Hi Carolyn!
Yes, I'm a living breathing professional artist. =)
Hmmm... no you don't have to have your studio in unpleasant places. Its more of a question of budget. The more comfy a studio, the more it will cost. I had always dreamed of a large warehouse studio. So when the opportunity presented itself, I lept at it. But when I signed up, that was Summer. I gave little thought as to why, the largest studio in the building was the least favoured. I found out some months later. ;-)
I survived... several Winters, and learnt. Perhaps I'll write about these adventures in another post.