this used to happen to me often with tweets lol (both ways: getting "robbed" and unknowingly/unconsciously "stealing") to the point where i would search the "tweet idea" before hitting send so in case somebody did it before, i just RTd or QTd adding whatever i wanted to add
Hey BBSP - I wrote a long investigative piece about indie designers copying other indie designers NINE YEARS AGO for the Style section in the Globe and Mail (Canada)! You clearly bit my story idea!
I kid. Ideas circulate. Sometimes, everyone has the same great idea around the same time; sometimes, it's creative thievery. But for people tuned in to a specific kind of taste, I think accidental overlap is far more common than we think it is.
Reasoned and caring, as always. I have found that over time my focus is on maintaining my peace in what is consistently an annoying and depressing world lousy with biters and phonies. Thus I find that if I can have fun by doing a little shit talking without inflaming my own sense of indignation, I do that. If the self-righteousness is flaring, I do my best to sublimate it and keep moving - Remembering as you say “they have to steal, I don’t”. If you have something interesting going on, it’s going to change things, however small. I try to remember that’s actually a desired outcome
YES to all of this... AND my advice for all people who create things these days is to riff on Don Miguel Ruiz and be impeccable with your research.
We all see so many things in a day, and it's impossible to keep track. As much as possible, I find that it's useful to document the inspiration and the idea that comes from it as quickly as possible, in order to keep track of the difference between the two.
There's nothing wrong in being inspired by someone else's work, but there's also no need to quote.... the idea is to add to the conversation. If you don't remember what you got from absorbing the original, don't use it as "inspo", just to be on the safe side.
The above is my rule for myself, not a manifesto to follow ;)
I thought this was a nice, generous take on the subject. I’ve definitely gotten incensed in the past about copycats, but yours is the right attitude for sure. Maybe not live and let live, and one can definitely choose not to buy from the copycats, but it’s true what you say that sometimes we don’t know where our ideas come from, and maybe it’s best not to get too worked up about originality.
I used to work for an incredible chef who can make the most incredible, beautiful and cerebral dish using the most rudimentary of techniques. They were also very good and developing new modern techniques in a more molecular gastronomy style.
We often had chefs come stage with us, and frequently would find them copying out our recipes into their notebooks. And seeing items we had developed turn up on the menus of other restaurants.
The chef’s response was always the same. The technique’s, the flavour pairings and the way dishes were created were just the byproduct of the creative process. The fact that these items were going out into the world by definition meant that we had finished with them and moved onto the next thing.
Truly and enlightened response.
On the flip side…
A lot of the “second tier” brands that get featured here, and also the ones that aspire to be, a lot of them are pulling from the same references , and also buying from the same mills, and some are probably even sharing pattern cutters, this is bound to lead to a degree of homogeneity which tbh, I feel we are starting to see. Ie. Props to Evan, but success bring imitators…
I still remember when a NY homie and jewelry designer spotted her "swear" rings in a Topshop socials post, and going to the Oxford Street branch to see if I could snap a pic. It's the most I've felt like a spy ever (which now that I write it out seems a bit sad). In any event, they eventually stopped selling them and then went straight out of business. Was it thanks to my corporate espionage? We may never know.
this used to happen to me often with tweets lol (both ways: getting "robbed" and unknowingly/unconsciously "stealing") to the point where i would search the "tweet idea" before hitting send so in case somebody did it before, i just RTd or QTd adding whatever i wanted to add
as a 12 year old Triax enjoyer, the ones you have are way sicker than the one I did back in 2000!!!!
Haha
Hey BBSP - I wrote a long investigative piece about indie designers copying other indie designers NINE YEARS AGO for the Style section in the Globe and Mail (Canada)! You clearly bit my story idea!
I kid. Ideas circulate. Sometimes, everyone has the same great idea around the same time; sometimes, it's creative thievery. But for people tuned in to a specific kind of taste, I think accidental overlap is far more common than we think it is.
Reasoned and caring, as always. I have found that over time my focus is on maintaining my peace in what is consistently an annoying and depressing world lousy with biters and phonies. Thus I find that if I can have fun by doing a little shit talking without inflaming my own sense of indignation, I do that. If the self-righteousness is flaring, I do my best to sublimate it and keep moving - Remembering as you say “they have to steal, I don’t”. If you have something interesting going on, it’s going to change things, however small. I try to remember that’s actually a desired outcome
we do gotta find ways to healthily talk shit sometimes
Here's another "biter or wild coincidence" story (not quite as elevated a context as the Farhadi one)... This one I ended up coming down on the side of "wild coincidence" I think. The tough thing about accusing someone of biting is that your perception tends to be distorted by righteous anger. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/01/13/did-a-best-selling-romantasy-novelist-steal-another-writers-story
Missed this one, thanks
YES to all of this... AND my advice for all people who create things these days is to riff on Don Miguel Ruiz and be impeccable with your research.
We all see so many things in a day, and it's impossible to keep track. As much as possible, I find that it's useful to document the inspiration and the idea that comes from it as quickly as possible, in order to keep track of the difference between the two.
There's nothing wrong in being inspired by someone else's work, but there's also no need to quote.... the idea is to add to the conversation. If you don't remember what you got from absorbing the original, don't use it as "inspo", just to be on the safe side.
The above is my rule for myself, not a manifesto to follow ;)
I thought this was a nice, generous take on the subject. I’ve definitely gotten incensed in the past about copycats, but yours is the right attitude for sure. Maybe not live and let live, and one can definitely choose not to buy from the copycats, but it’s true what you say that sometimes we don’t know where our ideas come from, and maybe it’s best not to get too worked up about originality.
gotta take it on a case-by-case basis at the very least
For sure.
A "Remember the Triaxes" tee might hit Mach 4
when you wear it, every time you look down it reminds you Remember the Triaxes
I used to work for an incredible chef who can make the most incredible, beautiful and cerebral dish using the most rudimentary of techniques. They were also very good and developing new modern techniques in a more molecular gastronomy style.
We often had chefs come stage with us, and frequently would find them copying out our recipes into their notebooks. And seeing items we had developed turn up on the menus of other restaurants.
The chef’s response was always the same. The technique’s, the flavour pairings and the way dishes were created were just the byproduct of the creative process. The fact that these items were going out into the world by definition meant that we had finished with them and moved onto the next thing.
Truly and enlightened response.
On the flip side…
A lot of the “second tier” brands that get featured here, and also the ones that aspire to be, a lot of them are pulling from the same references , and also buying from the same mills, and some are probably even sharing pattern cutters, this is bound to lead to a degree of homogeneity which tbh, I feel we are starting to see. Ie. Props to Evan, but success bring imitators…
that *is* enlightened... and probably better for dude's stress levels overall
I still remember when a NY homie and jewelry designer spotted her "swear" rings in a Topshop socials post, and going to the Oxford Street branch to see if I could snap a pic. It's the most I've felt like a spy ever (which now that I write it out seems a bit sad). In any event, they eventually stopped selling them and then went straight out of business. Was it thanks to my corporate espionage? We may never know.