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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Weekly Challenge- "The Power of Words"

I am beside myself with giddiness because I have actually managed to get two, count 'em TWO challenges done in a row for the weekly prompt at Inspiration Avenue! The theme this week was, "The Power of Words" and I just also happened to need to make a name tag for when I start working at the gallery. Beth and Lori (the owners of the gallery) asked that the name tag be indicative of our work so of course, I decided to a collage in the style I often use for my altered books.
BUT, I started wondering how well this fits the theme- after all, a name is a word, but how much power does it have? Then, of course Shakespeare cam to mind with his famous "What's in a Name Poem" and I decided to go with it. When I went to look up the poem, I also found this really interesting (to me at least;)) article from Psycology Today that expands on the idea.

""What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
The above well-known musings of Shakespear's Juliet suggest that the names we ascribe to objects entail an element of arbitrariness. They imply that the name given to an object is a mere matter of convention. A name - Juliet explains - does not change any of an object's qualities, nor - she might philosophize - does a name possess any real connection to an object's inherent properties.
A rose is a rose because we agree to call it so, and if we agreed to call it by any other name, all that makes a rose will continue; albeit under a different name."
For anyone who wants to read the rest of the article, you can find it HERE.
So here's my name tag- hope you like it!

And don't forget to check out the other submissions at Inspiration Avenue for this week's challenge!

16 comments:

Luthien Thye said...

that's a beautiful piece stephanie!! and you know what ... a name has more power than you know!! the chinese believed it so much that they go to a fortune teller just to get the right names for their kids. some even change their own names to attract power, wealth and all sorts of things.

i didn't have the name Luthien, until i decided for fun to adopt it as a blog name. after doing that, i could feel the creative energy this name gave me. so i decided that it should be part of me. and now... it's my middle name :)

Dianne said...

Beautiful name tag! And Juliette may have had some points, but in some cultures names have a great deal of power and in some, your name is the source of your own power...

Unknown said...

So does that mean that a Stephanie by any other name would still smell the same......sorry, couldn't resist!

Lynn said...

Your tag turned out beautifully :)

Shelinwa said...

Love love great work
you have signature stuff here

Sandy said...

Oh wow this is gorgeous.
Fantastic piece.

Victoria said...

Beautiful work Stephanie!!..gorgeous name tag..it has a such nice sense of mystery beuaty and power to it..an inpsiring piece..fab-u-lous!!
Love the olcor-vibe to it as well..deeply rich!
Victoria~

LuLu Kellogg said...

I love this Stephanie!

artangel said...

Love it - and it's so "you"! Very interesting article, have marked to read properly later but I've heard something like that before - that people have preference for certain sounds and give them certain qualities.

WrightStuff said...

Well, I've never seen such a cool name tag before that's for sure. I think it's funny when you meet someone with a totally ridiculous name for them - but then it doesn't often happen. Do we grow into our name perhaps. Interesting questions we're debating here!

Kelly Jeanette Swift said...

Cool name tag, very unique. Love the layered effect.

Names are very important to artists. After googling my name and coming up with more people than I thought, I added my middle name so to be easier to find.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

"Stephanie" never looked so jazzy. Great name tag. And yes, I love it!

Healing Woman said...

Stephanie,

I just want you to know that I have been thinking about your post all day. I am also planning on doing a post of Shakespeare in about a month (when I get my sculpture finished) I'm going to come back again tomorrow after I've thought more on this wonderful philosophical post. I love the question you posed and want to be sure my comment is the best I have to offer on the subject of "what is in a name."

Priti Lisa said...

I hate to read other people's comments efore I write mine, but I read Cheryl's...because she is so insightful and I always agree with her. I have thought about Shakespeare's rose quote many, many times since highschool. It is true. But, what keeps me thinking about it, is when you think of people and the names they were given at birth. Or their nicknames. Or the names they chose for themselves later. That is different than the name of an object.
ANYWAY...if I got paid for thinking, I would be living in a castle with a maid.
BTW, your name tag is pretty, like you and your art. And the Gallery sounds so exciting. I am sending you all shiny, abundant thoughts :)
X0X

Charlie said...

I love your name tag and think it is so perfect for the challenge. Oh and thanks for sharing the link. I always wondered what that quote meant. You explain so well. Something to think about.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. So sorry to hear your mom had to go through the same sort of surgery as mine. It's not easy. I hope she made it through ok.
Hugs,
c.

Healing Woman said...

After doing a great deal of thinking about "what is in a name" this is the best I have to offer.

I believe that we all should be allowed to rename ourselves when we turn 30 and then again at 40 and every decade thereafter. The simple fact is, we change. Metamorphosis is a part of our life on this planet. By waiting until we are 30, we honor the name chosen by our parents. In many ways, we lived up to that name. By the age of 30, we usually have a fairly clear cut direction we have chosen to take. Yes. There is as much power in a name as there is in a thought and we should not be limited to who we thought we were a decade ago.

So much for my philosophy of the day. Thanks to Lisa for the nice comment and yes, the two of us would be very rich if we got paid for our
contemplations!

Thanks Stephanie for the question.

Hugs,
Cheryl