Naming Your Artwork

OY! This process is the most difficult! Well, at least to me. Naming photographs is so tough. I took the picture, I felt something. Now, to put a label on that?? I don’t know. I am always hesitate to name in fear of being cheesy. I definitely don’t call myself a writer (I know, I know I have a blog, and I write…But I don’t consider that writing. Don’t ask me why.) I am not good with words. What I find is that I am a fan of the one word label. I feel like sometimes…most of the time one word is enough. I do it with my Youtube videos too. I have a weekly (well…I try to post weekly lol) topic show called “Take it all in Thursday,” and I usually label the topic with just one word. I have “Boredom,” and “Failure,” “Appreciation.” You get it. I do it a lot with my photos, my short films, and other things I have to title. Even in college, I think all my projects, and student films were all one word titles. Seems to work for me. People get it. If I use to many words I risk getting too controlling in what people might think of the piece themselves. Maybe thats my problem, the fear of being too controlling of the viewers mind. The title will shape thought surrounding the work. Art is open for interpretation.

This comes up because I have an art show coming up! I never gave this one photo a name that I am entering into the show. Shame on me. I do remember looking at it often thinking “hmm…I don’t know what to call this one.” All I knew was it was a photo I liked. Hell, I didn’t even consider it a show-able photo until my boyfriend happen to see it, and say, “Wow, let me see that one!”

I really have to sit down, and analyze how that photo makes me feel, and run through a lot of titles to finally give it a name. Does any other artist find this the most difficult? I thought finding a printer, and framer was hard, or editing a photo was tough. Not as hard as giving the work its title.

I finally gave this photo the title “Light on the Unknown”

I posted this picture before when I first decided to put it on my website, but now it has a name! I remember the day I took the picture, it was soooo dark going down those stairs. It was kinda scary, not gonna lie, but than we got to the window, and it felt like “ok this is do-able even though I have no idea what I’m getting into.” So, maybe the title is a bit literal, it fits though. A title I am happy with. 🙂

And for people who are curious about my youtube click here!