Meet Elena Sullivan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elena Sullivan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elena, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from a mix of life experience, creativity, and a lot of curiosity. Moving between countries, adapting to new cultures, and starting over more than once taught me that change isn’t something to fear—it’s where growth happens. Photography has always been my anchor through those transitions. It gives me purpose and a way to make sense of the world, even when things feel uncertain. Nature also plays a big role in keeping me grounded; watching how everything in it has its own rhythm reminds me that growth isn’t always linear and that beauty often comes through imperfection. I’ve had to learn new skills, rebuild my business, and keep evolving, but every challenge has made me more adaptable. And also, the people I meet, their stories, their kindness, their belief in what I do keep me going. That combination of creativity, change, and connection is really where my resilience comes from.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a photographer, content creator, and storyteller at heart. I’ve been capturing people, places, and everyday beauty through my lens since 2007, and what I love most about my work is how it connects me to others and to the world around me. My journey has taken me from Ukraine to Russia to Spain to Mexico and now USA, Atlanta, and each move has shaped how I see light, color, and emotion. Through my studio, ArsVie, I specialize in portrait, product, and still-life photography, helping brands and individuals tell their stories visually. But my creative world doesn’t stop there, I also run a YouTube channel and a lifestyle blog where I share my love for visual beauty, travel, interior design, food, and creative living. I’m passionate about inspiring others to notice the magic in the details and to live with a sense of curiosity and intention. On top of that, I am a freelance writer, exploring themes of art, creativity, and personal growth. Recently, I’ve been expanding into fine art prints. At its core, everything I do, whether it’s behind the camera, on the page, or in front of the camera, is about celebrating beauty, storytelling, and the creative journey itself.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Curiosity is really at the heart of everything I do. It’s what keeps my creativity alive, always asking, what if I try this? what if I see it from a different angle? Whether I’m photographing, writing, or filming for my YouTube channel, curiosity pushes me to keep learning and experimenting. For anyone just starting out, I’d say: don’t wait to feel “ready.” Just explore. Follow your interests, even if they seem unrelated, you never know how they’ll connect later.
Adaptability has also been huge. Moving between countries and cultures taught me that things don’t always go according to plan, and that’s okay. Being flexible, both creatively and personally, helped me grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined. For beginners, my advice is to see challenges as teachers. Every project, every obstacle, adds another layer to who you are as an artist.
And finally, storytelling. I believe that’s what makes any creative work meaningful. Photography, blogging, design, writing, it all comes down to telling a story that makes someone feel something. Developing your storytelling voice takes time, but it starts with observing the world closely and being honest about what moves you. The more authentic you are, the more your work will resonate with others.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I start to feel overwhelmed, I’ve learned that the best thing I can do is step away and give my mind some breathing space. I love going for a walk, sometimes in the park, sometimes just wandering through the city with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate in hand. There’s something about observing life around me: the light, the colors, the little everyday moments that helps me reset and find calm again. The other thing that really helps is what I call my “Just One” approach. When I’m juggling a lot of projects or ideas, I pick just one thing to focus on. One objective, one task, one step. I give it my full attention, finish it, and then move on to the next. It sounds simple, but it makes a huge difference. It turns chaos into clarity and reminds me that progress always happens one step at a time.

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