Oh sure, January 1st is New YEAR! New YOU!
and usually a BIRTHDAY date is another beginning.
Even a Monday can be a good day to start something different.
I suppose it goes back to being a kid and going back to school.
A FRESH start.
(Although it never really was.)
God, I hated school.
Every. Single. Moment.
Thank goodness that's long gone.
But the season itself.
That I LOVED.
The cool windy air.
Soft sweatshirts.
The autumn colors.
Halloween.
The new premiere TV shows! LOL!
Coming home and curling up on the sofa with dinner to watch.
Feeling comfy.
So, I've been thinking about a fresh start on my Art blog and opening my Etsy shop, finally.
I've changed the name over on the blog, although not the header is the same,
mainly because it could change again.
I'm going to make sure to start posting Art in a more timely fashion.
It's been more than a YEAR since I posted a thing! Jeez.
I've also been trying to change my "name" on my blogs, Facebook, Instagram etc.
My legal name is Cynthia.
I started using Cynthia, because I always use it for "official" stuff.
Cindi is my nickname but it's also who I really am.
The only people who called me Cynthia are people who don't know me.
Actually when I was small,
my nickname was spelled in the traditional way - Cindy.
Then my mom died and in that same year I made a friend whose nickname was also Cindy.
I was 14 turning 15, a lot of things seemed to be going on in my life....
I was going from Middle school to High school
My Dad had remarried....
I just had a lot going on.
So, I would hang out at my friend Cindy's house and we would listen to records or she would play the piano as I would draw.
We had lots of DEEP conversations, as girls that age do, but most importantly we both wanted to be someone else.
We had things going on in our home lives that we wished we could escape from, but couldn't.
Since high school was a different school with new different people and
we both wanted so badly to be NEW people but couldn't,
we both wanted so badly to be NEW people but couldn't,
we both just changed the spelling of our names. LOL!
I became Cindi and she, Cinda.
And now, a million years later, those are still the nicknames, that we go by.
Not too long ago, someone was talking about someone named "Cynthia"
and immediately an image of a person with that name popped into my head.
Not an image of me.
I think that a name can have the ability to instantly form an opinion in your mind
Or at least it does in my mind and "Cynthia" wasn't me.
So I've been thinking about this and then the other day I went to pay for something with my debit card.
I was wearing my work scrub top that has my name "Cindi" embroidered on it.
The man rang up my purchase, looked at my card and then said
"Thank you, "Sin- thee- a"
"Thank you, "Sin- thee- a"
I just smiled and took my card back.
Yep, not really me.
Then just the other night I was watching a new show, the premiere,
and a lead character was named "Cynthia".
and a lead character was named "Cynthia".
Without going into deep detail, I felt like the name fit her, but she was nothing like me.
I'm Cindi.
Google my full name, CYNTHIA MYERS and a famous playboy bunny pops up.
I remember her.
I remember being a little kid and being over at an older relative's house.
He was a car guy and he made specialized corvette parts and
the whole family was in the basement.
the whole family was in the basement.
A basement from the 60's, with a full bar and a pool table and
beer lights and car photos and such
beer lights and car photos and such
and I remember him holding me up and showing me a calendar on the wall
and he said "She's Cynthia Myers too!"
and he said "She's Cynthia Myers too!"
And everyone laughed.
Except my mom who grabbed me away.
Yeah. I don't want to have someone Google me and see her photo first.
So, I'm Cindi
Yep, changing my name on just about everything.
Sure, I'm Cynthia to the government and such but to my friends, I'm Cindi with an I.
Unfortunately someone else already owns that tag of "Cindi with an I"
or I'd be going by that! LOL!
or I'd be going by that! LOL!
Someone else also has Cindi with an Eye.
So...that's what I'm working on now, the idea of naming my Art Business.
and maybe it should be Cindi Myers Art
but then I got to thinking about how some of my favorite artists
with Etsy shops that have easy to remember names.
with Etsy shops that have easy to remember names.
Like "Red Cheeks Factory". God, I LOVE that name.
I adore her illustrations
and even at this moment I can't think of her actual name!
See what I mean!
(it's Nelleke Verhoeff)
or 3 crows, ok, I do know her name is Sara Pulver.
and her work is fabulous!
and 3 crows is so easy to remember!
I think about the fact that I actually have relatives, friends of relatives and
co-workers who spell my name Cyndi.
co-workers who spell my name Cyndi.
WRONG.
and I've gone to stores, libraries and such and spelled my last name out and
they STILL put an E between the M and the Y.
they STILL put an E between the M and the Y.
So I'm trying to think of a name that's not misspelled all the time.
I hesitate asking for suggestions, as people sometimes get offended
when I don't use their ideas.
when I don't use their ideas.
I had a friend suggest that I name my booth space -
"A Bunch of Junk" and
SHE was offended when I said no.
Sigh. anyway.
I know that I hate when people ask me for my opinion and then
after I've given it careful thought, they totally disregard it.
after I've given it careful thought, they totally disregard it.
But I've actually done that recently myself.
I might be getting a new vehicle next Spring.
Maybe.
So, of course I've been researching it non-stop and asking opinions of everyone.
All the research and popular opinions have pretty much decided that it should be a
Toyota Rav4
Definitely the wise choice.
(but I think I'm going to get something entirely different and not tell anyone
until I buy it so that no one can talk me out of it, but that's for another post.)
until I buy it so that no one can talk me out of it, but that's for another post.)
Anyway.
If you leave me a suggestion in the comments
PLEASE, PLEASE don't get offended if I don't use it
even if it is truly the perfect name for me.
I want something short and simple
and something that won't box me in
or make me sad.
I was sure I was going to call it "Blue's Hilltop Farm"
because of Blue and that I live in the "Hilltop" area of my town and
that Beatrice Potter called her house, Hill Top.
that Beatrice Potter called her house, Hill Top.
And that I wished that I lived on a little Farm.
But what if I move? and I'm not in on the Hilltop?
or GULP, maybe some day I don't want everything to have Blue attached to it...
because it might hurt my heart too much???
Oh, I don't know.
Maybe this is all too silly to worry about but
everything is about BRANDING, they say.
So yep. just thinking for calling it something
different.
Even my boss, when he built the new clinic, thought about a name change.
The old practice name had a prior vet's name incorporated into the name.
They thought about going with something new
except the original name had a good reputation built up and
everyone connected that name to my boss.
everyone connected that name to my boss.
So he kept it, and it's easy to spell.
There's a little shop across the river and it's name is "Plaid Rabbit" and
another is called "Mint Green".
another is called "Mint Green".
I love both of those names.
Easy to remember.
Maybe my name might even be called something Studio.
Oh, I'm over-thinking this.
Most likely, as with most of my dogs names. it will suddenly just pop into my head.
But I want to get an Etsy shop going soon.
I started to set one up in 2009, YES!
SIX years ago and then dropped it.
it was of course called Old Black Cat Boo.
This post is much too long.
Sorry.
I'm off to paint something now.
XOXOXO