What's in an (adopted) name?

Recently I've been hunting for a decent pseudonym for my photography work, cos i'm proper artsy n shiiit, I was looking for something which would match my 'style' and at the same time embellish it, sort of like a boast. This got me thinking that aliases can actually be pretty tactical and why for some reason...I WANT ONE! A stage-name for instance offers a sneaky opportunity to manifest a part of ourselves trying to get out (hmm, sounds rapey) and inherent in that a turning point. And so all kinds of maniacal excitement for one's potential success! Murr...I'm Batman, murr!!

However, it's not all villain snubbing prestige, there are dangers associated with the alias. Pseudonyms are after all a rebrand and when adopting a new name one must be calculating. Well a pseudonym really is just the same as any name or any brand...you have to guard both your image through appropriate behaviour and gauge how people perceive you.

You've only to look at the recent trend of reactionary ads wheeling out values such as 'good', 'simple' and 'honest' to see that people these days are sceptical of brands. Is it that people are fed up of brand names because they represent a facade? Maybe a little bit. But I think what's more accurate is that people distrust lying brands - when the product falls short of the promise. But, and this 'but' is slightly bigger picture...can the way people feel about one lying brand cause a distrust of brands in general, irrespective of portrayed values and with so many shifting brand USP's and brand 'values'...don't brands just come across as conniving? Yes and no..

Look at Dannone and Unilever, the corporations behind these master-brands proudly and religiously label each and every product ad with their name, the brand is a promise of integrity, the giving of one's word. This consistency of values from product to product allows Unilever to enjoy a clever brand-glow which it is now starting to redistribute through the labelling of newer products. So a pseudonym in the same way doesn't have to be a bad thing, it mustn't be something to hide behind but to proudly stand beside. What if as an individual I had many hobbies with multiple pseudonyms? As long as the core identity remained intact I think the diversity would the whole. What kind of schizophrenic balances that kind of shit? Most of us..

Essentially what I'm saying is it's nice to see a bit of consistency; fill a name with the expectation of good things and people will remember you for delivery. Don't muck about with some flashy, all-singing all-dancing super name. Pick something real and effective. In ironic conclusion, I'll probably adopt the photographer name Night Phox or Original Flavour...something dead contrived like, you know why? Cos I gots the goods, I gots the game yo! That or I'll just bail on the name as it goes up in smoke.

She's wet behind his ears