BIOGRAPHY

• In childhood, you attended art and music schools and excelled academically. Then you opened your own Sand Animation Academy, performed in concerts, participated in Ukraine’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, Spain’s Got Talent, and won awards at film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Prague, and the world’s oldest independent film festival, Worldfest Houston International Film Festival. You have a husband and three children… Are you even human?

Yes, 100%.

• Where does such productivity and determination come from?

I’m the oldest of five children, which comes with responsibilities. Firstly, my parents tried all possible early (and not-so-early) development methods on me. Initially, I attended a regular school and traveled to another part of the city for music lessons. Then my parents found a 2-in-1 school, but I still had to travel for English classes.

Secondly, as the eldest, I helped my mother with my younger siblings and was responsible for their actions. Thirdly, we lived in a private house where there was always something to do – raking leaves, pitting cherries for jam. So, I always tried to finish everything quickly to go out and play. In general, I do a lot of things quickly – I talk fast, write fast, and in art school, I painted faster than everyone else. Also, I was into mountaineering during my student years, so my drive for lofty goals might come from there. Likewise, I’m an Aries, which probably matters too.

• About art. At some point, you had a choice – drawing or music. Why did you choose drawing?

I couldn’t stand solfège. And in art school, nothing bothered me. Drawing came easiest to me, so my fate to be an artist was decided. After high school, I studied at the Kharkiv Academic Art Lyceum.

• And yet, you are an architect by education?

Yes, despite being one of the best students, without influential connections and rich parents, I still didn’t get enough points to get into the Academy of Arts. So, I chose the closest related specialty at another university, Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. I even worked as an architect for five years in international companies – more than 20 houses have been built based on my projects.

• How did Sveta the Architect become the founder of a Sand Animation Academy, a world-renowned artist, and a sought-after performer?

Completely by accident. I was a single mother working as an architect during a crisis when salaries were hardly paid.

One day, I attended a master class by a sand artist in Kharkiv and fell in love with the art form, spending all my free time drawing. At home, I took the glass doors off my wardrobe to use as an improvised table, grabbed an ordinary desk lamp, some semolina, and started practicing. A month later, I was asked to perform at the wedding of a famous Ukrainian football player.

• And how was your first performance? You hardly had any experience.

I was terrified of the stage ever since music school. Every recital was torture for me. This time, with celebrities and journalists present, I was almost fainting. But I decided to experiment: if the performance went well and I felt comfortable on stage, I would continue.

I still remember that performance second by second. Not only did I draw everything as I had practiced, but I also saw the audience’s reactions, felt my body, and everything went superbly. This success inspired me so much that a month later, I quit my job at the architectural firm, started teaching sand animation, performing, and even got a producer.

• Tell us a bit about the Sand Animation Academy.

Oh, I could talk about the academy for a week. There’s a dedicated section on our website. In short: the academy developed so rapidly that with my second child, I was on maternity leave for only a month. Within a year, we moved from a small rented two-room space to a large separate facility. Later, we opened ten branches and a franchise. I developed a teaching methodology for sand animation and even got a patent for it.

• You developed your business while having two children. Did anyone help you?

Family. My dad, an experienced businessman, provided crucial support and guidance—he’s now my best friend and attends all my major concerts. My mother always helped with children.

• And did your family help you go to America’s Got Talent?

Family and friends. Friends raised money for the trip. I wanted to grow as an artist, and making a mark was essential. Talent shows are the best platform. Participating in shows watched worldwide elevates you to a new level. I knocked on every door. When you start realizing your dream, the world comes to your aid.

Friends and acquaintances found funds; a guy from LA let me stay during the show. My father provided a lot of advice and even traveled with me in the USA. Additionally, the famous Ukrainian singer Sviatoslav Vakarchuk allowed me to use his song “Obiymy” for my performance.

America’s Got Talent marked the start of another significant phase in my creative life.

• Why America instead of European “talent” shows? How did this idea come about?

Honestly, life felt mundane—I craved something grand. I was going through my personal crisis after a divorce and was in search of meaning and professional challenges. I thought: if I’m going to perform on a talent show, it should be on the biggest and coolest one watched worldwide. Registration for the American competition opened up, and everything fell into place perfectly.

• But you didn’t have anything but talent to get to America?

Exactly. But all my life mentors said one thing: we create our own destiny. I still live by that principle.

• How did you end up in Germany?

Returning from America, I performed at a sand animation festival in Hamburg where I met my future director. He offered me a job, and six months later we signed a contract; I obtained a work visa.

I found the rhythm of life and the German approach to work very appealing. Within the first week, I knew I wanted to stay here forever. There were very challenging projects that required dedication, personal growth, and professional development, which inspired me.

• Did you move to Germany while leaving your children in Ukraine?

Yes, with my parents. I decided to stay here and later move the children. It was the most difficult one and a half years of my life—I constantly blamed myself for my children growing up without me. I found solace only in knowing that I was doing this primarily for them.

Initially, I planned to bring them over in six months. However, after that period, I realized I hadn’t achieved the necessary professional level and wasn’t financially ready. Besides, I was literally working all the time, sleeping only 4-5 hours. What about the children? Honestly, even after one and a half years when I finally dared to bring them to Germany, I still doubted whether I could handle all this financially. But we managed.

• What helped you during that time?

Family support. Personal qualities—perseverance, hard work, the ability to focus on goals. I knew exactly why and for whom I was doing all this. I worked a lot, performed wherever I could. My proudest achievement during that time was performing live on German Unity Day. The audience included European leaders, and after me, Frau Merkel spoke.

During that time, I also participated in Spain’s Got Talent, made it to the live shows, and appeared again on America’s Got Talent.

• It truly was monumental work and responsibility.

Yes. I built my name, and now it works for me. I even have a Wikipedia page.

• Are you currently working as an independent artist?

Yes, I create my own projects and develop the SandElf brand. I perform at major corporate and private events, participate in film festivals, create performances, charity concerts, and large-scale shows.

• How do ideas come to you? What inspires you?

For the past two years, my inspiration has been more a result of sublimating pain – as a creative person, I cannot ignore the war in my homeland. Additionally, I am concerned about environmental issues. Right now, I’m searching for a team to undertake a major project on this topic.

As for “pure” inspiration, I’m inspired by selecting the most precise archetypes for characters within a specific narrative, harmoniously linking them with each other and with music. An archetype is a very rich, universal image understood by the vast majority of people. It can convey information about an entire era, a state, or a worldview. I strive to find the most apt archetypes to convey these profound, expansive meanings in just 1-2 movements. This creative search greatly inspires me.

• This may be a very trivial question, but I’m really curious to know what kind of sand you use for drawing?

Oh, that’s a very interesting story! Every artist has their own secret. I have been drawing with sand for over 15 years and spent almost 10 years searching for the perfect sand. On my drawing table, there are only about 2 kilograms of sand. It is red sand from the Sahara, mixed with white river sand from Ukraine. But it’s not just any sand – I am like a witch brewing a magic potion, preparing my own special sand blend. First, I sift the sand through the finest silk, discard about 80% of it, and use only the finest dust for drawing.

• Do you prepare for your performances, or is it improvisation?

People often think that my sand animation is pure improvisation. I’m very happy when they get this impression because it means the performance feels effortless – and that’s exactly how it should be. But in reality, there is a lot of preparation and experience behind it. You can compare it to a dance, a song, or a violin solo. For an artist to step onto the stage and perform a three- or five-minute piece with virtuosity, they must perfect every detail – sometimes over months, in addition to learning for 20 years! Sand animation is the same.

First, a script and an idea are created – this is a creative process that is hard to measure in time. Then, the sand images are developed according to the script. The most challenging part is ensuring that each image seamlessly transforms into the next one – that’s the essence of sand animation. Once the script is ready and the images and transitions are designed, rehearsals with music begin. Video recordings are made and reviewed to eliminate unnecessary, chaotic hand movements – these are what create the illusion of effortlessness for the audience.

The final step is practicing the drawing speed. Here, I can roughly estimate the time required: one minute on stage equals about one hour of rehearsal.

• Do you have any other ambitious goals?

Absolutely. My entire career is driven by ambition. I want to perform at Burning Man, the Super Bowl, collaborate with Imagine Dragons and Lady Gaga, and participate in the Oscars ceremony. My ultimate aim is to win an Oscar in my category, but you don’t get there “off the street” – you have to win a category A film festival. So far, I have won festivals in California, New York, Houston, and Berlin, so there’s something to strive for. These are my personal ambitions as a performer.

As for ambitions as an artist, I want to take sand animation to another level, to revitalize this art form – to move beyond the table surface and create a 3D show with a team.

• Do you ever feel like giving up the star life and just being a wife and mom?

I don’t live a star life. I’m just a regular mom and wife who happens to work as an artist. My job involves public performances and a lot of travel, similar to a coach or top manager. I was more of a “star” in Ukraine than in Germany. In Ukraine, appearing on television makes you a star, and many treat you as a celebrity due to the mentality there. In Europe, people are more interested in their own lives.

• Is there anything you regret?

Perhaps I wish I had given more attention to my older children during their childhood. But then I wouldn’t have become who I am today. Setting an example is also a wonderful way to raise children. I once told my mom that I could fulfill myself both as a mother and as an artist. On average, I think the result is pretty good: I’m a decent mother and a good artist.

I wish I had learned to understand myself earlier, to be more thoughtful, to enjoy life. But for that, you sometimes need to pause, and I wasn’t ready for that earlier. Now, I’m catching up – celebrating my birthday in Italy with friends, savoring dolce vita. Overall, I’m satisfied with my life.