I was born in 1972 in Israel. My family moved to the USA and lived there from 1980 – 1985. Though Hebrew is my mother tongue, the formative years in the USA made English a second mother tongue.
As a kid I took up and loved tap-dancing and stayed with it for over 20 years. I attended a vocational high school and majored in electronics. I was recruited to the Israeli army, but my stay was short. The military experience teased a minor teen depression into a major depression. That was further agitated when my dreams of becoming an astronaut shattered onto the cliffs of dull academic studies.
After a few tough years I found my way into a career in technology. It seemed like a natural path given my fluency in both software and electronics as a teenager. I started (having no official education or accreditation) as a PC support technician and ended up as a software product designer. In retrospect, I feel my career was more about people and less about technology. I most enjoyed working in the liminal space between the people & processes of making software and the people & processes software is intended to serve.
Early on in my career I, fortunately, became aware of my physical body. I found myself sitting a lot and feeling stiff and tight. I remember feeling concerned about being that way when I was in my twenties and wondering what that will look like in my fifties. That inquiry led me to a life-long relationship with Yoga.
I liked what I did and felt I was good at it. But something in me awoke to a cynical and exploitative quality in the business environment in which I had to partake. I also grew tired of living with constant underlying anxiety around money and financial security. So after more than 15 years, I started winding down my career and decided to give my heart a chance to lead for a while.
I found myself almost instantly immersed in a creative exploration as a photographer amongst improvisation performance artists. I also completed a Yoga Teacher Training and started teaching a bit. However, neither photography (as an artistic endeavor) nor Yoga teaching provided sufficient reliable income. Continuing to follow my heart, I attempted to start an art/business initiative that didn’t come to life.
In the background, an unexpected personal relationship story was unfolding. That, coupled with financial difficulties, led to a major move to Romania where I currently live. Here I applied my skills to a Community Supported Agriculture project that connects local producers and consumers. The practical demands of rural life have led me to acquire many physical life skills I never imagined I would need. Here, I also settled into a retreated life.
Yet, a flame continues to burn in me, seeking to be and do with others. So, I continue to seek opportunities to connect and work with others in meaningful ways. I am available for remote work where I can contribute from within my gifts. I bring a calm presence and mentality and would like to be among people who value and nourish these qualities. I would like to work on and around technologies that serve (and do not exploit) human beings and life on the planet. I would like to work among people who value grace and beauty.
I have learned that what I experience to be my gifts changes in response to the environment I am in. Different contexts evoke different qualities in me. Yet, as a point of departure, this is what is alive in me right now:
- I bring a calm and thoughtful presence.
- I am a good listener and I am attentive to and trusting of body and breath.
- I am passionate about generative processes (think: origami folding instructions) as a design strategy.
- I have a good grasp of how software is made and how to make software that is in service of human needs.
- I am curious about healthy social processes and how they can be used to tap into collective insight.
- I am good at staying focused and prioritizing, at patiently finding stepping stones & navigating a gradual path towards distant objectives.
- I am familiar with earth-based construction.
- I am an amateur woodworker.
- I care about (but have limited experience actually tending to) healthy and fertile soils.