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I use Pinterest when I am doing research for a book. I look for images of folk dress that are likely to include whitework embroidery. And then I investigate further with the ones that interest me. I buy books, I use libraries, and I research in museum collections both physically and online.<\/p>\n
I also use private Pinterest boards as a visual dumping ground for ideas, and visual reference.<\/p>\n
Pinterest is fantastic.<\/p>\n
However, Pinterest is also terrible.<\/p>\n
Let’s consider this comment about a copied chart, made by an internet user (and I’m sure many think similarly, so I am not singling this one person out!): “It was on Pinterest? I thought they only allow charts which have approval of being posted?”<\/p>\n
Ah no.<\/p>\n
Pinterest couldn’t really care less.<\/p>\n
Pinterest is a breeding ground for illegal charts that have been scanned and uploaded illegally. I know, because there are pages from my books there, and let me tell you, I most certainly did not allow them. (Please don’t go looking for them, and if you do happen across one, please let me know.) As copyright holder of my work, I have the right to disseminate my work. *I* do. No-one else does, unless I licence them to, and we have a written contract.<\/p>\n
If you come across a chart on Pinterest, your default assumption should be that it is illegally placed there. If you like the chart, trace it back to it’s source, which if it leads to the designer\/publisher, will mean you can pay them for their work by purchasing a legal copy (whether that is hard copy or, if they offer it, a download). If it is a “freebie” chart, then at least you’re acknowledging the designer by getting it from them. That’ll give them warm and fuzzies as their “payment” seeing they are not seeking monetary payment. (Here’s a tip, if you do download a “freebie” chart, write to the designer to thank them! Acknowledge their creativity and thank them for it!)<\/p>\n
If you can’t trace a chart on Pinterest back to the designer\/publisher, then it’s highly likely to be an illegal copy. Don’t touch it. Leave it there. And continue searching for a legal way to obtain a copy. If you download a copy of an illegally posted chart, you are breaking the law.<\/p>\n
Pinterest (and other websites where illegal copies are available for download) really can be heartbreaking for designers. When our charts are illegally copied, we lose out. Designers are just normal people making their way in the world, expecting that they will be paid for work done. That’s what this is. It’s our work. It’s our creativity. And it really isn’t unreasonable that we should be paid for it. You’d be pretty upset if your employer decided not to pay you for a day’s work. Well, we are too.<\/p>\n
Pinterest does remove illegal copies of work from Pinterest. However, they don’t have a team out there searching out illegal copies to remove them. They only remove them when a copyright report is filed by the designer\/publisher or their agent. I could spend 24\/7 of the rest of my life looking for and reporting illegal copies of my work. It’s heartbreaking. And if I actually want to earn some money for my work, I actually need to be working, not reporting.<\/p>\n
Always make the assumption that charts found on Pinterest are illegal. If you like the chart, find a way to legally obtain a copy. Buy the book, buy the pattern or buy the chart. If you can’t find a way to legally obtain it, then tell yourself what my mother in law once said to me, “Just because I like something doesn’t mean I need to own it.”<\/p>\n
Be legal. Be respectful.<\/p>\n
Pinterest is fantastic. Pinterest is terrible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I use Pinterest when I am doing research for a book. I look for images of folk dress that are likely to include whitework embroidery. And then I investigate further with the ones that interest me. I buy books, I use libraries, and I research in museum collections both physically and online.<\/p>\n
I also use […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,23,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embroidery-musings","category-hints-and-tips","category-soapbox","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9280"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9286,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9280\/revisions\/9286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}