Kate Arillo

I kept seeing the same thing — in portfolio reviews, in admissions offices, and in high school classrooms: teenagers with real creative energy and no dedicated space to develop it.

Students who didn't have a creative practice — or didn't know they wanted one — making something genuinely original in the margins of an assignment, in a sketchbook nobody asked to see, in a project that went well past what the rubric required. And students who did have a practice, a project, an idea they genuinely wanted to build — without the space or real guidance to take it further.

I spent almost a decade in art school admissions reading applications, reviewing portfolios, and making final calls as Director of Admissions. Several more years teaching writing at the high school and college level. What that combination gave me is a clear view of creative work from every side.

The work almost always knows more than the student does yet. My job is to see it and say so.

When I stepped back from teaching after my son was born, I built The Studio to keep doing exactly that. My role here is Studio Guide — not the person who tells you what to make, but the person who can see what's already there in your work and ask the questions that help you see it too.

BFA Film/Video · MA English · Former Director of Admissions · Former GWU Outside Reader · Secondary Teaching Certification