About
A quest for meaning
fresh perspectives
a new life
Hi,
I’m Orly
creative, thoughtful, curious,
people-pleaser, adventurer,
and for way too long ..
hopelessly lost and overwhelmed.
I spent most of my life searching, seeking,
trying to find meaning and purpose.
I was a ‘loner’ and a ‘self-help’ addict.
I was disconnected from myself and others.
I struggled to see the point in being alive.
I was trapped in the prison of my mind
and my life felt like a chore.
Spirit is calling
When you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.
– Wayne Dyer
DON’T STAY STUCK
Don’t stay caught in the trap of personality and past conditioning.
You are the hero you’ve been waiting for.
Your spirit wants you to evolve.
Let’s connect.
10 things about me
#1 I studied architecture on a whim. It had never even crossed my radar when a friend mentioned it. I didn’t know what to do after school, since everything fascinated me, and I figured, as a mix of my two favourite school subjects, art and physics, that this might be my thing. I was wrong. Two degrees and many years later and I finally left it behind. I only wanted to design organic, sculptural forms, and people, not buildings, fascinated me most.
#2 I changed my name to Orly in 2019. I didn’t hate my old name, Charmaine, but it was meaningless, long, and constantly mis-spelt. It was also tied up in an ‘old me’ that I wasn’t happy with.
I chose Orly, a Hebrew word meaning ‘my light’, because it was short, simple, and meaningful. It represented me stepping into ‘my light’. And going from C to O was ‘closing the circle’ and being complete. My ‘ego’ had been tied up in the name Charmaine, and Orly felt like a ‘spirit’ name. The name felt ‘bigger than me’ to start, but I continue to grow into it.
#3 For a while I wrote a Lesson a Day on Medium. After a lifetime of being a perpetual student, this was the start of my shift toward teaching some of the lessons I’ve learned. I’ll never stop being curious and learning, but I’m glad to have finally broken free of the constant doubt and looking outside of myself for answers that had me stuck in student mode.
#4 in 2006, with a three month old baby, I created a walk-in sculpture,‘Vortex’, for Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi. The sculpture was on Tamarama beach for the two week exhibition and thousands of people walked (and crawled) through it. This was a time and experience of magic. This piece is now part of my sculpture garden.
#5 in 2015, buoyed into action after learning about the Enneagram, I designed the public sculpture ‘Cloudscape’ for Sculpture by the Sea. The piece was accepted for the exhibition in both 2015 and 2016, but was too big and too expensive to create. Still, this piece has been the driving force for me to heal and reconnect with myself and others. This public sculpture is about connection, bringing people together with play, and opening up to new perspectives.
#6 I made it a mission to explore all of Australia when, living overseas at age 18, I met someone who knew Australia better than I did, and I felt ashamed. I grew up in Sydney, lived in Darwin in my 20’s, and for the past 13 years have lived in northern NSW, but I have traveled all over the country.
#7 The Berlin Wall came down on my 19th birthday, as I flew from Athens to Cairo. I had hitchhiked out of West Berlin, with a visit to East Berlin, just two weeks before. I’d chatted to locals who felt the wall would never come down. Big changes happen quickly.
#8 In years 5, 6 & 7 at school I was super religious. I went to a Catholic school and had a fire and brimstone teacher who put the fear of God in me. My faith gave my life meaning, direction and confidence – until I lost my faith at age 13 and it all came crashing down. I’ve been finding my own way ever since.
#9 I grew up very disconnected .. from the world, from people and from myself. I saw feelings as a sign of weakness and strove to be completely self sufficient. The disconnect had me feeling constantly alone, lost and searching for meaning. One of the ways I came to heal the disconnection was discovering my ‘enneagram type’ (type 5) and the beliefs that had me trapped in a painful and isolated existence. The journey of reconnection has been one of healing, purpose and hope.
#10 My favourite season is summer. I especially love the warmth, the long days, and swims in the ocean.
it doesn’t have to be this way
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