I’m big on giving credit – if someone thanks or compliments me on something at work and it was a team effort, I will include the team. If they thank me and it wasn’t me, I will tell them who to thank. Words of affirmation is my love language through and through, and I always want to spread that love!
In the same vein, if someone has an idea that I use, I will say it’s their idea – at work, at home, and especially, in rock painting. It’s a big deal in the art community if you make your version of someone else’s art without permission and crediting them. I always ask for permission when I can, and always credit.
Except for yesterday. When I posted these cat butts
which are based on ones I did almost exactly two years ago in 2021 (because I’ve mostly been repainting old art)
I was too lazy to scroll all the way back in my feed to find Erica Digital Designs as the original artist, so I wrote original artist unknown.
Then I worked all day and wasn’t on Instagram much, because I have a life and am trying to spend less time there.
When I opened Instagram after work, I was surprised to see another artist publicly claiming I copied their art from March and asking me to credit them. I then spent all the time I should have that morning, and scrolled back to find the original post. I showed them the post I referenced and that it was from almost two years ago and not their art (they weren’t even on Instagram until September 2022, also, their art was a cat butt in a box – you can’t claim IP on cat butts, gimme a break).
They were like, “oh yeah, look just like hers, I will remove my story. A lot of people are stealing my art, sorry for the over concern.”
I was annoyed they blasted me in stories instead of waiting for my response in DMs, but figured that was that.
Ha. Until I looked at my DMs and saw one of their followers went full keyboard warrior and blasted me in a ton of their stories for stealing that person’s art, then left comments on the post and tagged a bunch of people to harass me.
Sigh.
My body immediately had a fight or flight response and my hands were shaking. They were shaking so bad I could barely use my fingers to type! Nuts!
I sent the original 2021 post and said I based these off of art I made in 2021. That follower asked me to show the original art I based it off on in 2021. I told them they were wasting my time and I wasn’t going to search the internet for an image I found two years ago – just look at the freaking time stamp.
Sigh.
Such a waste of my time. They eventually took all their nasty stories down and apologized and even followed me (then blocked me later), but I was like really put off by it all. Copying without credit is bad, but again, why couldn’t they wait for my response to their DM before publicly blasting me over and over?
They really showed their true colors.
And hey, next time I won’t be too lazy to scroll back and find the artist to credit. My bad.
But ick. Even more reasons to spend less time on Instagram.
This is infuriating to anyone that truly knows you and I TOTALLY get the fight or flight thing and the shaking. I get the exact same way. I’m sorry you went through that over something that could have been handled maturely through a DM. I feel like some people are just looking for something to be upset about.
Right – I was like, they have NO idea who I am as a person or in this community. Sigh. It did feel like they were looking to get riled up about something. Such a waste of my time.
I feel like I handled it well though, and my body was just trying to protect me with that response! I just wish it didn’t last for so long (or come at all, ha).
Oh, boy! It’s so crazy how people want INSTANT responses to things. Like, all this could have been cleared up if this person had just WAITED for you to respond. *sigh* I’m so sorry about this and I hope you know that you’re in the right here!
THANK YOU! Instant gratification and explanation or NOTHING!
Thanks! I do know I am right (except for not crediting Erica originally LOL) but it still made me feel shitty.
Ugh, Kim, this is horrifying. I am so sorry you had to deal with this. All this person had to do is politely ask you to credit her and wait for your response (and no, you did not have to give her an immediate response! We all have lives and responsibilities!) And you can see when someone has viewed your message on IG, so she would have seen that you hadn’t looked at it! So irresponsible on her part.
I understand that feeling of knowing you’re in the right but still feeling really shitty. And then there’s the adrenaline comedown of all that shakiness and anger! I hope you are holding up okay after all of that. I hate that she put you in that position!
Thank you Stephany – and very good point – she could see I hadn’t seen her message all day! I didn’t even think of that. She apologized, which I appreciate, and I told her I felt bullied by her friend and that this will take me a while to get over. She said her friend felt horrible and I thought, she should. She really should.
It took me a few hours to come down! Gah. I did not need that this week! But I am doing better – it took me a couple of days but it’s not bothering me anymore!
Ugh! Why are people that way! I understand that people are sensitive about stuff like that but why not take it up privately first until things are sorted out, before publicly bashing people? I do not get it. I am so sorry you had to deal with this. Blogging/IG has become so complicated these days.
Exactly! I would feel upset if someone copied me without credit too, but I would not blast them publicly. Come on. Thanks, it has! And this felt really unusual in art Instagram because it’s normally so friendly over there.
What the he** is wrong with people? Sorry, but honest to pete. People are way too reactive and the fact that the friend (not even the person who thought you’d copied her work!) kept bad-mouthing you? NOT COOL.
Oooh, this ticks me OFF.
I hope you have come down from that darn adrenaline high. I also hope these people stay the heck away. Sheesh.
That really got me too – that it was some friend who didn’t even follow or know me blasting me all over. They since apologized and said they were just being protective but I let them know I thought they were bullying me. I have come down from it, and things are fine with the original artist again, but… like has forever tainted our relationship.