launch day!

it is so unfair!
i want to stomp my feet and shout like a toddler (i have, and i do)

if you know me, or read my blog you know that “copying” is my major pet peeve. for the 13 years I’ve been in business i have had to deal with it. dozens & dozens of cases. it crushes my creative soul. it makes me sad & mad. it makes me feel violated. it make me feel as though I have been robbed. it has actually made me physically ill. Sometimes it makes me want to hide and not share any of my ideas. So – after years of feeling this way – i hope to turn my many negative creativity-stealing scenarios, into a positive message to promote a copycat free artistic industry & creative community.

copying the work of others is NOT NICE! it's simple. don't copy!

be inspired.

be creative.

be ORIGINAL.

be your best.

now – i’m aware that no ideas are truly original. i get that. all artists and creatives seek their inspiration from somewhere. what i’m talking about is an intent to replicate a work, and then market as your own - same material, same size, same colors, same fonts, same description (sometimes even cut & pasted right from the original source!)

as a consumer i see copying all OVER the place! craft fairs, etsy, catalogs, trade shows,- fabrics, figurines, decorative accessories, decor, shoes, blog copy, clothing, magazine lay-outs, wall art, jewelry, - you name it. “just because everyone is doing it" - doesn’t make it right .

as much as the internet has help my business flourish – it has also made it so easy for copycatters to easily seek, find, and copy what ever they so choose.

just as recently as a few months ago i was notified by a friend who saw images in an industry trade magazine where a company in our industry had copied (almost exactly – 99%) my simple sign design. this same company licenses work from a handful of artists – and over the years has released quite a few designs that looked just like drooz studio originals. i was trying to look the other way – go about my business- and just keep ahead of the game by creating new, fresh designs. i had finally reached my breaking point and addressed with a lawyer – TWO cease & desist letters were sent to the company – both sent certified mail, signed for and then ignored. IGNORED! not even an "we're sorry", not even a "we won't do it again" - a company is trying to profit from my hard work - and I have to PAY (legal fees) to stop them?? really - does that seem fair? The next step is for me, as my lawyer states is “at this point, your only real option is to commence some type of legal action attempting to block them from continuing to sell, which would require significant expense on your part.” hum, we’ll see.

this is just the latest. i have spent years and thousands of dollars trying to protect my designs, and trying to fight for them when i see them being copied. as far as i’m concerned it is a losing battle. i have realized that the system for maintaining & fighting copyright and intellectual property laws STINK!

so - in an effort to boost my spirits, and in hopes of bringing awareness to this issue ... (and hopefully shame others out of copying) i have founded the effort “be your original best” to promote a COPYCAT FREE artistic industry & creative community.

my intent is not to whine and cry about all the times my work has been copied and then marketed as an original idea (although i might a bit!) - but rather promote a healthy, positive effort to remind creatives to stay TRUE!

please join me! grab the button.. like our Facebook page..

shout it out, "be your ORIGINAL best!"

PS. Oh! almost forgot! this first post is a dedicated shout out to Carlisle, PA and Pleasanton, CA:: this wonderful effort would not have been possible without you!