They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — and sometimes that’s true. If my work inspires someone (just as I’m inspired by history and antiquity), that’s brilliant. Inspiration keeps the creative world turning.
We can be inspired by something unconsciously – without realising, we’ve been inspired by an old painted sign, the colour of a weather-beaten door or even by something shiny that intrigued our Magpie sensibilities.

But there are exceptions… like the chap who came to my stall, said “this has given me loads of ideas,” and told his wife to take a photo of my display. 
At the time, it felt like a personal attack, and it took me a long time to get over it.

This was my second ever fair.  I hadn’t yet developed the thick skin to just let it bounce off, and I really didn’t know what to say.  I had no idea how to process it, and I just smiled and sat behind the stall a bit bewildered.
After quite some time, I came to a realisation… it didn’t matter how many photos this chap got his wife to take, he could only work from what I’d already made. 

Or, more to the point… he doesn’t have my brain (lucky for him).

My brain is like a huge, squishy load of spaghetti – even I have no idea what I’m going to make next.  Even if I have a rough idea, my brain races off on weird tangents – a big ball of multi-coloured yarn just getting more and more jumbled while I’m making.  

So, I often have no idea what I’ll be making next, especially when I’m working with materials in the moment.  I work from a weird mixture of intuition and instinct, and that’s something you can’t copy.  Heck, even I can’t copy myself!

I’ve been surprised (and happy!) that a lot of creative people I’ve spoken to work this way – not just jewellery makers – so perhaps it really is all about how our brains are wired? 

So if someone does steal, yes, it feels personal – that’s because it really is personal.  It cuts deeply because when you’re a maker or creator, you really care about your work and how it’s perceived.  That might be the downside of being emotional at this sort of thing, but it’s also an affirmation that the way your brain works… really works.  If your brain didn’t truly have something special about it, your ideas and creative spirit wouldn’t be worth stealing.

And if the copycat had a brain that worked like yours, they wouldn’t need to steal your ideas.

Keep creating, and don’t let other people ruin your creativity and originality – only you can be you – and no-one can ever steal that from you.

Thanks for reading my little blog post. If you’d like to find out more about me, my work, and the stories behind each piece, you’re always welcome to explore the rest of Stuff By Rox. You’ll find jewellery, gems, and a few unexpected treasures along the way. And if you’d like to say hello in person, keep an eye on my events page – I’d love for you to pop by, say hello, and see the sparkle up close.