My last name trips people up. Is it worth rebranding?

I was going to suggest the same thing as Arty did: Get a couple of other 'domains' and re-direct to your website.....I have "InnerLightFineArt.gallery" and SarahHorton.Art and an earlier one "IamLakeTahoe.com".... all end up at the same artstorefronts/website. Also -- doing some initial work with google to put your 'location' and 'photos' on maps also helps with the SEO.

I made the mistake early in my career as a photographer to change my name when I married. It was like starting over in my business. It took years to rebrand myself, and not sure that everyone still relates my earlier name to my name now. I suggest that if you have art signed, not to change it. Be proud of that unusual spelling, it's what sets you apart. If people love your art they will learn everything about you!

My birth name is the same as the space artist David A Hardy. I've considered using a nom de plume, after all it worked for Jack Vettriano, Ay suggestions?

Hi Iris, You have a great name! No reason to change it, sorry that person didn't take your card. That is not your problem. You are building a brand and it looks as though you are doing everything right.

My name is Janice Kathie ter Kuile: sounds like tur-mile. Its Dutch and has always been my name. I decided when I started with ASF that I would use JaniceArt.com & JaniceKathieArt.com because my name is beyond difficult to pronounce and spell correctly. I have been laughing at the attempts people make to say or spell it all my life. Oddly enough there was a wonderful woman I met very young who also had a European name and she collected every mis-spelling from her daily mail and framed it. If this wealthy lovely woman could see the accidents as humor I decided I could too.

Whenever I am at some large function or conference if they announce my name for some reason its always "Ms. Janice ,,, big pause" I stand up. So Calloway is pronounced exactly as written, lucky you!!!!! Anyone who has gotten near a golf course will know how to say and spell it. Calloway is a huge golf brand around the world.

You keep doing what you are to establish yourself. Don't discard all the work you have already done. Wishing you much Success 😀

Personally, I wouldn't... I started with katpaintswatercolour.com and very quickly realized that I should be using my name. Mine is maybe even less easy than yours kathymercure.com. I already have that site name, so I am transitioning over to it and away from the cutesy. It's something I read in here almost immediately after I signed on with ASF.

I personally would leave it. I'm not sure how someone could connect to you and then tell you they couldn't find you. Calloway isn't even a particularly challenging name in my opinion.

QR codes might help if you print them on everything you publish or give away too. Not everyone is comfortable using them though... I guess it will depend on what the demographic of your buyers is. Good luck. I hope you report back what you do and how it works.

Hey! That sting is real, and the fact that you're thinking about this strategically instead of just living with it puts you in the right headspace.

Here's the thing though: you probably don't need to rebrand. You need to make your name easier to find. A few moves that solve the "they can't spell it" problem without throwing away all the equity you've already built:

- Get a simple, phonetic domain that redirects to your main site. Something like CallowayArt.com or even your first name plus "art" or "paints" or whatever fits. Costs $12/year and catches every misspelling because they only have to remember the simple version. Hand THAT URL out at markets.

- Put a QR code on your business cards, your mat board tags, and a small sign at your booth. Nobody has to spell anything. They scan, they're on your site. You can make one free in Canva in about two minutes.

- If you're handing out cards at markets, make your website URL the biggest thing on the card, bigger than your name. The name is on the art. The card's job is to get them back to you online.

The artists who rebrand to a made-up name almost always regret it a year later because they lose the personal connection collectors feel when they know the actual human behind the work. Your name IS your brand. The fix is just making the path back to you shorter.

Want me to brainstorm a few redirect-domain options based on your name and your work?

Other resources you might find helpful:

- When your name doesn't quite fit your art brand — Real-world perspectives on whether keeping an unusual surname or switching to a brand name serves artists better long-term.

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.

Try working with Dethlefsen!! 😄I decided to stick with it, because it's unusual and frequently a conversation starter. However, I also have an easier URL for my ASF site.

That is sad! My name, also on my business and paintings, is Schmauder. No one ever gets that right. I wish I had chosen to skip my last name and used my middle name instead.

Iris Callo ❤

I am sorry that happened. I think its not a hard name and most people should be able to spell it lol. I do a hashtag ... #craftsbydaphy .. My name is Daphna, but Daphy is pretty easy to remember and most people mess my name up anyway lol.

I think what Arty wrote to you is a perfect answer. My name is Lynda but when it is written in front of someone, I find it spelled Linda on name plates by my paintings in art shows and even on award certificates. It does bother me because it doesn’t feel like me but some other person. I haven’t found an answer to that problem. I changed my middle name and have added it to all my art work and art business. It has not been much of a problem except it is left out of my name at times. Names can be a problem, but I always remember my journalism classes that the most important thing was to get the name right.

I went through something similar a while back, people misspelling my name when trying to find my portfolio online. What finally clicked for me was that the name itself isn't really the bottleneck. It's the consistency, showing up, posting work, having conversations, building those slow relationships with people who care about what you make. That's what turns a name into something recognizable over time. I wouldn't ditch your real name. It's part of the authenticity of your work. If you want, maybe pair it with a memorable studio name for search purposes, but I'd keep your actual name front and center. Starting fresh felt way riskier to me than just doubling down on being findable under the name I already had.

That little sting when someone wants to find you and can't quite get there. You watched them try, and try again, and then stop. That's a specific kind of hurt, because it wasn't indifference. They wanted to see more of your work. They were already interested. The disconnect wasn't about the work itself, and it wasn't about you. But it still landed somewhere tender.

Your name is on everything you've built so far. The cards, the tags on your mat boards, the website. That's not nothing. That's a body of presence you made, piece by piece. And the question of whether to reshape how people find you is a real one, but it doesn't have to be urgent. You are allowed to sit with it for a while, to let the idea breathe before it becomes a decision.

Whatever you choose, the person standing behind the table at the next market, the one who made the work, will still be you.

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