The name is the game; or so it would seem. We all try to brand ourselves and that usually starts with our names. Liking it, or disliking it: whether it be bestowed upon us at birth and we accept it; or as we mature we take it upon ourselves to create a name that will become synonymous with what we think we are or should be.
If you were to ask virtually anyone on the street to name a famous artist, the vast majority would immediately say Picasso. It is a pretty cool name, and if you think about it; his name really exemplifies the style of art he gendered. We all know he got his name at birth, and then through his lifetime he made that name; Picasso— synonymous with his uniquely original art.
There are lots of guys named Denny; but when you add an S to it, you have Denny’s, the famous restaurant chain. There’s a gentleman by the name of Fred Smith, a pretty unassuming name. Fred just happens to be the guy who started FedEx. I suspect if their slogan was “let Fred Smith deliver your package anywhere in the world on time,” you might think twice about handing your package over to a company called Fred Smith. FedEx on the other hand sounds pretty reliable, of course they had to build the company by delivering on their promise. That’s why we trust FedEx.
Social media names. Some people spend countless hours agonizing over the name they choose. I have a relative who has no doubt, changed their social media name over a dozen times. I’m still not sure if any one of them was better or worse than any other. Our social media monikers often reveal much about the person posting. Some of them are quite clever and they may make you smile, others get to the point and state the person’s actual name. I’m rather fond of the latter, I like to hear or see the person’s name, it gives me an idea of how I should address them. More personal, more friendly, in my way of thinking; in other words it’s social.
Why do I call myself Rod Jones artist? My name was given to me by my mother’s sister, my aunt. I really like it: at least I really like the name Rod. I know my aunt did not pick Rod, because of Rod Stewart, although he was born before me , he was far from achieving his fame. I don’t really know how she came up with Rod. I’m glad she did. For some reason my mom let my aunt name all three of her children. Quite possibly because this aunt never had any children of her own. Now for my last name; that ever so popular last name of Jones. It’s Welsh and if I go back far enough on my family tree, I would quickly discover that there are plenty of Joneses in the country of Wales-United Kingdom. No doubt centuries of relations to my family or at least in my father’s family.
I freely admit that having the last name of Jones has been problematic. On many occasions I have thought about changing my name. For the most part I have never really convinced myself that the name Rod Jones was the kind of moniker you would associate with art. When I was a commercial photographer it seemed to work okay. Over the years I played around with changing my name, but invariably I came back to the same conclusion. This was the name that I was given, one could say; my name was a blessing, it just needed a few years of acceptance to mature.
I did play around with initials added to the front of the word Jones. And ended up with R H Jones. The H was the first letter of my father’s middle name; Henry. I decided the best purpose for that name that it could be used as my author’s name when and if I get around to completing the books I have started.
Let’s talk about your name… do you love it, do you like it, do you hate it? I’m not talking about the fancy name that you came up with for your company, business or organization. Your name; your God-given name, the one people use to address you instead of using “hey you.” I know it always makes me feel good when someone calls me Rod; why? Because: I like it; makes me feel good. I like to refer to people that I know on social media by their first name. I am not always good at it, but I do try hard. I think it shows respect, it also truthfully implies, you are okay in my book.
We love to give names to all kinds of stuff. And who does not enjoy coming up with the perfect name for a new pet. Or maybe a pet name, for that special someone in our lives.
Besides pet loves and love of a pet; I want to write briefly, about naming an artwork. I never know how I should name a painting in the beginning. Some works of my art can wait weeks before the right name finds them. Yes; I agree this sounds weird, but for some reason they seem to pick the name they want to go by, unlike us people born into this world and named by our parents, or in my case, named by a favorite aunt. My paintings are given the opportunity to express themselves by lobbying for the name they want to be known as, in perpetuity.
The painting attached to this story does not have a name, admittedly it’s not that old, it’s only been around for about a week or so. The work has not had the opportunity to scream at me, with its chosen name. Seeing how this is art, and I am sharing it on social media, and it’s looking for a name. Maybe you can give me a hand by recommending its title. I believe my painting will be indebted to you— it will become; “art social in name.” Of course; I will tell my social media world who gave it a cherished title.
If you choose to take me up this challenge, and believe me this particular painting is a challenge to name. The work clearly represents my art style that I call “Receptive Abstract Patternism.” There’s nothing really traditional or even remotely easy, when it comes to exploring a suitable and attractive name, that suggests what the hell this work is about. Once the painting decides it likes your offering. I will send you a poster from my Amazon collection, and yes you can pick the one you would like. The painting will only choose one name. Perhaps with a little help from me and my family. If you would like to submit a name you can use the contact form on the website #HatTip2U my friend.
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare