Business Matters - What's in a name: Why name a piece

For the next few weeks for my Business Matters posts on Wednesdays, I'll be discussing the idea of naming our creations. I look forward to your input too!

If you've seen any of my work, you'll probably tell that I'm a big fan of naming. So to start off this series, let's look at "why name a piece"?

Imagine...."oh what a sweet baby. What's her name?" ...
"Untitled".

or think about cars.....Car manufacturers spend a lot of money coming up with simple (in most cases!) names that give off a certain impression when people mention it...think of what "mini" conjurs up or "beetle" or "magnum" or "440"....Each name appeals differently to different people...and while the name might not make you buy or not buy that car - it has a big influence in initially grabbing your attention.








"Stuck on you" or"frog necklace"

So too with your art/craft. Naming a piece is the first verbal communication opportunity you have with a viewer or buyer. Why throw that away by using "untitled" or a bland name.

People buy art and handmade items because it stirs something within them and the title of a piece can really work towards pulling the viewer in and seeing it from the artist's perspective.

It also shows that the artist has bothered to spend some time considering a title...they thought their creation was worth that effort and I think that comes across to the viewer.

We were recently in Madrid and went to the Reina Sofia Museum of contemporary and modern art. Looking round, I felt kind of let down when the pieces were "untitled". I understand that some people think this leaves interpretation of the piece to the viewer, but it was also a lost opportunity when I could have had the chance to learn something more of the artist and understand their thinking when they created the piece...........And then there were those pieces which had a title that seemed intriguing or odd to me. With those, I looked closer and spent longer, trying to find meaning in that title and consider where the artist was coming from in naming it that way. The title was a grabber for me and made me stop and consider the piece in greater detail than I would have otherwise.







"Special delivery" or "mailbox necklace"

So until next week when I'll talk about how to choose a name, why not try to spend just an extra minute on choosing the name for a new piece, considering the impact this can have on viewers and potential buyers.

I would like to feature other artists' creations in this series and look at the choice of names or help choose a name for a piece. Please let me know if I can feature some of your work.