The Girl Behind the Art
Once upon a time, many moons ago, I slipped through a “door” into this reality we call life. The year was 1987. Weather: a fine Spring day. I’ve had a few names since I started growing in my mother’s womb, starting with Charlene, which she got from a character on the tv show ‘Neighbours’. That was my name up until I was 2 weeks overdue (probably protesting against Charlene). My mum was in hospital and a woman just happened to run by her room yelling after her daughter… “Charlotte” she screamed. That’s how I went from Charlene to Charlotte... and that remained my name, until I was 15, but more on that later.
I started my life in England, living in a little country market town called Wellinborough. I have vague memories of very little… my paternal grandparents beautiful garden with a beautiful archway, and a gate leading through to a wild meadow is a particular memory that stands out. By the age of four, my parents took my brother and I on what would be my first long distance adventure… all the way to sun-kissed Australia with its pristine beaches and all the animals that will kill you (or so the rumour goes). We landed in Sydney. We stayed in Sydney.
Despite being raised in Australia, I have always felt like a piece of my heart, my soul, was left behind in England, with its long rolling hills, patchwork farmland and even its dreary weather. I’ve been back several times over the years, and each time it becomes a little harder to leave. It’s wild, to think how different my life would have been had I remained in England, growing up around wildflower fields and horses instead of high-rise buildings and beaches.
Since I could read, I’ve been obsessed with the written word. I love losing myself in stories of fantastical worlds that don’t exist, meeting characters and creature of all kinds. I firmly believe my fondness for reading has instilled in me a passion for telling stories in my own way, through the many avenues of art I’ve taken. It began with a colouring book and pencils, sculpting with Playdoh, and then onto dancing and from there I went into acting and singing.
It was around this time, at 15, that I changed my name from Charlotte to Charli. I preferred it for my stage name, and despite having quite a feminine body, my personality was in no way that of what a young girl ought to be. A tom-boy to the core, I felt Charlotte was too “girly” and changed it to Charli (with no E).
I was determined to make it as an actor. I wanted to be in movies and play many different characters, however, I spent most of my 20s experiencing life and travelling around the world, doing acting gigs and classes in between. It wasn’t until I was 27 I moved to LA to spend a year studying at an acting school and taking it more seriously, but life doesn’t always go the way you planned. By the time I got back to Australia, my passion for acting started to dwindle. There was always this voice in my head saying I was on the wrong path. I guess that voice won in the end, or I just listened to it more carefully, because I stopped acting and invested in my first camera in 2018.
I began getting a feel for photography by experimenting with different styles including macro, landscape and portraits. I almost quit a few months in because it wasn’t “creative” enough for me. I wanted that element of storytelling and magic that I always found in my books. I wanted to create art, not just take photos. Just before I listed my camera for sale on Facebook Marketplace, I discovered the world of conceptual photography and my whole perception of what I could create with a camera (and Photoshop) was changed. I knew in my heart of hearts this was the right way to go.
Fast-forward to six years later, having created 250+ photographic artworks and having a somewhat successful career as a conceptual photographer, I found myself at yet another crossroads. As hard as it was to admit, photography wasn’t bringing me joy like it used to, so I had a tough decision to make. Do I carry along the same path, with photography, or do I take the road less travelled and start again with new mediums? If you’ve been following along on my creative journey up to now, you’d know I chose the path less travelled. I chose to swap my camera for a paintbrush and a ball of clay, and I’ve spent the better part of 2024 working to develop my skills with watercolour and sculpture.
It has been an equally challenging and rewarding process, and there isn’t an ounce of me that regrets my decision to follow my curiosity and leap into the unknown, for that is my whole philosophy on what this life should be and the whole purpose of my creations… a life full of adventure, playful curiosity, magic and a solid belief that there is more to this life than just one reality.
On a non-creative note, I eventually grew out of my tom-boy phase but I still felt more like a Charli than a Charlotte, and that’s the good side to being an adult - you can choose your own name… so I kept my name as is. I’m happily married to my love, Chris, living in Sydney (for now) with our 3 kitty cats, Damien, Atticus and Ollie.
If you’ve read up to this point, I want to thank you for sticking around. In a world of 5 second videos and the lowest of low attention spans, building a genuine community has become harder than ever. I’d love to know a fun fact about you in the comments (if you feel so compelled to share).
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Until next time,
