Meet Elena Aleksandraviciute | Photographer & Social Media Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elena Aleksandraviciute and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elena, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was always a very artistic person. Since I was very young I loved to research art movements and had a fascination with architecture. Most of all I admired creative photography and manipulation photography. After graduating from a Computer Science program I felt compelled to take what I had learned in school and combine that with my photography skills. I decided to expand my knowledge in the exciting world of social media content creation and help businesses create visuals for their products or services. I saw a way to combine my skill sets and found a way to make a career that I love out of it!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Ellenfinds Creative Media Inc. is a Social Media & Content Creation Agency in Vancouver, Canada. We offer high-end photography, content creation, social media consulting and strategy. I started Ellenfinds in early 2020 with a dream of showcasing local small businesses. Since then we have really grown, working with over 100 clients to create custom content and gaining more each month! My team is creative, youthful, and fun. I strive to bring that vibe to our content, to make it unique and vibrant, yet high end.
Interestingly enough, I started out as a foodie here in Vancouver. I would go to restaurants and take photos and videos in exchange for free food. I would make my posts look fun – add graphics, and just make the content really stand out. The foodie community is huge in Vancouver so I didn’t want to just blend in. My goal all along was for that to be a step towards something bigger. I knew I had to do something – I just wasn’t sure what it was.
Then of course 2020 came along and when the pandemic started I needed to do something with my free time, so I signed up for Upwork. In just 3 months I made $10k – I started as a freelance social media manager and content creator working for several companies not only in Canada but in the USA and Europe!

I’ve definitely learned along the way that you need to learn to let people in and let them help you. It took me several months working alone and doing everything by myself for me to realize how hard it was. I was not delivering my best results, and I couldn’t grow my business. I needed to ask for help and learn to trust people. I asked my best friend Britt to join me, and from that day on Ellenfinds has grown and became everything I wanted it to be. We have added new team members along the way and continue to grow our Ellenfinds team with talented people.
Ellenfinds was created with a passion for photography, building relationships and to support other small businesses. We are a small business, so we know firsthand all the love and care that goes into each product and service that other small businesses provide. Along the way we have discovered so many unique businesses that inspire us in our work – which makes every day fun and exciting. It’s really great to have a career that allows me to meet other entrepreneurs and interact with our clients who often become friends!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Vancouver has so much to offer. For meat lovers and vegans alike there is a place for everyone. For my active friends, I would recommend renting a bike or some rollerblades and go for a roll along the seawall surrounding Stanley Park. Vancouver also is renowned for its beautiful beaches, perfect for paddleboarding. Afterward, I’d recommend visiting Granville Island for local goodies and live music, followed by Gastown for some great nightlife and drinks. (It’s where the locals go)

Just 20 min away from downtown you can enjoy beautiful hikes up in the mountains where you would get the best views of the city and the ocean. In fact the surrounding mountains are part of the exceptional views from most any place in the city, which is what is so unique and beautiful about Vancouver.
Vancouver is a very diverse and accepting place where anyone would feel comfortable no matter who they are, what they believe, and how they look. That’s one of the many things I love about it.

If you want to know some of my personal favourite hotspots, I would suggest a delicious Korean-fusion restaurant called Disco Cheetah. They have some of the best “Van Tofu” in the city! Another of my go-to places to eat I would definitely suggest enjoying a fine dining experience at Nightshade Restaurant, a vegan restaurant in Yaletown recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand (they happen to be one of our clients!). To top it all off I would take in a burlesque show in the evening!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I always think about my mom whenever I hear a question like this. My mom was a single mom, and I always saw her working. Yet despite her hard work ethic she managed to stay the most fun mom I knew. She always tells me to be brave, so when people say they admire how I just jumped into starting my own business in a foreign country I just think of my mom. This is the role model I remember, who taught me what I know – to just jump in, be brave and do your best.

Website: www.ellenfinds.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellenfinds

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-aleksandra/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ellenfinds

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenfindsvancouver