● About
How Bella Art Pod Began
Bella Art Pod grew naturally from Kristen’s creative journey as an artist and mother. She began painting professionally in 2020, choosing to follow a deeper dream of becoming an artist. While art therapy offered a meaningful and stable path, her personal art practice was always calling to be fully lived and expressed.
In 2022, pregnancy and early motherhood slowed the pace of Kristen’s work, but creativity never left. Even in survival mode during the postpartum years, she couldn’t help but paint. Creating became a lifeline.
When Isabella was around two, Kristen began including her in the process simply to carve out moments to keep painting. What unfolded was unexpected. Watching Isabella paint with such freedom and boldness softened something in Kristen, inviting her back into play.
From this place, stitching and embroidery naturally emerged as a way to slow down and gently heal from her C-section — a tactile, meditative practice that mirrored the surgical experience, allowing for both control and repair.
In those moments, Kristen felt the most free and inspired she had in years — reminded that creativity thrives when we let go, play, and trust the process, something children do instinctively and adults often forget.
What began as shared creation at home gradually expanded into community. Through finding her homeschool rhythm, Kristen realized she could offer this way of creating to other children and families. Drawing from her background in therapeutic arts and years of being encouraged to work with children, Bella Art Pod emerged as a space where play, process, and presence come first — a dream she didn’t know she was holding, now brought to life.
● Our Mission & Philosophy
Our Principles
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Process Over Product
Children are not here to create something “good” — they are here to experience creating. We honor curiosity, exploration, and the learning that happens along the way.
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Emotional Safety First
A calm, attuned adult holds the space through predictable rhythms, thoughtful materials, and gentle boundaries — creating the conditions where creativity can unfold naturally.
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Small Pods, Deep Trust
Consistent groups allow children to feel known, safe, and connected — supporting confidence, regulation, and a sense of belonging over time.
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Every Child’s Pace is Honored
We trust that each child knows how to engage when they feel ready. Observation is participation. Mess is welcome.
● Our Story
Meet Ms. Kristen
Bella Art Pod was created by Kristen Minhee, an artist and mother with a master’s degree in Art Therapy, devoted to sharing the healing power of creativity as a pathway to expression and connection.
Her journey into this work began when she was a little girl, as early as she could hold a pencil and draw. Art has been a constant presence throughout her life, long before it became a profession.
Motherhood later deepened this path in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Watching her own child explore the world through her senses reaffirmed a core belief at the heart of Bella Art Pod — creativity is not something we teach, its something we protect.
Wtih a foundation in therapeutic arts and years of personal art practice, Kristen created Bella Art Pod as a space that blends professional intention with maternal intuition — a place where children are trusted, gently supported, and free to be exactly who they are.
Bella Art Pod was born from Kristen’s experience as a mother to Isabella, whos natural curiosity, sensitivity, and love of creating continue to inspire the rhythms of the studio. Isabella’s presence is a reminder why this space exists — to honor childhood as it is, not rush it, and protect the joy of creating.