Honestly friends, is a name really that important?
I know I’m still haunted by 8th grade Shakespeare. And while I tend to agree with Juliette “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” I have found names to be very important.
Especially in researching family history. We connect generations of family through names. And its with this sense of legacy that I found myself looking for a name for this blog.
I’ve been sharing ideas about Documenting Legacy and Stories in another space for over a year. But as much as I love the ideas I was sharing I couldn’t connect to the name. It didn’t feel fun or interesting or anything like me. And I wanted this name to mean something, so a did a little research.
This adventure in finding a meaningful name helped me get crystal clear about the real passion behind all this. I love helping people tell their stories. Digging in and pulling out the pieces that create an emotional connection is fun and inspiring. And it’s always interesting to see where the path leads. With all my interests finding a name I could resonate with lead me down many roads. But as they say, all roads lead home.
What’s in a Name
I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. And while I spent most of my youth fantasizing about exploring the rest of the world, it is there that my love for story is rooted. So the name for this blog comes direct to you from the backyard of my childhood home.
Our backyard opened up to an area where dump trucks and backhoes would drive up the gravel driveway and scrap the hillside for fill. Along the rim, of what we called “the pit” was a forest of fir, silver birch and red spruce trees, all of which was our playground.
The red Spruce tree is known for it’s strength and resilience as well as it’s ability to survive in virtually any terrain and condition. As an immigrant to the United States these qualities spoke to me. And an added plus is that spruce can mean stylish and dapper and I do love my ties.
Wild was inspired by the wild blueberries and strawberries that grew in clumps around the yard. We loved to pick the wild berries. They were smaller then the berries you get at a U-Pick farm so it took a lot more to fill a bowl and probably kept us out of our mom’s hair longer. But they always tasted sweeter for some reason. Blue is my favorite color and blueberries my favorite treat. My mom would use them to make blueberry grunt (a delicious treat of stewed blueberries and dumplings). But I picked wild for the name because I love the tenacity of the fruit that grew around our yard, despite never having been cultivated or cared for. They just were. And still grow there.
These are symbols of my childhood, my native land, and my roots. This is what’s in my name.
Wild Spruce Media
I’m excited and thrilled to share Wild Spruce Media with you. This is a space to help and support people looking to tell stories. My mission is to make sure no one feels the regret of not capturing a story because they are overwhelmed, or don’t know where to start. Through workshops, consulting or a complete film package we can help you document a meaningful story.
Let’s start talking!
Tami Lynn