What's in a name?
So this blog is a little different, a little less self indulgent than my usual, but I think for up coming artists and performers, it's an important subject that needs to be broached.
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
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