Meet Ava - This Creative Just Fell Head Over Heels for Spreadsheets

If you’d told me back when I was working in set design that I’d end up in data, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now, it makes total sense. The jump from creative work to problem-solving, pattern-spotting, and storytelling through data felt more natural than I expected.

Joining The Curious Academy’s Data Analytics Bootcamp gave me the structure I needed to turn interest into skill. Over three months, I developed hands-on experience with Excel, SQL, Tableau, and Python—and started digging into the questions I really care about: What turns a product into a habit? How do trends emerge and evolve? And what can numbers tell us about cultural shifts?

That led to my portfolio project: a deep dive into 15 years of Sephora product reviews. I analysed data from over 6,000 products and 60,000+ reviews to uncover patterns in consumer sentiment and beauty marketing language over time. It was the perfect mix of storytelling, insight, and a little bit of obsession.

In June, I’ll be starting a role as a Data & Reporting Analyst at Powerforce, where I’ll be working with real sales and field data to support decision-making in FMCG. I’m excited to apply my creative instincts and analytical mindset in the commercial space, and to keep exploring where data and storytelling intersect.

If you’re considering a career change like this, start with the industry you care about. What do you already understand intuitively? Then ask how data can help you bring something new to the table. And if you want to chat—I’m always up for it!