Formerly Known as Dimas

Words are important to me. I consider them to hold their own specific type of magic so to speak. When you invoke a word you can un-package all sorts of meaning and activity in the mind of another human being or device. It’s no wonder recipes for magic are called “spells”. Among my favorite type of words is the name. If words are magic, then names are divine. In many religions, for that matter, it is strictly taboo to utter or write the name of their deities. In other cultures, the name you give your child can determine how painfully they are bullied, triggering any number of violent, intrusive neuroses. Names are pretty powerful.

I went through a couple of name changes as a performing artist. For the most part, they were never greatly thought out but I was committed to them regardless. As an example, “My Protégé” used to be my name, a hilarious running gag that had every host and MC introduce themselves as my mentor. I went by the name “An Unbound Spirit” for a very (very) short time but this mostly applied to online-only works. More recently I go by the name “Dimas“.

Words and meaning

A bit is packaged into these two syllables. Dimas is a symbol of the person I want to be. A much more enlighted, aware, and effective version of myself. In my mind, I needed the name to have a story behind it that reflected this form of myself. First off, it’s my initials (DMS), just pronounced by adding vowels (DiMaS). This represented being compressed, like coal, to produce a diamond. This was my government name under pressure.

There’s also the meaning of the name, or at least the hidden meaning. My birth name, Devon, means “poet” in a Celtic dialect and also hails to the root of the name “David” meaning “the world bringer”. Both of these harken to the image of a speaker or writer. Well, my heritage is Hispanic from Panama, so the name Dimas pronounced in Spanish as “Di mas” means “say more,” which again crystalizes my original name into a tighter form of itself.

Further, I love laying references to mythology and religion. In the New Testament Bible, there are two characters named Dimas/Demas. The repentant criminal that hung beside Christ during the Crucifixion was the first. Secondly was a follower of Paul who left mission work to return to a normal life because he “loved the world” or loved worldly things. In this way, the name represents both a Penitent Sinner and a Would-be Saint at the same time. This accurately describes my understanding of people and my own humanity. Any of us are one decision away from being a saint or sinner.

So Who Are You Now?

I’ve been undergoing a bit of an identity crisis lately, or as I’ve been calling it, a violent ego death. For my entire life I’ve been a bit splintered in my actions and endeavors. I’ve been a technology creator, an entrepreneur, a community activist, a poet, a rapper, a video game developer, an MMA fighter, a beat producer, a journalist, a nude photographer, and a father. There’s almost certainly something missing from this list, but the point is that I didn’t know who I was behind all the logos, LLCs, titles, and pseudonyms. Dimas included.

After my nervous breakdown in late December 2018, I realized that it was less that I was doing too much, and much more that I was too many people to too many people. All the while I was no one for myself. While Dimas did serve me in poetry and music, I’m not the person that name was designed to represent. It’s still a trajectory for me, yes, but certainly not where I am. What this meant for me was bringing me back to myself so I could ever get to become Dimas. In fact, this site is meant to represent my attempt to collect my disheveled identities under one roof. So I will be performing and acting under my birth name as Devon M Scott (like this website. Duh).

So, That’s It, Then?

If you followed this post long enough for the anti-climactic re-brand announcement, thank you. I’ve honestly always been a bit embarrassed of representing myself, so performing under my name is awkward, but necessary. Dimas was an important phase for me, but more important is going to be consolodating my identity.

I’m excited to exercise the creative energy I am experiencing. “Devon M Scott” will produce a lot of art, poetry, music, articles, photos, and even software and I hope you enjoy it. You are encouraged to let me know what you think. And if I ever run into you on the street, you can tell me, and call me by name.