Being an artist is an interesting occupation. One toils away
putting their heart and soul into their work and offers it up to the public
hoping for acceptance and sales. But
inevitably when the sales increase and a faithful following materializes it
seems that “copiers” are inevitable.
So what does one do? It’s the point where the “fun” meets
the reality of “the job.”
Well, as I sat around this spring and summer waiting for my
wrist to heal and hoping to finally return to the studio, I learned of yet another someone
copying my work. When I heard from an
eye witness that this particular offender was proudly announcing to those that
were snatching up her work that it was her very own creation … I grew angry. Perhaps it was the boredom and depression but
this discovery in addition to yet another someone attempting to copy my work,
it really started to get under my skin.
I sat around unable to work and someone was making money off of my
creativity. Adding insult to injury one
was a customer who had even been in my studio and another was someone who had
invited me to be a part of her shows.
It was time to take a stand.
In no uncertain terms I let it be known in a certified letter that I
would pursue defending my copyrights legally if necessary if their doings
continued. It’s the professional side of what we do. It’s sometimes a hard balance between
personal and business. I felt the need
to defend my work and will continue to do so.
It’s a hit to the gut personally, but when it comes to taking a hit to
the wallet I get even more defensive. This wasn’t the first time I have had to
deal with this, and I'm sure it won’t be the last. It is not the most fun part
of being a professional artist, but sometimes it is just what has to be done.