How Not to "Be Inspired"

From the comments on this post, I realize that people are taking this post in a way that I didn't really intend it. I never said that I was a good writer.  What I'm really trying to say here is just that artists should respect one another.  That's all.

Pinterest is, for the most part, really wonderful, in my opinion.  (Holy commas, Batman!)  But there is one big problem.  It's not necessarily a problem with the site itself.  It's a problem with some of the people there.  Some people seem that everything on the site is there for them to DIY it.  As an artist, I have a problem with how some people go about this.  For example, when you see my pin called "my new spring line" and then you repin it as "jewelry ideas", I can't help but worry that you are the type of person who thinks that they can make that exact same thing for less.  There are people, like me, who need to sell their products in order to make ends meet and keep from being homeless.  So if someone like you sees my jewelry, which I might add is very reasonably priced, and then proceeds to make the same exact thing,  I don't think that's okay.  It is my personal opinion that that is disrespectful.  I wouldn't do it, because I wouldn't feel like it was okay.  Sure, I don't have a copyright on my designs.  And I understand if you think a technique is cool and want to try it yourself.  But there are right and wrong ways to be inspired.  First of all, if you click to the source of the thing you want to make and it's a tutorial about how to make the thing, that's different than if it is linked from a shop where you can buy the product.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when a person sees something cool and then thinks, "That's so unique.  I should make that same thing and sell it for less than them."   It's not a legal issue at all, but it is a matter of respect. People take more time than you might expect to come up with their ideas before they even begin to make something.  You need to take that into account.  If you are truly using someone else's product for inspiration, then maybe you use a small aspect of it in your own design.  You do not simply make the same thing in a different color.  That is like copying someone's essay word for word, then changing the font and turning it in as your own.  It's still all the other person's work.  You just made one simple change which does not make it yours.  I know that are lots of other things to say on this topic, but that's all I'll say for right now.

This is clearly my own work now, because I added lipstick.