Inspiration vs. Imitation (opens in new tab)

The article is a bit abstract - it's not clear what the author deems as ripping off. It seems that the author believes that any work from which she (or her fans) can discern resemblance to her own projects is suspect. And, if it's cutting into her wages, it makes sense that she's concerned.

But, that doesn't mean that this blog post will stop this behavior. Nor, should it. And, I would hope that other designers and illustrators don't stop ripping off as much as they should from her and others. I'm not encouraging blatant reproduction of work with no added value (e.g. copy and pasting). But, soft copying of themes, concepts, re-structuring, etc are all useful.

These intellectual transactions are very helpful to our overall intellectual economy; they help us progress. The more they happen, the better we are. There will always be 'elite' (5%) creators, on the forefront of risk and away from convention. And there will always be the other 95%, who compile, aggregate, and reproduce and fill out the space. And, that's okay.

Really well-written and extremely pragmatic -- the best way to discourage inadvertent bad behavior is to provide a face-saving way for the genuinely clueless to get on the right path.

Jessica is clearly 'inspired' by Bob Staake.

Really cool article, I learned a bunch. It's cool that she talks about the role that imitation plays in a creator's growth. A different sphere but reminds me of this rap from the song Dr. Carter.

  Good afternoon Dr. Carter
  I don't know about this one
  His confidence is down, vocab and metaphors needs work
  And he lack respect for the game
  [LW] Uhhhh let me see
  [FN] You think you can save him?

  [Lil Wayne]
  Okay respect is in the heart so that's where I'mma start
  And a lot of heart patients don't make it. But, hey, kid
  Plural, I graduated
  Cause you can get through anything if Magic made it
  And that was called recycling Re: reciting something
  Cause you just like it so you say it just like it
  Some say it's biting but I say it's enlightening