Naming your artwork is the final flourish and the full stop that can add gravitas and impact to your work.
The title is important to acknowledge the concept of your work to help the viewer understand your design.
So why leave it till the last minute?
I know I’ve done it in the past. Sometimes it’s easy to get hooked on the making rather than the naming.
This is where the power of words and mind-maps can come into play.
If you don’t use these devices as adjuncts to your process, then I suggest you at least try them – because they can influence you and your viewer too.
Mind maps are a starting point that allows every idea imaginable to be noted and can lead you down some pretty exciting rabbit holes.
Check out these ideas for creative mind maps here.
Now a name can come from anywhere – you can begin with just one word before you even begin designing and that’s a great way to start.
But if you begin with the work first, where does the name come from?
It has to come from research or the concept around which the work has been designed.
That name creates an image within a viewer’s mind, so it has to relate to the artwork.
It has to have meaning, help describe the work without having to read a statement, be original and must have impact.
That’s asking a lot from a name, so it’s vital to get the essence of your work into that name.
Experience is a wonderful thing, so my advice is to continually jot down words, phrases or ideas as you work.
Have a notebook and pencil with you while you stitch to capture ideas because I often find this is the time I’m most open to new ideas – it’s as though with busy hands the mind is allowed to roam.
And don’t forget to create a label that ties in with your work. Include some of the design and embroidery techniques used on the front of the work to help consolidate and amplify the naming label.
William Shakespeare knew the importance of a name when he wrote Romeo and Juliet: ‘that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet’.
Be brave, wear your heart on your sleeve, name your work with authority and use the power of the written word.
It’s important.
All views and opinions expressed are my own, except where acknowledged information is included from other sources.