I'm not naming names here
This is a touchy issue. Has anyone ever been verbally attacked at a show by another artist? I know I have been, and it's not pleasant. It actually took me months if not years to get over it, and it still hurts. Someone accused me of stealing her designs, which I did not.
Yet another wire artist has been talking behind my back for more than a year now, accusing me of the same thing. I found out about this once from a customer friend who overheard her and now again from a third wire jewelry artist (who, thankfully, isn't accusing me of anything!). Wire artist #3 was verbally attacked at a show by her, though, and it's all starting to feel very nasty.
As artists I know we have to take our work seriously. We don't want people to outright steal our designs, yet at a certain point something is technique and each individual brings their own flavor to the style. In this way a style of art can continue to move forward.
I've written books and taught workshops yet I don't live in fear of someone stealing my designs. I have so many ideas floating in my head that it might be a relief to have an excuse to let an older design go. Why do other artists feel so differently? Especially if their arguments are unfounded. Why would anyone think they were the only person creating wire jewelry? Or weaving with it? Or making baskets? It's been done for so long throughout history, and I stumbled upon it in my own way without awareness of other artists until I was well underway as an artist in this field and becoming more known.
What I really want to know is what happened to the Renaissance style of thought where people studied under a master and tried to develop under his guidance? Maybe there was an intense feeling of competitiveness then that I haven't heard about, but it felt more like a group of people trying to make stylistic progress in the arts.
In general I like to keep my head down and just get into the groove of my own work. I don't even look at books much for inspiration because I do fear influence. I have seen pieces that look remarkably similar to my designs or vice versa yet when I view the entire body of work I can see that the artist is coming from a different place. Most of all I just try to admire it and see what we did differently and appreciate that individual's artistic vision. I for one do not have enough time or energy to get overly in a huff about it all, and I certainly don't want that bad energy making its way into my work so I shrug it off as much as possible.