Apologies, but this turned out to be more of a rant than a ramble!
We were warned when we went on the show that the exposure could lead to people emulating our work. Recently this has increased and I have even had people contacting me saying that they have seen work similar to mine for sale. Sometimes these are blatant rip offs, of my Lido Lady poses, sometimes they are mash ups from several pieces. It is incredibly upsetting and leaves you feeling deflated and vulnerable.
This has happened to several of us from Make it at Market, using our designs, copying our websites and paying for marketing and sponsored posts on social media to get one step ahead, essentially piggybacking on our hard work.
My Lido Collection actually began in 2019 when I made my first single diving lady.
I loved the simplicity of the figure. She was an instant hit and has become my best seller. I had always intended to work on a collection and over the years added other designs that I incorporated into panels. As well as being an avid maker, my other passion is swimming. I have always loved being in water, but my relationship with swimming changed when my Mum died suddenly in August 2020. It hit me hard and the only way I could cope was to swim everyday in my local swimming lake. Cold water is the perfect antidote for forgetting things, like a physical reset. The following summer I joined a synchronised swimming group and these things in turn fuse my creativity and help with my grief.
When I was picked for the show I already had a vision of what I wanted to achieve but by calling it a collection it meant I had to think about each piece/pose and how it related with the others. I am lucky enough to have an amazing group of women who were happy to help by being my models. I had several photo shoots where I made them do still life poses and from these poses I sketched simple cartoons that would become the collection. All this took a lot of time and consideration. Some pieces didn't make the collection and have gone into my archives and may be used in panels in the future.
It's very easy to just see an image on the internet, screenshot it and copy it without any consideration to how it came about. Art is about development and growth. It is incredibly disheartening to then see that image that you took so much care over used (often badly) and replicated and sold at a much cheaper price that undercuts you.
There is a fine line between inspiration and imitation. Imitation isn't flattering, despite what Oscar Wilde said!
Don't get me wrong some of the great master painters leant through copying, it enabled the student to practice a skilled method before developing their own approach. Many famous artists like Sargent, Degas and Picasso learnt this way. When I was little i used to copy (not trace) Mickey Mouse drawings, over and over until it looked right! There is nothing wrong with learning this way, it tunes your hand and helps you work out your own style. But it's not nice to blatantly copy, its' cheating and disrespectful.
We are all forever learning and imitating but to be a successful admirable artist you have to find your own feet, not step into someone else's shoes.
It feels like all I can do, is politely ask them not to do it, not let them grind me down and keep on growing as an artist.
My creative journey is extremely emotive and personal and something I am incredibly proud of. I will fiercely defend it as much as I can.
All my work @leadlightstudio is protected -
Copyright is basically an unwritten rule that all creatives should adhere to. It can be a criminal offence to copy or use copyright material and registered trade marks and designs without permission and we are within our rights to report suspected Intellectual Property Crime to Trading Standards.
According to the UK Gov website"Copyright" is an automatic right assigned to the creator of any piece of original art work. Copyright protects your work and stops others from using it without your permission you get copyright protection automatically - you don’t have to apply or pay a fee.
There isn’t a register of copyright works in the UK but Copyright prevents people from:
-copying your work
-distributing copies of it, whether free of charge or for sale
-renting or lending copies of your work
-performing, showing or playing your work in public
-making an adaptation of your work
-putting it on the internet
see below for more info
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