What constitutes as copying vs. just taking inspiration

If you’ve blatantly taken their work and put your name on it

If a side by side comparison looks almost identical

If only a few items have been changed

If a third party viewer would think both pieces of work were created by the same person

Why “making changes” isn’t enough

What is the amount of changes that makes it a new piece?

The rule of 7

The Obama Hope poster

Who copying impacts

The original creator : these are their ideas that they are worked towards and put effort into in order to express themselves

Whoever they created these pieces for – a store/client that loses out on having a unique piece of art made by this individual

The person YOU are creating for – they think you have come up with this caliber of work on your own

YOU – you are deciding that your ideas aren’t good enough to pursue

Where things get tricky

Social media trends

When ideas are shared in an educational setting

When credit is hard to find

Different media styles are hard to track 

When in doubt, give credit

Ask permission

Tag the original creator

The instagram baby reveal

How to take inspiration

Seek inspiration outside of your field

Think about what the client specifically is needing

Explore, explore, and explore some more

Stop following others in your profession