How You Can Protect Yourself From Being Ripped Off | Interview with Raymond Biesinger

Interview with Raymond Biesinger

How do you defend your creative work when clients underpay, misuse your images, or ignore copyright entirely?

In this episode, I talk with Montréal-based illustrator, artist, and author Raymond Biesinger, whose new book 9 Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off (Drawn + Quarterly, 2025) is part memoir, part self-defence guide for independent creatives.
Raymond pulls back the curtain on wage theft, unauthorized usage, blurred legal lines, and the everyday realities illustrators face when protecting their work — and their livelihood.

This is a wide-ranging, candid conversation about money, boundaries, professionalism, and what it really takes to survive as an illustrator today.

🙏 A huge thank-you to all paid supporters on Patreon — without you, this show wouldn’t exist.

IN THIS EPISODE

• What “being ripped off” really means (hint: it’s not just stylistic copying)
• Why wage theft is rampant in the creative industries
• The blurry, case-by-case nature of copyright enforcement
• How creatives can strategically bluff to protect their work
• Why talking openly about money is essential for healthier creative careers
• The role of mood, timing, and resources in deciding whether to pursue a dispute
• How Raymond developed his signature collage-driven style
• The surprising story of a fan who copied his style — and how it turned into something positive
• What Raymond hopes independent creatives will take away from the book

SHOW LINKS

Raymond Biesinger
Website — https://fifteen.ca
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/raymondbiesinger
📕 9 Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off (Drawn + Quarterly, 2025) —  https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/9-times-my-work-has-been-ripped-off/
📘 305 Lost Buildings of Canada — Goose Lane Editions — https://gooselane.com/products/305-lost-buildings-of-canada?_pos=1&_psq=305+lost&_ss=e&_v=1.0

From Tom
🎨 SLO-FI Illustrations (new Skillshare class) — 30 days free: https://skl.sh/4nbo3KT
📗 Drawing is Important — now available for preorder: https://geni.us/DrawingisImportant

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FIND ME ELSEWHERE

Website — https://www.tomfroese.com
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mrtomfroese
Daily Drawings — https://www.instagram.com/drawingisimportant

CREDITS

Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk — https://linktr.ee/semiathletic