Art Should Be About Exploration, Not Conformity

What happens when you trade a corporate career for a paintbrush and an empty storefront? In this heartfelt episode, I'm recording from inside my art studio, surrounded by the floor-to-ceiling mural I painted when opening Brewtifully nearly a year ago.

The transition to full-time artist and studio owner has been a beautiful whirlwind. Morning kids' camps filled with young artists exploring without boundaries. Podcast appearances sharing my journey and techniques, from traditional mediums to augmented reality art using the Artivive app. A collaboration with Goodwill at the Pro Football Hall of Fame fashion show, helping people personalize jean jackets and discover their creative voices. These experiences have reinforced why I created this space – to help others express their individuality through art.

Growing up with a common name I could never find on personalized souvenirs taught me the importance of self-expression. Being reprimanded in school for holding scissors "incorrectly" (the way my mother taught me) showed me how creativity can be stifled by arbitrary rules. These experiences shaped my studio's core philosophy: there's no wrong way to create if it works for you. Mistakes aren't failures – they're essential discoveries on the path to finding your artistic voice.

As I approach my studio's one-year anniversary on September 12th, I'm filled with gratitude, seeing people already booking holiday events months in advance, eager to create meaningful memories in this judgment-free environment. What started as retirement has become a renaissance, a space where creative exploration is celebrated and individuality is cherished. 

Have you been wanting to explore your creative side? 

Whether you're local or listening from afar, I hope this episode inspires you to embrace your unique artistic voice, however it chooses to express itself.

The Foundry - Tantau Studios

Viviva Color Podcast Episode 

Wishes Can Happen

Chapters

• 0:06 Welcome to my studio
• 0:48 First month of retirement
• 1:36 Podcast appearances and collaborations
• 3:43 Community art lessons and events
• 5:40 Celebrating individual creativity
• 8:34 Upcoming anniversary and future plans
• 11:30 Supporting Wishes Can Happen

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello everyone, welcome back to Brutally Made. If you noticed, there is a different background. You have realized I am recording in my studio. So this is part of the celebration room. This is part of the mural that is four walls full in this room that I painted when I opened almost a year ago. So I am going to try to record the podcast here because I am open during public hours and I wanted to have a little, you know, peek into this part of my life now, since I am retired and that I am here full time.

Speaker 1: 0:48

So it has been quite a roller coaster of the first full month of me being retired. I had kids camps and they were super busy and they were every morning before I opened the studio up publicly and I loved it. I loved every second. The kids were wonderful. Kids signed up for afterschool programs and activities. We also had classes during the month. It was incredible. I was also on two programs.

Speaker 1: 1:16

So Margot Tantow Studios had me on as one of the foundry experts for my work really with art going into local establishments and setting up a local business, as well as my print on demand work and using my art to create products that I put in my shop. So that was a wonderful discussion. I shared everything that I know what I'm doing right or wrong, it's what I'm doing and that was available to the members of the Foundry. So if you want to become a member of the Foundry, you can watch it and really dive into Windowsill Chats and take a look at everything that Margot is doing. It's such a wonderful resource for artists and I appreciate her time and allowing me to share what I do. And then I was on Vivia Color, their podcast on YouTube, so that whole episode is available now and I really enjoyed sharing how I use traditional mediums with augmented reality and creating this whole world that you can, you know, use this free app called Artivive. That's the one I use to bring your art to life, and so I was sharing how I did that and how I've had the studio and how I use the Vivia colors in the studio for my artwork and then I offer it for sale. So it was just a wonderful opportunity and, ruthajah, thank you again for having me on that program and for the company allowing me to share my experience with their beautiful products. And then they also were very kind to send some new pieces, some that I had not purchased before and get to use those in some of my practice. So I'm very excited about continuing to share that experience with everyone. And then I've been contacted by a few other places now to be on their podcast, and then I also have some artist friends who want to be on this one.

Speaker 1: 3:21

So I'm really excited what's coming up with some guests and sharing just all kinds of art and what people are doing with their creative journeys and their experiences and, you know, developing products for people to, you know, enjoy and really, you know, explore their art voice and their creative voice. That's so important to me to share that I started offering art lessons and so I have kids that are taking art lessons as young as four years old, and it is just so heartwarming to just watch them explore, you know, just very loosely giving some guidelines and seeing how that affects their work, just to see, you know, following a little instruction, but not, you know, making it rule-based, if that makes sense. I want it to be exploration and it's just beautiful and I love getting to share that, and so I'm really excited about what this space is offering in the community and how it is translating into just making some wonderful memories with family and friends. I have people already scheduling for their holiday and winter events with their family, organizations, parties, things like that. That's so smart. I mean, here we are in August and they're already scheduling for November, so it's wonderful to know that they're thinking about this space in ways that they can make some memories and I appreciate that and I love that and that's what I want.

Speaker 1: 4:54

I had the opportunity to collaborate with local organization. It's nationwide, but our version here in Stark County, our Goodwill, good Skills Organization in Northeast Ohio it really expands over into West Virginia and they had this great table at the Hall of Fame fashion show the Pro Football Hall of Fame fashion show and so you got to purchase a jean jacket or a concert t-shirt and then you got to revamp it with me and that was so much fun. We had such a great table. There were so many people in line, there were so many people personalizing, finding out what I did, finding out where I am. It was so much fun. And so now they want to collaborate and do some more events, and I love that. I want to do that. And so now they want to collaborate and do some more events, and I love that. I want to do that. I want to make space for people to find their voice and personalize what they have. I mean, that's always. I always share that.

Speaker 1: 5:53

I grew up with just a very common name, you know, tracy, with a Y. I couldn't find it in a souvenir shop. I couldn't find my name on anything, especially the way it was spelled with just a Y, let alone my name. I couldn't find it. So I want to make a space where, if you want to make something that represents you and your name and how you feel and your colors and your favorite things and how you design it, that's what I want and it's just so much fun and I think that that is really the basis of what I'm doing is so I can support other people and finding out what they love to do. I think that is the whole, I guess, core of what this space is. My name is in the name of the space because it represents me, but it also really does brew up what you want your artistic voice and creativity to be. That's what's important. You're creating that recipe, you're creating that version, you're practicing that, you're exploring that and that's very important to me.

Speaker 1: 7:06

I, you know, had teachers and instructors throughout my life that didn't really kind of push that or wanted me to conform to what a role would be. I can remember holding my scissors a certain way and just getting chastised for that and my mom being called into a parent teacher conference because they were upset that I couldn't hold the scissors a certain way that all the other kids could. But my mother held them the same way as me and she taught me how to cut paper and they were very like oh, I've never seen anybody do that, and so they were. It was kind of like backwards and upside down and that's how I learned how to cut. That was because that's how I was taught, so it wasn't wrong, it was just the way that I knew how and it worked. But it was just so funny why that was a problem, and so it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1: 8:05

If someone colors, draws anything, explores differently than the next person beside them. That's you and that is something to celebrate. So you know, finding your individuality is really important and I celebrate that here every day. And it's okay to make mistakes. I make mistakes all the time. All the time. This is a lesson learned and it's okay. You need to embrace this. That's how you explore and how you find out.

Speaker 1: 8:39

I have a couple kits that are open because someone tried them and they're like I can't do this, maybe you didn't want to take the time to learn it, maybe that's going to help somebody else, so I left them open, and so when somebody wants to explore that, I'm like, try it here first, see if this kit is available, especially if it's something that is. I don't know how to teach it and I have it open. See if you like this first, see if you want to explore this first, and then, if you do and you have the patience for it and you know the gumption to learn through whatever tutorial is there, you know, then you have the patience for it and you know the gumption to learn through whatever tutorial is there, you know, then you can invest in that, but, you know, don't feel like it has to be purchased, and then you're stuck with it and you hate it. You can, you know, do something about it without having to commit. I guess is what I'm trying to get at, and so that's all about learning, and it's okay to not like something and it's okay to find your own way of doing it. So I think that is really the emphasis of what we do here and what I do and how I do it, and so I'm giving you the green light to make those mistakes, learn those lessons, explore what you love, what you don't know that you love, try, try, try again. And it's okay, because sometimes the most beautiful things come out of those experiments and I think that that is something we all need to listen to internally more often than not. So thank you for all of the opportunities that I have had to share what I do and how I've done it Again, right or wrong, good or bad, at least I'm trying and I will continue to try and do the best that I can and I'll share those experiences. So I think that that's what we have to keep in mind and it fuels the classes that I set up and teach and share. So I hope that people find value and fun and laughter and great memories in those. So thank you for all the inspiration and all the support and I can't wait to continue this. I'm coming up on a year that we had our grand opening, their ribbon cutting on September 12th. I cannot believe it has almost been a year and I really just hope it just continues for so long, because it really is making my heart full and this is what I love doing. So I appreciate the support and I can't wait to have the guests on and I can't wait to share even more.

Speaker 1: 11:20

So, yeah, if you're in the area, stop by and let me know your thoughts. You know, if we have a retreat, would you enjoy being part of that? Would that be something of interest? I've had some people ask about that and I thought, yeah, I could organize that. We've got some beautiful locations that we can include here in the area and have a beautiful retreat and then have it art-based and just very mindful and just enjoyable. So it is definitely in the back of my mind.

Speaker 1: 11:50

So, take care, have a wonderful weekend. And if you're listening to anything that I'm doing on social media, you know that I am supporting Wishes Can Happen the wish-a-thon that ends today, on Friday, at 6 pm, because it helps make wishes for the kids that have illnesses in our area come true, and I've had the pleasure and honor of being part of some creative wishes and very small part in granting some of those, but I am just honored to do it. So, and then there's also a party that's on the auction that you can win. So but yeah, thanks again for the support and I will talk to you all next time. No-transcript. No-transcript.