Copy vs. Being Inspired

Telling myself that I was too busy to blog was a lie. I'll be honest, I was somewhat disappointed with the wedding blog world as a whole because people seem to just reap off other people's ideas. Worst thing is, when CREDIT is not given to the original designer or creator of the idea and the other person tries to pull off the idea as their own. There has been so much copying due to the fact that the blogging community is so open and readily accessible.  Although I completely understand that originality and creativity come from being inspired/stimulated by each others' works but I also believe that you need to do this on a conscious level.

What is the difference between being "inspired by" and straight out copying someone?

In my humble opinion, if one sees something they like and say "Wow, I'm going to try something similar to that and bring it to the next level", then it's "inspiration".
If they copy it and say "Look what I did" with no reference to the original source then that's copying.

To make my point clear, here's our veggie/fruit bar we created which was featured on Amy Atlas last year. Photo Credit: Serena Grace
Some months later, another planner copied our design and posted on her portfolio section. I said 'copied' because she did not reference back to my site and posted the pictures under her portfolio section.

I won't reveal this planner's site out of courtesy.

If you are a fellow industry professional reading this post, I only ask you to credit your sources and link back to the original site. I wrote a post on this topic a while ago if you'd like to read further.  I'm sure all the bloggers/photographers/designers would appreciate this courtesy. To those desiring to be in the wedding industry or just starting out.. CREDIT your "inspiration" posts or pictures that you get from other blogs!  That's just good blogging etiquette.  ;) Here's an awesome post about crediting photos written by Chelsea from Frolic! http://www.frolic-blog.com/frolic/2011/03/blog-talk-crediting-photos.html
I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this topic. Please do remember that my intention of writing this post is not to point fingers at anyone. After all, it really doesn't matter WHERE you got your inspirations from as long as your work proves quality and better content.

P.S I actually held off posting a lot of our clients' weddings but I will be back to blogging now that I'm taking a maternity leave.  No more once-a-month posting! I promise! ;)

Things I've realized lately..

* Not everybody will agree with your rates & services and that's ok. We can't cover 100-200 weddings per year. You charge what you believe is a fair value for the product/service you provide.

* I've learned to trust my instinct. Not every bride is a MBS bride and taking on a client who isn't a good fit for you can possibly turn out to be a nightmare. Um.. for the record, I've had two brides whom I honestly didn't want to see after their weddings for various reasons. They seriously had me doubting if I was right for the job.

* Being passionate and being addicted to your work is a different story. This line so often gets blurred if you don't continue to check the attitude of your heart. Trying to find your identity and self worth through your work & accomplishments will only lead you to self appraisal or self pity/discouragements. I have experienced on both ends and realized my identity and my worth should NEVER come from work or how other people view my work. I love my job but my job doesn't define who I am. Know your boundaries and never neglect family and friends because of your job. *sigh* another reminder for myself. :)

* While it's great to network, there's no need to be friends with ALL the vendors/event professionals. This job isn't a popularity contest or how many people you 'click' with. I believe vendors should be people who you can rely on for source of strength and encouragement, inspirations (venting is allowed time to time! :) not about how you can use their talent for the sake of growing of your own business OR to spread your name out there.

* There's no need to check every wedding blog and subscribe over 100 blogs out there for source of inspirations. There are so much loveliness in the blog world but true inspirations should come from the couple and we're hired to bring their vision to life- not copy someone else's beautiful wedding.

* Hire staff you can depend on (again! trust your instinct) and delegate and delegate! With that last note said, we have some amazing news to share as we get ready for the year 2011! Stay tuned for updates.

What are some of the lessons you've learned lately while running your own creative business?