I am Ayza-Andriana Churina, an artist, actress, and a musician. I was born in a tiny European country called Moldova and moved to the United States at the age of 16 with my mother, who was for years an opera singer at the National Theater of Opera and Ballet in Moldova. She and her career choice inspired me to be artistic. I was lucky enough to be “raised” in the opera theater where I was running around discovering different parts of the theater such as room where costumes or stage decorations and sets were made, listened to the orchestra and other musicians practice their pieces, saw ballerinas work on their choreography, saw the light operating boards and so much more. I felt like I was a part of the whole production without being an employee. And when I got a bit older, around 7 years old, I got a chance to participate in an opera Boheme by G. Puccini as an extra. This is when I realized that I don’t just want to be a musician but an actress! I also wanted to be an artist but all that my mother, being a single parent, could afford is to send me to a music school, where I successfully completed 9 wonderful years before moving to the states.

 

I came to Monroe, WI in March of 2000, without any English, where I still managed to graduate from Monroe High School and moved to Madison, WI to study everything I was interested in, including but not limited to, Fine Art, Theater, and Dance. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Performing Arts and had two amazing children that are 5 years apart from each other. Being a stay-at-home mom for so long was preventing me from following my dreams and career paths full-time. I did what I could, working little by little and slowly getting work done. My husband, who I got married to in 2005, wasn’t very supportive of my art and was always pushing me into being more like “normal” people and get a “regular” job, while saying that my art and everything that I went to school for and spent THOUSANDS  of dollars on, is just a HOBBY! That I am not good enough of a painter, that art, music, or acting is just a waste of time. He didn’t want me to be an actress or a musician…. He wanted me to be more practical and like everyone else. A perfect housewife who cleans, cooks, takes care of the kids, and you know…. performs marital duties.

 

I was living this unhappy life for way too long, hoping things will change, going to therapy in hopes to figure out how to fix our marriage, doing research on my own, sharing the information with my husband who didn’t seem to be very interested, getting deeper and deeper into psychology and twelve years later it hit me! We are just two different people who can’t get along or agree on anything. So I filed for a divorce.

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This is the part when I was very depressed, feeling like l am all alone in the darkness, in a survival mode, feeling suicidal from time to time… I didn’t know what to do. I WANTED out! I wanted to get my mind off my problems but my mind was going in circles in search of a perfect solution to my problems. I couldn’t sleep because I had one though after another. The solution that I did find though, that helped me to take my mind off my marital problems, is fully emerging myself into the arts. I started actively going to auditions, got cast for a couple of projects that I am still working on, began teaching dance, art, and acting to kids, and I started doing more art, locking myself in my studio/bedroom to paint, where I was mercilessly distracted by breaking in family members (unfortunately bedroom doors don't have very reliable lock systems).

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The series that started coming to life in that stage of my life is called ‘Subconscious Mind’. This was my way out of this chaos, to tell my story without being too personal or detailed with a hint of mystery, a way to express my emotions and thoughts that didn’t let me sleep, and a way to find peace and purpose within myself.  All that came from my subconscious. Nothing was planned ahead, no thumbnails, just painting as it comes.

 

 I hope that after knowing the story behind my art, it will help you understand it better, have a better connection with me, and maybe it can even relate to you and serve as an inspirational piece that will give you hope, strength and purpose in  life.

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I am Ayza-Andriana Churina and I am an ARTIST! I was put to this Earth to CREATE and inspire. I hope you can support me through my challenging journey.

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