While each young artist is unique, the challenges we face are consistent:

Gaps in technical knowledge that prevent us from realizing our vision; becoming paralyzed by abundant perfectionism, while confidence and executive functioning often feels out of reach; or sometimes it’s simply not knowing what to make next and why, because we lack the conceptual tools to take our ideas one step further. My approach distills 15 years of arts school and teaching experience into tailored assignments.

The “How”

For the technical training, or “how could I make this/make it better?” I provide individualized assignments to match my students’ age and skill levels, and work along-side them, demonstrating technique in real time so they can see what it looks like to make this work for themselves. As my arts education was interdisciplinary, I comfortably cross between genres, techniques, and mediums to enrich my students’ making.

The “Why”

As for the conceptual skills to answer “why am I making this?”, I equip my students with the skills to articulate and interrogate visual art. This enables them to translate their analytical skills into their own work, making their “why” sound far more compelling to themselves and recruiters. Each student analyzes distinctive and relevant artists and theorists to understand what makes their work impactful–– and how to steal their techniques for their own artistic use.

The “Why Me?”

Finally the mental and emotional work: colleges, schools, and peers are asking more of our young artists than ever before. Navigating perfectionism, internal pressure, and executive functioning takes a special kind of clarity that comes from working as artist-to-artist. I know what it’s like because I’ve been in their shoes, auditioning and attending arts middle school, high school, boarding school, and university, all on full-ride scholarships. We will encounter blockages, and along the way we will pivot to different tactics to break through, or work around obstacles as they arise.

The Results

All together, our work helps young artists feel less alone in a process that is often fraught and opaque. The portfolio itself becomes a byproduct of something more important: an artist who’s learning to navigate uncertainty with a strong sense of personal agency, grace, and critical thinking––regardless of the outcomes.