#got a message that someone had taken art including one of mine to sell on etsy

[4rt1f1c14l]

visiting statue ⊹₊ ⋆

[healthyworthyofficial]

Woman, 24, makes £30k A MONTH selling nude pics online after quitting her job

A GLOBAL jet-setter has revealed how she went from being a “skint student” to earning over £30,000 a month virtually overnight, by quitting her degree to sell nude pictures and saucy videos of herself online. Raking in 12 times the average annual UK salary of £30,420 each year, at just 23, singleton Kaya Corbridge owns her house in Lancashire outright, and holidays in far flung destinations such as Bali, Barcelona and Australia.

Kaya Corbridge makes £360,000 per year on OnlyFans selling racy photosCredit: PA Real Life Her luxury lifestyle became possible after she quit her degree course in international relations and global development at Leeds Beckett University in September 2017, after just four weeks, to focus on her OnlyFans account – a subscription service where content creators provide exclusive material to their subscribers, or “fans.” Kaya explained how her content  – which fans pay a fee to view – can range from naked pictures to videos of her feet. She said: “I set-up my OnlyFans account on a bit of whim.  I just thought I’d give it a go – I never thought it would change my life in the way it has. “In my first year I made £255,000 and now I earn about £30,000 every month – I’m in the top one per cent of OnlyFans earners in the world.”

Kaya now owns her house in Lancashire outright after joining the platformCredit: PA Real Life Life before her saucy endeavours was far from luxurious for Kaya – who also provides additional “favours” for fans, which can include rating pictures of men’s intimate parts. Her previous jobs have included being a “cash-in-hand” waitress at 14, working in McDonald’s, Lidl and as a part-time tour operator. But now Kaya, who has a brother and two sisters who she prefers to keep anonymous, says money is no object, adding: “Last year I bought my first house and paid for it outright. “It cost £125,000 and it’s lovely. It’s got two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a balcony and a garden and it’s made me want to buy a second property soon. “But I’m hardly there, as I spend most of my time travelling the world.”

Kaya now holidays in far flung destinations such as Bali, Barcelona and AustraliaCredit: PA Real Life She continued: “I love exploring and seeing new places and I love being my own boss, as I can still work from wherever I am in the world. “Since I started OnlyFans I’ve visited 20 countries, I’ve taken my mum to Paris, Poland and Barcelona, and I spent a few months in Australia. “I travelled in America, saw more of Europe, then went to Bali and now I’m travelling around South East Asia. I’m hoping to have been to 30 countries by the end of the year.” OnlyFans content providers like Kaya have a photo feed, like Instagram users, showing pictures but she also takes private requests.

Her previous jobs have included being a “cash-in-hand” waitress at 14, working in McDonald’s, Lidl and as a part-time tour operatorCredit: PA Real Life

She usually does one post a day  – a mixture of pictures and videos Credit: PA Real Life “For private requests people can pay for nude pictures and videos of me and some more naughty things, too, like strip teases. “There’s a function called Strip for Tip, and during a live video the more money my subscribers send me the more clothes I’ll take off. “I usually post once a day  – a mixture of pictures and videos – but the most time consuming part of the job is making sure I reply to everyone’s messages. I can get hundreds in a day and it can take hours to reply to them all.”

Kaya says money is no object now and she wishes she had joined soonerCredit: PA Real Life Despite her enviable curves,  Kaya says many of her fans – who are mainly men but also gets women and couples interested too –  just want to focus on her feet. She said: “People have a real thing for feet. I’ve made thousands from mine! “Sometimes, they just ask for pictures of them – or they’ll want videos of me rubbing oil on them, or of me just walking along in the sand. It’s easy money.” She added: “Men also pay me to rate their privates. They’ll send me a pic, then I’ll tell them what I think of it in exchange for money. “Plus there’s the girlfriend experience. Men ask me to speak to them as if I’m their girlfriend for one day and pay me for it. I chat through messages or voice notes. Usually, they’ll tell me what type of girlfriend they want me to be. “Honestly, it would blow people’s minds if they heard what some men ask for – but I just let it go over my head.” She has turned down some of her fans’ more lurid requests for items of worn underwear, to shave her hair off and, on one occasion, to put a slice of bread in her shoe, walk around on it all day and send a male admirer her crumbs.

Sometimes Kaya’s fans use their initiative and buy her surprise presentsCredit: PA Real Life She also has fans who want to “gift” items to her, which she says can be very useful. Kaya, who did her own poll to determine the profile of her fans, which she believes are mostly men in their 20s or 30s, said: “For fans who want to give me gifts, I have a ‘Wish List.’ All I do is add items that I want to it, so they can go and buy them for me. “I ask for all sorts, usually just boring every day items. My brother needed a new mattress recently, so I added it to my list and someone bought it. “When I moved into my house, I asked for things like a kettle and microwave, as well as candles and cushions – and got those gifted too. “I’ve also been given a phone, trainers, clothes, vouchers and books.”

Kaya did her own poll to determine the profile of her fans, which she believes are mostly men in their 20s or 30 Credit: PA Real Life Sometimes Kaya’s fans use their initiative and buy her surprise presents. “I get sent outfits that people want me to wear on camera,” she said. “I’ve been sent a policewoman and a nurse outfit before, as well as a tutu, fishnet tights and a corset. “I also had rope sent to me. I was just like, ‘So, what am I meant to do with this?' “The next day a book arrived which was called The Art of Rope Tying, so I’m guessing they wanted me to tie myself up in rope.”

Within the first month of Kaya being on the app, she had made £8,500Credit: PA Real Life Her fans can also help to maintain Kaya’s immaculate appearance. “There’s a function called ‘Adopt a Bill,'” she said. “Using that, people can pay for me to get things like get my nails or toes painted.” She continued: “Or if something crops up – like if I need to go to the dentist – they can pay for that, too. “I have extensions, which can cost a small fortune to maintain, so, sometimes, I ask for contributions for my hair.”

Her fans can also help to maintain Kaya’s immaculate appearance. Credit: PA Real Life Looking back to September 2017 when she first opened her account, Kaya’s life now is unrecognisable. “For those couple of weeks when I was at university I was as poor as hell and could barely afford to eat,” she said. “I was always worried about money, my parents didn’t have a lot, but they scraped together all they could to give me an extra £30 a week. “I remember being in tears because my laptop basically blew up and I couldn’t afford to fix it.” Her life changed in an instant, however, when, browsing Twitter one day, Kaya found someone with an OnlyFans account and decided to follow suit and start her own.

Fans have sent her a phone, trainers, clothes, vouchers and books Credit: PA Real Life

Kaya decided to quit her university course and concentrate on OnlyFansCredit: PA Real Life She said: “I set it up, then forgot about it for a while. “A few days later I uploaded a bikini picture of myself to see what happened. "When I woke up the next day I checked my account and I’d made £250 overnight – I couldn’t believe it!” After that, she continued to post intimate images and videos to the website. “Within the first month I’d made £8,500,” she said. “I knew I was on to something good, so I decided to quit my university course and concentrate on OnlyFans.

When Kaya was at university she was as 'poor as hell' and could barely afford to eat Credit: PA Real Life “To be honest, I only went to university because I wanted to get a charity job doing international aid. “Now I can volunteer for charities while still earning a wage through OnlyFans. “In January I volunteered at a dog rescue centre in Koi Samiu in Thailand for a couple of weeks – I loved it, and I hope to do some more volunteering soon.”

She said she can now volunteer for charities while still earning a wage through OnlyFansCredit: PA Real Life Meanwhile, Kaya’s online work is fully supported by her loved ones. “My family and friends are happy for me and so supportive of what I do,” she said. “I’ve been honest with them the whole time. As soon as I posted my first photo, I told them what I was doing. “And while my family would never expect anything from me, they know I’ll always look after them.” “I’ve taken my mum on countless trips, I bought my brother an electric bike and I bought my mum a new washing machine and a laptop. “My sister had a baby and when she got her own place, I put together a little moving in fund for her, so she could get everything she needed for her new home.”

Kaya’s online work is fully supported by her loved ones Credit: PA Real Life And Kaya certainly has no plans to quit her current role any time soon. “One day I want to have my own little empire,” she said. “Now everything is so much easier, I never worry about money. “Whatever I do next I’ll have to transition into, because right now the money I make is too good to give up. “This job has given me complete freedom to do what I want and, hopefully, I’ll never have to see my family struggle again. “My only regret is that I didn’t start doing this sooner.” Read the full article

[badasscrossstitch]

Channeling My Rage...

Good Morning Friends:

I am going to channel my outrage into what I hope will become a positive public discussion around copyright in the social media and digital age. Let me start by saying, in most cases I believe people either don’t know or just don’t think about their use of other people’s art, images, words when it comes to “sharing” on social networks or online. I never assume malintentions. I do my best to gently educate folks on copyright and crediting when I see my work used without a shout out or some acknowledgement that I created it.

In this new era, I believe we need to be having conversations about how to respect the creative work of others while also uplifting it and honoring it – through sharing. Plagiarism is an important thing we teach in school. You can be kicked out of college for plagiarizing someone. I believe we should be deeply considering and having meaningful discourse about “sharing” on social networks. What does “citing a source” look like today in terms of social media?

These insidious little moments of sharing without citing the source might seem silly to some, but I argue they lay the groundwork for much more egregious plagiarism or just straight up theft. Let’s explore a case study that is happening right now and has led me to want to write this article.

LASULA boutique is an online clothing store that seems to cater to both the UK and US markets. It is “home to the latest fashion flashes from across the globe.” 

Based on my research, they appear to make what I call “disposable clothing” that is modeled after whatever some celebrity wore that week. I call it “disposable clothing” because it’s made cheap and fast in developing nations in order to create clothing that is “in fashion” for a moment. It’s not meant to last as it is usually “out of fashion” in a few weeks and you dispose of the items and have to buy more. 

Their online reviews, depending on where you look, range from 5.8/10 starts to 1.7/5 stars; most reviewers speaking to the shoddy quality of their products. But hey I’ve never bought anything from them so who knows.

What I do know, is that they took my design and stitched it onto jeans, used my name in the product description, and sold them for 22GBP (roughly $30 USD) on their website.

I also know that they posted a photo of said jeans on their Instagram, which has 723,000 followers, which earned them 3,329 likes, without crediting or tagging me (gee I wonder why). That doesn’t even include the posts by their paid brand ambassadors. I spoke with one and she had no idea the design was stole and then graciously archived her post. 

To be clear: I DID NOT know about this. I DID NOT give them permission to use my design or my name. I DID NOT sign a licensing agreement. I DID reach out to them via Instagram yesterday and have not heard back from them.*update: I heard from them...more on that in a few days*

Perhaps now you can see why I want discourse around this.

The piece of art I made that is now “famous” I guess, was created when our shitbag president said “grab ‘em by the pussy” on film AND STILL GOT ELECTED PRESIDENT. But that is not when that piece got famous. That happened when celebrities shared it when fuckbag Harvey Weinstein got called out and taken down.

I got over 1,000 requests via Etsy and Instagram from folks who asked me to stitch them one and/or “put it on a shirt” so they could wear the message around. That led me to: create a FREE embroidery pattern so that those thousands of people could stitch their own to wear or gift to others. I also created a RedBubble shop with some products with the design/expression on it so folks could wear it loud and proud – I have always clearly stated that I make NO PROFIT off of this. I donate all of the proceeds (which is like $2 an item because I chose to keep the price point as low as possible for buyers) to the nonprofit Advancing Justice | Chicago. To date, we have raised just over $1,000 for the organization through the sales.

Profiting off of this message and this moment is NOT something I am willing to do. I have been very clear about that. So the fact that LASULA (and many others as you will see below) are stealing my work to attempt to profit off of is UTTER BULLSHIT. They are slapping MY ART onto jeans and are selling them to you as a “fashion flash”… whatever the fuck that means.

They used MY NAME in their product description without my permission…no doubt thinking that was them being “thoughtful” or “citing their source”.

Here’s the deal, I teach classes at Columbia College on how to protect creative works, write licensing agreements and contracts, and how to protect your name, brand, and art. I would be a really shitty teacher if I didn’t use this moment to bring this to light.

I am angry that my art and my name have been coopted to make this company money.

I am angry that they are selling women the idea that a piece of my art that represents the women’s movement should be stitched onto the butt of skinny jeans and paired with “a bodysuit and some boots for the ultimate babe vibe.”

The part that I am grateful for is that I know my rights and I have a digital community that regularly has my back. So many artists do not have that. They are making incredible art and are REGULARLY being ripped off and their work exploited by fashion companies who apparently can’t seem to afford to hire artists.

I MUST stand up; not just for me but for every other creator whose work is being bit-for-profit and their objections aren’t being heard or listened to.  

My website states:

BadassCrossStitch.com™ © 2015, All Rights Reserved Worldwide

What does that mean?

It means that I created this art for you to use to make your own art. If you share your art with the world all you have to do is credit my art too. If you post it on Instagram for example, you would say something like: Pattern by: @BadassCrossStitch – it’s like citing your sources. And you know I’m going to double tap that and share the love! (win/win)

It also means that you can’t sell the work without my permission. Here’s the deal, if you are an independent artist or crafter and you want to stitch a piece or two to sell at a craft fair or on Etsy – you have my permission so long as you clearly state the pattern is mine. I extra approve if you give a portion of your profits to a nonprofit doing great work for women.

No one has my permission to use my work on a large scale (making more than 3 pieces to sell, or any advertising, or commercial applications – you know billboards, t-shirts, jeans, mugs, and shit like that) without my written permission. Businesses, brands, ad agencies, and the like (should know better) and should definitely not be biting my work. That said, I’m totally down to talk about all sorts of applications but it will require a contract, licensing agreement, and dollar bills y’all. 

Cool? Cool. Thank you for supporting and respecting the work of artists! You are badass.

I am not an unreasonable human. I create art to inspire other people to create art. I do NOT create art so companies can exploit my work and profit from it.

Think I’m exaggerating? Check this out:

That is just from a simple google search that took me 3 seconds. I still have $40,000 in student loan debt. You think I couldn’t use the money? OF COURSE I COULD!

*takes deep breath*

My friends, thank you for reading this. The only call to action I have for you right now is to please have an IRL conversation with someone today about this idea. Talk about how you share things on social media. Talk about what you think crediting a creator looks like. Talk about plagiarism in the digital age – what does that even mean? Let’s have conversations around this NOW. Let’s work together to define what we believe is just and equitable.

Thank you. I love you.

Shannon

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

'Being fat is not beautiful. It's an excuse': Revolve accused of fat-shaming with sweatshirt meant to shine light on horrors of trolling

Revolve is being dragged through the mud for releasing a fat-shaming sweatshirt. (Photo: Revolve)

What started out as a well-meaning sweatshirt has led to an uproar on social media over mixed messages about fat shaming and body positivity.

Social issues advocate and artist Florence Given found the sweatshirts on Revolve’s website on Wednesday, with the featured image showing a straight-size model in a pullover that read, “Being fat is not beautiful. It’s an excuse.” Disgusted by the message the sweatshirt sent, Given shared photos of it on Instagram. She also showed another sweatshirt the brand had on its website, emblazoned with the phrase, “Too boney to be boned.”

In tiny print below the quotes, the sweatshirts say, “as said to” beside an Instagram handle, giving the impression that these were comments pulled from someone’s Instagram account. The accounts attributed on the sweatshirts belong to models like Cara Delevingne and Paloma Elsesser.

According to Fashionista, the quotes were comments reportedly said to famous women — but the campaign backfired when the apparel was released early without any context. Since the $168 sweatshirt went up on Revolve’s website on Wednesday, Twitter has been awash with comments bashing the brand for the offensive message.

why is no one talking about revolve selling a “being fat is not beautiful it’s an excuse” sweatshirt, that’s so messed up

— m (@valentisilk) September 12, 2018

Hi @REVOLVE let's talk about why this is so misguided and stupid: https://t.co/YrLAe8yBNP

— Tyler McCall (@eiffeltyler) September 12, 2018

What is there to say about @revolve's decision to include this sweatshirt in their inventory? That they think it's okay and will resonate with their customer base speaks volumes. pic.twitter.com/9x1xXXyBGR

— Lisa Braun Dubbels (@lisadubbels) September 12, 2018

honestly i sometimes wish i covered body positivity all day everyday because i'd love to go IN on this https://t.co/USC2C7SWnU

— Izabella Zaydenberg (@belkabelka) September 12, 2018

Also like may I say that the attribution text is so small as to render my first few reads of the sweatshirt as CHAMPIONING this awful line? You could read the quote a city block away but would have to be in conversational distance to catch the "as said to".

— Jenna Kass is sleepy (@JennaKassArt) September 12, 2018

The sweatshirt got the attention of outspoken actress Jameela Jamil, who posited a rhetorical question for the brand.

Jesus Christ @REVOLVE what are you doing?! pic.twitter.com/Jtv0fHQEpI

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) September 12, 2018

Tess Holliday, a plus-size model who recently faced backlash from haters over her history-making Cosmo UK cover, also called out Revolve for being “a mess.”

LOLLLLL @REVOLVE y’all are a mess. pic.twitter.com/CrzOkd5oE4

— Tess Holliday 🥀 (@Tess_Holliday) September 12, 2018

“They have a huge following that’s mostly young women and they are perpetuating the toxic idea that our worth is tied into our size,” Holliday said in a statement to Mic. “They must have never seen me, because I’m fat and beautiful.”

Instagrammers were just as angry. “I am actually disgusted and bewildered….. who in the design meeting thought – “hey – I know a good idea” … and what idiotic team agreed with them!!??????” someone commented on Given’s post. “This can’t be real,” another pleaded. “BEING DISRESPECTFUL ISNT BEAUTIFUL ITS DISGUSTING.”

Revolve already has a reputation for its lack of diversity (remember #RevolveSoWhite?) and this sweatshirt is just fanning the flames. According to Fashionista, the largest size available in the sweatshirt was an XL. And that’s a stretch for Revolve, since the brand usually doesn’t sell anything beyond a size L. Just look at its size guide.

The fact that the sweatshirt is modeled on a slender woman is just a slap in the face to curvy girls everywhere.

So…. @REVOLVE thinks its okay to market this sweatshirt — which only comes up to an XL, by the way — by putting it on a thin model? Considering Revolve doesn't even have diverse influencers this is….A Choice. https://t.co/40R1iWTHkp pic.twitter.com/JhdonQbF3Y

— Tyler McCall (@eiffeltyler) September 12, 2018

“Can’t believe this is real? Why wouldn’t they just hire Paloma or another model who has been a victim of this kind of thinking. Do better @revolve @lpa,” someone suggested on Instagram.

As for plus-size representation? If you Google “Revolve plus size” you’ll find it. You won’t find anything in it though; there are “0 items” in the section. Not even the sweatshirt in question.

Revolve’s plus-size section is empty. (Credit: Revolve)

If this was Revolve’s foray into size inclusivity, it appears the brand missed the mark.

Given got a hold of LPA founder Pia Arrobio on Instagram, who explained the idea behind these sweatshirts, which was a collaboration with five women to “shine the light on how horrible trolling is.” The plan was to launch the sweatshirts on Thursday, but they “went up early on Revolve for some reason,” Arrobio tells Given on Instagram, before the context of the quotes was made clear.

View this post on Instagram

UPDATE: heard back from @palomija and she told me she is MORTIFIED about how this quote has been used, and is asking for her quote to be pulled • The brand @lpa responded and they have got @revolve to take down the shots – this is our convo. Problematic marketing = a problem with diversity in the work place. This is still incredibly problematic and an awful attempt at ‘claiming back’ toxic narratives because (in my opinion) it just gives them power by putting them back into the world and at a £162 price tag. The designs went up to XL, so the women who this tee is supposed to ‘empower’ probably wouldn’t even fit into one. But at least we got the pics taken down…Ugh.

A post shared by FLOSS (@florencegiven) on Sep 12, 2018 at 8:23am PDT

One of those women, actress Lena Dunham, distanced herself from the project Wednesday afternoon in a statement, citing Revolve’s presentation of only “thin white women.”

“As a result, I cannot support this collaboration or lend my name to it in any way,” Dunham wrote in part. “This doesn’t take away from my love or respect for what Pia has done with LPA, but I am deeply disappointed in @revolve’s handling of a sensitive topic and a collaboration rooted in reclaiming the words of internet trolls to celebrate the beauty in diversity and bodies and experiences that aren’t the industry norm.”

View this post on Instagram

  For months I’ve been working on a collaboration with my friend Pia’s company LPA through parent company @revolve – sweatshirts that highlight quotes from prominent women who have experienced internet trolling & abuse. This is a cause very close to my heart and the proceeds were meant to benefit charities that help young women by empowering them to express themselves through writing and art. Without consulting me or any of the women involved, @revolve presented the sweatshirts on thin white women, never thinking about the fact that difference and individuality is what gets you punished on the Internet, or that lack of diversity in representation is a huge part of the problem (in fact, the problem itself.) As a result, I cannot support this collaboration or lend my name to it in any way. This doesn’t take away from my love or respect for what Pia has done with LPA, but I am deeply disappointed in @revolve’s handling of a sensitive topic and a collaboration rooted in reclaiming the words of internet trolls to celebrate the beauty in diversity and bodies and experiences that aren’t the industry norm. *** I’d like to especially extend my love and support to @palomija, whose quote was the first to be promoted and mangled. She’s a hero of mine. Like me, she gave her quote in good faith and shared her vulnerability in order to support arts education and to spread her message of empowerment, and she wasn’t consulted in the marketing. Not an ounce of negativity should be sent her way. *** My only goal on this planet is to empower women through art and dialogue. I’m grateful to every woman who shared a quote and so disappointed that our words were not honored. As a result, I will be making a donation to the charity of every woman’s choice who was wronged with me and I hope that @revolve will join me with a contribution of their own. *** P.S. This Rubens painting makes me happy because it’s about women joining in love, but he didn’t recognize diversity at all- he just loved curvy butts. Problematic fave.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Sep 12, 2018 at 11:47am PDT

Social media users were unhappy with more than just the way the top was modeled.  “[O]kay but why would they sell a shirt like that???” someone commented on Instagram. “Even with the explanation, those shirts are an awful and poorly executed idea.”

When the answer is “The merchandise went up early? Also, fundraising! And bullying is wrong!” to the question “Why are you selling a sweatshirt conflating fatness with laziness?” perhaps a rethink is in order? https://t.co/bJzdtovmHj

— The Immortal Iron Feminist (@lschmeiser) September 12, 2018

This sweatshirt from @revolve is part of a series of things said to different women BUT the truth is you’ve put this on a sample size model .. sizes only go up to a 10, it’s kinda hard to… https://t.co/GBd4avU4vJ

— Curves Become Her (@AartiOlivia) September 12, 2018

“This morning, images of a forth coming LPA collection were prematurely released on Revolve.com,” Revolve told Yahoo Lifestyle. “The capsule collection – originally conceived by LPA alongside Lena Dunham, Emily Ratajkowski, Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and Paloma Elsesser – was set to debut tomorrow as a direct commentary on the modern day ‘normality’ of cyber-bullying and the shared desire to create a community for those most affected by the epidemic.” Proceeds were set to benefit “Girls Write Now,” a charity focused on mentoring underserved young women and helping them find their voices and tell their stories through writing.

“We at Revolve sincerely apologize to all those involved – particularly Lena, Emily, Cara, Suki and Paloma – our loyal customers, and the community as a whole for this error,” they added. “The collection has been pulled. We are proud to donate $20,000 to ‘Girls Write Now’ in the hopes that those who need it can still benefit from what was to be a meaningful, insightful and impactful collaboration by LPA.”

While the brand admitted the promo shots were poorly executed, they would not comment on how those photos came to be.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Magazine editor gets called out for fat-shaming: ‘Why are you using 3 fat and out of shape women for your models?’

Woman fat-shamed by bakery customers gets revenge by buying all the cupcakes

Woman says she was fat-shamed at Universal theme park — and she’s filing a discrimination complaint

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[asgardian--angels]

Fandom Merch for sale!

Hi guys! I’m finally out of college and back home for a few months between jobs, in order to get my life together before grad school. Part of that is cleaning out a whole lot of stuff from past obsessions of mine. If anyone still follows me from several years ago, maybe you remember I was hugely into Superwholock, and so I have a lot of fandom merchandise lying around that I purchased at Boston Comic Con some years back. I need to get rid of it to make space, so I was hoping to sell it off for cheap. I’ve learned my lesson to be stringent in what I buy at these comic conventions, and limit my purchases to things I can actually use.

As you know, merchandise at conventions are overpriced, so I paid a modest sum for some of these things. But I’m more concerned about making sure they go to someone who’d appreciate them in the way I never was able to, so I’m cool with selling them for a few bucks. These items were never taken out of the packaging I bought them in until now, to take photos of them. 

I have three prints, all are ~ 10x8 in:

Firefly

Jim Moriarty from BBC Sherlock

The Master from Doctor Who

The first two are loose, and the third is in a thick protective plastic sheath that I bought for it at the time. It can slide easily in and out of it. They are printed on glossy photo paper, the Master one looks like it’s printed on slightly nicer paper. They’re all untouched, no fingerprints etc. I bought these with the intention of framing and hanging them and well, that never happened (along with my several photo ops and autographs...). I paid ~$20 for each plus $5 for the plastic on that last one, but I will sell them for, idk, $10 each? If you want two, it will be $15, and if you want all three, it will be $20. I’ll throw in the plastic protective sleeve for free, it prevents it from getting bent.

I also have this:

This is a deck of Supernatural trading cards I bought at the convention. The cards come in a clear hard plastic box. There are 72 cards, a full base set. 

I think they’re from season 3. The deck is divided into a John Winchester set, a Dean set, and a Sam set. The wrapper says there’s a chance of special cards in each pack, etc etc, but this one doesn’t have any, sorry :/ However, this is the only time I’ve seen these cards so idk if they are popular or a collector’s item or anything. Again, never used, taken out once when I got them and once just now for photos, so pristine condition. How they are, in the box, is exactly how I bought them, I did not take them out of the pack. I do not remember how much I paid for these, my inkling is somewhere in the vicinity of $15. I’m happy to part with them for $5, box included. 

I have other official Supernatural merchandise from Boston Comic Con - a limited edition bust of Dean from ‘The Magnificent Seven’ episode of which 250 were made, and a limited edition miniature model of the ‘67 Chevy Impala. I paid between $20-$30 for each of those. Those things I’d planned on keeping but if someone’s super interested then I’d probably be willing to sell them too. 

I have merchandise NOT from Boston Comic Con as well. I am in possession of, god, at least like 15 mildly used Supernatural posters?? They traveled with me to college, so they have been put up and taken down at least once or twice, but apart from the corners they are in good condition. They were purchased at my uni’s campus poster fair and I have not seen them for sale in stores like FYE, Newbury Comics, etc. Most are full size, some vertical, some horizontal, glossy. My closet is overflowing with them. I think they were from the season 5-6 era. Here is the one smaller, 17 x 11, non-glossy one I have:

I think I have a couple Doctor Who and Sherlock ones as well. I bought each for around $10, I’ll take $5 for them, if you want multiple I can knock it down or smth. I’m not really sure how to ship posters, so that will be an adventure. 

I also have the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary magazine package, which includes a 113-page magazine commemorating The Day of the Doctor and 50 years of Doctor Who history, an additional smaller magazine in the style of the 60s era about the First Doctor, and a set of large color cards in honor of each Doctor. I’m not keen to sell this, but if someone really really wants it, I’d be willing to chat.

I HAVE A FEW THINGS FOR GIVEAWAY. THESE ARE MOSTLY NOT OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE. 

While digging through my things, I found relics of my time doing GISHWHES and other Misha-related activities. Firstly, I have a GISHWHES bumper sticker, from the year of the Wooster mascot (2013 maybe?). I had the Elopus one too but... I threw it out just a couple days ago, whoops. If someone wants this, it’s yours.

Also I... don’t know what kind of crack I was on (Misha-flavored, probably) when I made these, but... I am giving away my handmade set of Misha Collins christmas ornaments:

There’s 30 in total. They’re just laminated pictures of Misha, with pieces of string or floss (?? works good tho, and smells nice) as hooks. 

One is a tree-topper, the one with the paper clip. The rest are about 4-7 inches long. They actually look pretty nice imo lmao but uhh, I think it’s time to let them go :P 

Seeing as these are photos from the internet and I have no copyright ownership whatsoever, I’m giving them away rather than selling them. 

Lastly, I have three pieces of fan art I purchased at the artists alley at Boston Comic Con a few years ago. I’d like to give these away, because my other option is throwing them out, as selling them would be art theft and I’m not here to make a profit on others’ art. They are all from the same artist; two are Supernatural, and one is Loki. Send me a message if you’d like to see photos of them.

If you are interested in one or more of these, or would like more information or photos, feel free to send me a non-anon ask or a chat message. I will ship anywhere in the U.S., and I will pay for the shipping. If you are outside the U.S. and really want one of these items, I may be able to give it to you with a small fee for the added shipping. I do not use Paypal, so payment in the form of an Amazon eGift Card is preferred. 

If I can’t sell these within a couple of weeks, I’ll either give them to Good Will or throw them out. I feel like the best way for me to reach people who would most appreciate these items is on here, so I thought I’d give this a shot first. Thanks for reading this long post :)

[alenkamali]

How come you’re never in Slovenia?

I usually come to Slovenia every year, this year I haven’t yet, but I’ll make my way down soon. (very soon, whoever’s in Europe let’s catch up!) Currently, life in Europe isn’t a big part of mine… apart from friends and family that live there. The beautiful land of the small country is surrounded by such amazing landscapes, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls… but I found a similar paradise on the other side of the world. I think that is why I love BC so much… because it reminds me of Slovenia.

    What is the best place in the world?

The one that I’m in right now.

I don’t travel to places, only to dream about that best one that I could be in. I love how flexible my life can be sometimes, that allows me to explore some pretty cool places. But it’s funny how I never think about someplace holding the title of the best. I like to appreciate the town that I’m currently in, without thinking about a better spot to be at that moment. I hope that makes sense.

    What camera do you shoot with?

I use Canon 5D mark ii. Best investment I ever did. The best lens that I love to pair it with, is my 50 mm f1.4.

  Do you use your drone a lot?

Yes, I take my drone, everywhere I go, here’s a shot, from one of my favorite Uluwatu beaches:

  The cheapest way of traveling?

Well, depends how far you want to get. I’ve hitchhiked all around Canada, states, and Europe. I have no problems with packing all my shit in a backpack and sticking my thumb out in the middle of the highway. I’ve literally done that one day when I was supposed to go up to Whistler to ski, my friends ditched so I booked a flight to Santa Cruz to surf for a week and hitchhiked to the airport. (You gotta do what you gotta do, no?) I have met many amazing people through hitchhiking, who are still, till this day, some of my best friends!

      If you live in BC and the cost of gas might be getting in your way of going to more places… you should definitely check out this awesome rideshare site, Poparide. I have taken lots of people with me while going places – especially for the long drives! Saves money for gas and provides great company! Personally, I really like it.

Then, there are plenty of cheap accommodation options on sites like Booking.com and Airbnb.com – look for homestays which save money and give you a chance to meet some locals!

If you want to know more about how I get around, check out my TRAVEL page.

    What do you do, for work?

– photography (adventure(outdoors), commercial, lifestyle, sports, Instagram content, and brand promotion – read below)

– website design (pretty self-explanatory I would say, if you know someone who’s in need of a website, don’t be afraid to shoot me an email! got some specials coming for the holidays

– affiliate marketing links and collaborations with different brands

– online work for this awesome travel company (psst…we’re launching soon)

– selling prints!

– social media consulting  for new, upcoming brands

My weekly workload changes throughout the months, but that pretty much sums it up. I like to keep it busy, but not overwhelmed.

    Do you also work, as you travel?

Yes – I do. I actually managed to create a sweet routine of being able to work from my laptop, pretty much. I usually book my photo shoots, before I travel to a certain place and work from there. Most of the time, working from a laptop, I edit pictures, build websites for others, manage projects back home or I hold private health consulting sessions over Skype and manage my SEEKING THRIVE business. I have studied the Holistic Approach of Integrative Nutrition which is allowing me to travel the world while spreading information about wealth in our health. We have a few spots left in our Portugal retreat if you’re interested check out the EVENT.

    Collaborating with brands

Through my Instagram, I collaborate with a lot of different brands as their influencer. In my opinion, the term “collab” applies to more than just creatives and companies, it also refers to the collaboration between consumer and creator to support one another in their artful pursuits. This year, I made the commitment to only support brands that align with my beliefs. I ONLY promote brands whose products I’ve tried and who’s working conditions, sustainability plan and green planet lifestyle co-ops with mine! Usually, the companies that I work with produce surfing or snowboarding clothing lines, homemade products, natural skincare etc…

If I have the power of influencing my followers, blog readers, kids of my friends and my family, then I want to do it, because I’m doing something good. Not to increase the already big percentage of consumption on this planet. Every time we shop, we give our money to businesses who make decisions in favor of the environment, we shift the direction of our future. As ocean dwellers and seaside occupants, we can no longer afford to stand by and watch our sacred playgrounds be destroyed. We are simply out of time. Being a conscious consumer means we hold the power to support the development of new values in a fast-changing social climate. Fashion is dictated by trends, and we decide the trends. It is our responsibility to make sustainability a permanent trend that drives those industry standards forward.

  ***I DO NOT support brands who run a business of only making money, underpaying or abusing their workers, getting out a wrong message to young girls or test their products on animals.***

  I love to support:

local or family-owned businesses with locally produced products

brands who put their effort into eliminating single-use plastics

fair trade

small production/handmade/organic/sustainably produced clothing

brands that GIVE AWAY (Patagonia)

companies that are making a point of reducing their footprint

authentic and artful contribution

products made with an intention

  Here some of the brands I’ve collaborated with:

Organic Cup, Suntribe Sunscreen, Manda, Entreaguas Swimwear,

  These are some of the examples of products I love to spread the word about. Those companies work hard to support the environment and the health of our bodies. As a surfer, zinc cream and sunscreen are the most important things I always pack with me, that’s why it matters a lot, how it impacts my skin and the water that I surf in. Using the organic ingredients of their choice, like cacao butter and olive oil come with many nutrient minerals and vitamins! These ingredients also don’t harm the coral reef for example, like other sunscreens. I have also been using the Organic Cup as a supplement from pads and tampons. That has saved me so much money (which can go towards another plane ticket) and waste! I love it.

** If you are a brand that wishes to collaborate with me, in exchange of an Instagram post or a blog post, please fill out the form below or contact me directly **

  Are you vegan?

No. I don’t like labels to begin with, but I eat a wholesome 90% plant-based diet and I believe in diversity. Balance is important in my life, especially when it comes to food. I eat a big variety of foods and cooking is one of my favorite activities. Transferring into a mainly plant-based diet has been easier than I imagined and dramatically improved how I felt and looked. I share the recipes daily of my cook-ups on Seeking Thrive Instagram.

  What does your morning routine look like?

I love this. Absolutely love my mornings. Developing a calm, taking-it-slow routine in the last year has helped me staying motivated in waking up early. My day usually begins around 6 in the morning, as the sun rises up (or doesn’t – if its winter time and I’m in Whistler). I keep it simple. No distractions, no phone or music or sounds or the internet. The worse habit that I’m happy that I got rid off, is checking my social media first thing, after waking up. No, I left that in 2018.

Even though I had developed a routine, I don’t necessarily stick to it very strictly. Sometimes I would meditate before journaling and other times I will do a 30-minute yoga stretch and then meditate. The idea was built around 3 or 4 mindful practices that include yoga, meditation, morning journaling and listing things I’m grateful for. Followed by the cup of green tea (or boiled ginger water with lemon) with a walk outside. No matter where I am at the moment, I love the quiet mornings. Still no distractions.

After breakfast (avo toast, granola or smoothie bowl, freshly squeezed orange juice or chia pudding) I work! So that means finally turning on my mobile devices, checking email and planning my day! Which is also the end to my zen morning! If it’s the weekend (which doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the Western week that we know, simply a day that I choose not to work), that usually puts me in the mood to read a book. I don’t think many people know, that I am a huge book warm. I read books in Slovenian, English or recently Spanish. I’m also a firm believer that books help to enhance my mood, and calm me down at the same time. Expanding my vocabulary, the creative flow and giving my brain a nice workout is important too. Is basically food for the soul! Authors and books that inspire me are usually the ones describing a surfers lifestyle, (Barbarian Days is an amazing one) or the ones with a strong female lead. They remind me of my mom.

  What’s your favorite workout?

I am not a gym person and the youtube workouts are also something long gone. Now, all the workout that I do for my body is the sports that I live for. Whether is surfing, climbing, snowboarding, hiking or even yoga. I make sure something interesting happens every day. Which isn’t hard, since my whole life is basically planned on the Search for the waves to surf, rocks to climb or the hunt for the best powder.

  Where are you based out of?

I’m based out of Canada. Most of my year, I live in this small coastal town Squamish, which is a playground for big kids. Lovers of mountain biking, backcountry skiing, kitesurfing, and hiking come from all over the world, to enjoy the beauty of our place! Surrounded by mountains, close to the ocean – my friends and I fell in love with this piece of paradise that we now proudly call home.

  Do you make videos too?

For sure. I took a break from video making that I loved so much, in earlier stages of my “media career”. But I am ready now, to start creating more. I think it was good of how I grew a little more, gave my creative self some space, and now I’m back on track with ideas for more stories I’d love to produce. In terms of filmmaking, 2019 will be a very exciting year.

MOTION REEL is the name of my portfolio. I think it holds a washed out, rustic touch from the ’90s which I’m a fan on. It makes me think of film camera, typewriter script and coffee spilled storyboarding. The pieces that bring me the most joy, were usually shot with some hippie athletes, in the mountains or beach bums in Bali. I had an amazing opportunity of shooting with Ozzy Wright in Uluwatu and some pretty impressive skiers in Whistler. Similar as with photography, my love for filmmaking keeps growing every day.

  Where did you learn photography and editing?

Mostly while practicing. Being on terrain and working with other professionals and experts. Having a circle of friends that are into the same things, really helped me improve them. And not just with photography! I watched a lot of Youtube and Skillshare videos and tutorials. I even made one on my own, about tropical photography!

  Where are you from?

I was born in Slovenia. That is where it all began. My father is Slovenian, and so is my mom. But she was born and raised in Argentina, where my brothers and I spend a lot of our childhood. Bariloche is a beautiful place, located in Patagonia and I’m very proud to call it my home, even though I wasn’t born there.

  Words that you live by?

“Embrace the highs and learn from the lows; stability is important, but it is not our purpose.”

  What are your top skin care products?

I have actually been eliminating any kind of product from my morning and evening routine. In general, using close to zero of the cosmetic chemical stuff, full of promises. I’ve been completely in love with just massaging myself with organic coconut oil before and after a shower, either when I’d wake up or before going to sleep. For my face, I only use Zinc made sunscreen, for surfing (I use Suntribe Sunscreen – they’re the best small family-run business, based out of Europe) and for washing my face – I make a mix of pure coconut and argan oil. Voila! If my skin isn’t having a great week, I would usually apply some tea tree oil.

I am nowhere near having perfect skin, but I’m learning how to accept it and love it every day.

        Do you have more questions, about how I travel, where I live and what I do for work? Would you like to collaborate with me? Fill out the form below and I’ll get back to you, within the following 24 hours.

    [ninja_forms id=1]

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Answers to very personal questions like where I live, what I do for work and how I'm able to travel around. How come you're never in Slovenia? I usually come to Slovenia every year, this year I haven't yet, but I'll make my way down soon.

[jeremystrele]

10 Top Tips From Creative Small Business Owners

10 Top Tips From Creative Small Business Owners

Small Business

Fiona Killackey

Nicolle Sullivan and her team at Cultiver. Photo – Jacqui Turk for The Design Files.

It’s been almost two years since we launched this monthly Small Business column, and today, we’re distilling some of the best tips and advice from creative small business owners, to inspire, motivate and educate you for the business year ahead!

From networking and money matters, through to gaining international stockists and hiring staff, there’s advice for every business owner (or freelancer!), no matter which stage you’re at.

Cultiver talks the importance of SEO and utilising analytics daily. Photo – Jacqui Turk for The Design Files.

On Staying Motivated

‘The best advice I could give would be building and keeping in touch with a network of fellow business owners, and advisors. Talking through issues, asking for feedback, getting inspired by speaking to others – all this helps to overcome the challenges of being a sole business owner,’ tells Nicolle Sullivan of Cultiver.  

‘I also include in this people I follow, through podcasts and blogs, learning from their shared experiences and taking comfort that some frustrations are not just mine alone. I’m excited to make new connections in 2019, and learn more from them, as well as “paying it forward” with others just starting their business.’ 

Jeremy Wortsman of  Jacky Winter Group and Creative Mornings Melbourne. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

On Networking + Meeting New People

 ‘You just have to go [to events]!’ says Jeremy Wortsman of The Jacky Winter Group and Creative Mornings Melbourne.

‘Running your own business is full of things you don’t like or want to do. I still have to clean the toilets sometimes and run software updates on laptops, not because I love doing those things, but because it’s vital to keeping the business going. Networking and meeting people is the same – avoid it at your own peril. 

My biggest piece of advice, however, is that you don’t need to attend other events to network. You can always just start your own, and it doesn’t need to be a large thing. Even a small irregular meet-up of 2-3 like-minded people can have huge impacts. There’s so much support for niche events at the moment and sometimes the more focussed you can make something, the more relevant it can be for you and others.  

 If you do attend/host an event to network: 

1. Don’t think about what this person can do for you, but what you can offer them. Going into any interaction with a spirit of generosity, no matter what the circumstances. 

2. Educate yourself broadly! If you are networking properly you will probably be meeting lots of people outside your industry. It helps knowing who people are and what they do before you meet them. 

3. When going solo to an event don’t be afraid of silence or awkward moments. Challenge yourself to put your phone away and just sit with the unbearable awkwardness of being alone and see what happens.’ 

Cassie Lucas (far right) and the Firecracker Event team! Photo – Emily Weaving for The Design Files.

Firecracker moved to a much bigger HQ later in 2018. Photo – Emily Weaving for The Design Files.

On Scaling Your Business

‘Go for it. And pace yourself. You don’t have to do it all yesterday,’ tells Cassie Lucas of Firecracker Event.  

‘It helps me when I break it down. Put it into a 12-month plan, then break that down into 3 months and then monthly. This makes all the things you’d like to do feel very achievable and less overwhelming. I re-jig my plan all the time as things change.  

 Save. Save some energy, some time and some cash (for yourself and for that rainy day).’

Line Paras, ‘boss lady’ of bookkeeping, payroll and business support agency, Counting Clouds. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

On Managing Your Money

‘When people are just starting out they can jump the gun and be reactive rather than proactive, and not always consider the big picture first when making financial decisions,’ says Line Paras of Counting Clouds.

‘Business management, bookkeeping and accounting should never be an afterthought. Doing your own books will not make you more money! Doing what you do best – running your business, moving and shaking, making your art, selling your wares is what will help you make a profit and probably/hopefully it is also what makes YOU happy. 

At a minimum, anyone in business should aim to save 15% of your earnings each week for GST and tax. Keep your receipts and get a bookkeeper’. 

Abigail Forsyth of KeepCup. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

On Hiring New Staff, Contractors or Suppliers

‘Do your research and call some people, tells Abigail Forsyth of KeepCup.

‘We talk about finding the gold nuggets in any conversation, they are always there if you are listening.  Ask questions. Be curious.  How much?  How long?  What works? What doesn’t?  Once you have spoken to a few potential suppliers you can start to decode the language of the industry you need help in.  Who will actually be doing the work? Ask for references. Call them. 

There’s nothing wrong with getting three quotes to get a feel for what the market pays.  It’s a fair rule of thumb, that you get what you pay for, if the expectations are clear.  

 Ask yourself: 

1. Are they [the person/agency applying for the role] genuinely curious about the opportunity? Can you have a robust commercial discussion about an issue, because the best outcome requires your input and theirs. 

2. Is there an alignment of culture and values? 

3. What are the metrics of success? Is it transparency about that?

…Understand that whilst experts can contribute skills, no one can match your passion for your own business.’

Becca Stern of Mustard, which launched in February 2018. Photo – Bronte Godden of Lazy Bones.

On Launching A Product-Based Business

‘I always come back to the words: Done is better than perfect.,’ admits Becca Stern of Mustard. 

‘Mustard is evolving fast. We don’t have everything fixed and final. Being a small business means you can and need to be agile and there’s a strength in moving quickly and responsively.  

From a very early stage, I committed to telling anyone I met about Mustard (sorry for the random locker rants!).  Although the plan wasn’t fully formed and the products weren’t even in existence, I put it out there and grew from the response. If you wait for perfect, you’ll be waiting forever.  

Ask lots of people for their opinions, advice, and experience. Ask as much as you can! Then… ignore a good chunk of it and go with your instinct! Having a clear vision of the brand you are creating helps you filter all that information and take what is really useful. Take what you need and discard the rest.’

Georgia Perry. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

The bulk of Georgia’s business transactions are carried out online, with customers spanning across the globe. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

On Securing International Stockists

‘Firstly I think a good way to look at it is – buyers are always on the hunt for cool new products to fill their shops with,’ explains Georgia Perry. ‘You could be doing them a massive favour by reaching out and showing them something they haven’t seen before. If you can get them to open an email you’re halfway there. 

Secondly – buyers/store owners are insanely busy people, so you want to do everything you can to make it easy for them to want your stuff. This means eliminating any barriers to purchase like long boring biographies, low-res product photos, or not including a wholesale price list.  

You need to make your selling tools clear, concise and easy on the eye. If you can’t do it yourself, enlist a friend who can to take some product photos or help design a lookbook for you.  Just a couple of pages will do.  

Then – just be friendly and persistent! Our other motto is “It’s never a no until it’s a no!” People are busy so don’t be put off straight away. Maybe they missed your email or mailout. Drop them a friendly follow up message, but also – respect their decision if they politely decline, and then move on to someone else.’

The Gordon family of Robert Gordon Australia. Left to right: Kate Gordon, Sam Gordon, Robert Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Bobby Gordon, and Hannah Gordon. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

On Collaboration

‘The biggest advice I’d give to anyone considering collaborations is to respect your brand – does the collaboration work in favour of that?’ asks Kate Gordon or Robert Gordon. 

…Honestly, not all collaborations work. They can be super costly and when there are too many people involved or too many “mouths to feed” as Dad would say, it’s hard to justify. 

 …We tread carefully into each collaboration and don’t take them lightly.’

Abigail Crompton of Third Drawer Down (left) speaks to her email marketing coordinator (right). Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

Third Drawer Down has amassed a global following of art lovers. Photo – Amelia Stanwix for The Design Files.

On Great Customer Communication

‘My advice would be to decide whether you want to be a trend or part of tradition. From there comes everything, including your tone of voice and how you communicate with your customers,’ says Abigail Crompton of Third Drawer Down.

Also, embrace the things that go wrong and learn from them – or laugh at them! If our website shopping cart hadn’t have gone down without our knowledge back in the early stages of launching, we wouldn’t have received a phone call from Sarah Jessica Parker in New York who was awake and online shopping at 2am because she was up with her newborns! We actually got chatting and found out she was an online customer of ours through that call, and she visited the store when she was in Melbourne! We had a photo taken and now I think she is my BFF!!!!’

Mark Rubbo (managing director and co-owner) and Joe Rubbo (Carlton bookshop manager) in the newly renovated Readings store. Photo – Caitlin Mills for The Design Files.

On Facing Competition

‘Our industry, including Readings, was hit really badly by the likes of Amazon and Book Depository. Prices of overseas books in Australia were really distorted,’ explains Mark Rubbo of Readings.

Book Depository was offering books at a third of their Australian price. I did a lot of lobbying with the Australian distributors to get them to bring their prices down. We went early online, and kept on investing more and more (we still are); initially, we tried to match our competitors especially with free freight – we haemorrhaged money but our sales grew amazingly. We had to introduce a small freight charge; we lost a lot of sales and still lose money but not nearly as much.  

We’ve had to be more creative with our offers, differentiating ourselves from those that offer the cheapest price; I see our online as another form of marketing and a way of building our community digitally.  

So my advice would be to be different and DO NOT try to beat the competitors on price. If you are different you will build up a loyal core.’ 

Fiona Killackey is business consultant, author and mentor for My Daily Business Coach.

You can sign up to her weekly email full of small biz insights and tips here or purchase her new ebook, all about goal setting and having a great business year here.

[trishgibsontx]

plagiarism of my work

plagiarism exists everywhere. musicians, authors, artists and professionals of all sorts deal with it. I hired a trademark / copyright and intellectual property legal counsel a few years ago, knowing that people would try to rip off work that has taken me decades to conclude (much of it I haven’t even published yet, as I can see from a social experiment already what is being used and replicated at lightning speed, and I am finding a much stronger container to ensure this does not continue to happen unlawfully in the future). I also recognize that some plagiarism is in fact unintentional. we each run the risk of unwittingly ripping off someone else’s work or ideas if we are not extremely careful or clear as to where they came from.

ok so slight rant here. but I also hope that it helps other artists and entrepreneurs out there get clear on this topic so that they can steer clear of the plagiarism world. the bottom line: there will never be another YOU. so be YOU. it’s WORTH IT.

I write this post because I have noticed, over a period of months, my work popping up in other places online — excerpts from my eBooklets, from my blog, and so on, living on odd sites from people I have never met. and, some of them I have met. I even read an entire sentence, copied and pasted, on the “healing” website of a former patient of mine who thought they could rip off what I do and somehow replicate it (that will never, ever happen by the way) and never speak to me again. a known book author decided to try and replicate my program, right down to the hours and minutes and format. they did this only after I sent them a number of referrals and they subsequently found out who I am and how I work. there are word definitions or phrases that I have trademarked and am trademarking, as they did not exist before I put them into the world. everything is trackable and provable. these words and phrases are going into curriculum for various institutions. and into books of mine.

now, in theory, the above isn’t such a big deal. it can be seen simply as “borrowed” ideas, even flattery. but at the same time, in theory, the above is a huge deal when it happens to you. in many instances, it is like painting a beautiful, unique painting that you created, only to have it show up in multiple galleries because someone else copied it down to the brush strokes — this feels like spiritual rape. some folks who copycat or plagiarize are not conscious when they do it. there can be some gray areas where plagiarism is concerned. much of the time, it boils down to INTENTION. what is our intention for sharing others’ ideas? how do we do it? is it our intention to be our OWN person? if our intentions are positive, we will likely never have to deal with the consequences of plagiarism. but if our intentions are negative (exploitative, jealous, grifter-esque), we will likely have to deal with the consequences of plagiarism. yes, the Universe does know the difference. as do the tuned in individuals whose sacred information we are sharing. intention is really the most powerful element at play here.

there is a reason that I help build and then promote healers and their subsequent healing practices. I say help, because no one creates an innate quality within another person. the healers I have met were healers before they even knew it and before we met. I didn’t make them a healer. I can’t make anyone a healer. their intrinsic core was always such, and I felt it was my duty to inspire enough confidence within them to be who they already were. their healing practices are a reflection of their own unique selves — these practices are not plagiarized. yes, they may draw from my session curriculum because it was their first or one of their first experiences with a healer. they may use phrases or sequences of learning that they took from our session. and that is fine. there is a reason that I include and support former patients of mine who are healers in video testimonials with their practice links in the texts: each person is very unique and authentic. they do not plagiarize me or anyone else.

yesterday I had a reading with my aura reader and psychic/channeler, Mystic Michaela. I read with her frequently. Michaela, if you are reading this, please don’t ever get too busy to read for me! one of the first things that she mentioned in our reading (she is always very astute with what she picks up) was plagiarism of my work. the timing of her mention was interesting (but not surprising), as the day before I found thousands of login attempts on my blog and various sites. she said that my work has popped up and will continue to pop up in other people’s blogs and materials as they try and pass it off as their own. she said that much of it would come from my blog. I think that much of it has come and will come from my eBooklets. thankfully, I have been diligent about my legal protection as well as advanced tracking for alerts that recover any online presence of my work on other domains. yes, I will go high level for this tracking. Michaela’s message only reinforced my current train of though at that moment, and it was really helpful. I’ve got a whole team paying attention to this issue.

it is one thing to be inspired by another person. it is another thing to have no self or identity and try to become another person or their work because it works for THEM. this is where the notion of intention exists. months ago I was in my therapist’s office and told her about how some well known so-and-so was caught ripping me off in a few ways. I am of the belief that when we rip someone off, we sink, so really what did I care? she totally agreed. she told me that it would end up showing up in their work so loud and strong, that they would just sink themselves so don’t worry. but there was also a part of me that felt robbed. I decided that my action steps for this kind of thievery lay somewhere in the middle of those feelings; I KNOW that karma is the God of all existence, so there is no way any of us can ever do well on stolen ideas. ever. so I’m not worried about spiritual court. — and, at the same time, I know that it is my responsibility to honor myself by holding people accountable to their own truth or lack thereof when my sweat and tears are involved. that said, to anyone who plagiarizes my work and it is blatantly obvious to me or my team, intention will be your calling card and I will come for you and confront it. my team will come for you and confront it. you will confront legal repercussions. and it will be solved. and you will probably wish you used your own sweat and tears to sell or communicate whatever you were trying to sell or communicate.

back in 2010 I had chosen the practice name “Reiki Therapy by Elaine”. I even specifically chose the lowercase “by”. I did this, because I could not find any other healing practice with that type of name or suffix anywhere. I did lots of google searches. I didn’t choose the name to trademark it, I chose the name because I didn’t want to look like anyone else. why would I? I wanted MY energy to ripple through my practice name. that is the whole point. within 3 years, there were dozens of practices that resembled mine with the exact same suffix. right down to the lowercase “by”. now, I didn’t own that suffix or format of company name. but I could not get my head around why so many people would want to look like or even resemble someone else. especially with something so sensitive and personal as a healing or intuitive practice. people began to think I was a franchise. I couldn’t wait to get away from that name. and it was hard because I had built an empire on that name. first off, I do not just do “reiki”; I initially used that word because people had some loose association with it, and yes I had some reiki certification. but I thought it was a good somewhat beneath-the-radar name that still felt open enough to imagine it encompassed other focuses — after all, I was quietly consulting with people from my home three apartments ago back in 2006, pre-“reiki”. anyway, I added the words “Energy Medicine &” in front of it to help distinguish myself from the dozens of similar practice names that seemed to be everywhere when it became trendy to be a healer. then, I began to see “energy medicine by” everywhere! now I am NOT suggesting that I invented these names or that they never existed; but my point is that I was trying my best to not do what anyone else was doing and I could not understand why people kept insisting on jumping on bandwagons. I just wanted to get away, as fast as I could, from seemingly encroaching copycats of every variety in the “healing” arts: considering my scope of work encompasses consulting and advising at a high level, far beyond “reiki”, I have morphed yet again into another and more simple name: Healing Elaine. it’s broad, it’s me, and as far as I can see no one else has it / the suffix. I don’t see any “Healing Julie” or “Healing Bob”. thank God. for now…

plagiarism is a broad topic with many moving parts. I have a lot of feelings about it, as you can read and probably feel. I also think that when we have had a lot taken from us in life, by others, we are extra sensitive to those who take what is nearest and dearest to us and pass it off as their own without ever knocking on our door. in my mind, the biggest crime that one can commit is not being who they ARE. it is a crime against ourselves to not be who we are, first, before it is a crime against whomever we are stealing from intangibly or tangibly. particularly in the realm of the healing arts, where so much is being pioneered, I am sensitive to who is legit (i.e. in alignment: thoughts=feelings=words=actions) and who can think for themselves. again, this is one of the big reasons that I am the first to help build and promote legions of healers whom I know on a very spiritually, emotionally and cognitively intimate basis. if you watch my video testimonials from some of these healers and innovators, you will see that each person has totally got their OWN THING going on! even though they saw me for a session and awakened to their purpose with my help. they are not replicas of me in any way. they are each who they are. we are in an age of truth right now, when it is becoming harder and harder to hide behind our masks (of addiction, compulsion, unconscious reasoning and so forth — new blog post coming on that front): having truthful and authentic helpers and healers who are accessible to us is important, and I want to continue to do my part to unshackle, support and promote those kinds of people. as I put more and more information out into the world, information that has been born from my absolute core and personal experience, I am happy to share it to inspire someone else’s absolute core and personal experience. plagiarism-free.

The post plagiarism of my work appeared first on The Medical Intuitive Blog: Energy Medicine & Reiki Therapy By Elaine™.

from Trisha Gibson http://www.themedicalintuitiveblog.com/2017/07/17/plagiarism-of-my-work/

[aventuramexicana]

Playing Catch Up

Well here I am, super behind on my blogging once again.

1/14/17- Saturday

I had a nice lazy morning in Mexico City, with plenty of time to pack before I needed to leave for my flight. I had scheduled an Uber to pick me up (don’t worry, y’all, this is before we decided Uber is evil) so I brought my bags downstairs and left them in the front office, while I went out to get couple of last pictures of the city and to pick up snacks from 7Eleven. The airport in Mexico City at Arrivals was pretty frantic and confusing. I ended up having to pay a fee for having a carry-on bag that was outside of the airline's size requirements. Then my giant purse was sent through the security scanner about 5 times before they realized that what they were seeing on the screen was a little whistle on my key chain (which looked to them like a bullet). My flight was delayed, something they never bothered to explain, which was annoying, but not a big deal.

The flight itself was short and easy, and when I landed, I have to admit that it felt nice to be home. I caught a rideshare back to my apartment, where I quickly assessed that I had essentially zero food. So, not trying to give myself too much time to settle in, I grabbed my purse and caught a cab to Soriana. I ate my dinner in their food court, then got myself a bunch of essential groceries and caught a cab back home.

On the way home the taxi driver and I had an interesting conversation, which was pretty charming right up until the end. I have included the following, from my Facebook page:

Caught a taxi home from the supermarket. The driver, an older gentleman, immediately struck up a conversation with me in Spanish. He asked what I do for a living and said I seem like an artist or musician because of my charisma. I told him I wished that were true but I am too much of a perfectionist to do that well. He recommended an art school nearby, said it was reasonably priced, and told me it was my homework to go. He said, "Just imagine, next time you visit the U.S. you can play the violin in front of you parents, siblings, grandparents, friends. And when you finish the song they will say, 'Another! Another!'"

Then as I was getting out of the cab he told me that when kids in Mexico don't do their homework they get a spanking and that if I don't do mine he volunteers to fulfill that duty.

Life in Mexico.

1/15/17- 1/16/17 (Sunday & Monday)

I took the next couple of days pretty easy, just hanging out at home, listening to Harry Potter audiobooks and trying to teach myself how to do some basic embroidery. I’d picked up some fabric that was printed with a design that struck me as not horrifyingly cheesy at Soriana, so it wasn’t long before I’d gotten to work on it. I tend to be a very goal-oriented person, so my new task immediately became an obsession. I felt like I couldn’t put it down until it was done.

1/17/17- Tuesday

I devoted the whole day to trying to sort out everything that I needed to finishing applying for my temporary resident visa. I finally had an FMM card with the appropriate stamp, so now I just had to go back through my list and assemble all the other documentation. This was a bit of a process, which involved trips to two different internet cafes and a little furniture store that doubled as a quick photo place. The last time I had my photos taken for my visa (photos that I unfortunately misplaced), it was in a formal photo studio with proper lighting, legit cameras and all. This time I was just in a back room to the shop, seated in front of a plain white wall, and having my photo taken by a woman with a little point and shoot Canon. She had me sit outside in the hall while the photos were being printed and I could hear what sounded like spray paint and then a hair dryer being used on my photos (presumably to make them matte). I don’t know what the standard procedure is for that, but I imagine it isn’t clear spray paint and a hair dryer.

Whatever, I got what I needed. Who am I to criticize someone for finding a roundabout way to provide a customer with exactly what they wanted?

1/18/17- 1/19/17 (Wednesday & Thursday)

I woke up with a migraine and a sore throat, both of which signaled to me that I had a cold coming on. Lame. I knew there wasn’t much I could do to stop it, so I decided to just drink lots of water, take Zicam, and do my best to lay low for a couple of days.

Before I completely relaxed though, I went to another Engage Oaxaca meeting (for U.S. citizens who are living here and distressed about politics in the States). We were sorting out final details for the march on Saturday, and I was acting as the meeting’s scribe. At one point a woman who had ordered a bunch of t-shirts asked that somebody volunteer to sell them at the event. I kept my head down and pretended to just be really focused on writing, but another group member directly, and openly, asked me if I would be willing to do it. I reluctantly agreed. As someone who served on student body in high school, I know what it’s like to hawk “spirit wear” at events, and it’s not a blast.

Once the meeting was over we had a “poster making party”, which was kinda fun but I gave up on making anything I could be proud of right then and there, collected all of the supplies I would need, and brought them home. See, the trouble is that I have a serious perfectionist streak, and I knew that it would take me at least four times as long to complete my poster as it would all of the other ladies. Plus, I kept committing myself to a concept, sketching it out, then deciding I hated it and erasing it all.

I spent the rest of that day and the following one mostly just hanging out at home and taking it easy.

1/20/17- Friday (Inauguration Day)

I had long-since made up my mind that I would not be watching the inauguration, but the evening before, I decided that there would be a certain poetry to finishing up my visa application process on that particular day. I went to the immigration office at approximately 10:30 a.m.. I’d double-checked everything and felt prepared with all of my documents assembled, in order, and with duplicates for each. But of course, one document listed my name as Angelica, while my passport lists it as Angelica Maureen, and that tiny little discrepancy meant that I had to go find another Internet cafe to fix it. From there I went to the bank with a form that had been given to me by the woman at the office, and paid for my visa there, then headed back to the immigration office.

This time I approached the office from another direction, and seeing as I didn’t have an actual address written down for the place, and just knew it in relation to a couple of landmarks, it made me pretty nervous when I struggled to locate it. Locating the office was actually a pretty urgent matter, because the office would be closing for the weekend at 1 p.m., and if the bank processed my payment before my application went through, my money (approximately $275) would essentially just be forfeited.

I have a famously bad sense of direction, but I kept reminding myself that I did not live in a magical wizarding world, so the office didn’t just disappear. It took me about 30 minutes, from the moment I first realized I was off-course, but I was finally able to retrace my steps from that morning and get there at approximately 12:20 p.m..

I ran in with fresh paperwork and my receipt in hand. Only trouble was, I was supposed to have two copies as well as the original receipt, so the woman working there gave me directions to the nearest copy shop and I ran there and back. Then she looked over all of my stuff, made notes, had me sign a couple of things, used one of those stamps that makes the “this stamp is official” clunk-clunk noise, and finally told me that they would be contacting me by e-mail to be fingerprinted.

In the evening I baked a chocolate cake, and got to work on a couple of signs for the march. As expected, completing two signs took me approximately four hours. From my perspective they didn’t look good enough to justify that much time and effort, but what can you do? I’d been determined to have two signs, one large poster board size, and one smaller on a post, both of which needed to be double-sided so that my message (and accompanying doodles) would be received in English and Spanish.

1/21/17- Saturday

I got to Plaza Santo Domingo early, carrying several signs (my own and those of a few group members), and prepared to start selling t-shirts. Or at least I thought I was prepared. The evening before, I’d assembled several plastic bags and created labels that said “Mens Small”, “Women’s Medium”, etc. to cover each possible option. I’d been hoping to have enough time to sort through all of the t-shirts and put them into corresponding bags, so that they could be sold more easily. That was not the case. As soon as t-shirts were spotted by marchers, they were being sold.

I worked with one other volunteer, and the two of us were bombarded primarily by angry older white ladies who kept yelling from a few places back in the line, “You know, there is a long line here!” It took so much self control not to tell them to get the hell out of line, because there was no way we had enough t-shirts for everybody, and I felt like the better behaved customers more deserving. One positive to the whole frustrating situation: all of the t-shirts got snatched up quickly and I didn’t have to miss any of the march.

Once our very brief and quiet march was over, I stopped to take a couple of photos. Oh, I should add, the march was deliberately quiet because it is actually illegal for residents who are not Mexican citizens to take part in demonstrations against the Mexican government. This was clearly not such an event, but we didn’t want to take any chances and be arrested by police officers who had a faulty understanding of the law, or frankly didn’t care.

One of the women in the march was wearing a “Fuera Trump” t-shirt that I wanted so I went back in the evening to where she said they were being sold, and tried to track one down. Unfortunately I didn’t have any luck, so I just shopped for beaded jewelry instead. As I was leaving the market, a Mexican man carrying a beer bottle asked me about my march t-shirt, and then invited me to sit with him on the planter for a minute to discuss the aims of the demonstrators. I did my best to express it, two whatever degree that I could in Spanish, but grew a little frustrated with my inability to speak about it with the same nuance that I would have in English.

He told me that I needed to see his friend’s collection of traditional parade masks, in a shop right next door, so we went in and looked around for a bit. His friend was very nice, and seemed totally unsurprised that this man had just walked in, carrying a beer bottle and requesting to show off his personal collection of art to a girl from the States. After that he asked me if I’d ever seen a black Jesus statue, to which I said no, and we popped our heads into a church right nearby to look at it. A quinceñera was taking place, so I didn’t feel right about walking in and looking around. Oh well, the black Jesus would have to wait. The man I’d met suggested to me, “Now we can go to my friend’s restaurant,” at which point I laughed and told him that I would be going home.

Who has time for this kind of thing? Like who can just meet a stranger and then spend most of their day moving from venue to venue with them? It had been entertaining temporarily, but I’d had enough.

1/22/17- 1/24/17 (Sunday-Tuesday)

The next few days were spent mostly taking it easy, watching Spanish-language television, taking notes on a "compassionate activism” webinar, and doing some hunting online for potential roommates in Mexico City.

Ideally I would like to find a place in the same neighborhood where I stayed, but who knows? I didn’t feel comfortable actually following up on any of the listings because, by this point, I still didn’t have a clear picture of when or even if I would move for certain. I knew that I would be at least another month here in Oaxaca (as I have friends visiting), but likely longer than that.

1/25/17- Wednesday

I devoted a good chunk of the day to working on my blog. Fortunately, this wasn’t complete torture, as I’d already devoted a few hours to going through all of my photos and sorting them into easily sharable albums. While headed back down the stairs from the roof, toward my apartment, I met one of my neighbors. His name is Joe, and he asked me if I was staying in one of street-facing apartments, which I confirmed. He told me that he’d stayed there before, but the noise from the traffic really bothered him. I agreed that it is pretty obnoxious, but the thing that is most irritating right now, is that I basically have no wi-fi access in my apartment. I have to go up to the roof to get a clear signal.

Joe kindly told me that he would be leaving in a couple of months and, if I still happened to be here then, he was sure I would be welcome to his apartment (at the back of the lot, and thus far off the street). He gave me a brief tour of his apartment, which to be perfectly honest, isn’t as nice as mine (ex. very minimal kitchen, not much natural light, rather odd bathroom), but it would be quite nice to have decent wi-fi and not be forced to endure the sound of driver after driver laying on their horns during rush hour. Honestly the sound of so many car horns, often sustained for a couple of hours, makes me want pull a Britney Spears and take a bat to their windows.

He also introduced me to his next-door neighbor. She is a RN from the South who is planning to stay for approximately a year. She seems really sweet, and Joe jokingly referred to her as a “known quantity”; perhaps another benefit to moving into his place.