When Medicine and Modeling go hand-in-hand

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)

Photographer: Andreas vE.
Model: Carla Ayza.

CARLA AYZA. 25 YEARS OLD. BARCELONA. DOCTOR

Carla Ayza is a doctor, dancer, model and, as she says, “much more”. She defines herself as a versatile person, but what is most surprising about her is not her studies or her intelligence, not even her indisputable beauty. The most wonderful thing about Carla are her thoughts, her way of being and her values, of which kindness and solidarity stand out.

Consistency and perseverance are the keys to her success and, despite doing a lot of activities throughout the day, Carla finds time to dedicate herself to her modeling career in addition to her main profession as a doctor.

Who is Carla?

I like to be many things, that’s why I can’t find a concrete definition of who I am. My head is always in motion, I really like to learn and do a little of everything. I have many concerns and I am very nonconformist. On a professional level, I have recently graduated in medicine, but apart from medicine, I have always been doing other things that I also like, such as dance or introducing myself into the world of image and beauty.

Was studying medicine something vocational?

I have always had that innate concern to help, I have always carried it within me, it has been a very present value in my life. When I was younger, I went through a bad time and, from that moment, I began to value the well-being of people much more and I saw how fragile we could be. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to help so I took a year off to think about my future after finishing high school. I did a higher education training cycle and that year I did a lot of things related to nutrition, physiotherapy, medicine… And despite the stigmas and despite the fact that everyone scares you saying that medicine is an almost impossible career to achieve, I worked a lot, I studied a lot and I finally got the letter of acceptance to college. Things were happening and, in the end, the years have passed almost without me realizing it.

“It is very important to know how a person is feeling inside in order to help them”

You have talked about well-being. What is wellness for you and how is it achieved?

For me, wellness is a very strong mental balance. Very important, more mentally than physically. Well-being is a combination of physical and mental strength, but I think that you have to work a lot more to be well on a mental level. As a doctor, whatever it is, I will always keep the mental issue in mind while talking with patients. It is very important to know how a person is  feeling inside in order to help them. The body is capable of changing your physique if the mind is feeling sick, it can dehumanize you.

Besides being a doctor, you are also a dancer, right?

Yes, I am. I’ve been dancing my whole life and for me it’s my inner strength. Since I was little I dance hip hop, urban… And I was competing for many years, until I had to leave the championships because of my studies, although I have never stopped dancing. Everybody tells me it’s in my blood and it’s true. If I could be anything other than a doctor, I would be a dancer. But the career of a dancer is another career. You cannot be a professional doctor and a professional dancer at the same time. But dancing is my passion, it is what I do every day at home. When I dance I really enjoy myself. In general, in my life, I always try to do everything I like, a little of this, a little of that …

The soul and the experience of the dance that you carry inside… Do you think it helps you to pose and be in front of a camera?

Yes, I really think so. It reminds me a lot of the feeling I had when performing in front of an audience and I like it. In fact, I think that posing is a way of acting and it is a way of feeling strong and showing, through a photo, a bit of what you want to transmit to people.

Can modeling be a part time job?

Of course! Despite being always very focused on my career, I have always taken any opportunity that I have had, everything that I thought would bring me something good I took it at the time. Modeling can be a side job for sure. I can combine it with my profession as a doctor and that is fantastic. Lately, I have been getting a lot of opportunities in the beauty and fashion industry and I’m really enjoying it. Also, I love combining these two worlds. Modeling can really be a part time job, and you don’t have to dedicate yourself exclusively to it to make it work. It may sound incredible, but that’s what it is, and Modelmanagement.com offers to all its users this possibility. It’s great because you can enjoy the good of multiple professional worlds at the same time. Combining it is very simple.

“In life you have to really want something, and that’s when you look for what to do to achieve it”

How to become a fashion model?

Working as a model is achieved like all dreams: with determination. From the age of 14 I started working in fashion by chance thanks to some of my parents’ friends who where involved in the fashion world. I liked modeling, so when I was older, I remember finishing my exams and looking for offers where I could apply. For 2-3 years from now I started looking for more and more opportunities and I have been in contact with many photographers. Sometimes, when I got a Modelmanagement.com casting, it also helped me to make new contacts thanks to which I have met more people and more professionals in the sector. To gain experience in front of the camera is very important too. Everything has its process and it has always been clear to me that I could not become a professional model in one day.

Contacts and relationships are very important, of course, but first you have to move yourself to have them. It’s networking. I always say that in life you have to really want something, and that’s when you look for what to do to achieve it. That’s when opportunities come up, and that’s when you can choose the best one for you.

“Who succeeds is the one who has worked for it”

How did you get in this casting?

I saw the casting that Andreas posted on Modelmanagement.com and I contacted him personally on Instagram. I told him that I was very interested in his project, I loved how we wanted to show beautiful people with values… And from there, we began to know each other and he trusted me to join this wonderful experience.

As you can see, if I had not contacted him or many other professionals through social media, if I had not spent the time looking for him and contacting him, obviously I would not have done this photoshoot neither would I have lived the experiences I’ve had over the years. What I mean is that to get the things you want, you really have to look for them, it is not just about signing up on a page and thinking that everything is going to come to you because nothing is going to come to you if you do not go for it. It doesn’t matter how wonderful you are. Who succeeds is the one who has worked for it, it is the path to follow: fight for what you want.

Why do you think Andreas thought of you to be part of his own project?

I think it was mainly because behind the beauty that he has seen in me, he has also seen a person who thinks beyond that and I also believe that medicine is a more secondary thing as well. I think that the thing he has liked the most about me are my values…

How important is it when you feel or share a bond with the person who is photographing you?

It’s very important. It made me feel completely comfortable because I had the feeling that I had found a professional who was valuing me and who wanted to get my potential out of it. Andreas has taken a lot of potential out of me, the photos are spectacular, I was very surprised. Each photo has a meaning, he has reflected me on the pictures very well. I have loved meeting him and talking to him.

Do you think it is still hard to believe that a beautiful person on the outside can be beautiful and intelligent on the inside?

Yes, unfortunately. We have to eradicate that stigma now. As we must also eradicate the idea that a beautiful person who looks good in the photos has everything easier and that they do not need to do anything else in life to have everything they want to. It is not like that, quite the opposite. If you have a Model career profile, you must be proactive, you must get the attention of the agency and the professionals because there are thousands and thousands of beautiful people who want to do castings and live from this profession. You must work to stand out from the crowd.

“As I get to know myself more, I summarize myself in fewer words”

It is obvious that you are a person with values. What are the most important things for you in life?

This is a question that I ask myself continuously and during my life I advance and I change those values. As I get to know myself more, I summarize myself in fewer words. I consider myself a super sensitive and a super ambitious person and that’s why I do everything I do. I am very interested in people, I pay attention to them, I like them, I am very human… Hence my profession, of course. In the end, what I like the most in the world is helping. And I am also very thoughtful.

“I don’t want to just be Dr. Ayza, I want to be Carla and do whatever I want, let myself go and do all the things I like”

What dreams do you have for the next few years?

I imagine myself working as a doctor with my patients at a very close level. Besides that, I want to continue doing everything that arises from the things that I like without setting limits or labels. I don’t want to just be Dr. Ayza, I want to be Carla and do whatever I want, let myself go and do all the things that I like.

You should write all your thoughts down

In fact, I already do it. I would like to write a book where I could express my reflections, my concerns… I pay attention to everything and I do reflect even more. I like to think that I reflect something that can make people think about it and maybe some readers feel identified with me, as well as I hope to be able to inspire them, just the way as many people inspire me when I read them.