I’ve been sick. A lot. Unable-to-sit-up-and-craft sick. So I’ve been indulging in vicarious crafting, watching others create on YouTube. Grateful for this wonderful resource, I’ve decided to post about some of the amazing channels I’ve discovered. Today I want to tell you why you should check out Craftastrophe.
Craftastrophe (aka Cajun Craftastrophe) is a crafting channel by a southerner named T-Nu. Because T-Nu is into animation, the majority of his crafts are related: he sculpts, molds, and paints puppets, creates dioramas, even teaches techniques for making animated films. He has a distinctive style and sweet sense of humor.
His high quality videos do much more than educate you about the project of the day. They also tell stories. T-Nu and his daddy Claude (represented by puppets) often converse as T-Nu crafts. Sometimes, his daddy is just baffled, knowing nothing about what’s being made. Other times, he is reminded of some crazy moment in his past, and a wild tale gets told. All the while, T-Nu keeps crafting, jumping in to explain what he’s doing when he can get a word in edgewise. The result is a rich and amusing experience.
I started by watching the educational “Let’s Make A Mini Animated Movie” series, which culminates in the comic sci-fi short Space Rabbit. It has the funniest space craft crash sequence ever. And if you can’t get enough of hilarious crashes, there’s plenty more in Stunt Rider. Want Mad Max action with explosions? Check out this video, which includes a Beyond Crafterdome post-apocalyptic car chase between a bunch of YouTube crafters.
My favorite build of T-Nu’s so far is the Undead Astronaut diorama. Inspired by the sci-fi and horror movies of the 1950s, the diorama shows a skeletal astronaut bursting into the Intergalactic Hookworm’s hideout, which is a retro kitchen complete with fast food containers and empty beer cans. The charming and unexpected details T-Nu adds in the last video, just before the reveal, make a real story of his diorama.
If you don’t have time for anything else, then at least check out this little gem: HAPPINESS… and Crafting! It’s full of beautiful images and important reminders, like the fact that we can choose to be happy, something I am working hard to do despite my poor health.
T-Nu has a second channel, Craft Pod 13, where he talks with other YouTube creators. Actually conversations between T-Nu and the interviewees, this podcast covers fascinating topics in additions to crafting. They discuss things like what it’s like to run a YouTube channel, the best cameras and lights to use, and the creative process. It’s a great place to learn just how much work goes into the videos we consume like potato chips.
Angry Christmas ornaments, samurai robots, and boxing roosters: Craftastrophe has it all! If you need cheering up, give one of his videos a try. You won’t regret it.
Which is your favorite Craftastrophe video? (It’s okay if you have more than one…)
Thanks for this very cool article, Kit. It is very well written and generous. Though I am saddened by your ill turn of health, it brings my heart up a notch or two just knowing that you have found some enjoyment through watching my videos. To be honest, it blows me away when people receive more than just a few crafting tips from my channel. It REALLY blows me away when people such as yourself tell me that the videos have helped them through a rough time. I guess that it shouldn’t come as such a surprise because the reason that I craft and created the YouTube channel in the first place was because I had hit a rock bottom of depression during Covid. The crafting and all of the work involved in getting the channel up and running gave me focus and purpose. This opened up more space for me to begin working on myself in a way that I was not able to do before. This revelation is something that I want to share with people if possible.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me and the Interwebs at large. : )
I really hope that you start feeling better soon. Cheers! ~T-Nu
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Please keep making your videos. They are wonderful. Inspiring and uplifting. You are putting good stuff into the world. We need more people like you.
Sorry to hear that you are under the weather.
We have a few favorites – the Frog Ramp, just because it saves little froggies and the way he says “frog ramp”!
The Evel Kinieval one. The Happiness one. Any of the ones where he sculpts a little dude (there are many of those!)
But the most mind-blowing one (so far) was perhaps that collaboration with the other crafters – the race.
The Death Race was just amazing. All the competitors were so great – the humor was “tight” and CrafsMan… I didn’t see that coming… :O
The Space Invaders one was a cool looking project (and it was fun making the related mini game)
His Podcast is super-enjoyable. Especially the ones with CrafsMan.
Looking forward to this series of dioramas.
-Volt the Robot
I should have included Frog Ramp… I love that one, too. I want to say I have a favorite but they’re all my favorite. Each episode has something to love! Thanks for sharing your favorites with me!