Copying is crap, there’s no two ways about it.  Seeing something that you created – that came out of your head – pop up on your Facebook feed, in an Instagram story, or in a private message from a friend or customer.  Yes, a word might’ve been changed, a layout tweaked slightly, but essentially there it is, your own creation, bastardised and ready to make money for someone else.  I genuinely get a physical reaction when I see it - I shiver and go all cold.
 
Nothing is truly original – it’s a simple fact.  Humans have been around for some six million years.  There have been over 100 billion human beings in that time.  Even if each one only ever had one creative idea in their whole lives, there’s bound to be some considerable overlap there.
 
We’re also now living in an age where we’re exposed to loads of different ideas – if the average person spends around two hours a day on social media that’s a heck of a lot of things we will see and – sometimes inadvertently – be inspired by.
 
I’d say that 99% of people in the world are good, honest souls, who would never intentionally copy anyone.  I will stand by that completely.  My initial reaction whenever anyone says “this is a copy of your work” is to question myself – “have you seen this before, did you inadvertently copy it?”.
 
I’ve been alerted to goodness knows how many Dinosaur Alphabets.  I didn’t invent dinosaurs - or alphabets - and although I didn’t find any others online when I completed mine, it’s definitely not to say I was the first person to draw one.  There are loads of other folk out there doing them and it’s no problem if it’s genuinely their own work.  I actually love seeing other people’s take on different alphabets.  I’m a proper alphabet nerd.
 
Over the weekend I saw a good friend of mine attacked on Social Media because she had created a design, which – by her own admission, when confronted with the original – was very similar to another local artist.  She’d definitely not copied it; it was a genuine coincidence.  She was really upset by the vitriol and abuse directed towards her by the “original” artist, and a group of her friends.  It was pretty distasteful, nasty name-calling - and totally unproductive.  At the end of the day, why the heck would anyone publicly share a work in progress if they’d willfully copied someone?
 
Which draws me to the main point of what I feel about copying – it’s not the being copied, it’s the way that you deal with it that really counts.
 
Coincidences happen.  And people will have the same ideas, at the same time.  Artists will also draw similar subjects – food, alphabets, skylines.  That’s been going on for centuries.  That’s not copying.  Heck, I’ve been accused of it myself – so I know how utterly distressing it can be if an unfounded accusation is made.
 
But when you see someone copy the exact wording and layout of a bestselling card design, you know damn well that it’s a copy.  So my general strategy in this instance is to deal with it quickly, privately and discreetly.  I think that causing a big fuss on social media just isn’t very dignified, and it’s going to cause ultimate distress for all concerned.

It’s also very telling, how someone who has copied you responds.  Some are very gracious and remove the product in question immediately.  I have, however, had a number of copiers argue with me “well I re-drew the cheeses, so it’s not a copy”, or “someone asked me to copy it” or – my favourite - “I’m just a sole trader trying to make a living”, are just a few that spring to mind.  Great, thanks for that guys, maybe just think of your own ideas in future, huh?
 
I have seen blatant copies of my designs in several high street stores – which really really hacks me off.  But if I am honest I don’t have the time or energy to pursue a lengthy and stressful campaign against the big boys.  I’d rather spend my precious time drawing new things, cos, well, that’s what I like doing.
 
I’m also not going to name and shame, it’s just not me.  I don’t want these ratbags to get any more publicity than they already have.  But even I have limits, and there are certain high street stores I keep a close eye on, especially round Valentine’s Day.  But I’m not going to be consumed by negativity.  My time’s more important than that - and I hate the drama and outrage that comes with it all.
 
So, copying.  In conclusion.  It’s not flattering, its downright bloody rude, and it’s stealing.  But, I have the capacity to come up with new ideas – out of my actual brain – so basically, I win.

On Saturday 12th August the Merseyside Etsy Team (which I'm honoured to be the Captain of), undertook our first ever Photo Walk.

We met just after lunch at the Albert Dock, and happily strolled our way round the Pier Head (braving a few showers and a lot of wind), up through the Business District (where the sun thankfully put in an appearance), through town to the Georgian Quarter and then on to Chinatown, finishing in Baltic Triangle.  We deviated from our original plan, as we'd slightly underestimated how long it'd take 25 people to walk through town on a busy Saturday afternoon!

Along the way we stopped to look at all sorts of landmarks - and our amazing Team Leaders had all prepared a bit of information about some of the highlights.  We learned about the workhorse statue and the Engineers' Monument on the Pier Head, the missing Banksy on Chapel Street and we had an especially informative presentation (with laminated sheets, no less!) at the Chinese Arch.  The highlight had to be, in the grounds of Our Lady and St Nicholas church, another tour group attaching themselves to our little presentation - all credit to Kerri, who carried on regardless!

Spending a Saturday afternoon surrounded by fellow Etsians was really lovely; wandering, chatting, discovering new things and getting to know everyone that little bit better.  All while getting some extra steps in too!

Here are a few of my photos, but to see many more check #merseyetsyphotowalk on Instagram.  To see photos from the other Etsy Teams who took part in walks on the same day, see #etsyphotowalk.

We are already in full planning mode, hoping to extend our adventures to locations further afield - but still within Merseyside.  Watch this space!

I'll be writing another blog really soon all about my Etsy Team - and how brilliant it is - but in the meantime, if you are looking for your local Etsy Team, here's a handy list of active teams throughout the UK, courtesy of my friend and fellow Team Captain, Joanne Hawker.

I’ve been offering advice to small businesses – by means of workshops and also Shop Reviews – for years; and the one thing I get asked about most is titles.   They're also the most frequently misunderstood aspect of selling on Etsy.
 
Here’s a super-brief guide to getting to grips with your titles:
 
1. First things First
 
The first word in your title is most strongly weighted on Etsy, and then the second is the second most important etc., so bearing this in mind try to choose the most important and descriptive word/s to go at the beginning.
 
Avoid using really broad terms such as “large” or “set of four” at the beginning of your title – they’re just not descriptive enough.  Likewise, don’t use anything too niche as no-one will find your items!

Sounds obvious, but don't use the fancy titles which you have given to your artwork - as unless someone has already seen the art they won't know to type in "Deathly Days no 7"; you'll be much better using a term such as "Green and Red Skulls Art Print".
 
2. Use the Space
 
You have 140 characters – so use them!  You can use little searchable phrases and split them up using punctuation (I use hyphens as I find them more visually appealing, easier to read, and it’s what Etsy have recommended to me).  Think of the various phrases someone's likely to type in when looking for a product like yours.
 
So, for example, for a Silver Wedding Anniversary card I would use a title along these lines:
 
Silver Anniversary Card – Personalised 25th Anniversary Card – Twenty-fifth Anniversary Card – Personalized 25th Wedding – Silver Wedding Card

I stick to UK English in the first instance, but using American spellings can also help.  Etsy do recognise both UK and US spellings for common words, in their search, but for less common words/terms it's good to use both.
 
3. Finding the Words
 
The words you use for the title and the keywords can and should be influenced by what you get if you start typing into the Etsy search bar.  This drop down will show you the most commonly searched phrases on Etsy.  Bear in mind that you might not want to use all of these, you may wish to go a little more niche, but this can be a great starting point.
 
You can also ask friends or customers, pose it as a question on social media (“what would you call this?” - great for some interaction and reach) or use an online thesaurus.  It's so easy to overlook words or phrases that people might commonly use when looking at your product, specially when you are so close to the object yourself.