The Naming Problem

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” - William Shakespeare

What’s in a name?

A whole lot to be quite damn honest.

I and the ones I love around me have been haunted, tortured by names and naming over the last few days. It can be so damn hard to muster the courage to put ink to page, to bind meaning to reality, to set the terms for something existing. That is what it truly means to name. It means to choose. To choose what and how and why, and what you choose directly affects what you are naming. Mr. Wiliam meant well when he questioned the rose, but what you call a thing is not the same as what is named. to be named is to be defined, to be witnessed, and to be changed. Quantum Theory suggests that the mere act of observing changes the outcome of what is observed. And so too a name.

I get myself into a lot of projects, but recently, I’ve been working on something super dear to my heart. I have been working towards starting a coffee-related business ( i’m really excited to share the details of it with yall in the coming days) and from top to bottom, ideas for every facet of it have been coming together Alhamdulilah. the business plan, marketing strategy, the ideas for the brand, even the color scheme have come so easily to me, but the name, the name, the name. I’ve been agonizing over naming the damn thing for weeks. Naming it makes it real in a way that’s hard to describe. Once I name it, the website goes up, the branding begins, the labels, the final branding, the feel, and vibe are decided upon. It’s the last decision before you begin a journey like this, and it’s honestly scary. But I promised myself by today I would decide and last night, before I slept I had to sorta lob it up to Allah. I asked for clarity and a good name. Today, I woke with a name bouncing around, waiting to settle on early lips, far before the night fast was broken. And so it was Named. I ask Allah for his blessings as this journey truly begins, and for his favor upon me throughout the journey.

I wanted to document this first step in the journey of a thousand and so, my first post here to you all. All 5 of yall. I appreciate each and every one of you for trusting me with the valuable real estate in your inbox. Thank you for taking this step with me.

A word to the naming of this space as well.

I named this blog/journal/ramble recorder What The Night Brews. I named it so as a reflection of my reality. As much as I consider myself to be both a morning and a night person, my best ideas, work, and creative output is quite literally brewed in the nighttime. It’s also important to mention that I’m often yelled at by friends because I regularly partake in an evening or nighttime cup of coffee.

This is a bad thing apparently. And so.

What the Night Brews.