since I was feeling very weak and tired the whole
week (think, I have to let my doc doing a check
up - it's not normal anymore). But I managed to
dig into some links, which has brought me to some
new finds, that I love to share with you.
Since it would be an extra long post, if I show and
tell all my finds in this one post (as I will write
background stories that go along with them), I
will do it one by one instead. So, this is the first
one.
I don't always read thoroughly the interview of
featured seller on Etsy. Normally I first read
the short description to see, either I'm interested
to know more, then I jumped into the interview
to click on the first photo. I always do that, since
the one showed is a cropped one - one can
(sometimes) see a lot more, which is so interesting.
I found it out, as I was accidentally clicking on
alyssaettinger's first photo, as she was a featured
seller last year, and found this. A hidden treasure!
After clicking the first photo, I scroll down, so
that my eyes can catch some words, without
reading the text thoroughly (I don't remember
the name of this technique to read that I've
learned in my study).
While I was scrolling down this time, my eyes
caught the word printpattern. So I hopped there
and browse for a while. A lovely site *drool* I
scroll and scroll and scroll. While drooling over
the featured designs, I suddenly stopped. I was
somewhat shocked. In their first post of 20th
January they introduced s.e.i with some examples
of their paper designs. This one has took my
breath away for a moment. The leaves are so
similar to those of my own geranium pattern.
This fact has brought me back to the past.
Silent morning, using my Geranium pattern as
a template on COLOURlovers
It's somehow amazing, how two different people
could have similar ideas without knowing each
other, but it has also scary me. I always wanted
to make something genuine and unique - which
is nearly impossible, I think. Somewhere, someone
has done similar things already or is making them
(I sometimes imagine muses, which are fairy-
like, must have meetings somewhere, drinking
coffee or tea, eating cookies and sharing ideas
with each other and then they go back to their
'masters' ^_^).
I used to have the habit to sketch my idea and
then browse in the WWW to look, either there
are already similar things created by others out
there before turning my idea into something real.
I can tell you, how frustrated I was many times,
as I was not able to accomplish my idea.
Before I opened up my shop, I've been through
this many times. I was surrounded by people
(glassbeadmakers), who was permanently
accusing each other about being copycats. I was
getting nearly crazy! My own perfectionism of
wanting to be unique in the world has almost
totally killing my creativity (as I of course already
saw similarities in every little something, even if
it was only the same color we've used for different
designs!!) and that pestering atmosphere was
simply too much.
To save myself I finally cut my connection to that
community, put my blinker on and just started
to make my own thing without looking for what
others do or could have done before and after I
accomplish my own idea. Of course my love to
surf the WWW and my addiction making treasuries
on Etsy still let me stumble upon similarities like
this time, but I can handle it better and am not
getting crazy anymore (even if it still always
took my breath away for a moment ;)). I know,
there must be real copycats out there, but I
don't think, it's our duty to judge those sad people.
Karma will do.
Stay tuned for the next surfing find! You can
check all my surfing findings here.
