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Introduction Hi there! I'm Rachael, the creator of Lost in the Day and crafter of all the wonderful, weird and downright crazy creations you see here. I have always loved to create and over the years I've expanded my skill set from drawing and painting to include jewellery, sculpture, woodwork and textiles. My focus has always been in the realm of fantasy and make believe, earning me the nickname 'Dragon Lady' among my friends. I currently live in beautiful County Durham, England where I juggle my time between crafting & creating, growing my own food and being as self-sufficient as possible, looking after my animals and helping the wildlife in my garden to flourish. |
Background
I grew up on a small dairy farm surrounded by animals and nature, something that has not only heavily influenced my creativity but also taught me the importance of hard work, doing what you love for a living and working in balance with the natural world. I've always had a crazy imagination and my creative skills have needed a lot of hard work over the years to catch up.
While at school my parents encouraged me to focus on academic subjects rather than creative arts and in 2005 I went to Durham University to study Geology, having only gained a C and D in my AS-Level Fine Art and A-Level Textiles respectively. Despite this I still hoped to be an artist of some sort upon graduation and continued to draw and design in my spare time. I also discovered Live Action Role Play (LARP) while at university, a wonderful new outlet for my wild imagination. (Yes it is a little strange but also a lot of fun!)
After graduating in 2008 I found myself face to face with the recession and life went downhill for a while as I struggled with unemployment, followed by low paid dead end jobs that made me miserable. Despite frequently being told this was 'adult life' and I should get used to it I refused to accept it and resolved to escape the corporate meat grinder forever. Then followed a crazy 5 year montage of working, saving every penny, working some more and saving even more. I was determined to become an artist but to do so I needed time to establish myself and during that time I would need money to survive.
In early 2015 I finally waved goodbye to working in an office and dove into the world of self-employment. It's taken a lot of hard work to get this far and I know I still have a long journey ahead of me. But now every day is my own and I can spend them doing what I love to do.
What's up with Lost in the Day?
It started back in 2009 when I first joined DeviantArt. (An online community for amateur and professional artists to share their work and communicate.) I needed a username and so puzzled for many minutes over what I should call myself. I don't entirely know where Lost in the Day came from, it just sort of popped into my head and stayed there, and the more I thought about it, the more it suited me. I have always found it all too easy to get lost in my own thoughts and 'Lost in the Day' perfectly summed up my ability to daydream for hours on end, although now that I'm self-employed and striving to be self-sufficient I don't have time to daydream nearly as much as I used to!
What's up with the snail?
Some people might think that a snail is a weird logo and that I would be more suited to a dragon or a rabbit, both of which have great personal meaning to me. However, in relation to my craft work I think the snail is more applicable- I am always trying to learn and improve my skills, thereby always growing, just like a snails shell. And just like a snail shell this growth takes time to develop but in the end the results are beautiful and very much worth the time taken to create them.
I grew up on a small dairy farm surrounded by animals and nature, something that has not only heavily influenced my creativity but also taught me the importance of hard work, doing what you love for a living and working in balance with the natural world. I've always had a crazy imagination and my creative skills have needed a lot of hard work over the years to catch up.
While at school my parents encouraged me to focus on academic subjects rather than creative arts and in 2005 I went to Durham University to study Geology, having only gained a C and D in my AS-Level Fine Art and A-Level Textiles respectively. Despite this I still hoped to be an artist of some sort upon graduation and continued to draw and design in my spare time. I also discovered Live Action Role Play (LARP) while at university, a wonderful new outlet for my wild imagination. (Yes it is a little strange but also a lot of fun!)
After graduating in 2008 I found myself face to face with the recession and life went downhill for a while as I struggled with unemployment, followed by low paid dead end jobs that made me miserable. Despite frequently being told this was 'adult life' and I should get used to it I refused to accept it and resolved to escape the corporate meat grinder forever. Then followed a crazy 5 year montage of working, saving every penny, working some more and saving even more. I was determined to become an artist but to do so I needed time to establish myself and during that time I would need money to survive.
In early 2015 I finally waved goodbye to working in an office and dove into the world of self-employment. It's taken a lot of hard work to get this far and I know I still have a long journey ahead of me. But now every day is my own and I can spend them doing what I love to do.
What's up with Lost in the Day?
It started back in 2009 when I first joined DeviantArt. (An online community for amateur and professional artists to share their work and communicate.) I needed a username and so puzzled for many minutes over what I should call myself. I don't entirely know where Lost in the Day came from, it just sort of popped into my head and stayed there, and the more I thought about it, the more it suited me. I have always found it all too easy to get lost in my own thoughts and 'Lost in the Day' perfectly summed up my ability to daydream for hours on end, although now that I'm self-employed and striving to be self-sufficient I don't have time to daydream nearly as much as I used to!
What's up with the snail?
Some people might think that a snail is a weird logo and that I would be more suited to a dragon or a rabbit, both of which have great personal meaning to me. However, in relation to my craft work I think the snail is more applicable- I am always trying to learn and improve my skills, thereby always growing, just like a snails shell. And just like a snail shell this growth takes time to develop but in the end the results are beautiful and very much worth the time taken to create them.