What's in a name? It's personal.
“In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine”
Vintage paper collage on wooden hearts.
Hello everyone!
I get asked quite often why I chose to name my business View From The Heart instead of using my own name, Colleen Stone. As an artist, I suppose it may be better to use my own name to make it easier for people to find me. I know many artists who have switched from using a business name to their own as they started to become more well known. Branding and marketing experts will no doubt disagree with my decision. But just to clear things up for those who are curious, here are my reasons.
First of all, the name is a carry over from my days working as a life-wellness coach. I wanted something to remind myself to always look at others through the filter of kindness and compassion, and not to be too quick to judge or criticize. It's so easy to judge others from the filter of our own perspective. But in most cases, that is a very limited and short sighted place to be looking from. You know how "you can't judge a book by it's cover"? Well, I believe you shouldn't judge a person without taking time to get to know them and to understand a little more about their journey so far. I believe we are all doing the best we can in this moment.
When I chose to step into this art-full life and away from full time coaching, I knew that the name had to come along. I'm a "big picture" kind of girl. I don't have a lot of patience for details. As an avid traveler, I love a beautiful view! The art I create is very personal while I'm making it, but then once I share it, it's not about me anymore. It changes to fit the viewer. So using just my own name doesn't make sense to me. Embracing my life as an artist has been an exercise in vulnerability, facing fears, growth, and determination. Something I'm certain most of us have in common!
View From The Heart is not just a name, it's a belief system for me. And it's a message I hope to share. I hope it will be a reminder to always start with kindness. Toward others, as well as toward ourselves.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I look forward to learning more about you!