Although am an artist, the concept of just being an artist is a vague illusion of grandeur I can only dream of attaining as a small business owner. I’d absolutely love to delegate the varied and numerous responsibilities I have, but the reality is that the owner, artist, product designer, accountant, marketing office, packing and shipping department...it’s all just me. Meaning I have no choice but to do the thing I like the least, which is talk about myself.
In the true spirit of “meet the team” we’re going to hail this conversation with an awkward “Hi, I’m Liselle” because a) I am a little awkward, and b) quite frankly, I can’t fathom how else to start this off! I'll be talking more about my professional journey in later posts, but my time in Zoology has absolutely shaped who I am. My determination to stick firmly to the feline biology path would see me well in Mirkwood Forest, but has been the bane of my superiors and colleagues. I really can be stubborn, but my perseverance has given me some incredible experiences working with everything from Tigers to Rusty-Spotted Cats. My heart firmly lies with behavioural ecology and comparative anaomty, so I'm obsessed with Cheetah skulls, and getting to handle one from the, now extirpated, Indian Cheetah - was the highlight of my entire life.
I do an excellent job of creating the illusion that my entire personality revolves around wild cats – it kind of does - but you’ll be delighted to hear I do sometimes shut up about them. Because I’m also a history obsessed, neurodivergent, Victoria Wood fan with a penchant for Bioware games and eerie fantasy. My favourite Pokémon is Ninetails, and I will defend ITV's Vera Stanhope with my life. A mixtape from me would swing wildly from 70's rock, to soul and jazz, and I bloomin' love listening to music on the way to a sunny day out at a museum or zoo. Despite all that, I think the thing that describes me best is the fact I've sustained numerous injuries - including a broken ankle - while being distracted by the stars. Basically, I’m a clumsy mess of special interests stuffed into a human being. But then, aren’t we all in some capacity?