Our Story

Happy Handz was born from a simple belief: every child is an artist, and everyone deserves a space to create freely, without expectations.

I'm Drew — a certified preK–12 art teacher, a practicing artist, and a mom. Watching my own toddler explore the world through touch and texture is what set this whole thing in motion — and it got me thinking about what kids actually need from art. Not a finished product to hang on the fridge, but the freedom to explore materials, make choices, and follow their own curiosity. That's the heart of process art: the process is the point, not the product.

I started hosting process art and sensory play pop-ups in March 2024, filling a gap I saw in my own community. Along the way I opened a small brick-and-mortar studio — and it flooded, twice, forcing me to close and start over.

I rebuilt anyway — even after welcoming my second baby in the middle of it all. Weekly classes, birthday parties, a part-time teaching job — whatever it took to keep going.

Today, Happy Handz has a permanent home: 41 West High Street, East Hampton — the only process art studio in a community that has shown up for us again and again.

This is a space built on persistence, curiosity, and the belief that mess is where the magic happens. Come make something with us.

THank you!!

This studio didn't happen because of me alone.

Thank you to my family for the free babysitting, the late nights, and the pep talks when I wanted to quit. To the friends who showed up to paint, build, and haul stuff around. To everyone who donated, took a class, or told someone else about us. And to the families who kept coming back, pop-up after pop-up, flood after flood — you're the reason this studio exists.

Drew