"Jill of Ark" was born early in 2008 out of a brainstorming session with a dear friend and creative mentor. I was planning to launch a snazzy little side career as a “psychic” pet sitter and we wanted something cute and catchy by which to brand it to the world. We auditioned several monikers highlighting the compassion and responsible care I pledged to provide for my esteemed clients, but when Daeya suggested, “What about 'Jill of Ark'?” nothing else compared.
Its echoing of the familiar "Joan of Arc" certainly gave it cachet. It was only fitting that my real name, Jill, be somehow tied to the business as much as my heart was tied to my cause. The “ark” (deliberately spelled with a “k” like in Noah’s famed vessel) was intended to speak to the nature of that very cause--helping animals. Plus, at the time, I actually had two cats and two rabbits in opposite-gendered pairs, which further sealed the deal.
Its echoing of the familiar "Joan of Arc" certainly gave it cachet. It was only fitting that my real name, Jill, be somehow tied to the business as much as my heart was tied to my cause. The “ark” (deliberately spelled with a “k” like in Noah’s famed vessel) was intended to speak to the nature of that very cause--helping animals. Plus, at the time, I actually had two cats and two rabbits in opposite-gendered pairs, which further sealed the deal.
However, the reflections fueled by that recent conversation led me to recognize not only the absence of anything on my website articulating what I stood for (which has since been remedied), but also how I'd never given much thought to what the other half of my inspired namesake contributed to that mission in the first place. As it turns out, she overlaps more than I could have imagined.
Am I proposing my nomination for sainthood or martyrdom? No way! Do I consider myself some kind of monumental crusader for animal rights or a chosen prophet of their higher voices? Not even a little bit! Let me make it clear that I am not Joan of Arc. I am not anyone except an ordinary woman embracing and sharing the abundant lessons of her personal journey with love and gratitude, hoping to encourage others to do the same.
What I do aspire to connect with is Joan’s ability to carry on with what she knew in her heart to be true despite immense struggles that threatened to impede it. I don't yet have that courage and resilience. I still obsess over what others think. I still doubt myself whenever my ideas are challenged. (The fact that I've belabored this conversation and was compelled to write this post, as necessary as it was, is probably further evidence of the case in point.) And I desperately need to stop.
So although it may behoove me to be a little more like Joan of Arc in some regards, who I really need to be more of is Jill of Ark. Jill of Ark ultimately seeks to evoke a spirit of self acceptance--not self righteousness--in her intuitive explorations of the animal realm. While I will likely continue to cringe whenever someone attributes my motivations to something less than modesty, I will humbly but diligently hold onto this name and all that it stands for, now that it's no longer such an enigma to me and hopefully not to you, either.
Sometimes, our most candid contenders can be our best teachers. To mine, I'm deeply appreciative.
And, besides, it makes for a pretty funny story. :)
Am I proposing my nomination for sainthood or martyrdom? No way! Do I consider myself some kind of monumental crusader for animal rights or a chosen prophet of their higher voices? Not even a little bit! Let me make it clear that I am not Joan of Arc. I am not anyone except an ordinary woman embracing and sharing the abundant lessons of her personal journey with love and gratitude, hoping to encourage others to do the same.
What I do aspire to connect with is Joan’s ability to carry on with what she knew in her heart to be true despite immense struggles that threatened to impede it. I don't yet have that courage and resilience. I still obsess over what others think. I still doubt myself whenever my ideas are challenged. (The fact that I've belabored this conversation and was compelled to write this post, as necessary as it was, is probably further evidence of the case in point.) And I desperately need to stop.
So although it may behoove me to be a little more like Joan of Arc in some regards, who I really need to be more of is Jill of Ark. Jill of Ark ultimately seeks to evoke a spirit of self acceptance--not self righteousness--in her intuitive explorations of the animal realm. While I will likely continue to cringe whenever someone attributes my motivations to something less than modesty, I will humbly but diligently hold onto this name and all that it stands for, now that it's no longer such an enigma to me and hopefully not to you, either.
Sometimes, our most candid contenders can be our best teachers. To mine, I'm deeply appreciative.
And, besides, it makes for a pretty funny story. :)
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