Here, and Farther
October 1, 2016
The last 6 months have seen a lot of change in my life. If I were to take any 6 month stint from the last 6 years, and look at the first day and the last day, the changes in location, attitude, and altitude would be prominent. And at any point in any of those segments had you asked "where will you be next year?" I could not have told you. If on any of those days you asked me "one year ago did you plan to be here?" I would have always said that I thought I would be somewhere else. But from March 2016 to today I have gone from a temporary job to a permanent one. For the first time I can plan months in advance.
Due to the numerous changes in my life, from housing to jobs to relationships- all of which have moved away from restlessness and towards stability- I have felt a need to rebrand. Restless Map Studio suggested a lack of roots, of a map without coordinates or specificity. One day while I unpacked my long-unused oil paints in to my studio room the connection to that name left. And that connection mattered more than I realized. Re-branding became a hold-up preventing me from actually making work.
I had a list of near-misses from the first time I re-named my brand. Naming yourself is a powerful thing, and I do not take it lightly. From a social media standpoint it was a handle that represents what I make. I need to covey something unifying about my work, while being flexible enough to allow for growth. The first time I did this I chose Peripatetic Studio. Peripatetic means "moving around from place to place, living or working in a place for a short period of time." It described me perfectly- if you knew what it meant. While I take pride in knowing that I may have expanded a couple of people's vocabulary a little it was hard to spell and remember if I just said it to someone. From there birthed Restless Map Studio. Compared to the last name it was easy to say, and personally it evoked movement, an object that is defined and fluid at the same time. Perfect? It was for a short time.
HERE AND FARTHER
I had a list of ideas saved from the first time I brain-stormed new names. Here and Farther had been a close second to Restless Map. This was before I had started documenting my paintings in the field. It was before I was able to take in the world from a single point. It was simple and clean. "Here" is wherever I choose as my vantage point, "And Farther" allows for movement far afield. Definition and movement. Suddenly the runner up was seen as the clear winner.
I am still going to own the Restless Map.com for a few years, I may not be done with the project and I want folks with old business cards to find me. For now I am excited to have a foundation, literal and metaphorical, to build upon. There were some very practical reasons for a new name, but in the end the most important reason is to be excited. I will still be traveling over the horizon, but I will have a single point to use as reference for home. Thank you for following.
The last 6 months have seen a lot of change in my life. If I were to take any 6 month stint from the last 6 years, and look at the first day and the last day, the changes in location, attitude, and altitude would be prominent. And at any point in any of those segments had you asked "where will you be next year?" I could not have told you. If on any of those days you asked me "one year ago did you plan to be here?" I would have always said that I thought I would be somewhere else. But from March 2016 to today I have gone from a temporary job to a permanent one. For the first time I can plan months in advance.
Due to the numerous changes in my life, from housing to jobs to relationships- all of which have moved away from restlessness and towards stability- I have felt a need to rebrand. Restless Map Studio suggested a lack of roots, of a map without coordinates or specificity. One day while I unpacked my long-unused oil paints in to my studio room the connection to that name left. And that connection mattered more than I realized. Re-branding became a hold-up preventing me from actually making work.
I had a list of near-misses from the first time I re-named my brand. Naming yourself is a powerful thing, and I do not take it lightly. From a social media standpoint it was a handle that represents what I make. I need to covey something unifying about my work, while being flexible enough to allow for growth. The first time I did this I chose Peripatetic Studio. Peripatetic means "moving around from place to place, living or working in a place for a short period of time." It described me perfectly- if you knew what it meant. While I take pride in knowing that I may have expanded a couple of people's vocabulary a little it was hard to spell and remember if I just said it to someone. From there birthed Restless Map Studio. Compared to the last name it was easy to say, and personally it evoked movement, an object that is defined and fluid at the same time. Perfect? It was for a short time.
HERE AND FARTHER
I had a list of ideas saved from the first time I brain-stormed new names. Here and Farther had been a close second to Restless Map. This was before I had started documenting my paintings in the field. It was before I was able to take in the world from a single point. It was simple and clean. "Here" is wherever I choose as my vantage point, "And Farther" allows for movement far afield. Definition and movement. Suddenly the runner up was seen as the clear winner.
I am still going to own the Restless Map.com for a few years, I may not be done with the project and I want folks with old business cards to find me. For now I am excited to have a foundation, literal and metaphorical, to build upon. There were some very practical reasons for a new name, but in the end the most important reason is to be excited. I will still be traveling over the horizon, but I will have a single point to use as reference for home. Thank you for following.
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