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AIM FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE
I am originally from London and I am a foot archer – which is a very random career. From the age of 3 I was a competitive gymnast but around the age of 16 my gymnastic career came to an end. I felt I wanted to do something different so I tried aerial silks as a hobby and to keep fit. Soon after I was offered performing gigs – I never thought I would do this as a job and even thought “wow, I can actually get paid for doing what I love?”.
As my circus career began, I found it hard to maintain regular bookings, mainly because aerial is a difficult set up and a surprisingly saturated industry – I was always struggling to prove myself in becoming the best. One day I decided “instead of trying to be the best in the world, why not be the only one”. With an insatiable desire to stand out, I came up with this crazy idea of foot archery; With no previous archery experience and no formal training space, I bought a bow and arrow and began the training process. Originally I had no huge ambitions for my foot archery act – I thought, if I can get at least one extra gig per month, I will be satisfied. In the end, instead of being one extra gig per month, it became my full time career that took me across the world. I learnt that “the best things in life are often the unplanned ones”. I think any success I’ve achieved is because I truly fell in love with the process, rather than only focusing on the end goal.
My training began in the Winter of 2015, in a cold, English cricket field. I had nowhere else to practice and no one to guide me – who on earth was going to teach me something as crazy as foot archery! I would practice 6 hours per day, every day for a total of 6 months until I had one successful shot. The first time I hit the target with my feet I told myself “this is it. This is possible”.
Orissa could you tell us what inspired you to become a foot archer and what’s behind archery for you?
The archery part comes from the connection to my father. He passed away when I was 12 years old and I remember he had a strong love for bows and arrows. He didn’t have much technical knowledge but he just loved them. He used to read me stories of Robin Hood and other archery characters. So my connection to my dad was represented by archery and he was also the one that took me everyday to gymnastics as a child. So when I thought “what can I do that he would’ve loved”, the combination of “archery” and “gymnastics” came to mind, and that’s when this crazy idea came to life.
Do you see your life’s goals and targets the same way you see through a bow and arrow?
What I’ve learned from this archery journey is that when I started I didn’t have set goals like traveling the world or being on tv. The original plan was to attain at least one extra gig per month, but as I developed the act and started promoting it, it evolved into my full time career with shows every day, across the world and even for Royalty. So now I say “It is not just about focusing on the target, it’s about falling in love with the process” . You must enjoy the journey so much that putting in the extra hours and effort feels more fun and less difficult – suddenly you’ll find that your target becomes easier to aim for.
I like to say “Aim for the impossible”, because when you fall in love with the process, you’ll go further than you’ll ever imagine.
Do you believe in past lives? If so, would you say you may have belonged to an era where bows and arrows were common and you’re just remembering?
I love these questions! And yes, I do believe in past lives. I can never be sure, but maybe I do have a connection to archery in a past life, it’s always come naturally to me. I definitely think I have a connection somewhere with doing handstands, as I could handstand from the age of 2 and a half. No one ever taught me and I don’t remember learning, I could always simply do it. I was actually born with arms first so my mom used to joke that I was born in a handstand.
Perhaps there could be a connection with handstands and archery – who knows but it’s definitely a major part of my life. Or maybe it was my faith and destiny to go in this direction. I do believe that everything happens for a reason.
What is the secret of becoming not the best in the world, but the only person that does what you do?
I would have to say that an intense desire doesn’t just come from passion, it has to come from deep within. There are over seven billion people in the world so being the only one fills me with every emotion possible, so why be the best when you can be the only one? Become so good at what you do that no one else even compares to you!
When I was about 18 years old I was going through my first heartbreak – you know how it is. I realized that this pain contained a strong energy, similar to grief, so I took hold of it and turned it into something useful. When you focus your pain in the right direction it becomes your superpower and you can use it for anything, like achieving your goals or making someone else happy. So I believe a big part of my secret is “taking energy from pain in my life and transforming it into something useful, instead of aiming it towards something that’s not going to benefit me”
What is the biggest struggle you have faced in your career as an artist?
I would say 2020 was the biggest struggle for me. I used to think that it was trying to build my career but now I understand that my biggest struggle was building something and then having it taken away. It was much harder to deal with. I love my career and was fortunate that it took me across the world. In 2019 I took 66 flights and performed almost everyday on a different stage, in a different city. It was not just my career but my lifestyle, until 2020 came and all of the sudden everything stopped.
I had built my identity on doing what I love and using it to make other people happy, so I wasn’t prepared to have it taken away so suddenly. I learnt through extreme circumstances that even though my career is my passion, my true identity was more than that, it was many other things as well.
After traveling the world, it was also a shock to my system to stay in one place, but as a result I grew in very many ways. I was able to train new tricks but most importantly spend quality time with my family.
Orissa where is the focus of your attention at this moment; what is your next target?
My physical target constantly changes but my overall goal has always been to make the most of what I do. So If I’m not able to travel then I’m going to start doing more online shows, and I’m always happy doing that. As things begin to open up, I will start doing shows again but no matter what the world throws at me, I am determined to make the most of the situation.
Do you have any unfulfilled dreams as a performer or in your personal life? And what are you currently doing to see them realized?
The truth is, I’m never really satisfied with my act, I always want to improve and do bigger things. At the same time I want to start helping others develop their careers by inspiring them to follow their dreams. I believe that success is not getting to the peak of your career, but getting to the point where you can help start others.
As per the unfulfilled dreams, one is to perform in Hawaii. Whilst desire is to visit Hawaii, my real dream is to perform there – travelling with the purpose of doing what I love. I’m also working on growing my social media presence across all platforms because I love building my audience and using it to inspire as many people as possible.
Do you consider yourself to be your best version?
No – I am always trying to be the best version of myself and I believe that means being truthful and genuine to who you are. I do feel that this is not an end goal but something you have to work on everyday.
Can any woman be a wonder woman?
Oh yes, absolutely! Women are naturally born Wonder Women! From the age of 12 my Mom raised myself and my two siblings completely on her own. From seeing her struggles and totally selfless love, I realized that all mothers are Wonder Women. What they do and what they give to their children is inspiring. I feel that every woman has this in their nature, to give love and push through their daily struggles.
Orissa, could you give us any final thoughts and words of inspiration for other women on their path to self discovery?
Something I feel very strongly about telling people is always to remember the beginning. A lot of us start new ventures, new relationships, new jobs and go through difficulties – particularly in the beginning. When you become successful or move on to the next stage, these early obstacles are always essential to your journey. No matter how difficult it may feel at the time – “savor it, because difficulties will make for the best story.
When I began training my act in a freezing cricket field, let me tell you – I did not enjoy being outside dragging my equipment through the snow, barefoot across the field. When the cold would find its way through to my bones I remember telling myself “this feels horrible now and I’m not enjoying this but it will be such a big part of my story one day”. That day finally came when I performed for the Queen of England back in 2018. I was asked by the organiser of the event how I wanted to be introduced. I replied. “Just tell them that the act they are about to see began in a cold cricket field”. That’s all I wanted them to know about “my beginning”.
After the show the Queen insisted I come over and said “I loved your show but what I liked the most was where it all began”
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