"MC", "CJ" or "Carol" - decisions, decisions, decisions

One of the fun things about painting is completing a painting and signing it!  It was at this point that I realized I had to make a decision.  Would I sign my paintings "cj" for Carol Johnston - the name I generally use, "mc" for Mary Carol which is my given name.  Or would I simply sign them "carol." I nixed "carol" immediately because there are millions of Carols in the world.  I wanted something that was at least a little unique.  I looked online, and there IS another artist named Mary Carol - but she puts an "e" on Carol (Carole).  So if I used Mary Carol, it would still be unique as far as the art world goes.

For a few days I thought "cj" was the route I'd go - and I signed all my paintings "cj."  It's simple, and it's what I use in my everyday life.

But then I reconsidered, painted over all the "cj's" and wrote "mc" again.

I reconsidered yet again, repainted over the mc's and wrote "cj" again.  I was making this MUCH more complicated than it needed to be.  Perhaps I had such a difficult time making the decision because it would be something that would identify all my art from this point forward - whether I end up with ten paintings or ten hundred paintings.  Once I made a firm decision, that would be it - no more changes.

In the end, I decided that "mc" would be my signature.  It's the constant in my life.  I've had several different last names - but the Mary Carol has remained the same.  Although I've given my mother a hard time about calling me by my middle name (which causes issues with drivers licenses and school roll calls, etc.), I've always liked my name.  I think it's pretty.

So, once again, I need to paint over a couple of cj's on and put mc instead.  Since I have only a few paintings so far, that should be fairly easy.  It's matching the colors that makes it somewhat of a challenge.