‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’.
Well, maybe. But for me, it happens to bug me a wee bit…and by wee bit, I mean sort of a lot. This past week when a few of my photos were ‘taken’ on Instagram, was when it really started to bother me.
I heard the above quotation by Charles Caleb Colton many times growing up. I would come home from school really upset because someone would have copied a drawing that I did, or bought the exact same shoes AFTER making fun of me for having ‘weird clogs’. But my parents would sit me down and explain that those people wanted to experience the same joy and happiness that I had and they thought that the things or ideas or the clogs that I had in my possession might be able to bring them that same joy. I was told that I should take it as a compliment and brush it off. So, I would huff and puff about it but in the end would try to let it go. Key word: Try.
It’s happened throughout my life - and even as an adult, I still get a bit bothered and think ‘Hey…come up with your own ideas!’ whenever I see something that I feel as though I invented reappear, but this week on Instagram was enough to make me go crazy and delete the app all together.
To make a long story short, I had a few people and accounts use a few of my photos as either their profile picture, or in their feed to draw in more followers. I personally had to request to two separate accounts to please remove MY photo from their profile picture and use their own. It felt so weird. Taking a picture for people to see. Then getting upset when people loved it so much that they wanted to ‘share’ it, but then for me to get upset that they were sharing it on THEIR account. It just seemed confusing and backwards and really exciting and sickening all at the same time.
Even writing this blog post I’m mad and honoured at the same time. What a strange sensation to feel in the same moment.
So, Nate and I had a few long deep conversations about it. He asks me: Why do you take pictures? and I respond: ‘For memories, to be creative, for people to see what I’m up to’ Then he says to me ‘Do you want to have control over who sees what you take pictures of?’ and I say ‘Yes…, and no.’ He says ‘ You can’t have it both ways love’ and I say ‘but…’ and then he reminds me that once it’s out there, on the internet, on Facebook on Insta on whatever medium I choose to open up my life to others who may or not be strangers ‘it’s gone’ It’s mine but it’s not really totally mine anymore.
Ok…
So, now what?
Well, after the 17 accounts - (yes 17 different totally separate accounts) that took a picture from me without asking permission and the two accounts that used one of my photos as their profile picture, …I’m trying to take a deep breath, and exhale slowly. I’m really working on viewing this as a huge and sincere form of flattery. I take photos so that people can see them and so that I can be creative and so that we can share what we were ‘up to’ and so, I need to be thankful and grateful that another individuals think so highly of them. That is wonderful. So that's what I'm going with right now. Hopefully, I'll be able to embrace this idea a bit more as time moves forward.
Just to let you know if you're wondering, these were the shots that we're 'shared' without my aok. But you know...it's like, not a biggie anymore. It's all good. I'm honoured, I feel blessed that they are very desirable photos and I'm happy people are viewing my beautiful little daughter and I having some serious girly time. If one other human being's day is brightened by Scarlet's smile - so be it. That is AWESOME SAUCE!!!
Hope everyone has a happy and lovely day. XO and please don't steal my photos...
Haha!
-Kate
