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There are so many wonderful samples in the gallery. I browse through the gallery on a daily basis and gather up tons of wonderful inspiration. So when I sit down to make a card, it seems as though I take the ideas I see and 'morph' them into a card. So how do I make sure I give the credit to each person, that I got inspiration from?
Recently I made a card that someone felt as though, I 'cased' her card, because she left feedback on my card saying it was just like her card. After going back and looking at both our cards, they are similar in many ways...so I understand where she is coming from...and I feel bad that she feels I copied hers and didn't give her credit. Although I don't remember seeing her card previously it is very possible that I seen it a while back, and it just stuck with me (because I really liked it)
So I guess my question is how and when do I know when I should give credit?
Right now I am nervous to post anything I make without searching through all the cards by that set to make sure no one else has one that is similar...
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*Mandy* Heading to the Southern Caribbean!!
Just earned Alaska 2/27/10!!
Mandy,
I think if you know that you cased the card from somebody that you should give credit. But if you believe it's your idea and don't remember seeing anything similiar (such as this situation), I would not worry about giving searching the files to make sure there is not something similar posted. I'm sure we've all been there thinking it's our idea but find something that similar. And it's possible that the idea was orginal to both of you - great mind think a like!
HTH
CASE'ing means when you copy a card exactly......there are bound to be very similair cards on this site with this many creative people. Just do your best. If you remember a certain unique layout or design and you use it, maybe just put inspired by "xxxxxx". If you can't remember and you know it is something you saw from here, just put you were inspired by a card on the site, but can't remember who. I don't think its THAT big of a deal.... at least it's not to me. I feel honored if someone liked my card enough to copy or CASE it, or even if I've done something that just inspired them to go on their own. It does feel good when someone mentions your name and let's you know that you've inspired them, or given them a boost to create something similiar. Does that help? Just do your best, don't stress over it. Everyone here is pretty nice and I'm sure a lot of gals appreciate you asking!
Personally I think that it would be really rude to accuse someone of copying your card. After all, isn't that the sincerest form of flattery? I suppose if someone comes up with a cool totally new technique then you should give them credit, but with 48 colors and a limited amout of stamp sets there are bound to be combinations that get repeated. Some people need to chill out!!
I speak the truth not so much as I would, but as much as I dare, .......and I dare a little more as I grow older. -Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)
My feeling is that if you post your cards in the gallery, you are offering to share your ideas with all viewers. And hopefully if someone copies your card, your will be flattered that someone liked your card enough to CASE it. It's always nice to give credit if you remember the person...or just state "gallery inspired", etc. But I know that I'll see a little snippit of someone's card that sticks in my mind and may copy a part of it in a card I make.......without remembering who made the card. In those cases, it's okay.......it's just a card! We're all one big happy family here and ideas are meant to be shared. So CASE away ladies.
I hope you are all okay with me CASEing cuz I am cancelling all my magazine subscriptions! I am totally relying on my online sources to get ideas! I found that I keep getting magazines but I look through them once and then set them aside. I feel terrible wasting that money when I could use it to buy STAMPS!...or food for the kids, depends on their whine level! ((JUST KIDDING don't call human services on me!))
I agree that you only need to give credit if you are intentionally CASEing someone else's idea. If it's just something that you came up with on your own and it happens to look like someone elses' card, that's life!
If someone feels that protective of their artwork, they shouldn't post it here for all to see.
Just my 2 cents
Recently I made a card that someone felt as though, I 'cased' her card, because she left feedback on my card saying it was just like her card. After going back and looking at both our cards, they are similar in many ways...so I understand where she is coming from...and I feel bad that she feels I copied hers and didn't give her credit.
Mandy,
I just went back and found the comment to which you are referring. I don't think she was trying to imply that you were copying her card. I think she meant the comment more in the sense of "great minds think alike" kinda thing. After all she did say she liked it.
Besides, the layout (the image in the middle with wording underneath and the ribbon on the side) is a very common one. I bet there are tons like that in the gallery. Therefore I'm sure it's similar to a lot of cards.
I bet she intended pointing out the similarities as a compliment.
BTW, you have some great cards in your gallery. I really like the one with the kids on the frozen pond!
No, I think she meant it. In which case, she needs to "chill out" as someone else said. How can anyone be expected to remember where they have seen an idea, unless it was 5 minutes ago and they ran to copy it? And maybe they came up with the idea simultaneously and now we have to decipher who came first. Don't worry about it. That's what this site is for - to inspire.
When I completely CASE a card, same stamps, colors, layout, etc, I try hard to give credit to the right person, sometimes I don't have that name handy and just credit it as a CASEd card with a "sorry I don't remember" notation. I've even taken elements of several cards and combined into my own creation. I would not feel offended if someone forgot to give me credit, but it's awfully nice when it is remembered.
On reading this thread - I had to go and look up the card because I was so afraid it was me who posted the comment (sometimes I'm typing w/out using my whole brain ) so I guess if you are feeling uneasy about it, you could pm the person to make sure. I think if this member was truly offended she would have contacted you directly as per the TOS guidelines, rather than confronting you in an open forum like the gallery.
And I agree with whomever suggested that there are likely MANY variations of each card layout in all the galleries. It would be impossible to credit every single person who ever used that layout before you. So a nice simple - "Thanks to SCS members" or whatever should be sufficient. But if you choose not to, that is okay too!
Well, only she knows what she meant for sure, but I did not get a sense of her slamming you. I, too, think it's a "great minds think alike, eh?" kind of comment. It IS a way cute card...similar to THOUSANDS. Why? Because it's a simple yet striking layout.
I very deliberately made 4 different cards with Lexicon of Love the other day before checking out the gallery. I am in a swap and did't want to feel particularly influenced. Of course, I had to laugh when I finally did look at the gallery last night...and remind myself that, indeed, "great minds think alike, lol!"
Please try not to worry about this. Absorb all the great ideas you see here, incorporate them into your own design process, and HAVE FUN! That's what this is all about...
My feeling is that if you post your cards in the gallery, you are offering to share your ideas with all viewers. And hopefully if someone copies your card, your will be flattered that someone liked your card enough to CASE it. It's always nice to give credit if you remember the person...or just state "gallery inspired", etc. But I know that I'll see a little snippit of someone's card that sticks in my mind and may copy a part of it in a card I make.......without remembering who made the card. In those cases, it's okay.......it's just a card! We're all one big happy family here and ideas are meant to be shared. So CASE away ladies.
Well said Michelle! I also went back to compare the two cards and read the comment. I don't think that we can read into what she was thinking when she made the comment, and should not assume that she meant it as a mean comment.
This site has incredible talent and we are all fortunate that there is a place that we can share our ideas and resources. Lets keep a peaceful and fun place to share!
I wasn't sure how to take her comment, but it was what raised the question in my mind...how many of my other cards have been 'inspired' by others and did I give credit where credit is due.
This is not meant to be anything negative towards her, it was just her comment that made the light bulb go on in my head and make me wonder how everyone else handles giving credit
Thanks for all your feedback in helping me understand how this all works.
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*Mandy* Heading to the Southern Caribbean!!
Just earned Alaska 2/27/10!!
I know there are many times that I make a card which I believe to be original, (because I don't have a scanner, I rarely post anything I've done) and 2 days later an almost identical card appears. We are all getting the same inspirations from here, and our cards are going to look awfully similiar at times. There are only so many different ways to layout a design. Some elements are going to be repeated.
It is VERY easy online to read more into a statement than is really being said. You do not have the benefit of facial expression nor voice inflection.
That being said, the layout in question is a highly common one and must certainly have been done a high # of times on a site such as this one with over 20,000 stampers contributing their creations.
I really don't think the commenter meant any more than precisely what she said: Looks like one she did, and she likes it.
If you knowingly and deliberately CASEd someone else's creation, then a notation of it as such, with credit to the original artist is professional courtesy and is genuinely appreciated by all.
That is really all there is to it.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I love your cards. Great style. I will be casing the All Natural flower on vellum. That's my favorite set and I love getting new ideas for it.
I read the comment, and I thnk you may be reading too much into it. I didn't get the idea that the user was berating you for copying, I think she was complimenting you that you guys have similar styles - a "great minds think alike" comment like mentioned before.
That struck me as funny! Only because I saw a card on here that I'm positive came from a design I made and the gal said that she had seen the idea somewhere and couldn't remember where. I honestly was so proud of that design (it made it into the Stampin' Success magazine) that I wanted to put in the comments, "That was me!!!!" :lol: I did leave a comment, but was too embarrassed to say I'd designed it. I just thought it was great that she remembered it and wanted to duplicate it. In fact, her colors were prettier. I don't come up with many original ideas and my cards aren't all that great, but my husband MADE me send it to SU!--the first and probably the last. (Then I can say I'm batting 1000! :lol: )
My feeling is that if you don't want your card copied, don't publish it on the internet or anywhere else. And I don't think the gal who made the comment on your card was upset--sometimes we DO think alike.
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Patra
So very blessed and so very thankful.
God is good.
I checked out your gallery as well as the other stamper's gallery after reading this thread. While browsing through the other stamper's gallery, I found a card that was almost exactly like one I uploaded in August (hers was uploaded in October). She might have come up with her card on her own, but the similarities to my card are striking. Whatever the case, there are so many cards on this site that there are going to be dulpicates and similarities -- it's unavoidable. I think it's flattering when someone cases my work! And if I create a card that I don't want copied, I don't upload it -- it's as simple as that. Don't stop uploading your work -- your cards are terrific!
That struck me as funny! Only because I saw a card on here that I'm positive came from a design I made and the gal said that she had seen the idea somewhere and couldn't remember where. I honestly was so proud of that design (it made it into the Stampin' Success magazine) that I wanted to put in the comments, "That was me!!!!" :lol: I did leave a comment, but was too embarrassed to say I'd designed it. I just thought it was great that she remembered it and wanted to duplicate it. In fact, her colors were prettier. I don't come up with many original ideas and my cards aren't all that great, but my husband MADE me send it to SU!--the first and probably the last. (Then I can say I'm batting 1000! :lol: )
My feeling is that if you don't want your card copied, don't publish it on the internet or anywhere else. And I don't think the gal who made the comment on your card was upset--sometimes we DO think alike.
Perfect example.... but you have to admit it felt great that she mentioned it!! How awesome! I don't think anyone minds that people copy their cards, obviously they are posting them to share, but, it also takes time to design your own, and it feels wonderful when people just make a comment about who inspired them, or in your case even mentions they saw it somewhere but can't remember! Makes you want to share more... right? It's just common courtesy with Demo's, but definitely not anything to stress out over. Everyone here is WAY generous with sharing their work, so just mention it when you can if you've copied something intentionaly..... you'll feel great for making someone's day! If something you post looks similiar, don't worry... it's bound to happen, especially with such a big group of talented ladies!!
Congratulations for being published in Stampin' Sucess!! You go girl!!
reminds me of a message I sent someone in a Yahoo group. Someone posted a card and said they had CASEd it from somewhere but couldn't remember where. I was so excited I emailed her back right away and let her know it was me. It wasn't because I felt insulted at not having gotten credit. I was just SO excited to having been CASEd for the first time I had to share my glee. I even told DH about it. He looked at me like I was crazy! :lol:
What Julie HRR says is true. Having said that, I have probably cased hers in the past and then posted when I first got here without knowing it. I knew they were someone's. I had actually followed her work for literally years and produced some of her cards out of sheer like for them.
I hope if I do something that reminds them of theirs they say so. Hopefully in a nice way...........maybe with a Smiley or something. I would be glad to give the credit. I try to give credit. We have all learned so much from one another and other sources it would be hard to give credit unless its an exact replica. I think of have 2 of Julie's past cards in my gallery that I copied exactly, if that makes sense.
I have learned a lot from all of you and want to say:
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE SHARED AND WILL SHARE IN THE FUTURE..............
I agree, CASEing a design is a great form of flattery! Why would anyone copy a designe they disliked? It would be great to get credit when possible, but if someone is going to be upset if they feel someone has copied their design, then they shouldn't post it for eveyone to see. This site is all about sharing great idea!
I am so appreciate of those talented artist that take the time to share their creations! I get so busy sometimes, that I just don't have time to sit down, play and be creative, its great to get ideas here, fast! I especially love everything that Julie HRR makes and someday I would like to case them all!!! :lol:
P.S. to Julie, I became a huge fan when I saw the faux porceling bracelet published in a magazine over a year ago, which I still haven't managed to make! :(
I think to be on the safe side from now on I will just put "inspired by the everyone at SCS" :lol: .... unless I know the exactly who I got my inspiration from.
I just don't want to offend anyone, and I always try to give credit where it is due.
Being a new demo, I am still feeding off of everyones creations until I can devolp my own style. I just started stamping this summer, so I still have so much to learn. Thanks to everyone here I have learned so :shock: much in the last 8 months...you guys are amazing!!!
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*Mandy* Heading to the Southern Caribbean!!
Just earned Alaska 2/27/10!!
Let me preface this post by saying that I would be really excited if someone CASEd something of mine... it would be SUCH a compliment to me and I don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with it... AT ALL. (Of course, at the moment, my cards are SO rudimentary that CASEing this the LAST thing I expect!) :lol:
And I totally agree with everyone who said that after looking at zillions of cards, all the images start to swirl in your mind.
But when I compared the two cards in question, they were remarkably similar - I mean, right down to the color of the paper/ribbon and the placement of the sentiment stamp. I don't think Erin was trying to be mean - I think she was just stating the obvious - they *are* very similar.
And, you have to give it up for mmferg, who obviously wants to give credit where credit is due. I applaud that.
So, long post short, I think they are BOTH awesome cards. Excellent job, ladies!
PS - Another fun thing I saw during my "investigation" - emilymomto3boys had looked at and commented on both and said she loved them both!
__________________ Liz "There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'." ~ Dave Barry
I have been CASEd a couple of times and find it very exciting and flattering...especially when my name is mentioned in the description. It's like "wow - she likes me!!!"
Can I be totally honest though??? No flames :oops: Awhile back I was going through the gallery and I saw a card that was almost an exact CASE of one of mine and the poster wrote something like "inspired by someone here, don't remember who". My first gut response was - couldn't you take a minute to look up the card again to give credit since it was obviously CASEd???? I have to admit a moment of irritaion. Then I thought about how lots of times when I upload a card I'm in a big hurry and barely have time to type in the info. So I figured she just didn't have time and I went back to being happy that she liked my card enough to copy it. I too wanted to post a comment that it was me...but I didn't...I didn't know how to say it without the chance of sounding rude.
I think when we knowingly copy a card it is a nice courtesy to mention the creator's name when possible. But I also think it's not something to stress over. Bottom line - being CASEd is really great flattery!!!!!!! CASE away!!!!!
Posting in the gallery and giving credit....
