Wednesday, April 21, 2010

My Creative Space



While I am not getting a huge amount of creative projects finished lately I did make this little vintage NZ tea towel cushion yesterday, I like the way it jazzes up my bed and it was fun, simple & easy. I'm not stressing about the fact I'm not getting heaps done, this is the way it often works with me. I have a busy period of late nights and deadlines and then phases where my foot is off the accelerator & I find I'm happily making things in a more relaxed way.


Having said that there are two bunny girls who need to be finished by tomorrow before they jet off to two little girls in France, lucky rabbits!!


So they'll be needing some skirts of course, and their pink & greeny/blue cardi's are arriving in the morning. I'll show you the finished twins next week.


Rosie & I had a very happy visit from Kate & Miss Pepper yesterday & one of the topics of conversation which really got me thinking was the whole thing about who owns ideas or concepts, is it ok to share or borrow ideas etc. Some lavender hearts that were similar to mine were seen in a local shop. Did I feel funny about this? I guess I'm not sure. In one way I am but only slightly, after all the heart shape is not original and neither are pinking shears.


My Love hearts were something I came up with one day, I've made & sold a squillion of them & if someone else has borrowed the idea I guess that's ok. If it had been a complex design, something that I had worked extremely hard on to perfect, something particularly me and mine then perhaps I would feel differently. What do you think? Has this happened to you?



After the girls left yesterday I pulled out the dye pot. I've had a gorgeous Egyptian cotton doona cover languishing in the cupboard, waiting for someone to give it a new lease of life. It was white but some parts of it had become stained and were no longer looking too flash. Hmmm...what colour would I use...?


Yep, fuchsia of course!!



It came out pretty well although I don't think the pot was big enough to cope with a queen size doona cover, the coverage wasn't really even. (Max doesn't care though, he likes pink.) Still, I think it's an improvement on the way it was and I learned a bit more about the dying process. When I came out to check it in the late afternoon someone had taken it off the line and used it as a roof for a makeshift cubby. I guess that's pretty creative...it did look pretty!
So although I'm not in a creative frenzy lately things have been bubbling away nicely. I'm working on another big idea which may take a while to happen but it's fun to plan for. I'm also loving our craft nights at the Perfect Drop. It's been fun meeting some new local crafty types as well as hanging with some well known, local identities, chatting & having a laugh. What's been happening in your creative space lately? Lets zip over to Kirsty's and see what everyone else is up to. Bye for now lovely friends, xo

30 comments:

Fippa said...

HI Beck,
I love your pillow with the NZ tea towel. If you have any more NZ ones I could buy one for my mate over there she would love it too. I tried to do the linky poo thing with My page but failed. I obviously need intensive one on one lessons. Better do some work, love Phip xox

Cotton Kiwi said...

Great colour on the doona cover! Love the new pillow too. Very cool!

74 Lime Lane said...

The pink is fantastic! Love the little cushion too. A touch of France in my space today too, also wish I was heading off with the bunnies.

teddybearswednesday said...

Yep it's totally happened to me, but well there's not alot you can do about it, because well it's all so tricky ( mine was more a word thing about the bears). I mean I don't own words or ways of doing things, so I understand what you're going through.
love your cushion xo

Cathy {tinniegirl} said...

The ideas discussion is an interesting one isn't it? I like your approach to thinking about it in terms of what ideas belong to you and what are broad concepts. I always like to think that nothing good comes from copying or stealing ideas, that karma will take care of these things.

Love that cushion too.

dash robin said...

Love that bold pink colour against the green grass. Its hard to know if someone was copying when a common symbol like love hearts was used...maybe choose to be flattered?? I see knock offs of my brooches about now sometimes and for me its all about keeping on my toes and coming up with more new things...

sewing the seeds of love said...

I love your bunnies!
Adorable.
I think the internet has allowed the sharing of ideas that much easier which can also mean ideas can be "duplicated" so much easier too !

( my word verification is hemptoma- is that like hemp utopia ?? )

x PJ x

Copper Patch said...

Hey Beck, that fuschia colour is awesome! I think the incpiration vs copying is a minefield. In the end if your product is superior than you'll come out on top.
Lucky Frenchie bunnies :o)
Ab

mel @ loved handmade said...

Fantastic colour!! I adore your tea towel cushion. It's very sweet, & almost tells a story with that little picture...

Cathie said...

i love visiting your blog Beck, it's always so very pretty & creative!
the whole discussion on original work & copy, well I agree with Cathy and this sort of thing goes on with many arts, look at paintings, photography, fashion!
so, Karma darling, what goes around..

Angie said...

LOVE that NZ cushion.

The ideas discussion is a strange one, I think you have the right attitude. An obvious rip-off of a detailed design deserves to be criticized but concepts are harder to deal with.

Tanya said...

HI Beck, lots of fun things including fantastic fuschia on your blog today. The copy/ inspiration/ ownership discussion is a great one to have. I wonder sometimes about clothes patterns, if say I come up with what I think is a pretty cool way of doing a skirt and feel like it is 'my pattern' but then think, well, what got me to there (to 'my pattern' was making lots of other peoples skirts and building on my knowledge of construction etc...so is it really mine? What makes a pattern someones own? There are only so many ways/ shapes to create a skirt (for example) aren't there.

I think what people flog and it's really naughty (I reckon) is other peoples 'looks'. And this might be what happened to you. But where did you get the idea from- being inspired by others? Oh geez, it does my head in!
But you know, fabric designers do it, I was in Spotlight the other day and did abit of a double take because I thought 'gosh, are they stocking (forget who it was, say Amy Butler) fabrics now- went back and checked it out but no, it was a very similar look- I thought it was a bit of a rip off of her work- but who knows what came first.

Steph said...

What a beautiful vibrant doona! And to think your bunnies are off to France..how wonderful:)

Sally said...

I've had similar internal dialogues to that indicated by Tanya's comment. Just where does an idea start and finish?
How original can a skirt or pant pattern be? People have been wearing skirts and pants for hundreds of years and the process of making them hasn't changed that much over time.
Like you point out yourself the heart shape has also been used for a long time.
Where do inspiration and originality meet?
I don't think they really do, not in a kind of shaking hands sort of way - rather I think they come together like a lover's embrace becoming indistinguishable from one and other. I think to that end when you see other people producing ideas that resemble yours you have to remember that they share the same time and place, the same influences, heritage, inspirations and so perhaps it is not unexpected that they produce similar creative output. Perhaps possession can only really lead to heartbreak - so better to share. What you put out into the world will come back ... with any luck *fingers crossed*

Julie said...

The who owns ideas thing is hard. I've tried to be careful with my things I make and sell and have pattern sources and permission or make up my own patterns.

I was feeling a little guilty making pencil rolls as a few other bloggers actively sell these but I'm just using them for market in our little town and not going into opposition on Madeit AND I've talked to one of them about it AND I'm using a pattern freely available to everyone. Hoping I have my bases covered. I'm sure I worry about it more than most. Its a tricky area, and I'm not sure who, other than us bloggers police it!

Ooty said...

wow! As usual so many things going on in your space =D I looooooooooooove that cute NZ cushion!!! The fuschia came out amazing! )I love the last photo).
xo

ginevra said...

I think you've done lots! If this was a take it easy week... umm, gosh!

michelle said...

beck, i love it all as usual. the pillow is ace and those twins WOW.
lucky little girls jetting off to france.
i know what you mean about ideas but i kind of figure that the crafting community is a huge one and there is bound to be similar ideas along the way. out and out copying is another thing though. i know that i have several regulars in my repotoire that i have been doing for years and i have seen the same thing around that could not have been copied. it is just coincidence, in this huge group of clever people you are bound to get that from time to time.as long as people don't steal business or undercut me i don't really mind. god thats the most long winded comment ever. cheers m

Unknown said...

love that cushion! and fushia...yee haaaaa

Kirsty said...

I LOVE the tea towl cushion. Just gorgeous.

Megan said...

those bunnies are very cute, can't wait to see their little outfits!

Bird Bath said...

what a cute cushion! It's sure to put a smile on your face each time you see it. I like to hear your musings on the ebb and flow of creativity - sounds like you are happy to just go with the flow.
Good for you :)

Tania said...

There is so much grey area surrounding issues of copyright, it's difficult to get your head around 'em, let alone hope everyone else is doing the same. Which is why I rely on gut instinct and karma. What else can you do, if the rip-off isn't blatant and extending beyond the conceptual into a 'look' and 'feel' or idea. I reckon I would be extremely tempted to make contact with the 'competition' if there are enough similarities to yours. (grrrrr).

Maria Rose said...

I think copying is great, but mostly if credit is given where credit is due! We are in fact natural imitators. Plus I suspect there are very few ideas that are truly unique, we all influence each other

Unknown said...

Hi beck, there's a long history of love hearts and lavender. All you need do is google the same and you'll see how many other similar designs are out there. So make yours with your unique style and feel assured that yours will be treasured, just like all the other many love hearts being created by others will be too. Love midge

Anonymous said...

Wow! You have a lot going on. My personal favorite is the pillow. Then again those long eared bunnies are cute. Thanks for your recent comment.

Amanda said...

pillow looks great!

it is a tricky one, that ideas ownership thing, you know what they say... no such thing as a new idea that someone else hasn't thought of too. but it does make it hard when you put your heart into something and there are lots of people out there trying to make a living from craft.

WarsawMommy said...

Ooooh, I love that pink. So vibrant and cheery and perfect for summer!

Anonymous said...

I must have seen your hearts quite a while ago now, and made a mental note to self to make some.
By the time I made some for my Nan and some friends last Xmas and I had forgotten where I had originally seen the idea. It was a weird feeling and I think I commented on a post that it was such a simple idea, is it wrong to see something once and have the attitude that "I can do that" or should I feel like I was stealing...I must admit I did …and I felt quite dirty!
When I came across your Dandelion blog again, I realized it must have been here I saw the hearts, and that they must have been yours! I contacted you to apologize, and you were very gracious about it too! It did make me feel better!
While I still occasionally rattle hearts off for friends bonus presents, I personally would definitely draw the line at selling them.
But, I hope you do not mind me saying honestly, the idea is similar to bunting...I wonder if the first person to make bunting is feeling ripped off by us all for rattling some off ourselves.

With much respect from
Michele xx (aka Happydacks)

P.S. I would seriously go after anyone trying to emulate your bunnies though Beck!!!

hester said...

Hi Beck - very interesting post and beautiful images as always. I have wondered the copyright thing too. I have seen some blogs that say "please don't sell these - only make for your friends and family" which is nice and I think most people try and do the right thing by acknowledging the original inspiration. I thought of your love hearts the other day as I saw some similar ones in Peter Alexander's shop. They didn't have pinked edges though and didn't look as though they were made with as much love as yours!