Well folks. I feel that I must clarify something that is weighing heavily on my soul lately. But in doing so I want to make it clear that I'm not asking for sympathy, I'm not in the mind set of "poor me" either. I just want to express this the best way I can so that I can get it off my chest.I believe that inherently people are good. That being said, I have been a trusting person and for the most part willing to take most people at their word.
When I design, pattern, I feel that it is very important to be able to look at several different ideas for inspiration, choose specific design elements, and put them together in a completely unique way. I don't believe that if you make 5 mofications (or whatever the magic number is) then you can call a pattern your own. Someone worked hard on that pattern and I don't think that its fair to the original designer. It is for this reason that I design patterns the way I do. I live by the golden rule as much as possible, and I over look it when others don't. I realize that its ok to hold myself to a certain standard, but It's not fair to hold others to the same. Because the fact of the matter is, they likely don't have the same values and standards I have.
I worked very hard at the last pattern I designed. I decided what I wanted to make. Found a design element that I felt was unique to that item and pondered it for months until I came up with a way that I could make it. Not only make it, but make it in a way that it could be conveyed in a pattern for others to make. After sending out multiple copies for the testing phase, I saw at least 3 very similar designs pop up. Ok, so the first two popped up and I thought, "there's no denying a good idea and it was only a matter of time before someone else like me would come up with the same idea. But when the third one popped up, which looked identical to my original concept, I had to wonder. Am I not protecting my patterns enough? Is it possible that there might be people masquerading in the testing pool to get ideas then steal them? Of course not! Why would they go to that much trouble?
So reason has one out. Ok so the third pattern I saw ended up not being what mine was intended for. And it does look like its contructed in a different fashion. And even though the designer originally had in mind the exact item I did, it's not the same thing.
My lesson from this whole experience? In my idea that people are inherently good, am I misguiding myself into being foolish? Should I be more selective about my testers? How else can I protect my design until its been formally published? If those of you who are reading this have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
And again, I'm not on my soapbox today to illicit sympathy or any other attention. The main purpose was for me to therapeutically release this concern that has been troubling my thoughts lately, and come up with a plan of action that will help me to avoid these feelings in the future. This is a place where I can be proactive, and this is a time when I can alter my initial thoughts to be a more level headed and successful individual.
So now you know why I chose this particular image for this post. Anyone who has worked with me in the past who would like to test out one of my latest patterns, can find mE on Ravelry as Mybb.
2 comments:
I think the unfortunate thing is, that letting just anyone test your patterns is risky. Unfortunately, this is why some designers are so selective and work with the same people over and over.
I believe people are inherently good also and yes, multiple people can have similar ideas at a time. Other times people may not consider it theft, they may see something perfect in your pattern that worked with an idea they had and don't recognize that it is too similar to yours or that it is unfair to use it in that way.
I am sorry you feel that you have been duped. Hopefully it was all just a misunderstanding or that the two had nothing to do with each other.
I'm sorry to hear about the similar patterns. I think at times, people assume that if they take an original pattern and change it up a bit, then it's completely ok, even though it isn't. And other times, people just don't care. But then again I wonder how many individuals get the same idea and incorporate it into the same design. The odds are pretty low, but sadly, it's possible C: But you know what? As long as YOUR design stands out whether in a specific stitch, or AMAZING photography, or pattern layout, then knitters will be purchasing your designs, not theirs C:
Eliana
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