Finding Joy Even Though They Stole My Photos and Hurt My Business
They stole my photos and hurt my business. Though it has taken me a while… I’m finding joy in something that’s been with me all along.
In the last 2 newsletters I’ve spoken about turning upset into joy - of adjusting expectations, and of finding humor in situations that don’t go the way you expect.
But I have to admit, sometimes when bad stuff happens, it’s hard to get beyond the anger and hurt to find even a glimmer of joy. Luckily… as in the situation below, I’ve learned that there is another, very powerful source of joy: friends and family!
One of the images stolen from me
The scam
A few months ago, people from all over the world started sending me notes, messages, emails - they were seeing my (and other artist’s) Wearable Art designs, like the one above, advertised on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Amazon and other places, under a whole slew of different company names. However, all of these scam companies are actually one: CHICV International Holding Limited based in China and they have systematically stolen photos from artists like me, and used them to advertise cheap printed-onto-polyester knock-offs. It is a very sophisticated scam - they use gorgeous photos, offer items for just a few dollars, ship out horrid pieces of material that look nothing like the item in the photos, and depend on buyers not wanting to spend more money shipping back the items for a refund. Of course the consumers will write bad reviews, caution others that the company is a scam, and CHICV will simply open up another ‘company’ under a different name, slightly different format, different PayPal account, upload the same photos, place new ads on FB, Pinterest, Amazon and are off selling again.
Chances are, if you shop on-line, or google clothing, or click on photos of wearable art, or use social media, then you have already seen these ads and might not even realize they are scams.
What could I do?
Of course I started filing complaints and writing letters to PayPal, Facebook, Amazon, Pinterest, Google - even a letter-to-the-editor of the Seattle Times and Washington Post. A few responded, most didn’t. And nothing changed - the scam companies are still showing up all over the internet, and people are still buying from them.
What I was prepared for
I knew this situation would gravely affect my on-line sales - why would anyone buy an original when it looks like the same piece of art could be bought for a fraction of the price?
So I prepared myself to see a drop-off in on-line sales and decided instead to focus on the brick-and-mortar galleries who carry my Nuno Felt. Sadly, the damage that these knock-off companies inflict is far reaching. Even as I was trying to look beyond the un-ethical stealing of artwork, the act of advertising my designs for a fraction of their worth not only undermines the value of my work (and all fiber artists), but it conditions consumers to believe that they can buy a scrumptious artisan piece for pennies on the dollar.
And, as you might have guessed, the negative impact even crept into 2 of the galleries I’ve been working with.
What I wasn’t prepared for
A month ago, a gallery, who found my work on-line, verbally commissioned pieces and was poised to carry a wide selection of my work, backed out at the last minute because they found a source that was significantly less expensive.
And then, the coup de gras: A few days ago, I happened to walk into a local gallery that carries my paintings and fiber art to find the owner unpacking a shipment of horrid polyester printed ‘shawls’ (hard to call them that, because they look like odd-shaped pieces of cheap, weirdly printed fabric). She was so angry that she was scammed, that what she received was so ugly, and so unlike the photos, that she completely passed-over the fact, that I was the artist whose original artwork was stolen!
Did it not occur to her that buying these knock-offs was disrespecting my artwork that was already in her own gallery? And how could she act with such complete hypocrisy from the ‘Buy Local, Support Artists’ signs plastered on her website and out front of her gallery? She actually admitted to buying a knock-off of one of my designs but she was so focused on the wrong that was done to her, that she had the gall to ask me to lay one of my pieces on the floor next to the knock-off so she could get a photo and complain to ‘the Attorney General’ that she didn’t get what she ordered!! (I declined of course).
To be honest, I was in complete shock. I couldn’t process what I was seeing and was bowled over by her flood of anger which was directed at the wrong question. Luckily my girlfriend was with me and asked the right question:
‘With all of Beverly’s artwork sitting right behind you, why would you order this?’
Two of the knock-offs that were supposed to look like my pieces
The gallery owner’s answer, instead of being apologetic, or showing any sort of contrition, was to deflect the issue back onto me and insult both me and my friend. I won’t go into details or even share which gallery this was (my goal is to not hurt sales of other artists in the gallery). However, this was not the first time the owner was disrespectful of me and my work, nor was it the first time I witnessed her acting unethically and with deep hypocrisy.
I owe it to the presence of my friend, who was able to look at the situation for exactly what it was, without the rose-colored glasses that I was peering through, to help me realize that what was going on was not ok. She helped me process what I had just witnessed and helped validate my gut feeling that this gallery is not one I can do business with because the owner doesn’t know how to treat art or artists with respect, integrity, honesty, or ethics. So together, along with my family, we came up with an immediate exit plan.
Finding Joy
I would be hard pressed to tell you that I’m dancing around or filled with inspiration to create more art right now - the pain is still a bit too raw. However, I do have a sense of peace and lightness now that my fiber art, paintings, and other gift items are in a better location.
You see, success for me isn’t just about making money (even though of course I need to do so in order to stay in business). It is also about making connections, about bringing joy to other people through my art, of hearing stories about what my art means to those who have it in their homes, and businesses.
My artwork now hangs in carefully selected locations that bring me pure joy - such as Empowered Pregnancy in Kirkland, where the midwives tell me my art speaks to the women and families who walk through their doors, and they share stories with me about how people feel uplifted by my colors and joyful subjects. This is the type of place that warms my heart!
‘Garden of Tranquility’
More importantly, I realized that my biggest source of joy has been there all along: I am surrounded by very, very dear friends and family who have my back, who are there for me to rant and rave to, who lean in for a hug so I can cry on their shoulders, who rally at the break of dawn to help me move artwork out of a toxic environment to one filled with love, and who will also be by my side, some day in the future, to sit around the table and laugh about this story.
I am also thankful to you - for listening to my story and for making sure that you support the hardworking artists and craftspeople and designers and writers and stores that you love by buying directly from them. And thank you for letting these people know how much their work means to you.
With love,
Beverly
P.S.
You are here - which means that you already have a deep appreciation for art and artists, or are even an artist yourself! So as my thanks to you, I’m holding a spontaneous 3-day sale:
25% off everything in my shop sale
(yes, you can apply this on top of items that are already on sale!)
Sale runs from now until midnight PST 12/19/19
On checkout, enter: FRIENDS25
Because I know you care about making the world a better place too, I will donate a portion of all proceeds of this 48 hour sale to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. My heart is already filled knowing the goodness we can bring to someone who needs help.
Want to read more about the actual scam? On this blog post, I specify some of the company names to watch out for and how to identify it as a scam
In another blog post HERE is the letter I wrote to the on-line giants
Please pass this on to your friends and family to make sure they don’t fall for the scam!