Friday, June 15, 2012

It's all in a name.......right?

I recently had a customer and friend ask me where I came up with the name for Spice Box Designs.  After explaining it to her she told me I needed to make a blog post about it.  First of all let me say that I was touched that someone would want to know anyway.  So thank you Shelley for that :)  Names seem so important these days.  It seems like we as humans need to have a label for everything.  When it comes to naming a business, well that becomes a whole new ballgame.  It goes beyond just a name into something a little bit larger than that, which is a brand.  You have to build up an image of what you want your business to be.  I'll be honest and admit I am not really to worried about a brand or an image.  This reflects me artistically but like all art it is completely open for interpretation.  However that being said, I spent months trying to find the perfect name. 

I started with Sparkle Pretty.

 
I took a few words from lyrics from Ani Difranco and combined them and that is how I came up with that name.  Alas it did not stick around long because apparently there are several others that also liked Sparkle Pretty lol.  Just google it and you will see what I mean.  So that started the hunt for the "Perfect" name.  I read many articles off the web on what it takes in building a sucessful image and it always boiled down to a brand name.  So the brainstorming started!  I googled so many different plays on words just to see if it was already taken.  It seemed like everything that I actually liked was already claimed by someone else.  /sigh

Then like most inspiration it came fast and hard as I was browsing my book stash for something new to read.  Ok maybe not new, but something I have not read in a while when this struck me:


OMG!  One of my favorite books of poetry just seemed to jump out at me and the name was born.   It fit and felt perfect like a well worn glove on a cold day.  I love this book of poetry.  If you have not had the pleasure to read it I can tell you that it deserves a full 5 stars on your Goodreads list.  It is a book of poems that covers all subjects that we go through in life.  Love, Death, Religion, Sex, Sorrow,  and Joy.  Not to mention it is by Leonard Cohen who has a voice that just makes me melt lol.  Every time I read it I always hear it in his voice, yummy!  So that is basically where Spice Box Designs was born.  I am not sure where this journey is going to take me, who knows where I will end up.  Right now I just know that I am enjoying the ride (and sharing it with you) :)  In parting I am including a poem from one of my favorite poems from the book.  I hope you enjoy!

TRAVEL

    Loving you, flesh to flesh, I often thought
    Of travelling penniless to some mud throne
    Where a master might instruct me how to plot
    My life away from pain, to love alone
    In the bruiseless embrace of stone and lake.

    Lost in the fields of your hair I was never lost
    Enough to lose a way I had to take;
    Breathless beside your body I could not exhaust
    The will that forbid me contract, vow,
    Or promise, and often while you slept
    I looked in awe beyond your beauty.

    Now I know why many men have stopped and wept
    Halfway between the loves they leave and seek,
    And wondered if travel leads them anywhere -
    Horizons keep the soft line of your cheek,
    The windy sky's a locket for your hair.

      ~Leonard Cohen
 
 
Peace and <3 

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful...Name, how it came, poetry, voice.
    I Love Leonard Cohen and am wondering how this book never made it into my hands. His voice really stirs me and I hear it when I read his poetry too. I am going to be starting "Beautiful Losers" soon. Thus far, I only listened to his music and read his poetry, so I hope I really like the novel.
    I am so glad you wrote this post, Marla. Naming can be a challenge for so many reasons. But some just find you.

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  2. What a lovely post! When my husband and I got married, we each had a well-worn copy of Leonard Cohen's book, and both of them are still on our bookshelf! Fantastic branding - the spice box of the earth is always changing, and diversifying, and every time you reach your hands into it, you discover something new. Much like the journey you're embarking on!

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  3. Hi Marla,
    That was interesting, I enjoyed reading about your journey to find the right name. That was also a very nice poem. Many, many years ago in the mid 80's my business name was Therese's Country Treasures I made dolls, quilts, and afghans then, but when I started painting on glass and making jewelry I dropped the Country.
    Therese

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  4. OH MY....I wish you lived closer...I'm betting we would be fast friends....Love this!

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  5. Lovely story~ ( & so much better than Sparkle Pretty :-D)

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  6. Fun story, dont you just love it when after looking so hard for a name....it suddenly pops in your head when you are not looking for it! Great poem too...thanks for sharing it.

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  7. OMG, I love this story, and I love Leonard Cohen. What a perfect blog name that has found the perfect home!

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