Serena came to Cadmium while working as a chef, seeking support preparing her application for the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. Although she had been drawing and making work for years as a hobby, she felt unsure how to structure a competitive art school portfolio or write the personal statement required for the application.

Through Cadmium’s Portfolio & Admissions Mentorship, we worked together to clarify her ideas, linking her mural practice with her drawings and paintings by developing recurring motifs across the portfolio, and shaping a strong personal statement that communicated her artistic direction clearly.

The process helped transform years of scattered work and uncertainty into a confident application.

Serena was accepted onto the UAL Foundation course, beginning her transition from a career in hospitality into fine art practice. The following year, she used the tools and approach developed during Cadmium’s mentorship to make a successful postgraduate application to the renowned Turps Studio Programme in London.