something that i do as a more commercial venture are what i call "calling cards". these are pieces that explore the calling that i believe is embedded in one's name. i believe that naming one's children is a prophetic act; which is why it is so important to think through the name(s) you give them.
i research the individual's name(s) and, while [prayerfully] working on the imagery - using primarily collage, though sometimes drawing or painting - i think about a phrase that might encourage, challenge, entreat, remind, provoke that person to live out the calling embedded in, and declared by, their name. it's actually not that different from working on an icon, really. as an example, here is my own name:
edward - "rich guardian", "blessed"; from Old English: ed - wealth, property + ward - guard, "protector" (perhaps both material and spiritual riches?) i.e. a trusted warden of other people's property
patrick - noble, patrician; figuratively, "father"
daniel - Heb: "my God is Judge" or "my Judge is God:, fig. the spirit of all prophecy
van vliet - Dutch: "of, or from, [running] water"
so what are [at least some of] the meanings - dreams, visions - imbedded in my name? what is the [prophetic] calling there to discover? there is certainly a call to be someone who protects, and nurtures. that protection involves wealth - though not necessarily monetary - and both mine and others'. in turn, that wealth is not simply to be squirrelled away, it must be shared, (re)distributed. there is also a call to, and the promise of, maturity and authority; and submission to it. lastly, there is a sense of connection to the spirit of G-d. so how do i encapsulate all these ideas in a single phrase?
perhaps this:
the riches you protect are spiritual
