NYSS Admissions Officer Daniel De Boulay visited third year student Betsey Lindor (CFA 2026). Watch the video interview on our Instagram Reels.

Betsey: Hello everyone. My name is Betsey. I am a Certificate student who’s graduating from the CFA at the Studio School and I am a multidisciplinary artist.

Daniel: How did you learn about NYSS?

Betsey: Well, I learned about the Studio School through online research. I was looking for an art school where I didn’t have to worry about receiving a degree right away; I have been out of school for almost a decade and working on my own, going to community centers, taking art classes, etc. I wanted to look for a program that’s right for me, specifically a serious fine art program that allowed me to create in a bigger space and take myself to the next level. I wanted to work in a studio where I could expand and create the way I have always wanted to, instead of being confined. And that’s when I decided to move forward with my art career and start commuting to the City every day from the Bronx.

At the Studio School, I have enough space where I can create without limits, make a mess, and learn. I’m working independently but I am also around students who have the same interest as me, also working on their art.

Daniel: What has been your connection with art?

Betsey: I started creating art as a young child. I didn’t take it seriously at that moment, because I was just creating; scribbling on loose paper with pencil or using little watercolors from stationary stores in the neighborhood, and getting through art books here and there using crayons. That’s how I got started, but I never went to an art school. I just went to regular schools at the time.

As I got older I decided to look into a program where I could create art and not worry about receiving a degree. Because I felt a little rusty when it comes to school, I hadn’t been to school in a while. But I started attending classes at a community center in the Lower East Side, learning about different techniques, oil, acrylic, and drawing. In 2022, I thought “I want to take this seriously. I’m going to look for a program.”

Daniel: Do you have any artists in your family?

Betsey: I might be the first artist in my family. I was the one in the family that was always painting, always drawing, staying up late creating in my small confined space. But that was the way I was able to do it. That’s what I had at that moment. 

And the way I used to work is not the same as the way I work now. I’m working on a larger scale. I’m learning about different methods and different types of art outside of painting. My drawings have gotten better compared to even a year ago, let alone five years ago when I started going to the Community Center. Being here for the past three years has taught me a lot and I just want to go up from here. And I want to explore different types of art, especially mixed media.

Daniel: What made you choose the Studio School over other institutions?

Betsey: The Studio School felt like a different environment compared to what I was used to in the past. And I wanted to go to an art school, not necessarily a college that had an art program. I wanted intense work. I wanted more discipline. I wanted to expand my creativity and not be limited to a small space. I wanted to have instructors. I wanted to experience a different environment in a community setting. 

Daniel: What gravitates you towards your subject matter? Specifically on black motifs and those centered around the 1990s.

Betsey: With my subject matter I want people to think; ask questions, create a dialogue.

A lot of my artwork connects with my upbringing and the things I experience. Being a New Yorker, watching cable television—It’s 90s, it’s hip hop, it’s what I grew up on. And to utilize black women in my artwork; that is just very iconic and positive, being able to express myself. And to be able to share  images of black women in a positive light in my work, expressing themselves, just be able to do whatever it is, that is free.

Daniel: So what would you tell someone who is interested in studying at the School?

Betsey: I would tell someone if you’re really serious about studying at the Studio School, whether painting or sculpture, don’t take it for granted. Utilize the time that you have here to be able to grow as an artist, and take it seriously, and get the feedback and educate yourself, and network, and you will be able to have a better understanding of who you are as an artist and who you are as an individual.