`FileNotFoundError`: when issue `python manage.py collectstatic` - django

Question

When I tried to issue commands to collect staticfiles
In [41]: ! python manage.py collectstatic
It throw FileNotFoundError:
FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory:
'/Users/me/Desktop/Django/forum/static'
Nevertheless, there exist file '/Users/me/Desktop/Django/forum/static'
In [44]: ! tree -L 2
.
├── db.sqlite3
├── forum
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── __pycache__
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── static
│   ├── templates
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── forums
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── __pycache__
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── migrations
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── static
│   ├── templates
│   ├── tests.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── views.py
├── ll_forum
│   ├── bin
│   ├── include
│   ├── lib
│   ├── pip-selfcheck.json
│   ├── pyvenv.cfg
│   └── share
└── manage.py
14 directories, 15 files
The setting.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
'django.contrib.admin',
'django.contrib.auth',
'django.contrib.contenttypes',
'django.contrib.sessions',
'django.contrib.messages',
'django.contrib.staticfiles',
#my apps
"forums"
]
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = (
os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "static"), #notice the comma
)

Answer 1

You should provide the STATIC_ROOT in your settings, by default Django looks for a directory named static in your root project, so that 's why your get this /Users/me/Desktop/Django/forum/static'``FileNotFoundError the folder is not present.
You have that directory static next to your settings, it should not be there. By the way also your templates should not be there.
Move them back to your root project
├── db.sqlite3
├── forum
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── __pycache__
│ ├── settings.py
| |---static # remove this
│ ├── templates # remove this here
│ ├── urls.py
│ └── wsgi.py
|---static -- # GOOD
|---templates # GOOD

Answer 2

You need to have static directory outside from Django App. This directory and your Django app should be separate.
Then, if you specify :
STATICFILES_DIRS = (
os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "static"), #notice the comma
)
It means your static directory is in your base directory. Or you have only forum, forums, ll_forum ...
If you want absolutly keep your static directory in your Django App, make this directory in the BASE_DIR (move from initial position to your base project) and write something like this in settings.py file :
STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = [os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "static"),]
PROJECT_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(PROJECT_DIR, 'static/')
Finally, you should have something like this :
.
├── db.sqlite3
├── forum
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── __pycache__
│ ├── settings.py
│ ├── static
│ ├── templates
│ ├── urls.py
│ └── wsgi.py
├── forums
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── __pycache__
│ ├── admin.py
│ ├── apps.py
│ ├── migrations
│ ├── models.py
│ ├── tests.py
│ ├── urls.py
│ └── views.py
├── ll_forum
│ ├── bin
│ ├── include
│ ├── lib
│ ├── pip-selfcheck.json
│ ├── pyvenv.cfg
│ └── share
└── manage.py
│
└── static
│
└── templates