Art Should Be About Exploration, Not Conformity

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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 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hello everyone, welcome back to Brutally Made.
If you noticed, there is adifferent background.
You have realized I amrecording in my studio.
So this is part of thecelebration room.
This is part of the mural thatis four walls full in this room

(00:27):
that I painted when I openedalmost a year ago.
So I am going to try to recordthe podcast here because I am
open during public hours and Iwanted to have a little, you
know, peek into this part of mylife now, since I am retired and
that I am here full time.

(00:48):
So it has been quite a rollercoaster of the first full month
of me being retired.
I had kids camps and they weresuper busy and they were every
morning before I opened thestudio up publicly and I loved
it.
I loved every second.
The kids were wonderful.
Kids signed up for afterschoolprograms and activities.

(01:09):
We also had classes during themonth.
It was incredible.
I was also on two programs.
So Margot Tantow Studios had meon as one of the foundry experts
for my work really with artgoing into local establishments
and setting up a local business,as well as my print on demand

(01:32):
work and using my art to createproducts that I put in my shop.
So that was a wonderfuldiscussion.
I shared everything that I knowwhat I'm doing right or wrong,
it's what I'm doing and that wasavailable to the members of the
Foundry.
So if you want to become amember of the Foundry, you can
watch it and really dive intoWindowsill Chats and take a look

(01:54):
at everything that Margot isdoing.
It's such a wonderful resourcefor artists and I appreciate her
time and allowing me to sharewhat I do.
And then I was on Vivia Color,their podcast on YouTube, so
that whole episode is availablenow and I really enjoyed sharing

(02:18):
how I use traditional mediumswith augmented reality and
creating this whole world thatyou can, you know, use this free
app called Artivive.
That's the one I use to bringyour art to life, and so I was
sharing how I did that and howI've had the studio and how I

(02:38):
use the Vivia colors in thestudio for my artwork and then I
offer it for sale.
So it was just a wonderfulopportunity and, ruthajah, thank
you again for having me on thatprogram and for the company
allowing me to share myexperience with their beautiful
products.
And then they also were verykind to send some new pieces,

(02:59):
some that I had not purchasedbefore and get to use those in
some of my practice.
So I'm very excited aboutcontinuing to share that
experience with everyone.
And then I've been contacted bya few other places now to be on
their podcast, and then I alsohave some artist friends who

(03:19):
want to be on this one.
So I'm really excited what'scoming up with some guests and
sharing just all kinds of artand what people are doing with
their creative journeys andtheir experiences and, you know,
developing products for peopleto, you know, enjoy and really,

(03:40):
you know, explore their artvoice and their creative voice.
That's so important to me toshare that I started offering
art lessons and so I have kidsthat are taking art lessons as
young as four years old, and itis just so heartwarming to just
watch them explore, you know,just very loosely giving some

(04:00):
guidelines and seeing how thataffects their work, just to see,
you know, following a littleinstruction, but not, you know,
making it rule-based, if thatmakes sense.
I want it to be exploration andit's just beautiful and I love
getting to share that, and soI'm really excited about what

(04:20):
this space is offering in thecommunity and how it is
translating into just makingsome wonderful memories with
family and friends.
I have people alreadyscheduling for their holiday and
winter events with their family, organizations, parties, things
like that.
That's so smart.
I mean, here we are in Augustand they're already scheduling

(04:42):
for November, so it's wonderfulto know that they're thinking
about this space in ways thatthey can make some memories and
I appreciate that and I lovethat and that's what I want.
I had the opportunity tocollaborate with local
organization.
It's nationwide, but ourversion here in Stark County,

(05:03):
our Goodwill, good SkillsOrganization in Northeast Ohio
it really expands over into WestVirginia and they had this
great table at the Hall of Famefashion show the Pro Football
Hall of Fame fashion show and soyou got to purchase a jean
jacket or a concert t-shirt andthen you got to revamp it with

(05:26):
me and that was so much fun.
We had such a great table.
There were so many people inline, there were so many people
personalizing, finding out whatI did, finding out where I am.
It was so much fun.
And so now they want tocollaborate and do some more
events, and I love that.
I want to do that.
And so now they want tocollaborate and do some more

(05:46):
events, and I love that.
I want to do that.
I want to make space for peopleto find their voice and
personalize what they have.
I mean, that's always.
I always share that.
I grew up with just a verycommon name, you know, tracy,
with a Y.
I couldn't find it in asouvenir shop.
I couldn't find my name onanything, especially the way it
was spelled with just a Y, letalone my name.
I couldn't find it.
So I want to make a space where, if you want to make something

(06:09):
that represents you and yourname and how you feel and your
colors and your favorite thingsand how you design it, that's
what I want and it's just somuch fun and I think that that
is really the basis of what I'mdoing is so I can support other

(06:30):
people and finding out what theylove to do.
I think that is the whole, Iguess, core of what this space
is.
My name is in the name of thespace because it represents me,
but it also really does brew upwhat you want your artistic

(06:53):
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'reexploring that and that's very
important to me.
I, you know, had teachers andinstructors throughout my life
that didn't really kind of pushthat or wanted me to conform to

(07:18):
what a role would be.
I can remember holding myscissors a certain way and just
getting chastised for that andmy mom being called into a
parent teacher conferencebecause they were upset that I
couldn't hold the scissors acertain way that all the other
kids could.
But my mother held them thesame way as me and she taught me

(07:41):
how to cut paper and they werevery like oh, I've never seen
anybody do that, and so theywere.
It was kind of like backwardsand upside down and that's how I
learned how to cut.
That was because that's how Iwas taught, so it wasn't wrong,
it was just the way that I knewhow and it worked.
But it was just so funny whythat was a problem, and so it

(08:04):
doesn't matter.
If someone colors, drawsanything, explores differently
than the next person beside them.
That's you and that issomething to celebrate.
So you know, finding yourindividuality is really
important and I celebrate thathere every day.
And it's okay to make mistakes.

(08:26):
I make mistakes all the time.
All the time.
This is a lesson learned andit's okay.
You need to embrace this.
That's how you explore and howyou find out.
I have a couple kits that areopen 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, maybethat's going to help somebody

(08:50):
else, so I left them open, andso when somebody wants to
explore that, I'm like, try ithere first, see if this kit is
available, especially if it'ssomething that is.
I don't know how to teach itand I have it open.
See if you like this first, seeif you want to explore this
first, and then, if you do andyou have the patience for it and

(09:11):
you know the gumption to learnthrough whatever tutorial is
there, you know, then you havethe patience for it and you know
the gumption to learn throughwhatever tutorial is there, you
know, then you can invest inthat, but, you know, don't feel
like it has to be purchased, andthen you're stuck with it and
you hate it.
You can, you know, do somethingabout it without having to
commit.
I guess is what I'm trying toget at, and so that's all about

(09:32):
learning, and it's okay to notlike something and it's okay to
find your own way of doing it.
So I think that is really theemphasis of what we do here and
what I do and how I do it, andso I'm giving you the green
light to make those mistakes,learn those lessons, explore

(09:56):
what you love, what you don'tknow that you love, try, try,
try again.
And it's okay, becausesometimes the most beautiful
things come out of thoseexperiments and I think that
that is something we all need tolisten to internally more often
than not.
So thank you for all of theopportunities that I have had to

(10:18):
share what I do and how I'vedone it Again, right or wrong,
good or bad, at least I'm tryingand I will continue to try and
do the best that I can and I'llshare those experiences.
So I think that that's what wehave to keep in mind and it
fuels the classes that I set upand teach and share.

(10:41):
So I hope that people findvalue and fun and laughter and
great memories in those.
So thank you for all theinspiration and all the support
and I can't wait to continuethis.
I'm coming up on a year that wehad our grand opening, their
ribbon cutting on September 12th.
I cannot believe it has almostbeen a year and I really just

(11:03):
hope it just continues for solong, because it really is
making my heart full and this iswhat I love doing.
So I appreciate the support andI can't wait to have the guests
on and I can't wait to shareeven more.
So, yeah, if you're in the area,stop by and let me know your

(11:29):
thoughts.
You know, if we have a retreat,would you enjoy being part of
that?
Would that be something ofinterest?
I've had some people ask aboutthat and I thought, yeah, I
could organize that.
We've got some beautifullocations that we can include
here in the area and have abeautiful retreat and then have
it art-based and just verymindful and just enjoyable.
So it is definitely in the backof my mind.

(11:50):
So, take care, have a wonderfulweekend.
And if you're listening toanything that I'm doing on
social media, you know that I amsupporting Wishes Can Happen
the wish-a-thon that ends today,on Friday, at 6 pm, because it
helps make wishes for the kidsthat have illnesses in our area

(12:12):
come true, and I've had thepleasure and honor of being part
of some creative wishes andvery small part in granting some
of those, but I am just honoredto do it.
So, and then there's also aparty that's on the auction that
you can win.
So but yeah, thanks again forthe support and I will talk to

(12:33):
you all next time.
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(25:29):
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