How Years of Prison Visits Led Me to co-Found restART Studio

I’ve always believed in the power of technology to create value and improve lives. As an engineer and serial entrepreneur, I've built companies and tools meant to solve real problems and bring delight to the people using them. But nothing in my professional journey compares to the deeply personal reason behind co-founding restART studio in 2021 with Amanda Balmores.

For four years, my husband and I visited a family member in a Georgia state prison. We'd travel to a rural town, stay in the nearest motel, and spend holidays together in a stark visitor room with vending machine snacks and concrete benches. We sent care packages, added money to their canteen account, and did what we could to help her maintain a sense of connection and dignity.

It was hard. But over time, I realized that our support was the exception, not the rule.

Most incarcerated individuals, especially in state prisons, are left without that kind of lifeline. They're disproportionately poor, disproportionately people of color, and often caught in a system that seemed rigged against them from birth. Seeing this injustice firsthand—and understanding how early intervention might have changed everything—left an imprint on me. I knew that someday I wanted to do more.

restART studio co-founders, Amanda Balmores and Krista Marks

Years later, I met Amanda, a gifted therapist with a deep understanding of how art can unlock healing—especially for young people. She showed me that art therapy isn't just about expression—it's a research-backed profession that helps youth build psychological resilience, process trauma, and develop self-worth. It works when words fail, when trust is broken, and when pain runs deep. Together, we envisioned a space where young people could use art to heal, grow, and imagine a different future.

That vision became restART studio.

Today, restART serves youth who need a safe space to process what they're going through. We support young people in building confidence and gaining the psychological tools they need to change their path. Through individual art therapy, groups, and community-based programming, we help them build emotional resilience and create the kind of transformation that becomes possible only when young people feel deeply seen and deeply heard.

restART studio was born from a simple belief: every young person deserves the chance to write their own story.

Written by Krista Marks, restART studio Co-Founder