CANOPY STUDIOS IS THE PORTFOLIO WEBSITE + ONLINE STORE OF YELIZAVETA SERGEI

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Yelizaveta Sergei is passionate about telling stories that examine the inner world of humans. Her work often has themes on empowering women, social change, and identity.

 

She was born in Nakhodka, Russia. Moving to the states, Yelizaveta enjoyed a whimsical childhood which included having an assortment of unusual pets and “walnut wars” with the neighborhood kids.

 

Her creative journey became apparent at 7-years of age. After creating a totem-pole fish, “your child should be an art teacher,” were the words spoken to her parents by her 2nd-grade teacher. This is not often the phrase immigrant parents want to hear. They quietly thanked the teacher and left.

 

When it came time to choose a career, Yelizaveta (not wanting to contribute to the starving artist stereotype) decided to pursue a Graphic Design degree at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. After designing graphics for a few years, she transitioned into hospitality design including space design of coffee shops, bistros, and restaurants. Outside of work she pursued her other passions of photography, painting, writing, and fashion design.

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Yelizaveta went back to school and acquired her MFA in Film & Television Production at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts after reaching a place in her design career where she felt there was nowhere else she wanted to grow. 

 

She is now Writing, Directing, and Producing films while taking time to continue making art and capturing the world through the lens of her DSLR camera.

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“The creative journey never really stops. We don’t really ‘arrive’ anywhere. We just make lots of pit stops that end up being a crucial part of the next great idea that we turn into art. My art takes many forms: film, photography, painting, design, and sculpture, but really it’s all the same. Why? Because all of those things have one thing in common: they tell a story. And that’s why I’m here creating. We tell stories to heal, and the first person who gets healed is the storyteller.”

- Yelizaveta Sergei