ABOUT GROW CREATIVE
A place for things worth knowing—and worth passing on.
Grow Creative is a creative learning studio in Pensacola, Florida, where children and adults learn through handwork, art, traditional skills, meaningful ideas, and time spent making alongside others.
We believe creativity is part of a full human life, that children deserve opportunities to work with real materials and real tools, and that some of the best things we know are still passed from one person to another.
Come find us in the East Hill neighborhood of Pensacola inside the Historic Sacred Heart Building.
1010 N. 12th Avenue, Studio 233
Pensacola, Florida
OUR STORY
Grow Creative began with a desire for something different.
I started Grow Creative because I wanted children to have more opportunities to make things with their hands, encounter beautiful ideas, learn from interesting people, and experience creativity as something woven into everyday life.
What began as creative classes has gradually grown into something larger: a studio where children learn traditional handcrafts and creative skills, homeschoolers explore ideas across disciplines, local makers share what they know, adults become beginners again, and families gather to mark the seasons together.
Today, Grow Creative brings together art, handwork, music, literature, nature, history, traditional skills, and community in our little studio inside Pensacola's Historic Sacred Heart Building.
We aren't trying to recreate school. We're creating a place where people can pay attention, become capable, stay curious, and make things that matter to them.
— Katy Long, Founder
What guides us.
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HANDWORK MATTERS
Working with our hands develops patience, dexterity, problem-solving, confidence, and an understanding of how things are made. Children deserve opportunities to become capable—not simply entertained.
LEARNING IS CONNECTED
Art, literature, history, music, nature, science, and handwork don't exist in isolation. We invite students to notice the relationships between subjects and to follow ideas wherever they lead.
KNOWLEDGE IS WORTH SHARING
There is something powerful about learning directly from someone who knows how to do something well. Grow Creative brings children and adults into relationship with artists, craftspeople, musicians, educators, and makers who have something worth sharing.
OUR APPROACH
Thoughtful, hands-on education.
Grow Creative is influenced by ideas found in Charlotte Mason and Waldorf education, particularly their respect for the child, emphasis on beautiful and living ideas, attention to nature and the arts, and recognition of handwork as an important part of education.
We aren't a Charlotte Mason school or a Waldorf school, however, and we don't follow a single prescribed curriculum.
Our approach has grown from years of teaching, making, reading, experimenting, and paying attention to what helps children become curious, creative, capable thinkers.
In our homeschool programs, this often means allowing subjects to overlap. A woodworking project can introduce history, geography, mathematics, nature, and design. Fiber arts can lead into agriculture, literature, chemistry, cultural traditions, and the origins of the materials we use.
The goal isn't simply to accumulate information. It is to help children develop the habits of attention, curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and meaningful work.
Meet the teachers
Katy Long
Founder + Creative Educator
Katy is the founder of Grow Creative Studio and teaches interdisciplinary homeschool classes, handwork, paper craft, knitting, art, and creative studies. Her approach brings together handwork, art, literature, poetry, nature, and the lives and work of artists and thinkers. She is trained in the Charlotte Mason method and has been teaching in private school and in creative studios for 7 years. She also holds a BA in Apparel + Textile Design.
Meet the teachers
Ashley Camp
Waldorf Educator + Handwork Teacher
Ashley Camp is a Waldorf-trained early childhood educator with more than ten years of experience working with children and families. She received her Waldorf teacher certification from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training and most recently taught at Live Oak Waldorf School.
Throughout her career, Ashley has served as a lead kindergarten teacher, preschool director, teacher mentor, faculty chair, board member, substitute and volunteer, supporting hundreds of children and families through Waldorf education. Her work is grounded in the Waldorf tradition of learning through rhythm, story, imaginative play, practical work, and the purposeful use of the hands.
At Grow Creative, Ashley brings this experience to handwork classes that help children develop foundational skills through beautiful, useful projects.
Meet the teachers
Pete Davidson
Artist and creative educator
Pete Davidson is a sculptor whose work celebrates nature through reclaimed wood and metal, drawing inspiration from the ocean and maritime history. A former USCG captain and Marine Biology instructor in the Bahamas and Florida, Pete earned his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Florida. In 2000, he founded the Maritime Arts and Inspiration Center, a woodcarving residency on Andros Island, Bahamas. His background in biology and sculpture shapes his ecologically responsible approach to making. He has taught at the Chicago Institute of Arts and locally at PSC.
Meet the teachers
Shannon Kinne
Artist and creative educator
Shannon is the potter behind Live Oak Pottery and teaches ceramic arts at Grow Creative, introducing students to clay through thoughtful, skill-based projects and hands-on instruction.
You can find her alongside her husband at Palafox Market, Gallery Night and other local markets around Pensacola.
Meet the teachers
Rebecca Austin
Music educator
Rebecca Austin is a longtime music educator, yoga teacher, writer, and mama who believes some of the best learning happens through play. She holds a master's degree in Music Education and spent over 20 years teaching in elementary schools before bringing her love of music and creativity into the homeschool world.
Rebecca is a contributor for Wild + Free magazine and recently launched @LoveThenLessons, a space where she shares her family's homeschool journey and encourages others.
Meet the teachers
Megan Stacy
Fiber Artist and creative educator
Megan Stacy is the founder of Wren Haven Homestead, a naturalist, fiber artist, and longtime homeschool mother with more than 11 years of experience teaching children. She has led homeschool co-ops and classes in fiber arts, natural dyes, watercolor, basketry, foraging, nature journaling, and traditional homesteading skills. Megan also organizes local makers markets and founded the Pensacola Spinsters Fiber Guild, bringing together makers to learn and pass along traditional skills.
PEP SCHOLARSHIP FAMILIES
Using PEP funds at Grow Creative
Many Grow Creative classes may qualify as eligible educational expenses for families participating in Florida's Personalized Education Program (PEP) Scholarship.
Grow Creative provides families with documentation for eligible classes that identifies the instructor, class or service provided, service period, and applicable tuition or fees. Instructor information and relevant professional experience can be found above.
Families currently pay Grow Creative for classes and submit their documentation to Step Up For Students for reimbursement. Eligibility and reimbursement decisions are made by Step Up For Students, and requirements may vary depending on the type of service being submitted.
Before registering with the expectation of reimbursement, we recommend reviewing the current PEP Purchasing Guide and Family Handbook.
Questions? Get in Touch!
Reach out with any questions or concerns or simply email us : hello@growcreativestudio.com