Where do my art titles come from?
I love isolating a single word to explore its essence. That's precisely why I name my artworks the way I do. Saying a word alone, removed from any context, forces you to examine it a bit more closely.
How do I find these words?
I have a master list of words I carry with me always on yes, my phone. In any random moment, I may come across a word that I must add to the list. A particular word could jump off the page in a magazine or book. A spoken word can suddenly catch my attention while listening to the radio. A lyric can stir my emotions in church.
Just like I'm always searching for the next photograph, I also find myself scouring words to find the perfect future title. It's only a matter of time before an image and a word meet to form the true identity of the artwork.
Over the course of time, I've learned that a title has some common attributes that have formed naturally throughout time:
- Every title is unique to only one current artwork.
- It must be one single word found in the English dictionary.
- It almost always avoids negative connotations and feelings of pessimism.
- All titles are in ALL CAPS. This emphasizes the sounds of the letters and offsets the title with words found everywhere else.
- The same base word can be used as long as it is in a different form or tense.
- When spoken, the sound should be compatible with what is being conveyed in the artwork.
I know, #6 seems mighty artsy and is hard to explain. It's sort of when you name your guinea pig or even your car. When you say the name, it just needs to fit what you're looking at...this is of course quite personal and biased.
There are times where I just can't quite pinpoint the right title. (ooh, PINPOINT would make a good title...see how this works?) That's why now and then, I count on you to name an artwork...because an external brainstorm will often conjure the right one. (CONJURE is a great word, but darn, I've used that one already. This is my life, people...)
How I name my artwork is perhaps the most common question I get asked. I hope this helps prevent a little more insight into the process.
