You’ve met our founder and illustrator, so this week we want to introduce you to our marketing manager, Della!
Tell us a bit about your background.
I grew up in the Midlands and have always had an interest in nature. As a child I was always digging for worms, hunting for ladybirds and trying to catch butterflies. My interest in science grew with age and became intrinsically linked with my love of the natural world. During my teenage years I developed a love for butterflies, and I began to rear caterpillars so I could observe metamorphosis. I also discovered a fondness for plants and botanical science, earning the name ‘plant queen’ during sixth form! At the same time I was also extremely interested in laboratory-based work, including forensics, microbiology and genetics.
Unsure with which avenue to explore and wanting to live somewhere completely different to the midlands, I moved to Bangor in North Wales to study Biology. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by mountains, forests and beaches after living in a small village for my whole life. Here I was able to study a whole variety of topics such as medical microbiology, human evolution and attack and defence in plants.
What do you do at Creature Candy?
My role is marketing manager, and I also do a bit of business development. I do the majority of the social media content and blog posting, so that’s where people will most likely come into contact with me. I also create the Sunday quizzes on our Instagram stories, which our audience seem to be enjoying!
How did you get involved with Creature Candy?
After leaving university, I took a retail job to earn some money whilst I tried to figure out my next steps. I was completely unfulfilled in this job but kept my head down and carried on. Lizzie is a friend of my partner’s family, and after hearing about me and my interests, she asked whether I would be interested in joining Creature Candy. Within a month I left that job and never looked back!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a huge animal lover and absolutely love spending time with my pets; I currently have two rabbits, two guinea pigs and a snake to dote on.
I love to read (especially at bedtime when I should probably be asleep!), my Kindle being one of the best investments of 2020. I really enjoy learning new things, so I spend a lot of time researching and reading about a whole variety of random subjects. I’m the type of person that will stumble across something vaguely interesting and then go down the rabbit hole researching into it!
What is your favourite part about working at Creature Candy?
I think it has to be having a part in raising money for all of the amazing charities we support. I’ve always loved nature and wildlife so helping to give funds to the experts that endeavour to protect species in danger is very rewarding.
What is your favourite design so far?
It’s so hard to choose just one! I really love the tiger moth, bee and long-eared bat. However after studying it for my botanical portfolio, I have a real fondness for the snake’s-head fritillary.
What designs would you like to see in the future?
I’d love to see an amphibian design, perhaps a natterjack toad. And of course I’d love a butterfly such as the small tortoiseshell. I’d also quite like to see an expansion on the botanical range; I think they’re so pretty!
Check out some of Della’s favourite designs below:
