What is my name?

Confused by my name? You are not the only one!

Budgerigardener came about when I decided to join Facebook and Instagram to showcase my art. I searched for a name to indicate what my art is about: something which will appear in web searches for ‘budgerigar’. I do love to play around with words and came up with ‘Budgerigarden’. To my mind this conjured up images of colourful birds in a beautiful setting.

However, there was a problem: Budgerigarden was taken –  though not used- as an account name on Instagram. Any business needs to use one name consistently across all platforms, so a hasty decision was made, and I became Budgerigardener.

I suspect that, with Budgerigardener (if you can even spell it..) muddy boots and potting compost are more likely to spring to mind than aviaries!  I am gradually introducing more tropical plants into my home, and more foliage into my art, in an attempt to justify the latter half of my name.

The naming predicament continued whilst creating this website. Should I finally emerge as ‘Mandy Renton, Artist’? Would anyone associate my name with my budgie and parrot art? Hopefully having both names side by side on my home page will help:

My website gives greater focus to my original artworks, which are always painted under my own name. However, the Budgerigardener alter ego remains prominent on social media and via my cards and products brand. I paint parrots and other birds and beasts than budgies but the budgies came first and will always be first in my heart. I am quite happy to be known as ‘that budgie artist’ if that works for you.

Google now knows who ‘Mandy Renton, Artist’ is, so that will help the identity crisis. My two selves will live side by side until a time comes when the dominant personality decides to take over…!