Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? That's what I'll keep telling myself.

Back around Christmas, I started thinking about this year’s business plan and decided to create a line of stationary to broaden my product selection, which has turned out to include my Chevron Blank Cards, Birthday Cards, and a cute little number for Valentine’s Day. Remember me?

I can still remember coming up with this idea, and then scouring the web to make sure there was nothing else like it, afraid that I had seen something similar. There wasn’t. I searched for “Hangman” on Etsy, only to pull up a short list of items that weren’t even close to being similar. So I sent it around to a few people for opinions (Brad thought it was creepy before he realized there was an inside) and got great reviews, so [in my nervousness] I ordered a small amount of inventory thinking that it might not be a big seller and I’d end up giving it to Brad for the next x number of years. Better than the no card I usually give you, right?  

Ever since I’ve put it up, it’s been a pretty big hit (for me) and I’ve been surprised on the number of sales I’ve gotten, though I haven’t exhausted my inventory if you’re interested in one. My first sale back on January 5th and I’ve been stoked about the steady stream of purchases since, likes, and treasury lists it’s been added to since. Enough that I’ve checked every. single. Etsy email hoping it will appear, and praying that I somehow make it to the front page of Etsy (I haven’t). I just keep thinking it’s a possibility, because there is NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT.

So imagine my surprise when I click on Etsy’s Valentine’s Day banner and see a product so unbelievingly similar being featured. Of course, my first thought was, “OH NO! Did I copy someone else’s design?” because I automatically assume the best in people. (And the worst in myself? Note to self: Let’s work on self-confidence this year.) But after doing some sleuthing to see when this person’s first listed date for their product was (I went back to their sales history) and comparing it to mine, I’m 99% certain the design originated from me.

Their product is not a paper good and therefore I guess you could say they aren’t competing with me, but I still feel it’s my intellectual property. And really, the little kid in me is just screaming, “THIS ISN’T FAIR.” How similar is it? Their hangman board is facing the same way, their u’s have been replaced with red hearts, and their little man is missing the same ligament mine is. Do they have the same message I do on the inside? No. (I will fully admit the message they used is cute.) But, the concept and the artwork are almost identical. Sorry, but I’m not giving them any publicity by directing you to the item.

I realize I’m venting and wallowing and being passive aggressive in writing this and not saying anything (especially since this person seems to have had quite a few sales on this design) or just questioning their item, but I’m hurt and upset and pretty discouraged. I don’t claim that my designs are super creative or wildly divergent from others online, but I really try to have integrity in my designs, produce quality work, and absolutely not copy someone else’s ideas, and really just can’t believe someone did that to me.

Who knows, maybe I’m wrong and am completely misconstruing the situation. And so I’ll just keep saying imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, over and over. Looks like I have a new mantra.