Why Forever Wild?
Wild Thing, Miss Wild, Wild One, Born to be Wild, Wild Mariah; needless to say growing up there was never a shortage of puns, nicknames, jokes about my last name. I remember back when it was a trend to have words like “juicy” or “angel” written on your clothes. I was always paranoid someone would see me wearing “wild” on my sports jackets and think I was just being cute. When it came to naming my photography business “Mariah Wild Photography” just didn’t feel right to me. I’m not knocking anyone who has decided to use his or her name; it just was not a fit for me personally.
The girl from Mean Girls crying because she “just has a lot of feelings” that would definitely be me. I am the type of person that feels everything deeply; a very sensitive person and it took me awhile to come to terms with the fact that being passionate is not a weakness. I wanted a name that would emphasize the love for what I do and encourage other to start following their passion.
I came up with the name for my art right after high school when I was daydreaming about my first tattoo idea (that ship has sailed). I remember being upset after an argument with a friend saying he would be offended if a girl refused to change her name when married. My name was an important part of my identity. It’s who I’ve been since day one, so the idea that I would be expected to just switch didn’t sit right with me.
I still go back and forth on the debate on whether or not I would change my name but luckily I don’t have to worry about that anytime soon. I decided that no matter what I would always be part of the Wild Family. I always would be a Wild. So at one point I wanted to get the tattoo “Forever a Wild” to remind me of where I came from, then I shortened it to Forever Wild.
The more I began creating, the more I enjoyed pushing the boundaries, thinking in unusual ways, and expressing myself conceptually. I could not think of a more fitting name than “Forever Wild Images” as a constant reminder that no matter how much change I go through I will always be me, and I will always have my art. I will forever be wild!
