Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samantha Dormio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

One of my main goals for my business is to help the environment and bring awareness to important issues in wildlife conservation through art. Every quarter, I select a non-profit wildlife conservation organization to donate 10% of my profits to. I usually have to seek out these organizations through extensive research – I like to donate to regional, lesser-known organizations with admirable goals. However, one day, an incredible organization found me!

I was at a smaller market in Saint Pete, Florida one sunny Saturday morning. A woman walked up to my booth and was immediately drawn to my waterproof stickers – especially my barn owl stickers. I told her they are all based on my original watercolor paintings, and she was so excited! She started talking about her favorite owl, the Florida burrowing owl – which is listed as a Threatened species in the United States. She went on to tell me that she was actually an avian biologist and the founder of a non-profit organization called Project Perch that helps with burrowing owl restoration and awareness!

We talked for almost half an hour about our experiences, love for wildlife, and passion for speaking for the creatures that don’t have voices of their own. She and I kept in touch and we ended up collaborating on an incredible (and ongoing) project! She had me create a watercolor painting of a burrowing owl that we turned into stickers to give to kids that help with burrowing owl restoration projects! The stickers also come with an animal identification card all about burrowing owls.

This was absolutely the most unexpected and rewarding experience I’ve had with Wild Planet Creations so far! I will be creating more paintings for them that highlight unique burrowing owl characteristics and behaviors. I will also be donating 10% of my profits to Project Perch at the end of the second quarter of the year.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for wildlife and wild places. My love for the natural world began with creatures that are no longer living among us on Earth: dinosaurs! When I was 3 years old, I used to tell my parents that I wanted to be a paleontologist. I even used to go on fossil hunting trips with my family, and recorded Discovery Channel dinosaur documentaries on VHS tapes so I could watch them over and over! When I got a bit older, I became more aware of the plants and animals of the world that are still living among us, but are in grave danger of being lost forever.

Over the years, I gained incredible experience in all different flavors of wildlife conservation work! I got my Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire, and took on a Master’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Here, I was responsible for performing scientific research for my thesis, teach undergraduate student biology labs, and take a full course-load of classes all at the same time! It was quite the adventure! With a graduate degree in hand, I became an adjunct professor and taught biology courses to community college students for a couple of semesters. Here, I found out how much I love to teach.

My wildlife conservation experience extends beyond the classroom too! I’ve had the pleasure of working at a big cat sanctuary taking care of tigers, lions, leopards, bobcats and pumas that were all brought in from abusive situations. I also work as a forester for the United States Forest Service on the George Washington National Forest. I helped lead native tree planting projects, assisted in planting 100,000 trees, removed non-native, invasive plant species, ensured native species that are ecologically important have the space and nutrients they needed to grow, and performed prescribed burns.

Even with all of these amazing experiences under my belt, I always felt called to take a more educational and activist approach to wildlife conservation, but I wasn’t sure how to tackle that. Every job position I’ve ever had never fully fulfilled that drive – there was always something missing for one reason or another. In February 2021, a friend of mine who knew I used to create artwork asked me if I could paint a giraffe for her. I remember having an image in my head of a whimsical, colorful giraffe and immediately picked up my watercolor paint brushes even though watercolor wasn’t a medium I enjoyed in the past -. something about the lack of control really bothered me back then. I’m so grateful I gave it a try because I felt true bliss while I was painting. The lack of control that used to bother me was something that I now embraced! My friend loved the painting, so I decided to post it on social media alongside a statement about giraffe conservation. I had the most incredible response! Not only did the commissions come pouring in, but people were interested in learning about giraffe conservation! In that moment, art became an effortless connection between people and wildlife conservation. I knew something magical was brewing. I was in a unique position to blend my knowledge and unique experiences in wildlife conservation with my artwork to bridge the gap between humans and the natural world around them!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I moved to the Tampa, Florida area about a year ago after having just left my full-time, permanent job with the United States Forest Service. I was taking the big plunge and pursuing my small business full-time! From my own research, I knew that Tampa really supported local artists. A really great perk was knowing that markets, pop-ups and shows happen nearly year-round since the weather stays relatively nice! Before moving, I applied to large craft shows, smaller weekly markets, and festivals across the Tampa area. I had only attended a few smaller events as a vendor before moving, so I wanted to challenge myself to not only learn as much as I could, but also make a name for myself!

My goals were to:
– find collaboration opportunities with local non-profit organizations
– meet other incredible local artists
– become known as a wildlife artist in the area
– find wholesale opportunities

Although attending markets and crafts shows can be very exhausting when attending them almost every single weekend, it brought my small business so much success! My goal for the last part of 2023 is to attend a fine art show to display my original artwork pieces. Just the other day, I could envision myself attending shows and markets well into my golden years, and that though completely warmed my heart. I’m so excited for what the future holds!

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

As an environmentally-conscious small business, I do my best to incorporate eco-friendly products and packaging as often as possible. Last holiday season, I made the decision to invest in eco-friendly, responsibly-sourced wooden ornaments with my artwork on them. This was the largest investment I had made in my relatively new small business, so I was really nervous about getting the marketing just right! I had to make sure I was emphasizing the right things to the right target audience. For example, I had to reach eco-conscious people who cared about sustainability and conservation. I was careful to do a ton of SEO keyword research as well as hashtag research for videos I was posting on my social media platforms. I also made sure to post about my products in a fun and exciting way (I was genuinely excited to be offering such a sustainable product for the holidays!)

When launch day finally came, I was blown away by the outpouring of positive feedback! I nearly sold out of a couple of my ornament designs right away. It was incredible! Now I know that this year, I’ll need to create many different ornament designs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wildplanetcreations.com
• Instagram: @wildplanetcreations
• Facebook: @wildplanetcreations
• Youtube: @wildplanetcreations4761
• Other: Tiktok: @wildplanetcreations