How to respect eachother as artists. Inspiration vs. Copying, etc..

[Mermaid Citrine]

There seems to be a lot of threads about copying, who made what first, who invented which design first, etc, etc.
I see mermaid tails as wearable art so this discussion I'm sure applies to all types of art.
I'm going to share my input and experience on the topic and then I'd love for others to add to it, agree or disagree, etc. :)

The purpose of this thread is positivity, mutual respect for eachother as artists and tips on how to maintain the respect, so lets keep it well.....
respectful ;)

First off I believe in this rule (not sure who said it first) "No one creates in a vacuum, we all co-create together"
What this quote/concept means to me is that its impossible to not be inspired by others, as artists, performers, photographers, tail-makers, etc, we constantly see eachother and eachothers' work and even if we don't think it has affected us, it has, the images are imprinted in our minds.
When I see an image I like, I save it to an 'inspiration folder' on my computer, it could be a fish like this one that inspired my latest tail:

8470
sometimes its a shell, a piece of fabric, a painting, a sunset, a flower, another mermaid tail, etc, etc.
If my inspiration is someone else's art or creation I try not to duplicate it exactly but pick up pieces from many things that I like and add my own touch to it.
I usually find it boring to just outright copy someone else's design and like the challenge of creating something new. I think its also respectful to the artist unless you are going for....

On the other hand, then there is actual 'replication'. Many consider this to be an 'homage' to the original artist but I think there's a fine line here... In an art class I took in college, we did one project where we duplicated a famous Picasso painting.
The purpose from the beginning was exact replication, not inspiration. I believe this was considered okay probably because Picasso's work is already well known and he is long gone so no permission was needed. I believe from what I've learned about copyright law that a similar concept is used. For example in copyright law, no permission is needed to use or copy another artists' work after a certain number of years. I believe the thought is that by giving the original artist several years its giving them space and respect for their work to be recognized as their own. I think the key here is after the original artist is well known and recognized for their work, then others can copy because the majority of the public already knows and respects the originator of the work.
Like sampling in a lot of music these days where they use old very well-known songs and re-mix them, it's like honoring the original musician by making their work relevant again (that's the intention I believe anyways...)

I am planning a replica project of my favorite Maxine Gadd Painting (my replica will be real life) and if I like the final outcome enough to share it, I plan to ask Maxine Gadd for her permission to share it with others. I'm not sure if I legally need to do this, but out of respect for her art, I plan to do this anyway.

Then I guess a 3rd type of art is mixed creation/collaboration. This could be planned from the beginning like several artists working on one mural together or could be one artist creates something and then someone else destructs/reconstructs it like clothing or in the case of what some people do with their mermaid tails made by one person, they then paint and/or alter the tail. In this case I think full disclosure should always be given when asked who made the art (include all the names of those who worked on it)

I think what people get upset about is when artists aren't credited for their work especially if they aren't already well-known for the work. It's unfair for someone to create something and then someone else take it and gain recognition for it without crediting the original or all artists involved.

I also think beauty is in our differences and everyone should strive to make their tails and any art with their own unique touch/style. I love seeing all the different types of tails everyone shares. There are so many unique styles and so many more places we can go with the mer-concept. Its really fun and exciting :)

I'm having a great time mermaiding. I've just finished my 3rd tail (I have 2 spandex and 1 latex/neoprene tail) I made all 3 however I would like to especially thank these people for their inspiration and tips/tutorials:

Splash Movie/Tom Shouse, Hannah Fraser, Sasha Mermaid, Mertailor, Mermaid Raven, and the MerNetwork ! (which includes everyone's contributions especially all the tutorials)

Please share if you have anything to add, agree or disagree with my ideas on how we can respect eachother :) <3 <3

[Mermaid Citrine]

p.s. do you think this little Betta Fish will get pissed that I copied his beautiful colors ;)

[Odette]

Say its your betta inspired tail and im sure the sweetheart wont mind! ;)

[Mermaid Celissa]

This is absolutely correct. When I designed my Fish Butt, I was inspired by Raven's stripes.

My design:

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=7793&d=1353963473



Her stripe tail:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/216847_415539195168833_1799095836_n.jpg



As you can see, this lovely detail adds a good bit of beauty to a tail, so I used the stripe idea to put into my tail. I didn't copy her tail, I simply used this tailmaker's stripe design in mine. I wish more mers could do this instead of completely ripping off someone else's tail. PS - I think that betta will be flattered.

[seagirls626]

Your are correct. I didn't out right copy the H2O tails for my newest tail, I was inspired by them. BTW I absolutely love your tail design Celissa!

[AniaR]

well, this is the girl who totally has a splash tail over here. I see both ends of it, and I think what it really comes down to is discretion. There are time where people 100% copy something else. Sometimes the people involved don't care, sometimes they do. But there are other times when because someone does something similar others assume it's a copy when often enough it can just be a coincidence. I have a new tail design I'm planning, I haven't posted anything online about it and so far I haven't seen a tail like it. I'll be disappointed if someone else does the design first- but, it can't be helped. Just like I'll still continue the design plan even if someone does do it first- doesn't mean I'm copying etc.

In some ways it's harder in a community so small, but I also feel like we're still really defining the community as we go, so we determined what direction it goes in.

[MerAnthony]

Imitation is the best form of flattery. Written by a man named Charles Caleb. The sad part is that alot of people don't see it this way.

[MermaidBrittany]

While immitation is said to be flattery, it is also rather irritating. Sure it GREAT if someone likes your tail or a certain aspect of, but its your idea and you thought of it which obviously mean you like what you did. If someone takes your idea it seems less unique and ruins the fun.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I always just think when in doubt ask permission.

[AniaR]

I always just think when in doubt ask permission.

I agree, or at least a heads up. Even though my tail was inspired by the movie one, I still let Jesse and Marla both know ahead of time that I was doing the splash design as they both have that too.

[Usagi]

While immitation is said to be flattery, it is also rather irritating.
Let's play the "shadow game." Haha ;P

[Rat-Soup]

I've done this sometimes, outright copied a design that I liked, usually with clothing. However, for fear of a backlash, the first thing I always say is that it's not my design, I ripped it off, and no I won't be selling reproductions of it to anyone, it was a one-off just for myself. Thankfully, so far the designers/artists in question have been understanding and grateful that I've admitted to it.

I have seen instances, however, of the original artist not having a bar of it and demanding all reproductions be disposed of, even if all credit is attributed to them.

[AniaR]

It's funny because fashion is like one of the few things that can't be copyrighted so legally you can out-right rip them off and nothing can be done about it.