How to break a creative’s heart
So, what is the best way to break a true creative’s heart?
That’s simple, a guaranteed way to break any creative’s heart is to say that their claim to their designs is a falsehood. That they are copies. That all they represent is fake.
Not to say it to their face, not to lay your concerns at their door, not to even entertain for a moment that you could be mistaken only compounds the pain. Yet this is what happened to me, and why my heart is broken.
When I saw the post on your page saying that you were being copied, I felt truly sorry for you. Your designs are always beautifully executed, and I felt your pain. It was only after I shared a design of mine, that your indirect response over your “original design” made the penny drop that you were talking about me! I was shocked, upset, devastated, and then I did the stupidest thing I could have done – I went back to your page and read the comments and accusations about me. It left me feeling sick to my stomach. No, my name wasn’t mentioned, but the attack on my character and my life (because yes, what I create here is part of my life) was so far from the truth I could have wept.
Against my better judgement, a few days later, I read another post. This time it was about how some people will never understand jewellery design. Once again it seemed aimed at me, an effort to diminish what I create, another arrow that found its target.
So as you don’t know me, let me tell you who I really am.
I don’t have a degree in jewellery design, what I do is intuitive and comes from my soul. It is created with love, passion and meaning and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
I’m a sensitive soul, I feel others emotions, I worry about how they feel, and what they feel about me. I’m doing something I love. I create pieces that all have great meaning to me. I even name each hare because they all have characters and personalities that evolve during the design process – they are like my children.
My style of design is recognisable through all my pieces: the progression and process is there for all to see, so if I were plagiarising you and others as stated, then this continuity could not exist.
Jewellery is 80% design, and 20% engineering, an idea can only be constructed in a limited number of ways, so on occasions things may be appear similar. This doesn’t mean they were copied. Perhaps if you’d addressed me directly I could have put your mind at rest that my designs are all my own, but that didn’t happen. So since we had no opportunity for an open and honest private dialogue, I have responded in this way.
I’m guessing that you must have felt hurt and angry and set out to say things that would make you feel better. I’m not sure if it worked, but I hope it did, because I have no wish for you or anyone else to feel upset. As a good friend said to me, there is already enough pain in this world , and I have no wish to add to it. I still think your work is beautiful, but I have a feeling I won’t be able to see it now without feeling that stab of pain in my soul. So from one creative to another, I hope you can understand why my heart is broken.