I’m asked this question a lot these days.
Anyone who’s ever tried naming anything from a business to a band — knows it can be difficult to find one that you love and isn’t already taken.
The original name for what's turned into "Project 1490" was Grace & Grit. I felt like that captured the "both/and" of what I was trying to put out there. (Women can be badasses and feminine.) Believe it or not, the woman who has "Grace & Grit" trademarked, is in Montana, of all places. I asked if I could "borrow" it as I'd had my heart set on that name since 2001, but she graciously said -- no.
So, it was back to the drawing board.
Along my naming journey, one word kept resonating with me: renaissance.
A renaissance woman or man denotes someone who knows a lot about a lot of things— and somewhat contradictory things, right? Like someone who knows how to weld and knit; is skilled at power tools and choosing wine.
As a period of time, the renaissance is known for an explosion of creativity and an influx of knowledge that showed up in art, science, architecture, philosophy and culture. It was an expansive era, as are the “renaissance” people I’ve met.
Renaissance seemed to encapsulate everything I could imagine this new community delivering. I wanted to create opportunities for women to expand who they thought they were and what they were capable of — to become renaissance women, if you will.
1490 was the first year of the Renaissance. That seemed fitting as we embark on this endeavor. I picked “Project”, because this is all new, it’s an experiment — and like me, it’s a work in progress.
And, that is the story of how Project 1490 got its name. I kind of like it better than the original now!
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