MY NEXT CHALLENGE: TITLES FOR MY ART

In my last post, I talked about being stuck in my art. I then spent a week at a cottage with family, took lots of photos, swam, canoed, kayaked, did a bit of stitching and some gelli printing with leaves.

Slowing down in the summertime or during vacations is a definite bonus, allowing one to actually hear ideas and the direction our art needs to go in. This pause at the cottage allowed me time to reflect, to take some quiet time, to step back and take a moment to breathe. It at least partially opened the door to a creative path forward, to begin making progress and refilling the creative well. 

To keep up my creative practice at home, I went through art I had made previously, planning minor modifications on a couple of pieces so they would better fit the theme "Waterlife" for an upcoming show. That process also helped me get somewhat unstuck. 

I then got focused on making a mixed media piece of art. I had used part of a pair of old jeans to do some gelli printing, and wanted to make art with it rather than tossing it as it was past its usefulness. The photo is a bit dark but the jeans have the most wonderful colours from all the printing. I had no idea of the direction this art would take when I started, but knew it had to be the focal point. 

But then another challenge came up as I was nearing completion: Finding a title for this new piece of art. This is something I struggle with. 

I tried to identify my feelings about the piece as it was being created, hoping something would emerge for a title. Nothing. I tried AI to see if it could generate a suitable title. Also nothing. My next hope was something would emerge from a memory related to the piece. That didn't work either. And sometimes when I do chose a title a different one then emerges, only after submitting a piece for a show.  

As I was working on this mixed media art, I was listening to a playlist by a female composer: piano supported by other instruments, no lyrics, the kind of dramatic music that evokes one's imagination, can transport the listener, tap into emotions. This composer has worked on several films and television shows as well as releasing her own albums. Intense compositions, yet at the same time low-key while hinting at more to come, perfect for tapping into my creative side as I work on my own composition. 

In an interview in which she was asked about her inspiration, her reply was: 

"I drew my inspiration from who we are, our sense of identity. What makes you, you, what makes me, me. “Identity” <her album title> is about exploring and going deeper into our emotions and feelings, how we react, what makes us different, what makes us similar. My writing has evolved as my experiences have grown. I have used larger string sounds, layered arrangements differently and continue to search at new ways of expressing myself through the piano. "

I mention this as I was curious about the titles of her musical arrangements. Several were just 1word, a few 2 or more, not related to emotions, but rather to events or memories or experiences that could call to mind how one felt at the time. Words such as Echo, Broken, Embers, What If, Free. Interesting though this was, I still didn't find a title. 

I decided to turn to Facebook friends to ask their opinions for this new piece of art.

The title needed to be dramatic, to somehow reflect the painted blue jeans which was my focal point, a title that was about an experience, a memory or event, and its associated emotion. Jeans have an interesting history, farmers and factory workers to the hippie generation to the ripped styles of today, and reaching across all generations. 

The titles suggested were as varied as the people, reflecting many possibilities, with a couple of themes emerging, and many relating to fibre art. Ideas for titles that reflect our differences and our similarities, that go deeper into our emotions, just as the composer stated.  In the end one suggestion stood out the most to me, a title which was partly dramatic and also low-key, and which perfectly stated my feelings about both the jeans and the art as a whole. 

I'm so glad I asked.

I present to you: Wild and Worn

Do you have a method for choosing a title that seems to work for you? Let me know in the comments please.

Related Post:

5 Considerations when Titling your Art. 2018