Transformation has been a central part of my life’s narrative. Growing up in Moscow in a musical Jewish family of engineers, who encouraged every artistic expression as a hobby but never as an occupation, I was a peculiar child who, after returning home from school had to tidy up, place flowers everywhere and dress up in my best clothes before doing my schoolwork. I used to make theatre productions, loved making props and costumes, wrote musicals, poetry and above all, I loved flowers and dance.
Then life happened. After a business and accountancy degree and Microsoft system engineering exams, I worked for 12 years in Legal IT, project management and consultancy work. A long way from my childhood passions. But in every career path I had, I always wanted to introduce an element of aesthetic beauty into everything I worked on. For me, beauty has medicinal qualities, it revives and makes things better.
So, 10 years ago (and 20 years after arriving in the UK!), I retrained as an interior designer. Since then, I have worked in many fields of design – interiors, product, publishing, garden, exhibition stand design, styling. Everything I learned told me that the only way I could truly be happy was by being honest and true to my vision.
My talent is to seek beauty in everything and to transform spaces from nothing into something and for those spaces to have an incredibly inviting atmosphere and feel – giving pleasure to anyone who experiences them.
I love photography and my passion is capturing transient beauty that is often missed. Whether it is there for a split second or it is hidden in the tiny details invisible to the busy eye, I want to seize that moment, make it noticeable to others by making it bigger, and to last longer.
Having children led me to me completely re-evaluate my life. I made a promise to do things that give me absolute joy and having found my tribe I discovered how liberating it is to be with the people who get you and your ideas. Looking at the world through my kid’s eyes, has reawakened that passion for imaginary world creation.
So … Elen’s World was born, I started my art direction photography practice and now I create whole imaginary worlds for my clients through photography, costumes, and props.
I design costumes for dance theatre, write children’s books and illustrate them through photographs, create photography art prints and also offer interior and garden design consultations for anyone who would like to introduce this nature inspired style to their environment.
I can see parallels between my story and the story about my art loving grandmother, who during the war, spent all her food coupons on a silk cushion – that little island of beauty and luxury got her through the unspeakable hardships of the reality of that time. Same way as poetry and books have. So, I too, often hold on to beauty as this powerful saviour. In times of uncertainty, bad news, injustice and tragedies, beauty can remind us of who we are, how precious and fragile our life and our world are, it can save us from ourselves.
So all the elements of nature became my language – plants, flowers, textures found in different seasons, lots of greenery and light. Scented candles evoking the memory of blossoming gardens, beautiful clothes and environments, tidiness contrasted with order, music and deliciously cooked and artistically presented food became my tools for ensuring no matter where I was and what external conditions or time of year it was – I could create this sanctuary.
It has been a long journey to get here, to know that ‘that peculiar child’ had already chosen her favourite thing in the world: “Creating magical worlds that have transformational effect on those who experience them.” But now I’ve arrived, I’d like to share this world with you.
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