I want to share a story that happened quite recently. It took me some time to translate everything into English. Sorry if there are any mistakes in the text β Iβm not very proficient in the language. There will be a lot of text β get ready.
Some of you may have already seen the conflict that arose between me and a person who commissioned dresses from me in the 1850s fashion style. From here on, I will refer to them as the client.
Letβs start from the beginning.
When this person contacted me on November 30 saying they wanted to order voluminous dresses, I explained that I had never made anything like that before, but I was willing to try and start with one dress. If everything worked out, I would be open to creating the rest as well.
In the end, I completed the order. Yes, it was through trial and error. Yes, I spent a lot of time and effort, and it was stressful because not everything went smoothly. It was my first commission, and it meant a lot to me. Naturally, I faced difficulties while creating something I had never done before.
However, the result turned out quite well, and I received positive feedback from the client. That motivated me a lot, so I accepted another order afterward and completed it as well.
I want to highlight an important point.
From the very beginning, we had an agreement that I create custom pieces based on the references provided to me. I asked whether I could later sell these items publicly. The response I received was: βNo, I want them to be used only by me and to remain unique.β Alright β understood and accepted.
At some point, I realized that this style was not something I truly enjoyed. I was forcing myself to create these items, which made me feel exhausted and drained. I informed the client that I could no longer take orders in this theme. I didnβt want to burn out again.
Then, on March 30, I received another request to create items. I explained that I would no longer be making dresses, but I could create jewelry instead. So I accepted a commission for a jewelry set.
On that same day, I came across the clientβs Tumblr, where I found some surprising posts. Screenshots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
In these posts featuring the clientβs characters and descriptions of the Sims, there are credits for the CC creators whose content is used on the characters β such as jewelry, hair, and so on. However, in the field for the dress author, it simply says βmine.β
If someone has even basic knowledge of English or uses a translator, they will understand this word as βmyβ or βmine.β
What is the first thought that comes to mind? Author of the item = author of the post. I honestly donβt see how this can be interpreted differently.
At this point, the client claims that people misunderstand English, and that βmineβ does not mean βI created this CCβ in a literal sense, but rather in a broader sense β that they participated in the creation process, made edits, and therefore can also be considered a βcreator,β again in a broad sense. Wellβ¦ yes, thatβs one way to put it.
I do want to acknowledge that the client credited me in their Telegram channel. I have no issues there. My concerns are specifically about Tumblr. Why wasnβt my name mentioned there? Why not use wording like βcustom-made for meβ or something similar? Those questions remain.
And if I hadnβt seen it myself, no one would have told me about it. Naturally, I didnβt like it. My motivation to continue creating disappeared.
I spent a long time thinking about whether I could push through and complete the order anyway, but I couldnβt. I informed the client: Iβm sorry, I canβt create this item for you.
I understand that I let the client down, but I simply cannot complete the order. And even if I forced myself to do it, the result would likely be of poor quality β something I would regret.
Right after that, I started discussing the Tumblr posts with the client. I explained that the impression I got from those posts was ambiguous, and I asked them to properly credit me as the author.
I also added that if someone wanted to obtain these items with the clientβs permission, they should be directed to me for purchase.
In response, I was told that it wouldnβt be a problem, that my authorship would be credited, and that the client had not intended to claim authorship β that perhaps the word βmineβ was simply mistranslated.
Although Iβm not sure how else that word could be interpreted.
After that, the conversation shifted to the topic of selling the items. I acknowledge that I may have been wrong here β I probably shouldnβt have brought up reselling, since earlier I had asked whether the client was okay with paid access, and they said no. Iβm willing to apologize for that.
At that moment, I was simply expressing my honest thoughts, and I stand by what I said.
I also mentioned that for such complex items, I had set a lower price than what I actually felt was fair β mainly because I lacked experience in creating CC content and felt that my work wasnβt as perfect as I wanted it to be.
Thatβs not an excuse, I know. Those were simply my genuine thoughts and feelings at the time.
In the end, we agreed that I would not sell these items to anyone, and that the client could use them however they wanted, just to stop further discussion on the matter.
That conversation affected me so much that I deleted everything related to these items from my computer β the files, drafts, screenshots, package files, everything.
And yes, I insisted on proper credit being given β not because I was trying to change the terms of our agreement, but because I saw the clientβs Tumblr posts where my name was not listed as the author (again, see screenshots 1β5).
If those posts hadnβt existed, I would never have brought up selling the items or crediting authorship, since it was not originally discussed that I needed to be credited.
What else was I supposed to do? I see posts where someone is presented as the author instead of me, and at the same time I see indications that these items might be made publicly available in the future β even though it had been clearly stated earlier: βNo, I want them to be used only by me and remain unique.β
None of this would have happened if I hadnβt seen those contradictory Tumblr posts.
Oh, and one more thing β the posts were edited/cleaned up afterward. Unfortunately, I canβt prove it. There were many more posts where βmineβ was used, but some of them still remain β the ones shown in the screenshots.
If you saw those posts, who would you assume is the author? Clearly not me.
While trying to confirm my concerns, I also discovered something else: the client had already been told before that their way of crediting authors was incorrect. This proves that Iβm not the only one who has faced this issue (see screenshot 6).
On Tumblr, especially within the Sims community, people are very strict about proper credits and attribution. If a creator notices that their work is posted without proper credit, or credited incorrectly, or tagged improperly, and they speak up β thatβs generally understood, and people apologize, because otherwise there can be a huge backlash.
But when a relatively unknown new creator makes the same request, they can be ignored β and instead face a wave of negativity, insults, gossip, and attempts to damage their reputation.
Wellβ¦ it is what it is. Letβs move on.
I also received a message from another creator with the following information:
Someone on Tumblr was asking people to create items for The Sims 3 β specifically, to convert already existing content to another game. In that post, there was a screenshot of a headpiece that I had created for the client (screenshot 7). The client was tagged there as well, with a request for help to expand their collection for The Sims 3.
This raises a question: why is the client being tagged instead of me, the actual creator? The answer is simple β because on Tumblr, in the author field, it is NOT me.
Together with another creator, we decided to make a separate post on their Tumblr page, which has a much larger audience. The purpose was to clarify that I am the author of these items, not someone else. The post included screenshots of the items I created for the client, a link to my Boosty page, and a note that my other works can be found there as well.
There was not a single word in that post about selling these specific items or making them publicly available (screenshot 8).
However, the client β without fully understanding the situation and without carefully reading the post β published our private correspondence. This included discussions about authorship and even my messages where I mentioned selling items, along with all my voice messages.
When I asked, βWhy are you doing this?β, I received the following response: that βsome random personβ (the creator who made the Tumblr post) was posting about commissions for the client and claiming that these items could be purchased. This is simply not true.
Of course, I explained everything, but by then it was already too late.
People in the clientβs channel began insulting me and those who supported me, calling me a bad creator and so on. The girls who supported me were called βminionsβ and βa flock of sheep,β and I was labeled βthe shepherd of those sheep.β
At this point, Iβm not running away from the situation, despite how it may appear to the clientβs audience. I have work to do, and Iβm not interested in engaging in a scandal with people who refuse to see the full picture.
Iβm not asking anyone to take my side completely. I know that I was wrong in some aspects. The people who supported me did so only regarding the issue of authorship not being credited on Tumblr β not because I considered selling custom-made items.
As for the video that included my correspondence with the client:
For me, sharing private conversations without consent is strictly unacceptable. Publishing private correspondence without the agreement of the other party is punishable by law, both in Russia and in other countries.
If questions about ownership rights can still be discussed and interpreted in different ways, then leaking private correspondence is not up for debate β it may carry legal consequences.
Therefore, I am publicly requesting that the video be removed from the clientβs group chat.
With that, I consider this matter closed.
P.S. This text was written entirely by me, reflecting my own thoughts and emotions, without the use of AI.
Thank you all so much for your support. Once again, Iβve been reminded that Iβm surrounded by kind and fair people.
Love you, hugs. Thank you!
Π Π΄Π»Ρ ΡΡΡΡΠΊΠΎΡΠ·ΡΡΠ½ΠΎΠΉ Π°ΡΠ΄ΠΈΡΠΎΡΠΈΠΈ Π²ΡΠ΅ Π½Π°ΠΏΠΈΡΠ°Π»Π° Π² ΠΌΠΎΠ΅ΠΌ ΡΠ³.
