spreading the wisdom: "DIY is not 'Duplicate it Yourself'"

I have seen this article linked on a few other blogs in the last few days, and I usually don't like rehashing what I know is already out there... but I think this article is important enough to continue spreading around in case you haven't already seen it. It's a great article from Decor8 entitled Real Talk: DIY is not Duplicate it Yourself!

I see a lot of personal interpretations of DIY ideas, especially in the wedding world, but for every unique interpretation I'd bet there are ten more blatant rip-offs. As a designer, I have most definitely been asked to replicate something another designer has created, and my answer has always been a resounding "no"; after all, I hope that other designers would do me the same courtesy if someone asked them to replicate one of my original designs. When it comes to individuals replicating something for themselves, though (meaning they do not intend to resell it), it is still a slippery slope — particularly when those projects are blogged about. Even if "inspiration" credit is still given, that doesn't necessarily make it okay to have stolen someone's design.

Inspiration and copying are two very different things, and I've seen a lot of copies in blogland that have made me really uncomfortable.

Here's an excerpt from the post on Decor8 that I find particularly notable:

“Perhaps some people feel like their homemade invitation (or cake or dress or bouquet or centerpiece or curtains or pillow…) that looks exactly like the original couldn’t possibly change anything in the world or hurt someone else. While I think that the vast majority of bloggers understand the difference between inspiration and copying, and act professionally and ethically, I’m not sure that many are doing an excellent job of pointing out the difference—and the real effect that copying has on the people behind the businesses that supply creative content and products—to readers. The simple fact is that when somebody decides to “duplicate it yourself” (instead of getting inspired to “do it yourself”) it hurts a real person."

Check out the original post on Decor8 to read more.

What is your stance on "Do It Yourself" versus "Duplicate It Yourself"? Do you think anything is fair game, or do you make sure to put your personal spin on any ideas you use as inspiration?

hi-fi weddings

Have you heard of Hi-Fi Weddings? Why someone hasn't created a blog like this sooner, I'll never know, because it is simply brilliant. It's all about personalizing the playlist for your wedding day, and it's chock-full of fantastic recommendations. From Ashley, the author:

Here at Hi-Fi Weddings, we understand the importance of music at your wedding. From the song that you walk down the aisle to, until the very last dance we invite you to share your wedding playlist…or to gather ideas from other like-minded brides and grooms. And while we love music of all sounds and notes, we’d like to focus on those that want their wedding mix to be less "Top 40" and more of music that is true to the soul.

A resource like this would have been amazing to have when planning our 2008 wedding, though I am still proud of the playlist we were able to pull together. Ashley recently read about our wedding day playlist over at Weddingbee, and she asked if she could feature it on her blog. Check out the lovely post she put together!