Lord a Luvin'..I'm being stalked!!...

...and so are most of the rest of you, apparently.

I mean last night I actually thought it was just me and a few others....most probably as a result of the "confrontation" I had with this individual just a week ago.

But it seems not......oh deary me! How utterly obnoxious....not to mention irritating.

Because now I'm going to have to stop posting any WIP (something I have considered recently) because one never knows who is lurking about ready to snatch the idea, throw some piece of crap together , call it "done" and start selling it on Etsy. Never mind calling it their "own made up idea" and offering a "certificate of authenticity" to boot!

It was the bogus "certificate" the recently set me off and prompted my message to this charming stalker who promptly informed me that I had cast a shadow over their day.....pity, that. Yes, of course, said she, does it really matter who had the idea first? We all often have the same ideas. She has a solid, satisfied and ever-growing customer base and will continue providing them with these miniatures at a much lower cost....

Rubbish....

So not only does she make knock-offs; she makes cheap knock offs....... I can only surmise that she is trawling for new things to make as her own. Even more galling is the fact the she has a caveat on her website that all her "handmade" items are covered by copyright laws... (ok...now I'm gagging....)

Sigh....

I have discovered that the miniature world is rife with people who have no problem taking someone else's work, blatantly copying it and then selling it. I guess it is the selling it that really rags me. I do understand if someone thinks they can reproduce a piece either because they do not wish to (or cannot afford to) spend the money to purchase it from the artist.

Some even think they can do it better....well, Bravo! to them. As long as it is for their own private collection or to give to a friend, I have no real problem with them.

It is only when they start profitting (or attempting to profit) from another's work that I get ornery. WTF??? Don't they have an original idea in their head? There is so much to be inspired by.



I don't really make many magical miniatures so I guess I have little to be anxious about except for the fact that at any given moment, the tide could turn and another miniature genre will replace it. I have decided to keep my work under wraps until it is completed....not that it will make all that much difference....and to sell my work only at miniatures shows or privately. I will no longer be listing anything on Etsy.

Oy....it's always something!

Sadly,

Tabitha

ADDENDUM: Let me clarify that while I am being "followed" by a known plageriser, I have yet to experience the heartbreak of finding copies of my work for sale by someone else. This has been the sad experience of several of my dear friends however and since the individual in question has been bold enough to add her name to my "followers" list, I felt the need to speak out and to take steps to protect my work. That is all.....