Mononymity

Before I go any further with this project, I need to address the Loxodon in the room. My use of a mononym is not an attempt to establish a personal brand like Prince, Beyoncé, or Bono. My introverted and anxious wiring would never allow that. I've adopted my full first name to achieve a wafer-thin veneer of anonymity while maintaining a connection to my real identity.

Why the anonymity concern?

I work for an institution with an aggressive, borderline Orwellian, social media policy, and I can't afford to lose my job. Although my writing is governed by a finely-tuned, if not over-active conscience, it does not adhere to the level of Vanilla Humanity dictated by said policy.

As a child, explaining the pronunciation or origin of my name over and over was agonizing. Desiring to stay as invisible as possible, I adopted a nickname to avoid the harsh spotlight of phonetic inquiry. I've used that nickname my entire adult life, and while my employer has my full legal name on file, I imagine that any casual googling would be in the form of <nickname> <surname>.

Why not use a pen name?

I genuinely wish I could. I've tried. Twice. I spun up social accounts, bought domain names, and created web stuff based on pseudonym-identities — only to burn it all down due to my own hangups on the approach. Even though it's a legitimate strategy, it feels disingenuous, icky, and weird.

Using Japheth, while carrying inherent risk of diva misperception, keeps everything authentically anchored to me.

How about you?

Do you use a pen name? Does it feel funny, or am I just a weirdo? (Guessing the latter.)