Saturday, April 14, 2012

apology and a tender heart.

Tonight I opened my email to see that I had received MULTIPLE comments on a previous post. I thought this was odd since I really don't have that many followers. Then I looked to see what they were about. On a previous post (like almost a year ago), I used a print that I got off of pinterest. Apparently these people knew the artist and were very upset that I had used this without permission. I have to be honest, I didn't think anything of it. Especially since it was all over pinterest being used all sorts of ways, and because I was not intending on doing anything with it except putting it in my own home. I clearly stated that I got it off of pinterest, never claimed to have made the print myself. Never intending to sell it or use it in any other way. I think anyone who actually knows me would know that I meant no harm. 
Needless to say, I have a tender heart, and was really quite upset by all these very nasty things that were said about me. I was criticized in more ways that I thought was possible, from my very character and morals, down to my ability to be creative or make any kind of art. I just wasn't really prepared for that.
I will apologize for using something without permission, although it never even crossed my mind that that's what I was doing.  I just wish people would think about what they are saying to someone that don't even know. I know my intentions were not harmful in any way. I am not really one to speak out about anything, and I hate confrontation, but I felt like for anyone else who had looked at that post, I should apologize since clearly this was a source of much concern for others. I have removed the post. I do feel this was a very  extreme way to handle this situation, and wish it had been handled much differently. However, to anyone I offended, I am sorry.

3 comments:

  1. i'm sorry for your experience. people can be especially mean on the internet because there's not really much accountability and you don't have to actually see each other face-to-face. i know for a fact that you would mean no harm or ill will towards any artist. if the artist was so concerned with keeping the design exclusive then they should have taken the necessary precautions at safeguarding its integrity with watermarks. and lots of them. copyright is a murky area, but i would stand behind you 100% if it ever came down to an attack on your morals and personal character.

    on a side note... why were they making a fuss after nearly a year had gone by? there obviously wasn't anywhere in your post about you selling copies and you weren't claiming it as your own. and i think you even linked back to where the pin came from. just an observation.

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    1. Thank you for your sweet words. To answer your questions... I'm not entirely sure. I just wanted to openly apologize for any inconvenience I had caused. I did not even know who the author was when I used the print.

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