Maybe Im speaking prematurely, or maybe Im just a pretentious bitch, but I seem to have alot of biters (on Myspace and real life, in general). Im not a small-minded person that would be superficial and self-absorbed enough to scrutinize admirers, but its getting real hectic and happening too frequently. And Ive never been a tooter of thine own horn (except for my culinary skills), but I seriously, seriously need some sort of methodology to seize these shabby replications of what is mine, what is done by me, and what I have mastered.
Everyday, I get comments about my page, and how people like this, that, and the third. Okay, so you like it so much that you just have to have yours exactly like mine? I talk in pictures, so I use pictures to illustrate what I think, what I like, who I am. I love music, so I have an array of artists to sample. I love to experiment with color. This all translates into real life. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a shoe fiend. I have an eclectic taste in shoes, and Im not afraid to wear what I want. How I dress is a reflection of me. Especially my shoes. With that being said, I cannot stand when someone will compliment me on my footwear, and then secretly buy the same pair. Now its different, if we're trading fashion tips or making recommendations (i.e. convo with Chells about the Kenneth Cole loafers...and Chells and I have a connection with shoes beyond the physical sense), but for a person to slyly go behind my back and get a (sometimes bootleg) replica of my shoe is just uncouth. This may sound like an overreaction, but Im now convinced that its nothing of the sort...
Winter 2005:
A clear, chilly winter afternoon, Im walking into the trusty favorite, Old Navy. I see a girl, an associate if you will, coming through the double doors and we exchange small talk. She complimented me on my trench, and my hair color. We bid farewell, and she goes on her merry way. A month later, on the same strip, I am in the car with Fortified and she turns and says "Wow, I thought this girl was SO you...the coat, the pants, the hair...had I not been with you, I wouldve just known that she was you". Low and behold, it is the associate, rocking my coat, and my hair color. What the hell just happened here? This is just one example (and Sammy Cakes will tell you that there are many, many more...even dating back to high school, but as usual, I digress).
When I see a person with an exemplary sense of creativity, it inspires me to keep my own creative process flowing. I give respect to the creativity and keep it moving. Im glad to be an inspiration to others, but I never, never want to be carbon copied. I see something I like, and I can bend and shape the idea into my own formulary. I dont steal their ideas, sense of style, or myspace blog formats. I dont buy the Payless version of their shoe, or the Rainbow version of their purse. Give props when props are due, but in the words of Amp Fiddler "I dont want you to be mine, I just want you to be your own".
With that said, I would like to pay respect when respect is due. I have comprised a list of Myspace folk of whom creativity I admire, friends or otherwise:
Fortified Ms Diva Brit Sammy Cakes Mikki B Zo Vic Doza D. Green Corporate Backpacker Mz. Nu Beauti Chells Toi NovaKane Sunn Ana Rez Ms Peaches Usuall Suspect Regular Ol Ty Porsche Dave/Jeff Lola Autumn Lisa Jihan Mano Tia Sunday Says...and anyone else that forgot, sorry G
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