Amber Scardino is the Founder and Director of Figment Creative Labs. She started teaching art and providing process art experiences out of her garage when her boys were very young in 2012. She loved watching the children’s amazement when they did fizzy experiments, their excitement when they tinkered and created “their greatest inventions”, and was constantly inspired by the children’s wonder and exploration when at play. This fueled her to continue her work and want to give those experiences to more children. As Figment has grown, so has the menagerie of animals that are cared for at Figment. Amber believes that caring for the animals teaches the children empathy and responsibility, and is a calming, welcoming part of the work done at Figment. When she is not at work, Amber is home with her family on her mini farm, which includes cows, goats, a pig, peacocks, chickens, two dogs, and two cats. Amber has a degree in business administration, painting and drawing, and art history from LSU, but her passion is providing children with creative experiences that spark exploration, wonder, and play. As a mother of two and coauthor of the book series STEAM Kids, she believes that art should be a stress-free process that promotes self-esteem and confidence. She hopes that Figment will inspire creativity in people of all ages, bring families together through art, and encourage learning through play.
Originally from Los Angeles, Yesenia has been living in Austin for over ten years. Her journey in early childhood education began when her boys were little, and it became a deep passion of hers.
With a degree in Child Development and years of experience nurturing young minds, she has always loved being part of environments where kids can grow, explore, and express themselves.
Yesenia is thrilled to be able to watch her youngest daughter thrive in this creative space and says being able to join the Figment community has been such a special experience.
When she is not surrounded by art and imagination, you’ll most likely find her with a good book in her hand.
Jennifer Perkins is an artist, writer, and creative content designer who has lived in Austin for over 25 years. Much like many people here, after graduating with her degree in psychology, she never left the area. She also never used that degree and instead has worked in the craft industry for over 20 years. During that time, she has hosted television programs, been the editor-in-chief of a magazine called Kids Crafts 1-2-3, and authored 5 books, 4 of which are about children’s crafts. She still works regularly with HGTV and has created content for Michaels, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Amazon, and more. She also teaches creative workshops around the country.
Jennifer started at Figment, teaching adult craft classes in the evening, sharing her love of all things vintage and kitschy with everything from felt tree skirts and bookbinding to Easter egg dioramas and shell-covered mermaid heads. After occasionally substitute teaching for AISD when her two children were younger, Jennifer realized she missed working with kids in a creative capacity. Recently at Figment, she has transitioned into afterschool teaching and will also be a summer camp instructor.
When not at Figment, Jennifer can be found chauffeuring her two teenagers around, roaming the aisles of a flea market, or at home in South Austin with one of her art journals covered in paint.
Heidi Lowell is a local artist who creates her own watercolors with Texas soil and pigments. You can find her art over at www.HeidiLowell.art. She comes to us with an abundance of teaching experience, including awards like Teacher of the Year and the District Innovation in Education Award. She is equally passionate about her own art and sharing the creative process with students of all ages.
Hanny Marin is an artist and teacher from Trinidad, Cuba. She speaks Spanish fluently and can implement it in the classroom. She has a degree in Film-Making and worked at Haligon Fine Art in Miami, where she helped artists realize their creations in 3D. She came to Austin in 2015 to restore a sculpture at Dimensional Place, and it was during this trip that she fell in love and moved here in 2017.
Just a few years ago, she started working with children as a creative instructor in a bilingual Montessori school. In this setting, she found her passion! Hanny’s favorite thing about process art with children is seeing them exploring, expressing themselves, and enjoying the process and experience of art.
You will find Hanny teaching in our Creative Pre-k, Hola Arte Spanish Immersion, and Toddler Play Group programs.
Kelsey Bryant is a born and raised Austin-ite who enjoys creating with different mediums, from acrylic paint to crafting to makeup artistry. She found comfort in creating from an early age and wants to share that with her community.
She graduated from Austin Community College with a degree in studio art in 2022 and hopes to use that to continue her artist career. In her free time, she likes exploring Austin’s ever-changing food scene, exploring the Greenbelt and outdoor trails, playing video games, and listening to stories of true crime.
Laura is a Cuban multidisciplinary artist and educator. She graduated from the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts in Cuba, specializing in sculpture. She’s passionate about installations, photography, and art in general. Creating is her passion.
Laura left Cuba and traveled extensively to be here, leaving behind everything she knew. She is grateful to be able to share her experience with children, as she loves working with them and they are always a source of her inspiration. Laura also studied at the 23rd and C Experimental Art Workshop in Cuba. She attended an Artistic-pedagogical exchange program with the Dora Alonso School and has collaborated on film productions as an assistant art director at San Antonio de los Baños Film School in Cuba.
Laura enjoys working with different materials and media such as painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation, and video art, and has collaborated on independent projects and theses.
You’ll find Ms. Laura teaching in our “Llamas” Creative Pre-k class.
Elizabeth grew up on a little sheep farm in rural Illinois, where her days were filled with the sound of chickens in the morning, the smell of fresh gardens, and the soft rhythm of spinning wool into yarn. She learned early that making things by hand—whether knitting a scarf or painting a canvas—was a kind of magic. Her creative path led her to earn a BFA in Photography from Webster University and an MFA in Combined Media from the State University of New York. She began teaching at the university level in graduate school, and after moving to Austin, found her calling in STEAM education. Elizabeth loves getting her hands messy, imaginations buzzing, and ideas growing wild. When she’s not in the classroom, she’s in her studio creating colorful works in combined media and painting.
Adriana was born in Bogotá, Colombia, where she graduated with a Marketing and Advertising degree. She grew up on a farm on the city’s outskirts and spent her childhood connected with nature and surrounded by animals. After raising her two daughters, she realized she enjoyed coming up with creative hands-on activities as a way for them to learn and explore. Adriana loved witnessing their progress, nurturing their curiosity, and discovering that she wanted to share her experience with others.
Adriana has worked with families and their children for over 14 years, designing personalized activities tailored to each child’s interests. She often uses an immersion approach to teaching Spanish and uses the outdoors as her classroom. She has been described by the families she works with as being “a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend!” In her free time, Adriana enjoys hiking, cycling, camping, or playing pickleball. She is always adventuring and enjoying these moments surrounded by her friends and family.
Alex grew up in California, spending summers in an intaglio printing studio run by her mother. She attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where they graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Studio Arts. During their undergraduate degree, she focused her studies on the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines mathematics and the arts. After graduating, they began working as a teacher at a Reggio Emilia inspired nature based arts program in San Francisco. Alex moved to Texas in 2023 to be close to their nieces and nephews. She worked at The Art Garage as a studio tech, art teacher, and assistant manager for their first two years in Texas. During this time, they discovered a passion for handbuilding ceramics and pottery painting.
Alex has been an artist their entire life, working in mixed medias such as collage, clay, watercolor, and whatever else they can get their hands on. She loves sharing this passion with children in the classroom. Her personal teaching philosophy is that learning should be safe and fun for every student, and they strives to help create an empathetic and engaging classroom environment that encourages creative thought.
With a background rooted in both art education and museum work, Kalia brings a unique, student-centered approach to the classroom. As a former Teaching Artist at the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and a longtime educator and docent at the Blanton Museum of Art, she specializes in creating inclusive, emotionally supportive art experiences. Her teaching emphasizes process over perfection, encouraging students, especially those from underserved communities, to explore their creativity with confidence.
She is currently pursuing a degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Art History at The University of Texas at Austin. As a self-taught artist, Kalia is deeply passionate about championing self-taught art and helping others discover their creative voice, regardless of background or formal training. This passion, combined with her academic studies, allows her to weave cultural, historical, and philosophical depth into each lesson. Through a blend of hands-on practice, humor, and thoughtful dialogue, she aims to make art accessible, meaningful, and personally transformative for every learner.
Jenna Sullivan is a creative community leader and artist who brings compassion and joy to the classroom. With a background in trauma-informed inclusive spirituality and religious studies, Jenna believes that art brings connection, wonder, and hope to the world. She believes we all have an inner child to listen to, and children teach her so much about creativity. She previously led an urban cultural center + faith community in Dallas and has also worked at Meow Wolf in Grapevine, TX. It is her passion to create interactive safe spaces that allow new possibilities to be born. She is excited to encourage and learn from the amazing little artists at Figment.
When not at work, Jenna loves to paint, hear live music, spend time with animals, and enjoy time at home with her partner. She’s still exploring all the best ATX spots and is inspired by the local culture and creative community. She is always working on her artsy Cowgirl Texas-inspired aesthetic and loves to laugh along the journey.
Nani Smith studied Art Education at Texas Lutheran University, with a focus on sculpture and studio art. With over seven years of teaching experience, Nani is passionate about helping students explore their creativity and build confidence through hands-on, process-focused artmaking.
Her teaching philosophy centers on connection, imagination, and providing students with the tools to bring their ideas to life. After spending time as a substitute teacher for Hays CISD, Nani realized how deeply she enjoyed supporting young artists and inspiring them to reach their full creative potential.
Nani is excited to join a diverse team dedicated to balancing natural exploration with STEAM-focused learning. Outside the classroom, she enjoys photography, sculpture, and digital art—pursuits that reflect her discipline, curiosity, and love for creative expression.
Hope Perkins is an Austin-based artist who studied painting at Southwest Texas State University and trained in classical painting in Aix-en-Provence, France. A lifelong creative, she blends her fine art background with years of experience as a nanny, where she first discovered the joy of nurturing children’s imagination. Her warm, playful teaching style encourages kids to explore, express themselves, and build confidence through engaging, colorful projects.
Since moving to Austin in the early 2000s, Hope has been active in the local art scene, showing her work in galleries, bars, and salons across the city. Her artwork has been featured in the Austin Chronicle, Bust Magazine, and Time Out New York, and she co-starred in a craft-focused program on the DIY Network. Hope believes art should be fun, expressive, and empowering – and she loves helping each child discover their unique creative voice.
Kris is thrilled to join the Figment team! Figment offers a magical setting for celebrations, where children can immerse themselves in a unique, creative learning environment.
After many fulfilling years teaching PreK, First, and Second grades at Austin ISD, she recently retired. Now, she feels fortunate to spend her days with the wonderful Figment staff, crafting exciting projects, exploring new places through travel, creating memories with loved ones, and taking leisurely walks with her dog, Stella.
Originally from the Mojave Desert in Southern California, Alicia has been living in Austin for over fifteen years. Her journey working with children began while she was attending college for Art and working in an elementary school kitchen. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art from California State University, Northridge, with an emphasis in painting and drawing.
Alicia has worked with children in many capacities, including food service, preschool teaching, and coaching teachers. With a degree in Studio Art and years of experience, she has always loved being part of environments where kids can experiment, learn, and express themselves creatively.
Alicia loves spending time with friends and hearing everyone’s story. She has a passion for drawing and creating art with different kinds of paper, and she also enjoys reading, cooking, and listening to music.
Jennifer is an Austinite, photographer, and visual media creator with over 12 years of experience in photography, editing, and digital content production. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Texas State University, where she developed a strong foundation in visual storytelling, composition, and creative direction.
Alongside her professional work, Jennifer spent 10 years supporting hearing-impaired children in Austin ISD. She is skilled in ASL and SEE, giving her a meaningful connection to children and families who use nonverbal or alternative communication styles.
At Figment Creative Labs, Jennifer combines her artistic training and media expertise with her passion for child-centered learning. She is dedicated to capturing the curiosity, wonder, and imagination that define the Figment community — creating vibrant, thoughtful visuals that celebrate every young artist who walks through the door.
Brooke Nelson is an accomplished Strategic Event Coordinator with a proven track record of planning and executing successful events, consistently achieving 100% customer satisfaction. Her expertise spans event planning, client relations, team leadership, and project management.
Brooke’s career highlights include coordinating numerous events for 40 to 300+ people simultaneously, facilitating communication with clients, and ensuring compliance with demanding timelines. She served as the sole sales and onsite event manager at Cedar Street Courtyard and Malaga, and managed social media content at Speakeasy and TenOak – GDI.
Brooke currently lives in Austin with her partner and two daughters, both currently attending Figment.
Meet Jessie, our enthusiastic and creative party guide who brings a wealth of experience and a whole lot of heart to every kids’ birthday celebration. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in education, she moved to Smithville, Texas, to try out small-town living. With nearly ten years as a first-grade teacher there, Jessie has a deep passion for nurturing creativity, building relationships, and helping children embrace the artistic process, no matter how messy it gets!
In addition to her teaching experience, she has led art programs in after-school settings and summer camps, where she’s inspired kids to explore their imaginations and express themselves through fun, hands-on projects. With over seven years in the event industry (mostly helping to craft unforgettable weddings), she knows how to make any event extra special.
When she’s not running parties, she can be found painting, drawing, baking, or diving into whatever creative project she’s currently obsessed with. Recently back in Austin, Texas, she’s drawing endless inspiration from the city’s vibrant, artsy atmosphere.
With her passion for creativity, her background in education, and her event expertise, Jessie is the perfect guide to make every party a unique and unforgettable experience!
Maggie hails from Virginia—Northern Virginia, specifically (think Washington, D.C., not rural farmland). She has a B.A. from The College of William & Mary and an M.Ed. from George Mason University. In 2015, Maggie and her husband moved to Austin “for a year or two” and, like many others, fell in love with the city—they haven’t looked back since.
When she has a moment to herself (aka when she should be sleeping), Maggie creates and sells colorful jewelry and accessories, runs a bookstagram account where she reviews mostly thrillers and romance novels, and recently started a business offering her services as a special education parent advocate.
Maggie spent a decade as an elementary special education teacher but chose to leave the classroom after the birth of her daughter in 2021. She hasn’t once regretted the decision to stay home with her daughter—and now her son, too. After sending her daughter to Pre-K at Figment and falling in love with its creative and nurturing approach, Maggie joined the Figment team as a birthday party guide.
Gillian is a creatively inclined childcare professional with over 10 years of experience supporting children’s growth and development. Guided by the bell hooks child-rearing philosophy, they specialize in fostering early literacy and emotional development. In addition to their work with children, Gillian is a writer and two-dimensional studio artist with over a decade of creative practice. They hold a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing with a minor in Studio Art from MSU Denver. A passionate Austinite, Gillian enjoys engaging with the local community through workshops, collaborations, and volunteering. Figment allows them to bring together their two greatest passions: childcare and art.
Kara has been working with children since she was 11 years old, building a lifetime of experience rooted in care, curiosity, and connection. With over a decade as a nanny, six years in Round Rock ISD, and eight years supporting students in Special Education, she brings a steady, compassionate presence to every space she enters. She has worked as an Aftercare Coordinator, Teacher’s Aide, and Librarian, weaving structure and creativity into children’s daily experiences.
An Austin resident for 25 years, Kara is also a proud mom of two daughters—one studying Archaeology and the other Engineering—who inspire her deep appreciation for learning and growth. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and exploring new places, and she brings that same curiosity, patience, and warmth into every role she takes on.