At Bartlesville's Little Makers Creative Studio, there's no wrong way to create
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post
Oct 12, 2026
The stream of gold glitter raining from small fingers at the next table didn’t bother Nikki Travis. She glanced up from the squishy maker, grinned and kept on stuffing hair gel and blue food coloring inside a clear orb.
At another table in the Little Makers Creative Studio, surrounded by trays of beads and rolls of paper towels, three boys mixed shaving foam, hand lotion and glue to make slime.
Here, getting messy isn't a problem. It's practically the point.
Nikki Travis works with students on an art project at Little Makers Creative Studio in Bartlesville.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post
For Travis, a Bartlesville native and former early childhood teacher, the studio is a place where kids can experiment, make mistakes and discover what they're capable of creating.
Travis opened Little Makers Creative Studio in September 2025, turning a longtime dream into a colorful reality inside the Creamery.
Her day job is marketing director at On The Rock Ministries, but before that, she spent seven years teaching at Tri County Tech's early childhood center. Though she loves marketing, photography and social media, something was missing
"Working with kids is definitely where my heart's at," Travis said.
She had already been making art with her three sons, nephews and any neighborhood kids she could round up. She wanted her children to have a creative outlet beyond sports, especially since not all three of her boys were drawn to athletics.
Eventually, she began dreaming of a space where other kids could discover that same creative freedom.
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In 2024, Travis started hosting mobile art parties in homes or community spaces like the library. She added workshops during school breaks and on weekends. The events were popular, and Travis realized she could make her dream a reality in one of the Creamery's empty rooms.
Today, Little Makers offers regular classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, special events, mobile parties and mailed craft kits. Classes are designed for children ages 4 to 12, while parties welcome all ages.
For 8-year-old Lauren Wells, the appeal is simple: Ms. Nikki has the best art supplies.
Lauren has attended Wednesday homeschool classes since February. Her mother, Brittany Wells, appreciates the chance for Lauren to make friends, get creative and spend some time away from screens.
But mostly, "I love it because Lauren loves it," Wells said.
No two masterpieces alike
Travis applies a specific philosophy to the studio.
Give a roomful of kids some clay and ask them to make landscapes, and you might expect a few mountains, some trees and maybe a river.
At Little Makers, you might also get a dragon and a castle.
That's exactly what happened during a recent class. While some students sculpted mountain scenes, another took the assignment in a more fantastical direction.
For Travis, that's a success.
A young artist gets covered in gold glitter during a class at Little Makers Creative Studio in Bartlesville.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post
"They kind of get to use their imagination and come up with their own things — but the skills are the same," she said.
It's an approach called "process art," where the adventure matters more than the finished masterpiece.
Instead of asking children to copy a sample project, Travis gives them materials, introduces a skill and lets their imaginations take over. At Little Makers, there are no wrong answers, grades or art critics, only the love of making.
The freedom comes with plenty of learning. Kids experiment with materials, figure out what works and solve problems when things don't go as planned. Along the way, they pick up science and technology concepts, often without realizing it.
Travis changes themes monthly, introducing new skills and revisiting old ones as students gain confidence.
"We built life-size gingerbread men," she said of one of her favorite Christmas classes.
Whether they're building gingerbread figures or sculpting imaginary kingdoms, Travis wants her students to learn something beyond how to use clay or glue.
She wants them to trust their own ideas.
Without a perfect example to copy, they feel less pressure to get everything "right" or compare their work to the kid next to them.
Creativity Beyond the Studio
Travis also wants to make sure kids don't miss out on creative opportunities simply because their families can't afford them.
When she found the Lighthouse Outreach Center, a temporary shelter for families, it was a perfect fit. She brings her mobile art clinic to the shelter once a month, and resident kids can participate in printmaking, 3D sculptures, or calligraphy.
"I always knew that I wanted to find a way to work with kids who were less fortunate in some way," Travis said. “I just want to be the person that I needed as a little kid."
Her connection to the Lighthouse goes beyond monthly visits. Travis also mentors an older girl at the Lighthouse. They spend one-on-one time together and the girl helps Travis run her Monday afternoon class.
Travis dreams of doing more with the Little Makers Studio. Her 2026 summer camp was packed, and she hopes to repeat it. She wants to offer more classes for homeschoolers.
"It has always been my goal to be a space where they can come, and they can create and feel like themselves," she said.
Little Makers Creative Studio is located inside the Creamery at 515 SW Frank Philips Blvd. Registration and details about classes and mobile events can be found at www.littlemakerscreativestudio.com.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post
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