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| Willow carved necklace |
Maybe I was short sighted, maybe I needed to dream bigger. And I think now is the time to make the shift. I'm a little scared though.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
What's in a name
After careful consideration, I've decided to change my business name. As important as using Jibby and Juna (the names of my childhood, imaginary friends) was to me when I opened my Etsy shop in 2008, using my full name for business purposes is, as one wise friend said, better for the long haul.
I'll start the process sometime in the next couple of weeks.
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A very wise and good choice, I think. Good luck with it!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the necklace in the photo!
ReplyDeleteI've been pondering this very thing as well. It's like you think you are writing a story and trying to come up with a really good, creative, catchy title... only to realize later you were writing an autobiography.
ReplyDeleteI think it speaks to how seriously you take your artwork. If you feel your artwork is important enough, it is a reflection of YOU as an artist. If you don't take your work as seriously. or are uncertain, you can put the weight on a name that is separate from your own.
Or it could just be that we dove into Etsy having to have a shop name and using your own name just seemed...odd. :^)
Best wishes on your move forward!
Partially I think I felt like I needed a name that was sort of like a brick and mortar shop name. And equally, to be honest, I couldn't quite conceive that I would be at the point I am 5 years ago.
DeleteI am just doing this myself, but I don't agree with the need of using your real name, on the contrary, you are actually ceating a brand, and under the name of the brand you are creating certain stuff of a certain look. You can have a diffrent "brand names" for different "look and feel" . Like line collection? I personally think "Jibby and Juna" is a great catching name, studio name perhaps? You can create a great logo out of "J&J" and changing it after a few years of working under this name could be misleading for your beloved customers. I would think rather about good banner design and logo design out of Jibby and Juna followed by a website with a shop rather changing it for something completly new. Name stays the same but different "look and feel" suggest exactly the same - you have changed, grew and developed into something more serious and proffesional.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts the name change Mags. I really did struggle with this decision - for about a year actually! And I decided to go ahead with it for the exact reasons that Lynn talked about above. This change for me is not really about business as it is about transparency and confidence in my work.
DeleteJibby and Juna has been a catchy name and it has served me well. But I don't feel like I am changing my name to something new, rather, I'm changing it to match who I really am.
I am working through the changes to hopefully make things as seamless as possible. I'll be doing a lot of extra work over the next couple of months to cover all my bases and notify my customers.
This decision might not have been right for everyone and I agree, there is no NEED to use your real name in business or as an artist. But for me this feels right. Thanks again for your input - I appreciate it!
Thank you for your reply to my comment. My need for creating a name came form feeling that my real name is just too long and complicated to use it, or maybe I am not confident enough to use it yet? Unexpectedly your reply made me think about this a bit dipper and thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteMagdalena is a wonderful name!
DeleteI completely understand being worried about your name being too long or complicated - completely!
Of course the flip side of having a unique name is that you stand out in a crowd - but the same can be true for choosing a specific business name of course. Thinking of the advice that I have been given, I would say think about where you want to me 5, 10 years down the road and make sure that whatever name you choose will keep working for you. And remember that the WORK is what matters the most - people will be drawn to good work, whatever name it is sold under.
In a bizarre turn of events, as unique as I guess I thought my name might be, there is shopper on Etsy with the name Genevieve Williamson so I can't use it as my shop name. So...thats a bit of a road block.