Once I started dating Jacob, I became someone in the public eye. This meant immediate scrutiny by association. I was not accustomed to this like Jacob was and I used to have extremely thin skin (still sort of do). This gave people the permission to speculate on my life — who I am, who I am not, and everything in between. One could argue that is my choice, because I am someone who puts myself out there. At any given time, I could easily set my profile private and live a simple life away from public view.
Honestly sounds nice.
However, the dreams I have had since I was a little girl require a level being known. Being a writer, artist, singer. All the things I have wanted to become. They ask that you allow yourself to be seen, and in doing so, you can’t control how you are perceived.
About seven years ago, Jacob and I moved to Northern California for a fresh start. I started painting and that eventually led to the start of my art business. I knew I needed a name that stood out and grabbed attention, and I always loved my mom’s maiden name: Rock. So the idea to combine my nickname Izzy and Rock came to mind. And that’s how Art by Izzy Rock was born.
I distinctly remember my dad calling me after I went public with it, asking why I stopped using his last name, my birth name. I tried to assure him that it was nothing against him — I am deeply proud of my Chilean name. But it didn’t feel like me anymore, and certainly not this new me who was reclaiming my fear of being seen. Instead I chose the bold name, one that made people turn their heads.
This was done on purpose obviously, but I always truly resonated with my mom’s strong Irish roots and what the name represented to me: Strength.
And the name worked. It really worked, for a long time. After awhile, I even had the idea to combine Jacob and I’s last names for other creative projects, using a clever play on words: Rock and Roloff.
Then we got married. And I sat there with the paperwork and all of the different combinations I could come up with. Eventually, I landed on Isabel Sofia Roloff.
Legally, I am a Roloff.
But I knew that I still wanted to be seen as my own being. My own identity.
I wanted Jacob to know I was proud to be his wife, but I also needed to choose me, and here’s why…