Pittsburgh, PA
Heather Stanco
Game/Interactive

For me, being an artist has always been a one track thing; I was born, I made art, I studied art, I love art, I became an artist. As simple as that sounds, it’s been difficult to stick to that path, and so for me, being an artist is about maintaining who I am no matter the challenge, and I can’t help but feel that I’ve succeeded at this entirely.

I’ve always hated the connotation that people seem to have with the name Heather. I’m talking about the sun-tanned, Californian cheerleader who bleaches her hair, and with whom nothing is inherently wrong other than that her universe is egocentric. I do like to enlighten these misguided people to the alternatives, such as the hearty plant with purple blooms that is my namesake. Maybe this is only a small and insignificant anecdote, but I do feel that this is a direct tie to the way I think about and live through my name. I can honestly say that my name has always felt like a root to my identity: that all of my quirks and faults are traceable through me to my name and the association that people have with me as a unique character with a unique perspective. That is to say, I could never regret staking claim on something I am completely fit to be.

I really feel that, even though a name can maintain the power of a person’s individuality, it is not so much a matter of what they’re called but how they act in their situation.  And I believe that one type of situation that people can be unintentionally placed in by their peers is the stereotype of a name and the value judgment that is made solely upon that information.  So, in context, the way that my name has shaped my life is to help me better understand the value of looking past an exterior force to see worth of a person, and how the boxes that particular person has been placed in fail to contain the entirety of the individual.