampant among wire workers. With so many tutorials being sold and bought, and people wanting to dabble in jewelry to make some extra cash, it seems to be more the rule than the exception that people recreate designs other designers have made. Often they think that because they used a different color of wire and a different stone, that it is now their own original design. As you can imagine, I find this appalling, and I am disgusted by it.
Ochoco Moss agate, June 2011 (above right)
(left)
Joan of Arc, July 2008
( below right) Cross-Current, February 2010
But, I am friends with people who do this. I try to remind them that even though they paid for a tutorial, they still need to say who the designer is. For example, they could say something like, "I created this beautiful Lisa Barth design using a 20X36mm labradorite and oxidized sterling silver wire." Why is this a bad thing? If a person has permission to recreate designs they learned from a tutorial, why then is the designer not named? I would think it would be a plus to use a well known designer's name when talking about your piece, especially when you are still learning and trying (hopefully) to develop your own look. But really, it is unethical not to name the designer. Why do we not have a conscience about that? I am not sure.
I rarely see this go on among better metalsmiths, the folks who work in PMC, or polymer clay. I think the folks working in polymer clay are probably the best at pointing out where their designs came from. They are proud to have learned their techniques from Donna Kato or Seth Savarick, or whoever they learned from. Why are we not more cognizant of the the talent we have learned from our teachers? The reason I chose Lisa Barth to use as an example is that her designs are copied over and over, and most of the time, she is not being given credit.
(above left)
Snowed In, January 2010
(below right) Apricot Supreme, April 2011
Okay, moving on to the next layer of this discussion. I have a bone to pick with the people who take a design that another person created, move a few wires around while keeping the same look and using the same techniques in pretty much the same way... These people often do not site where their design "ideas" are coming from, and become very defensive when you call them on the carpet for it. They often will not even admit that they have SEEN the work that so obviously "influenced" their design. A tell tale sign is when the persons work is mediocre or at best, undeveloped, and suddenly they start cranking out designs that are way more mature and developed, and are very similar to another person's original designs or design aesthetic. They think if they move this wire up a little, and use the bead technique with different beads, and use another color of metal for the weave, and place the spirals... you get the idea... The work is either identifiable as being someone elses, or looking a lot like someone elses, hence the copying of someone elses design aesthetic. This, I feel, is even worse than copying.
(below)
Nautilus, September 2009
This has happened to me more than once, and in fact there is someone currently doing this very thing with my designs and design aesthetic. She doesn't know I know, and I'm not going to approach her. People know my work well enough to know if someone else is deriving their designs from mine. The thing is, it is much more just sad for the person who is doing this, because what it says the the rest of the world, and to their designing collegues, is that they are not confident enough in their own abilities to create their own work, they don't believe in their own artistic creativity, they are lazy, robbing this an that from other designers instead of trying to be original, and they are just plain not real designers or artists. I think it would be awful to have to project to the world that I am not genuine. And, quite frankly the people who do this, are not genuine. A rampant practice I see among people who do this, but who have half a conscience, will say "This design was inspired by ______". They never ask permission. They think that this is enough, that this clears them from the responsibility of asking permission. I think it is a terrible practice. I see buying goods from these people in the same way I see buying "fakes". Again, they are projecting that they are too insecure do design something on their own.
(right)
Glimmer, May 2009
What I want to do is help people have the confidence to trust their own creativity. I want to show people all of the hundreds of ways to generate their own original ideas, and learn problem solving so they can create beautiful and truly original work. I wanted to have this discussion as a primer for all of the posts to come. I have been helping others approach design, craftsmanship, and creativity by showing them how to set aside pre-condtions, fear, anxiety, and outcome expectations, so that they can experience the true joy of making. In short, how to approach materials the way children approach them, with an attitude of play. I feel this is my greatest mission as an artist. To help people develop as artists doing original work and freely expressing their own creative vision. So with that, I leave you with positive thoughts and encouragement.
fytru7rftuyfuii
KeelyBJohnson City, Tennessee,
Das sind absolut geniale, wunderschöne Fotos.
ich werde sicher öfter hier vorbeischauen, um nach neuen Bildern zu sehen. Findet man Sie auch in der Fotocommunity?
Viele Grüße
Vielen Dank für das Feedback
Zur Zeit veröffentliche ich meine Arbeiten nur hier im Blog. Eine zeitlang hatte ich bei flickr einen Account, dieser ist aber mehr oder weniger inaktiv.
VG/A