i don't know my boyfriend's last name

So some of you may know by now that my crazy boyfriend is up to no good again. He announced today that he'll be selling his last name to the highest bidder for the duration of 2013. If you want the full details, you can check out the website here or read this blog post to find out why he decided to do it.

Rather than harp on how an idea like this came about, I thought I'd just share a little bit about what it feels like to be on the girlfriend-side of an idea like this - to be the sounding board and the cheerleader and the voice of encouragement (or caution, depending on the day and the idea.)

When I met Jason in 2010, the doors of IWearYourShirt had only been open for about a year and a half. The business was at that point where it was stable and growing, which was surely validation that wearing t-shirts was a legitimate business idea. but I can still remember when I learned about it for the first time and I thought, A guy who gets paid to wear t-shirts? This is crazy. (If only I had known how many times I'd say that phrase again...)

There were several more occasions after that when Jason would wake up in the middle of the night or turn down the radio in the car or come out of the shower and say those four telling words: "I have an idea." And not all of his ideas have been successful. He's tried things that haven't worked, or that have even gone up in flames (we won't mention those here), but the point is... he tries. And that's what I love about him.

I like to think I have ideas. I write down sparks of thought pretty often and put them in that "someday" file in my head or my notebook or my desktop. But the difference is that, for me, someday will never come for most things in that file. If there's anything I've learned from this whole last name thing, it's that I need to act on more ideas. It's been so amazing to see this thing come from a thought (one that I hesitated to even entertain at first) to a living, breathing thing that people are talking about. It amazes me.

And let me be clear... when Jason first told me about this, I told him he was crazy. I had never heard of anyone doing something like this before which I feel immediately makes you resistant to something. Lucky for me he's used to that reaction since I'm sure he got a lot of the same when he told people he'd be starting a business based on wearing t-shirts.

But eventually I came around to the idea. And here's why.

This is the thing about being with a creative person and especially about being with an entrepreneur: They are risk takers. It's in their blood. They are bold and courageous and they dare to do things that could be deemed unpopular or silly or simply ridiculous. Because they don't prescribe to the the expectations or judgments that so many of us are confined by (that includes myself in most instances.)

So if you love them enough, and you really understand them, you learn not to judge. You question, sure. That's actually a part of your job description as a partner. You question, you help mull it over, you identify potential pitfalls. But you don't judge. You dont expect them to operate under the same framework as you. And frankly, that's kind of how I like to approach all relationships. Open-mindedness is the ability to both disagree with someone's beliefs and yet respect them at the same time. And that's the same courtesy that I hope to be extended in return.

So is this whole name thing a little crazy? Yes. Do I think that everyone is going to agree with it or understand why he's doing it? No. But I'm 110% behind it.

Creativity needs to be nurtured and celebrated. Sometimes you need someone to do something you find a little crazy just to inspire you to be a little crazier yourself.

And to the MULTIPLE people that have texted, Facebook commented, tweeted, emailed etc.... No, we are not planning on getting married in 2013 so my last name will not be changing as well. No 2-for-1 deals here.

Thanks to everyone that has been supportive of this endeavor and that has shared it around today! Tune in on December 12th to find out what my boyfriend's new last name will be! (Jason Tampax? Jason Cheezits? Jason Loveskittens? The possibilities are endless!)

[image via ashleyg on Flickr // text by me]