Orbeads began when I felt a little lost. I wasn't trying to build another brand. I was asking a much simpler question: Do people still care about each other?

I SAW THIS. I THOUGHT OF YOU. THAT WAS ENOUGH.

THEN I STARTED ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION.

DO PEOPLE STILL CARE?

DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT THIS?

So I kept making. Posting. Changing. Explaining. Pushing. Waiting. And waiting. For somebody to say: VALIDATED.

Nobody did.

Perhaps originality needed better KPIs.

AND THEN THE COPYCATS ARRIVED.

Names became familiar. Ideas developed suspiciously similar relatives. Things I'd spent months questioning suddenly appeared elsewhere.

Interesting.

I was angry. Obviously. But then I realised something.

I didn't need the market to validate me. I didn't need an algorithm to validate me. And I certainly didn't need a copycat to validate me.

Annoyingly difficult to measure.

THEY CAN COPY YOUR PRODUCT.

THEY CAN COPY YOUR IDEAS.

THEY CAN COPY YOUR AESTHETIC.

THEY CAN EVEN COPY YOUR NAME.

BUT THEY CAN NEVER COPY YOUR SOUL.

ORIGINALITY DOESN'T ALWAYS NEED TO SCALE.

It doesn't need permission.

It doesn't need validation.

It doesn't need everyone to understand it.

Sometimes—

IT JUST NEEDS TO BE YOURS.

BE ORIGINAL. SPELL IT BACKWARDS. ORBEADS

Do people still care?

Does anyone care about what I make?

Do I?

YES.

Fuck You, COPYCAT.

I did put my heart and soul into it.