Real Studios

I was amazed at the comments we got from this week's video. All of you are just a bunch of pigs who never clean up anything! You guys wouldn't know a real studio if it hit you in the ass. Here's a real studio.....

 A real studio is a mess. It's suppose to be a mess, an artist lives there.

A real artist has about 10" of usable space to work in.

Things are piled everywhere and if there is organization it doesn't make sense.

Artists have no sense...they're freakin' artists.

If you enter an artist's studio and turn your nose up at the clutter, mess, paints everywhere, dog hair everywhere, and just the general clustermess of the whole thing, well, you're not an artist and need to go to your favorite coffee bar and get a fruity drink.

Am I an artist? Hell yes! I've got the mess. In fact, I'm the biggest artist I know because I have this mess and a Barn with my collections in it. So I have a double mess.

So for all you sissies out there WATCH OUT, because we've picked our winner for this week's blog comment and guess who won?

you

will

never

know!

Because we will just show up. We've picked someone and will be traveling to their "studio" to make them into stars. You will never know when we're coming cuz we're just gonna show up. Now girls, you can do one of two things...clean up your clustermesses and keep them clean or scream out "I'm an artist and a mess...and proud of it!"

I want to thank Lolly Keaveney, Lisa Patterson and Sharon (Lolly's sister) for helping me with the video. A lot of you thought I was so brave to just go up to a house and find someone with a room like Sharon's. Actually, I would just drive up to someone's house and knock on their door...there really are a lot of interesting nut cases out there! But, we did plan the video. No one really knew what we were going to say so we just went with the flow and it did turn out cute. So, thank you girls, you did great and I didn't list Sharon's last name so she won't be burglarized by some of you who want her stash! As for the grumpy guy at the end...I'm not done with him! I will return.

Check out Lisa's site as she has posted some of the samples she was working on and you can see her amazing work. Don't forget to look at her event she has planned this fall in the Pennsylvania mountains. I'll be there and you will get to be in a TT video if you attend. 

Have a great weekend and you better not cringe if the doorbell rings.  

Comments

[mannie]

U R NUTS, but I love it. Keep them coming and I'm gonna go post myself by the door with my fruit loops and mojitos waiting for ya!

[Claudette]

Did you just call us all nut cases? Everyone else is one except me. I'm more health minded and will be by the door with granola and o.j. with a splash of vodka.

[Ruth Ann Landry]

You are freakin outta control! Bet there are lots of women shakin in their shoes...me? nah, don't care...by the way, don't step on any of those stray cats at the door (they know I'm a sucker for feeding them), don't trip over a dust bunny on your way to the (s)craproom, and here, let me move this pile of stuff so you can sit down a minute.....who cares? what are they gonna do, give me the Good Housekeeping seal of disapproval...don't care about that either! So if I did win, c'mon in, relax, (don't wear black, the doghair will show) and let's get inky and arty!!!!!

[Dani Larcom]

Oh dear sweet ever loving GOD. You mean someone might see my s**thole of a house? I'm not concerned about the scraproom!

[geezee]

Guess I will just know if you come see me in Alaska when you get here. I have a studio. Artist mess and all. You will feel right at home. Come on over.

[Bonnie Belk]

Holy S... - how in the world did you get in my house to take those pictures? It's my studio! I swear it. Oh. Wait. No. Maybe not. I'm supposed to have 10" of space to work? Who knew? I've been working with about 8 and feeling lucky! And there's no dog hair here - the dogs don't like it any more than my husband. What the heck - come on over! Don't worry about the dogs - they are friendly. They just sound like they'll tear you apart. In Maryland, waiting. . . ;-)

[Pam]

I have about 12" of space to work on because I've moved out to the kitchen island! 25% of my stuff is still in my car from late March when I spent the weekend with my girlfriends. The rest is in my craft room but I lost the entrance to the path to my desk - that's why I'm on the kitchen island now. Life is good when you have lots and lots of art supplies...

[Elaine Allen]

Oh crap! I guess I'd better go clean the bathrooms cause you all will probably want to use them! You'll just have to put up with the pooches (oh yeah and the grumpy hubby too)!

Elaine Allen

[Mark]

well put.
guess my lazy ass won't be cleaning my workspace any time soon!

[Carol J. Johnson]

I had to read the blog 3 times.. laughed so hard I wet my pants. Oh no, guess I have to clean that up too. And I am with Bonnie, didn't know I should have 10" to work in.

[Linda Cain]

That video was my favorite! Seriously...what a HOOT! Kinda bland without Megan pushing your buttons though...

Linda

[jacki]

last week was the first time i didn't post on your blog....the first time i didn't want to win! my mess shall remain my private mess - certainly not for the world to see. yes, i am a wuss. my craftiness is spread all around my house from the kitchen to the bedrooms and everywhere in between (did i forget to mention my car as well?). i would simply pass out if you showed up at my door with a video camera - i already feel the heart palpatations. i look forward to seeing your "lucky" winner in a video soon!

[Tiffany Robbins]

My husband has been threatening for years to throw my "crap" out. He doesn't like sleeping by himself, so it has remained. I try not to agitate him. I leave the stuff in the car and sneak it upstairs when he is at work. If you gals come he will know I'm not the only crazy one. I can't wait till he gets home, so I can show him this picture of Cheryl's studio. All I can say is thank you, thank you Cheryl for posting those pictures. When you come we can compare compulsivenesses :)

[Debby]

I agree studios should not be spotless. It is always somewhat organized (or not Chaos) especially when I am working in the 10 or 12 inches of space. Glad I am not the only one!

[Shanna Paine]

Girls, I bet if we all took a ruler to our usable space, we would find that our "10" or "12" inches is only about 5 or 6 but because we have been lied to about what 10 inches really looks like - we have no perception of what 10 inches really is. With that said, I think I have about "24" inches of usable space - which, in reality is about 10 or 12 inches!!! And to the poster who still has stuff in her car from March when she spent the weekend with her girls, I think I am going to one-up ya! I still have the suitcase and some of the stuff that I bought in Dallas scattered around on the floor of my retreat - and I went to Dallas LAST JUNE (yep, June 2009) for the Mega Workshop at TSS! Wait, I still have stuff scattered around from when I returned from Korea in NOVEMBER, 2008. I think that if I put it away at this point, I won't remember where I put it. Count me as one of the nuts - maybe not an artist, but definitely a nut!!!

[Jan Hoefler]

I'm going to propose an "I'm an ARTIST, I have a Mess And I'm Damn Proud of it cause Cheryl said so" blog hop! Whose in???
Oh I got a mess for you....
Cheryl can you call my anal-retentive German husband and let him know I'm normal as can be? Thank you.

[Angelique]

Ok, so I never comment, just admire.. but this artist messy space rant made me laugh. For having cats who like to be in my studio with me and one who thinks she's a dog and likes to eat stuff, I do find myself constantly trying to clean up between each project. Though somehow everything and then some just ends up pulled right back down the next time and I find myself, like you said, keeping those very few inches that I work in clean...semi clean... ok, uhmm if it needs to be really clean I can lay a sheet of paper over it clean, right? I do try and keep it semi-organized though, just so I can find stuff.. but man the gorgeous countertop my hubby went through all the trouble to mount on one wall for a "clean" workspace for me is just always one big pile of cluttered gunk. And let's not talk about the little drafting table that is supposed to be my "painting area"...stuff starts piling up to dry from this or that, then more stuff is balanced on the edge, then stuff becomes balanced atop that. Did someone say flea market?!?! Guess where those goodies go. Who knew being "normal" could be so fun.
Love ya'lls crazy videos. They're fun and informative. Though I don't do much metal stuff in my creations, I enjoy seeing what ya'll do and am a happy owner of most of your little hand tools and a few colors of your gorgeous metals.
Ya'll really make me laugh saying you're just gonna show up at one of their houses. Every single one of their hubbies/wives/furry family's are gonna be spooked until the time comes, wondering why the hell they suddenly started cleaning everything and who they're expecting to see each time they peep out the window!

Thank you for the great laughs on an insomniac night!

[Vivian]

Wow. Have one busy week where I don't get to watch TT and read the comments and look what I missed! Home visits. Messy studios. Does anyone else have the challenge of being mobile? I spend a lot of time at my boyfriend's house. He let's me use the end of the kitchen table and part of the garage. Then I have my craft room at my house and a good part of my supplies are in my car. It seems like I'm always needing something that is at the house where I'm not. My car can't hold much more...I already gave up on taking passengers anywhere. They look at my car and say "uh...I'll drive"

[Barbara222]

You know I thought I heard someone in my stamping studio(also known as the basement) the other night. I thought it was Coco the cat, my assistant, but now I know, it was you guys, taking pics of my stamping space and calling it your own. I swear this looks just like my space. Are you sure you haven't been to Kentucky lately???

You guys are great. Love all the posts and the videos etc. Keep em coming.

[Kim-Florida]

I love it and I COMPLETELY relate. I have my mess in piles and for the most part those piles mean something to ME. God help the poor teenager that goes in the room to find ... this or that. . . I have a method to my madness and if ANYONE questions the method they get the freakin madness side of me :-) all in fun cause that is what that room is about fun!!!! So not I would not clean up my room, no I would not act like the mess was "new", no I would not go get clean sanding block (cause the dirty one still sands just FINE), Yes I would let you guys in and yes we would laugh our asses off! So bring it on I really want you to!!!!

[Sondra]

Cheryl,

Thank you for your encouraging words at the beginning of this post. I'm going to print them out and post them in my "studio". And my husband thinks I'm just a pig. Well, nanner-nanner-pooh-pooh to him. Cheryl's kind words confirm the artist in me. So there!

[Jill Tate]

Thank you for calling me an artist because my jewelry studio and my sCRAP space look just like yours! So I am starting out today feeling awsome!!!

[marcia greer]

Jim just watched the video with me (i HAD to show him the piles of sterilite drawers, he thought I was the only one) and he says the grumpy guy was a setup, too....IS THAT TRUE?

[marcia]

I just read some posts and I can OUTDO all of you: until recently, I still had the bags of stuff from the convention TWO YEARS AGO AND LAST YEAR unpacked in the "new" studio: the B&B room that is now known as the B&BNOT2B room because I'm commandeering it for my expanded-from-the-8x10-bedroom-old-craft-room move. And there's still too much stuff; I've had to liquidate my life-long library (and i read a LOT) to used bookstores a box at a time for a fraction of what was paid for them. 30 boxes of books, 20 to go.
then MAYBE if I squeeze the B&BNOT2B four poster rough-hewn aspen bed into the corner, I'll have room for the 12 rolling sterilite 8-drawer towers that need to come down from the bedroom.
I dunno. it may not happen. Not the way I envision it.

Jim says I cut a lot of bait and never go fishing.

I think I'd better start fishing to justify all these drawers of "supplies."

What's the last "thing" I made: A nichos for a friend's 50th last JULY FOURTH.

I'm pathetic.

m in colorado

[Amanda Lawrence]

You are more than welcome to pop by my home if you like. I'm in sunny Queensland (Australia)- it's a little further south than I think you were planning but I can definitely promise a messy work area :D

[Therese]

Oh shit, I must be a GREAT artist then, my craftspace looks like hell, but I love it!!!! And must tell you Cheryl, finally your products has come to Sweden!!! soo soo happy. have a superday, I know I will

[linda b]

Great video and road trip! Glad to now know that I am a 'real' artist, as defined by my sloppy craftroom. I just tell people that I'm very "visual", and need to be able to see all the goodies that I have to work with:o)

[LollyChops]

I adored that video... hugs to the secret lucky winner who gets to share their insanity with you guys!!! It's not really a studio unless it's a mess!

[judi]

I know I'm posting this too late to stand a chance of winning and anyway I live too far away. Just wanted to say thanks for letting me feel that I am an artist, as...well, 10 inches of space that's pushing it but I do have a lap!! Also have the obligatory dog and cat hair and Mess with a capital M! So I guess I'm in good company with all you other 'artists' watching the FAB TSS girls!
Good luck to the winner, I hope you have mess! (and cat and dog hair!)

[RuffHaven]

Didn't come to win anything. But add me to the list of "Real Studios" It gets cleaned out once maybe twice a year. But I am about two years behind. I have one photo of it on my blog.

[P'tite Plume]

Cool, i like this studio.

[Laurel Englehardt]

Oh thank God for a voice of reason! I've felt so guilty because my space is always in shambles and disorganized. I thought it was supposed to look like what you see in a magazine page. I so identify with the 10" of work space. I wish I had the additional space of a barn to spill into. I also thank God that I saw this late and am not in danger of a surprise visit.

I will be at Inspired this week and am taking your mini and am so excited to get to meet you! I absolutely love your and Megan's how to videos. You two are so fun to watch and are so wonderfully talented and creative. Not sucking up at all. ;-)