My Story

My name is Olya Kondiyenko and I am an artist. I grew up in Ukraine and am very proud to be Ukrainian. Though I never went to an art school or were an art major, I am an artist now. How did I start painting and what inspired me to start painting? I would love to share my story.

Growing up in Ukraine had its challenges. My mother and father both worked full time to make ends meet and I was left in care of my great grandmother and my grandmother. I have fond memories of both of them. I spent my childhood in daycare/kindergarten every day and home in the evenings and weekends. Later I continued on at a K-12 school near my home. We all lived together in a 1 bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen and a tiny bathroom. When I turned 6 and my sister was born, my grandparents were able to get their own place to live. I did not have any opportunities to enroll in an art school or music school because no one could take me there. I often envied my friends who had these opportunities. When I was old enough to take a bus on my own, I enrolled myself in as many extra curricular activities as I could participate in. I signed up for nature clubs, dancing clubs, shooting range lessons, coding and guitar lessons. Thankfully, all of them were offered free to children at that time. It helped me grow in many ways and satisfied my curiosity and hunger for learning.

I really felt like I wanted to try and do as many things as I could. Nevertheless I still struggled with low self-esteem during my childhood and into most of my adulthood. I relied on other people's opinions to define my worth and identity, and when those opinions were negative, I felt deeply hurt and lost. In addition, I grew up with a father who, under the influence of alcohol, became abusive to my mother, which added to my vulnerability and confusion.

I longed to break free from the cycle of worry, guilt, and pain and find my own sense of purpose and worth. I had a deep desire to help others, allowing me to temporarily forget about my insecurities and struggles. I remember walking on a street and crying to God for help to find out who I was and what I was doing here on this earth. What was the purpose of my creation? Was the purpose of my whole life just existing, enduring to the end, or did I have something to share with the world? I thought of becoming a successful business woman, making enough money to be a philanthropist and give my money to multiple charities. As I shared before, even small acts of kindness brought me so much joy. I could only imagine how I would feel building schools and homeless shelters.

Meanwhile I looked for opportunities to help where I could. More than once I caught an old woman carrying heavy grocery bags and offered her help. Another time, I saw an older gentleman begging for food at the entrance of the grocery store. I didn't have money so I ran home, grabbed whatever food I could find and brought it to him. I was only 12 then but felt a great need to make someone’s life better. A few years later I had an amazing opportunity to go on a religious service mission to England. For the next year and a half, I served not only English people but people from all over the world, who taught me their cultures and shared their stories. It was an amazing time of growth and self-discovery for me as I immersed myself completely in serving others, often forgetting about my personal needs and wants.

After my mission, I came home back to Ukraine pondering my future and what I wanted to do. Before going to England I already graduated from a university with a masters degree in Chemistry, but I did not feel like working in a lab was what I meant to do. Then came an opportunity to come to the United States, work as a nanny and further my education. I wanted to follow my dream of becoming a successful business woman, so I naturally applied to an MBA program. I was rejected, and I felt taken back and confused. Up until then I was pretty sure it was what I was meant to do. I tried two more times and again, I wasn't successful. Looking back now I am glad I decided to choose a different path rather than giving up altogether. I applied to Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language Program and was immediately accepted. No, I didn't become a successful business woman but I discovered my love for teaching. And I wasn't stuck in demanding an 8 to 6 career in a corporate world. I could choose my hours and still do everything else I thought was important, especially being a mom when the time came.

Being rejected from a business school turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was teaching ESL classes, mothering my children and helping my students to acclimate to a life in a new country. Not only could I relate with their struggle to learn a new language but I could also help them feel a little bit more confident, believe in themselves and in what they can achieve. I felt satisfaction from teaching and helping my students, but my immigration status changed and I had to quit working. By that time I was married to my long time friend and fellow missionary from Ukraine and had two children. I became a full time mom, supported by my student husband. Meanwhile, I was still looking for other ways to serve and to bring joy into my life. Being a mother is so fulfilling and so scary at the same time. It brings to the surface raw pure joy as well as your hidden inner demons. Everything that was so neatly tucked away in the inner parts of your soul resurfaces and you have no choice but to face it. It isn’t pleasant but definitely needed.

Childhood traumas are real and I had one. I was deeply affected by how my father treated my mother. I doubted everything I did or said. I overreacted to my children, triggered by so many things. And then I wallowed in my pain, thinking of my mistakes for days. Was I just a mistake? If I couldn’t be the person I wanted to be, how could I influence anyone else’s life for good? I was hit by the realization that I needed to search my soul and do things that brought me joy. I needed to practice self-care, listen to my intuition, and get curious about what brought me joy. I also still had a deep desire to help others and to change their lives for the better.

For my 35th birthday, my husband gave me a certificate to Paint Nite. Until then I had never spent much time drawing, painting or actively creating. I was drawn to beautiful paintings but had never considered sitting down and trying to paint. However, once I took the brush in my hands and started painting, I didn't want to put it down. I experienced a euphoric feeling of needing to paint more. I signed up for a community oil painting class. While taking this class, I was drawn to the beauty of oil painting. I loved watching other artists' work and learning from them. To my surprise, I discovered that I had a talent for painting and could create finished pieces in just a few hours. Painting became a form of therapy for me, a way to express my unique perspective on the world and discover my identity and purpose. It helped me see beauty in the world that surrounded me.

As I continued to paint, my passion grew even more vigorous, and I woke up at 4am just to have a few uninterrupted hours to create. Nature became my primary source of inspiration, with its endless shapes, colors, and beauty. Through painting, I developed a deep sense of understanding about my existence and my connection to the world at large. It gave me confidence that I had something valuable to share with others and a unique purpose in life. As a result, painting has become my lifelong passion, my way of discovering my place in the world, and my role in making it a more beautiful and meaningful place. I have finally found my voice!

Today, I do oil on acrylic paintings in an impressionistic style because the world around us is always changing. It usually is never what we think we see. Through the eyes of our imagination we can connect to the world, make it beautiful, add as much color as we would like, and shape it the way we wanted it to be shaped. We are the authors of our today and tomorrow. We are in charge of making every day beautiful. Through my paintings I hope to continue to influence people around me for good. Painting brings me joy and satisfaction with my life like nothing else. My hope is that it will bring more color and joy into your life as well. Thanks for listening!

If you would like to follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you can find me @olyakondiyenko.art. I also created a Practical Guide to Finding Your Voice Through Creating that you can download by clicking here: