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In a world of poverty, war and global warming-
18 years ago
why do we really need Internet etiquette abusers?
Now listen folks, I'm not here to flame specific people or name the names of anyone here or anywhere and if you DO know who i am talking about, then it does not matter to me as I do not wish to nor have any involvement in such matters...and this is not a singular case that I have witnessed towards one person I know alone nor is it solely on FA or DA, and that really depresses me.
Look. It's a difficult world to get along in, and we have the divine gift of Network to exchange art, ideas, and friendships like never before. Using it to merely down others, espicially total strangers who've nothing personal in common with you in reality on the account that their artwork style/themes are similar to yours, and on the assumption that they have stolen it is utterly crude, and a waste of everyone's time and self esteem.
First off, although it is understandable to be angry or hurt when ppl steal your ideas or if you consider someone else's ideas by coincidence too similar to your own, but understand it doesn't MATTER if they DID steal it, which isn't the likelihood anyways. They can NOT DO ANYTHING with your work, and will never ever ever gain money from your ideas, and noone will care or know if you later on put out the same material into the world. The one thing they'd maybe gain you aren't is a short burst of a cool rep on FA forums. Wow. And if they do get it out its likely gonna be altered inevitably anyways beyond their own desires, because material that actually DOES get out there in the commercial media world is determined not by you but the clients and what is the market. Your 'thief' will also more than likely have changed it right before it gets out there on the realization that they have not created anything original or gained any sort of artistic talent by following your glorious style to the name, and will be scared of you or bored with your idea. trust me this is true. People who go genuinely proffesional as artists do but rarely on occaision fully steal, and you are not prevented from coming into the world by their laziness.
Most accusations of stealing are based on similar (usually common and easy to think up on your own) character traits that are just pure coincidence that folks just don't want to accept are so universally easy to apply to characters. People just want to beleive they are outside of the rest of humanity, and every visual idea that pops into their brain has no prior influence or must strive to be the only one who WAS originally inspired by a specific thing: eg; Gorillaz, Tim Burton, The Beatles, a favorite cartoonist or celebrity etc. Newsflash: If it is a popular influence, it is going to be a popular thing among artists to draw. You cannot possibly accomplish subject divinity and make everybody online stay away from your idea, not until the government gives everybody lobotomies, manages to breed all of humanity in seperate labcages cut off from everything that makes us human, or you somehow evolve into another species and the rest of us don't. Artists mimiced popular themes since they learnt how to use a stick and mud on cave walls.
I am not saying there hasn't been outrageous copyright infringements and stolen things before and it is wise to always protect your work beforehand, and watermark. People COMPLETELY ripping off your ENTIRE idea(s), as in to the letter stealing uniquely created species names as well as appearences, history, styles, and character titles, all in one kit and kaboodle, when it is a wholly OBVIOUS copying of all your material, then it is obviously really unacceptable- (you should still try to be the bigger person and try to be courteous and not stalk people or flame their friends who've no interest or awareness of the situation.) But this is rare, and most of the harassment cases I have been complained to about by my mates there has only been some if no significant similar traits involved. Pettiness over character trait territories is usually the deal. Eg; 'my cat-goth has red eyes and likes to chew gum a lot, she's real spunky and has bad attitude. You have someone just like that! Sure she has darker eyes, and maybe she likes to dress up like a waitress sometimes and has an entirely different personal history and name and peers...BUT YOU'RE STILL COPYING ME COS ITS A CAT-GOTH WITH A SIMILAR LINE QUALITY AND ONcE YOU DREW A PICTURE OF HER CHEWING BUBBLEGUM! GRRR!!!! DIE BYACTH YOU SUXORS IM TELLN ALL MY FRIENDS U SUK AND THEYRE GONNA BLOK U LOL!!!'
What really irks me is that these attacks are almost 7 in 10 NOT given by the rivaling artist, but their overly obsessed fans and hometown pals without their idol even knowing or caring. The artist may get upset, and even complain or attack, but afterwards usually apologizes or just shrugs and says 'screw them I can do better anyways' and gets on with their magical life. But their fans go literally OUT OF THEIR WAY and usually without even the artist's awareness of it, to put down their so called 'enemies'. They taunt and flame on shoutboards, they clog up your inbox, some even go to great lengths to stalk bunches of artists and all those who associate with them like some kind of evil Internet Gestapo, all for the fun of putting them in their place, without any previous social case with their nemisis. Some even have the balls to turn around and say "hey its cool now I am sorry be my friend? :D' and then go forth and spew rumors and lies and slander behind backs. These acts are nothing short of stupid immaturity and whether or not they feel this 'copycat' and all his/her peers deserves such foul treaments, is irrelevant. They should do better things with their time.
Instead of looking for stranger artists to flame, they could hone up their own art skills. Seek alternate inspirations. If it isn't YOUR OWN work that is being 'ripped', then you don't have the right to even give a crap and say anything. Tell the artist you feel worried for their originality and then leave it up to THEM to take action. Nobody I'll bet asked you and your pals to go forth like a Children's Crusade and kick some innocent person in the rear. And if they did, they are megalomaniac bullies who'd run a mafia better than a gallery, and YOU are a T-O-O-L. Let them do it for themselves if they are so angry.
And if you give SO much of a damn about being the ONLY artist who REALLY knows how to move it like a Burton, Seuss, Gorillaz, etc- do more research on such themes beyond just the general 'look'. GIVE a crap about the REAL original artist behind 'your look', who they were as people and what they stood for in their time and what they did OUTSIDE of their mainstream known styles/themes. Then you can actually label yourself at least somewhat of a true expert, and not just be another whiney fan who draws close-but-not-quite crap of someone ELSE'S work they think looks cool but don't really know about. Before you screech about how others stole YOUR look without their knowing, maybe you ought to look in the mirror first, or at least do some homework.
Look. Imitation (if it IS deliberate) is almost indefinitly out of flattery and not insult and EVERY artist whether intentionally, or unintentionally has in SOME way shape or form copied or done something similar to past creators because they were inspired. If this were not true, we wouldn't have what are called 'isms' or any kind of so called era in man's history and all our aesthetics and philosophies would be scattered and nobody could relate to anything. Sometimes its even just a collective subconcious thing, and mere coincidence and exposure to all sorts of subtly similar artworks in media and online influences fans to create their own spin on the look. So essentially what I am saying here is, NOTHING is unique no matter how hard you try to be so and everybody's an individual no matter how hard you'll try to conform to be like somebody else. Deal with it.
Now listen folks, I'm not here to flame specific people or name the names of anyone here or anywhere and if you DO know who i am talking about, then it does not matter to me as I do not wish to nor have any involvement in such matters...and this is not a singular case that I have witnessed towards one person I know alone nor is it solely on FA or DA, and that really depresses me.
Look. It's a difficult world to get along in, and we have the divine gift of Network to exchange art, ideas, and friendships like never before. Using it to merely down others, espicially total strangers who've nothing personal in common with you in reality on the account that their artwork style/themes are similar to yours, and on the assumption that they have stolen it is utterly crude, and a waste of everyone's time and self esteem.
First off, although it is understandable to be angry or hurt when ppl steal your ideas or if you consider someone else's ideas by coincidence too similar to your own, but understand it doesn't MATTER if they DID steal it, which isn't the likelihood anyways. They can NOT DO ANYTHING with your work, and will never ever ever gain money from your ideas, and noone will care or know if you later on put out the same material into the world. The one thing they'd maybe gain you aren't is a short burst of a cool rep on FA forums. Wow. And if they do get it out its likely gonna be altered inevitably anyways beyond their own desires, because material that actually DOES get out there in the commercial media world is determined not by you but the clients and what is the market. Your 'thief' will also more than likely have changed it right before it gets out there on the realization that they have not created anything original or gained any sort of artistic talent by following your glorious style to the name, and will be scared of you or bored with your idea. trust me this is true. People who go genuinely proffesional as artists do but rarely on occaision fully steal, and you are not prevented from coming into the world by their laziness.
Most accusations of stealing are based on similar (usually common and easy to think up on your own) character traits that are just pure coincidence that folks just don't want to accept are so universally easy to apply to characters. People just want to beleive they are outside of the rest of humanity, and every visual idea that pops into their brain has no prior influence or must strive to be the only one who WAS originally inspired by a specific thing: eg; Gorillaz, Tim Burton, The Beatles, a favorite cartoonist or celebrity etc. Newsflash: If it is a popular influence, it is going to be a popular thing among artists to draw. You cannot possibly accomplish subject divinity and make everybody online stay away from your idea, not until the government gives everybody lobotomies, manages to breed all of humanity in seperate labcages cut off from everything that makes us human, or you somehow evolve into another species and the rest of us don't. Artists mimiced popular themes since they learnt how to use a stick and mud on cave walls.
I am not saying there hasn't been outrageous copyright infringements and stolen things before and it is wise to always protect your work beforehand, and watermark. People COMPLETELY ripping off your ENTIRE idea(s), as in to the letter stealing uniquely created species names as well as appearences, history, styles, and character titles, all in one kit and kaboodle, when it is a wholly OBVIOUS copying of all your material, then it is obviously really unacceptable- (you should still try to be the bigger person and try to be courteous and not stalk people or flame their friends who've no interest or awareness of the situation.) But this is rare, and most of the harassment cases I have been complained to about by my mates there has only been some if no significant similar traits involved. Pettiness over character trait territories is usually the deal. Eg; 'my cat-goth has red eyes and likes to chew gum a lot, she's real spunky and has bad attitude. You have someone just like that! Sure she has darker eyes, and maybe she likes to dress up like a waitress sometimes and has an entirely different personal history and name and peers...BUT YOU'RE STILL COPYING ME COS ITS A CAT-GOTH WITH A SIMILAR LINE QUALITY AND ONcE YOU DREW A PICTURE OF HER CHEWING BUBBLEGUM! GRRR!!!! DIE BYACTH YOU SUXORS IM TELLN ALL MY FRIENDS U SUK AND THEYRE GONNA BLOK U LOL!!!'
What really irks me is that these attacks are almost 7 in 10 NOT given by the rivaling artist, but their overly obsessed fans and hometown pals without their idol even knowing or caring. The artist may get upset, and even complain or attack, but afterwards usually apologizes or just shrugs and says 'screw them I can do better anyways' and gets on with their magical life. But their fans go literally OUT OF THEIR WAY and usually without even the artist's awareness of it, to put down their so called 'enemies'. They taunt and flame on shoutboards, they clog up your inbox, some even go to great lengths to stalk bunches of artists and all those who associate with them like some kind of evil Internet Gestapo, all for the fun of putting them in their place, without any previous social case with their nemisis. Some even have the balls to turn around and say "hey its cool now I am sorry be my friend? :D' and then go forth and spew rumors and lies and slander behind backs. These acts are nothing short of stupid immaturity and whether or not they feel this 'copycat' and all his/her peers deserves such foul treaments, is irrelevant. They should do better things with their time.
Instead of looking for stranger artists to flame, they could hone up their own art skills. Seek alternate inspirations. If it isn't YOUR OWN work that is being 'ripped', then you don't have the right to even give a crap and say anything. Tell the artist you feel worried for their originality and then leave it up to THEM to take action. Nobody I'll bet asked you and your pals to go forth like a Children's Crusade and kick some innocent person in the rear. And if they did, they are megalomaniac bullies who'd run a mafia better than a gallery, and YOU are a T-O-O-L. Let them do it for themselves if they are so angry.
And if you give SO much of a damn about being the ONLY artist who REALLY knows how to move it like a Burton, Seuss, Gorillaz, etc- do more research on such themes beyond just the general 'look'. GIVE a crap about the REAL original artist behind 'your look', who they were as people and what they stood for in their time and what they did OUTSIDE of their mainstream known styles/themes. Then you can actually label yourself at least somewhat of a true expert, and not just be another whiney fan who draws close-but-not-quite crap of someone ELSE'S work they think looks cool but don't really know about. Before you screech about how others stole YOUR look without their knowing, maybe you ought to look in the mirror first, or at least do some homework.
Look. Imitation (if it IS deliberate) is almost indefinitly out of flattery and not insult and EVERY artist whether intentionally, or unintentionally has in SOME way shape or form copied or done something similar to past creators because they were inspired. If this were not true, we wouldn't have what are called 'isms' or any kind of so called era in man's history and all our aesthetics and philosophies would be scattered and nobody could relate to anything. Sometimes its even just a collective subconcious thing, and mere coincidence and exposure to all sorts of subtly similar artworks in media and online influences fans to create their own spin on the look. So essentially what I am saying here is, NOTHING is unique no matter how hard you try to be so and everybody's an individual no matter how hard you'll try to conform to be like somebody else. Deal with it.
