about me

Hi, I'm Katie Linnaea Cartwright.

I'm an artist, designer, and the founder of a creative studio in San Diego where I teach sewing, embroidery, painting, leatherworking, and other hands-on workshops rooted in mindfulness, resilience, and the belief that creativity is something everyone can access. Across all mediums, the classes are really about about slowing down, reconnecting with yourself, and experiencing the joy of making something with your own hands.

Creativity has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I learned to sew from my mom and grandma, and because my mom was a violinist, I spent much of my childhood backstage at the opera. The costume designers would bring me into the costume shop and teach me little sewing projects while rehearsals were happening. My grandfather, Paul Rabut, was a professional painter, so I also grew up with art all over the house, and with lots of dedicated time for painting and drawing. And also - growing up with a dad who was a carpenter, many of the things in our home were made by him. It taught me an early lesson: if I couldn't find what I was looking for, we could always make it ourselves.

Spending summers in Vermont at summer camp introduced me to weaving and oil painting, and expanded the ways I understood creativity. Years later, while building my first upcycled clothing business, Rust & Stardust, I taught myself embroidery, adding another layer to the craft I had already fallen in love with.

I studied at the University of Vermont, where I double majored in Community Entrepreneurship and Community & International Development. Looking back, those studies shaped the way I think about creativity today: as a way to build connection, belonging, and meaningful community.

Today, all of those threads have woven together into Golden Spiral Studio. It's a space where many art forms meet intentional living, where beginners feel welcome, and where making something with your hands becomes a way to reconnect with yourself and others. Whether you're learning to sew your first project, painting a piece for your home, carving linocuts, or making a leather journal you’ll keep for years to come, my hope is that you leave feeling more creative, more capable, and more connected than when you arrived.

You can view the current calendar of workshops at www.gold3nspiral.com

I'm so glad you're here.

To connect: katielinnaea@gmail.com