Design From The Heart

Interview with Orit Hertz

Instructor. Event designer. Conscious creative. Freelance florist. Artist. Teacher.

Orit Hertz School of Design and Flower Arrangement opened in Israel, in 2009 to offer professional level courses on flower arrangement at the highest level, in a pastoral setting and for small, intimate groups. The courses and workshops aim to help students learn how to connect the flowers to their authentic inner world and to arrange them in order to create stirring works of art that hold great meaning to their creators.

Orit Hertz is a floral artist who has an amazing ability to blend in soulful stories in her designs. Her quest for authenticity and love of all things nature, translate into exquisite floral compositions that are full of emotion. Consciously creating artful displays, integrating unique materials and using Nature as a source of inspiration, she seems to be able to access a universe of infinite design possibilities.

There is a sense of a seamless transition of elements that complement the intricately crafted, intriguing structures of a signature style design by Orit Hertz.

 What is the story behind the flowers? Where did it start and how did you grow into the conscious creative, unique designer you are today?

There is a place for everybody. That is my belief, and I am living my life upholding to this. Which is probably why I started to work with flowers, after some good years in Tech industry, because I needed to connect to the things I truly love in my life, the things that make me happy and energise me. Ultimately, it comes from a deep need of expressing emotions and flowers seemed the obvious choice.

From the age of 8, I can remember dreaming of one day working with flowers. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was crystal clear- I wanted to own a flower shop! When pregnant with Itamar, my firstborn, I decided to leave High Tech and connect to what I truly loved. In the British Institute and was taught by the one and only, my beloved teacher, wonderful lady, and guru in the flower world. The one who taught me the secrets of the profession; the one that supported, encouraged and believed in me - Gina Eting, rest her soul. Excitement and unexplainable happiness overwhelmed me in those first floral classes I had taken.

How do you approach education today in your own school, at home, in Israel?

The school here is at my house. Purposefully. I am blessed to live in an amazing place and have the support of my family. In fact, my partner Nimrod surprised me with a studio when I turned 31 and together with it, he also gave me his blessing to start on my new career and support through the years. I want my students to experience and enjoy the educational process, no matter if I hold a beginner's or advanced class, a workshop or a demonstration. Integrating nature and my connection to this place called home with teaching becomes a truly blessed experience, not only for my students, but myself as well. 

 

Are you still a student, as well, even though you are teaching successfully for so many years?

Always! I will always be a student! I strongly believe we have to put the ego aside and always, always put yourself in the position of a student, you always have to be aware that there is infinite space to grow. Having an "ego", saying that you know everything and there's nothing more you can learn is such a closed mindset attitude.

There are always new things to learn and by learning, we grow and when you grow, that's when your are more creative, and, beautifully, you start sharing with confidence.

Integration with nature is my way of life.  Because I live in a Kibbutz, this life changing experience of the pandemic year has meant for me a complete transformation as a designer. Because I had no access to other materials, due to lock-downs, I turned to nature, taking long walks, exploring the landscapes around me, in my neighbourhood and learning to create basically from nothing. Inspiration, creativity and conscious observation of the surroundings offer so many possibilities if you allow yourself to also learn the lessons nature offers us.

It is very interesting though, how I also ended up working, at the same time, with all these mixed media tools, online connections and technology. By choosing the right partners and the right people to collaborate with, I integrated my design abilities into a whole new space, where I can reach people on so many levels. The future of our industry lies in integration as a concept for sure. 

^{edited by Diana Toma, EMC}