Lemsip
- Rachel Bennett
- Feb 10, 2017
- 4 min read
Hellooo everyone and welcome back to another blog post! This week hasn't been the best for me as I have been suffering with a rollercoaster ride version of the flu! Mostly, it's been tolerable as thankfully I work from home, so I can sit and snuffle and consume endless gallons of tea whilst getting on with my work, but occasionally this week it has been too much for me to even get out of bed! So I ended up taking my first 'sick day' from myself yesterday, and am sneezing away still whilst writing this. Due to being under the weather, I haven't managed to write the post I intended for this week, so that one will have to be put off until next week, and as for this week, I'm going to cheat. I've followed lots of artists for years online and something I've noticed a lot of people doing are little 'get to know the artist' questionnaire type things. So I'm gonna have a crack at one I found online and hope I can get through it before my next lemsip! Here goes...
Who are you and where do you work? I'm Rachel, a part time artist and entrepreneur, and I started my Puffin Prints business almost a year ago. I work from home, beautiful Anglesey, at my little desk that I have designated as my mini art studio!
When did you decide you wanted to be an artist? This question is a bit tricksy because I never actually decided to become an artist as such, and I probably still wouldn't outright call myself an artist. Art has always been a part of my life, and I can honestly say I don't remember a time when I wasn't doodling and drawing. As for the becoming an artist part, I decided I was going to be a theoretical physicist, and did my undergraduate degree in theoretical physics. From that, although I loved it, I decided I didn't want to be a theoretical physicist any more, and sort of accidentally became an artist in the process. The reason I don't like to say that I'm an artist is because I've always loved art to be my hobby, the thing I do to relax, it's soothing and therapeutic. I always worry that if I treat art as a career then it will become stressful and I won't be able to enjoy it as much.
Where and what did you study? I went to Lancaster University and studied Theoretical Physics. I feel like this question was meant to be about studying art, but apart from GCSE and AS art, which consisted mostly of experimentation, I am mostly self-taught.
What is the best thing about being an artist? Being able to do what you love, something that actually, legitimately makes you happy, and to be able to do that as a career!
Do you listen to music while you're working? If so, what? Always, I've developed this habit where if I'm working on something, I'll have music or even Netflix on in the background. Musically, it depend very much on what mood I'm in, and also what sort of work I'm doing.
If you could give one bit of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would it be? Throw yourself into whatever you're doing! Stop worrying about things and being nervous, it's true that you regret the things you don't do more than those that you do!
What three things would you still like to do before you die? Travel, travel, travel! I absolutely love travelling and I want to see the world, I've never left Europe and so that's my biggest goal for the future, save up and see where I can go...
What’s your favourite food? My immediate thought when I read this was chocolate, but I'm pretty sure that's probably not the right answer, so I'll go with veggie lasagne instead. Homemade veggie lasagne, though none of this shop bought rubbish, a proper homemade-from-scratch one. Lovely.
Where was the last place you went on holiday? Majorca, with my family and my partner, and it was amazing, I can't wait to go on holiday again.
What was the last book you read? A gripping thriller called 'The Good Liar.' A little intense but an interesting story. I'm currently reading another thriller called 'The Swimming Pool,' that I borrowed from my friend Hannah after staying with her for the weekend, since I had finished the Good Liar on the train journey over and had nothing to read on the train home!
What is your biggest distraction? Tea! I'm forever stopping work because I need a top up on my cuppa!
Do you have any regrets? Not doing more. The only regret I really have is being hesitant and shy about things, and so I'm trying to make sure I say yes to more things that make me uncomfortable.
What is your medium of choice? To start things off in a complicated way, I would say that I have several. Each piece I create tends to always begin with a sketch in pencil, to then either be painted on or scanned to be finished digitally. If I opt for paint, I tend to use a mixture of mostly gouache and watercolour, but I also often use acrylic paints on the same piece.
Where do you find inspiration? Everywhere. Literally everywhere. I'm very much a nature-fanatic so I'll often feel very inspired outdoors, in the woods or on the beach, and coming from somewhere like Anglesey, it's tricky not to be inspired just driving to the supermarket since there is so much natural beauty surrounding me at all times. Other than nature, I try to make sure I follow lots of artists and photographers online for inspiration.
And that's that folks! Time for my lemsip. Thanks for reading, sorry it was a bit of a different one this week, but honestly I'm a little bit delirious with this bug and the meds, so I think this was the best option for me this week, and I hope you didn't mind too much...Catch you next time, Rachel x
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