Fun Business Fun Money Podcast

EPISODE 110 – How to avoid being a creative copycat

Some people take great care not to be a copycat of other people’s work.

Others… don’t.

For some its completely unintentional, or they think they’re somehow not creative. But others have the belief that anything available online is fair game.

FUN FACT: It’s not.

In this quick tip episode we’re looking at online copycats, what’s acceptable and how you can share that awesome content with YOUR audience in an ethical way.

TRANSCRIPT

Hey there, and welcome back to the Fun Business Fun Money podcast! I’m your host, Deirdre Amies.

A quick one for you today, as these tip, tool or tactic episodes each week are intended to be.

They’re quick in terms of implementing or shifting your mindset about something, rather than quick in terms of time. Because sometimes I go over 10 minutes and I’m not even sorry about that at all lol!

Seriously though, this is something that can shift your perspective and your mindset in a flash if you take it on board.

 

What IS a creative copycat?

I’m seeing a lot of posts on Facebook about copycats. If you don’t know what I mean by that, its where someone blatantly rips off your content, whether its a social media post, an email, website copy or your entire course content.

First up… THAT IS NOT COOL! Don’t be doing that.

I don’t know what makes people think its ok, maybe you were told as a kid in school or by some influential person in your life that you’re not creative. You’re no good at writing, you can’t draw to save yourself, you don’t have an original thought in your head. Blah blah blah, all of those things.

Let. That. Shizz. Go! Its a total BS opinion that you’ve taken on board and claimed it as fact.

 

Rewrite your creative story

Have a think about it, how many times have you said in the past week something along the lines of “I’m not…” or “I can’t…” and insert a negative belief you have about yourself.

• I’m not pretty enough / confident enough / knowledgeable enough to share my expertise with the world, to record videos or podcasts.
• I can’t cook.
• I’m not a writer.
• I can’t make money being creative.

Whatever it is, ask yourself if thats actually true.

Because I can 100% guarantee that there is someone else less talented than you, less confident than you, hitting record and showing up on video or talking on a podcast.

There’s someone less talented than you cooking up a storm and laughing at their fails. Hello, have you SEEN Nailed It on TV?? That show is WILD! 

There’s people less talented than you writing interesting posts or stories and sharing them with the world.

There are people most definitely making money through any and all their creative talents.

So thats the first thing…

Check your belief about being creative and ask yourself if its really true.

Where did you hear this about yourself? In most cases its ONE PERSON’S OPINION, not a proven fact. Let it go and try something new this coming week, you just might discover a fun thing you enjoy doing!

The second part is the copycat thing.

 

Are YOU a copycat?

Yes there absolutely are people out there stealing other’s ideas, their words and intellectual property, and passing it off as their own. In some cases, when they’re called out on it, they claim spiritual guidance gave them the inspiration and wash their hands of responsibility.

Again, NOT COOL!

But there’s a grey area here too.

Some people are born to be idea generators, and others are born to be idea implementors. They don’t necessarily have the ideas themselves, they’re better suited to taking inspiration from the ideas shared by others and put their own spin on it.

The key thing here is taking the INSPIRATION and putting YOUR OWN SPIN ON IT.

 

Steal like an artist instead

A book I read a few years ago and absolutely loved is “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon. The gist is that the greatest and most celebrated artists throughout time are usually inspired by something outside of themselves.

Whether thats the colours of nature, a physical human form, a screenplay for a movie, a piece of art made by someone else, the inspiration comes from outside of the person creating it.

They then apply their own skills, talents and expertise to it and put their own spin on it.

They’re not passing it off as a replica of someone else’s work.

A lot of movies over the years have a similar story arc to them, such as the hero’s journey or the tragic romance.

One of my favourites in that genre is Warm Bodies, which is essentially a zombie-era remake of Romeo and Juliet. Which no doubt would have been taken from a similar story that inspired William Shakespeare to write his version.

Most of us aren’t writing sonnets or literary masterpieces, especially with the fast pace of social media and people’s attention spans getting shorter by the minute.

Its okay to be inspired by what you see in the world and online. But put your own spin on it.

Tell YOUR hero’s journey story, or YOUR great romance, whatever it might be.

 

Manifestors inspire, Generators implement 

I’m one of those people who works best when I’m inspired by the ideas of others. I’m by no means an expert on Human Design, but I do know I’m a common garden variety Generator.

Generators tend to take ideas and implement them. Manifesters, on the other hand, are full of ideas but may not know how or even have the inclination to take action on them.

If you’ve got an idea for something in your business but you’re stuck on what to actually DO with it, I’m the one that can help you with that. I connect the dots from your idea to the type of person who needs it and helps you figure out how you can get it to them in a way that feels aligned for you.

Thats why I went through the certification process with money mentor Kendal Summerhawk. I’m licensed to use her content for Sacred Money Archetypes® and Money Breakthrough Business Coaching®.

There’s NO WAY I’d use her concepts without being certified and qualified to talk about them. What I ACTUALLY share from any of it is in my own words and my clients’ experiences.

 

There’s another way you might be an unintentional copycat

You see or hear something that you really enjoyed and you share it with everyone… but you forget to credit the original source.

Sometimes people don’t know they SHOULD do that, or they just don’t care.

Ideally, if its on social media, just share the original post and add your thoughts. If thats not an option, make sure you’re being clear that its someone else’s content, and add your thoughts.

Always reference your inspiration. Even if you don’t know the original, original ORIGINAL source, reference where YOU got it from.

I do it on this podcast all the time, if I’ve learnt something somewhere thats worth sharing, I tell you where it came from. I’ve already done it in this podcast, by mentioning Austin Kleon’s book, “Steal Like An Artist”!

For what its worth, nobody has ever accused me of copying their work or stealing their idea and passing it off as my own. Give credit wherever possible.

 

What about those who do it anyway?

But there are plenty of people out there who just don’t care if they’re ripping off someone else’s words, course material or anything else.

A client of mine did exactly that a few years back. She took what she learned from me and launched her own coaching business with the same course workbooks using my words. She justified it because she was operating in a different niche, but it still doesn’t make it right.

I always think the end joke is on the copycat though, because anything I write or say is infused with MY personality.

Unless they’re they same personality type as me, its never going to sound quite right coming from someone else.

Don’t be that person.

Be the person who shares great ideas in their own words and acknowledges their source of inspiration.

That’s what I’ve got for you today!

You ARE creative, so lets see it rather than projecting the weird icky energy of copying someone else’s creativity.

Take care, have fun sharing your awesome take on an idea, whether its ‘original’ or not, and I’ll catch you in the next episode!