Senior Capstone Exhibition

My senior project was an exploration of childhood memory, identity, and imperfection through the lens of functional design. This project represented where my artistic voice came from and looking back to the earliest ways I experienced creativity. As a child, I was drawn to art forms that were hands-on, playful, and free things like origami, Spirographs, drawing without rules, and making just for the joy of it. These early experiments unknowingly were the foundation of my creative life. For this project, I revisited those methods and reimagined them through a professional lens, using screen printing, and pattern design. At the same time, I wanted the project to address something I’ve personally wrestled with throughout my creative path: perfectionism. As a designer, I’ve often felt pressure to make things polished, clean, and flawless. But the creative freedom I felt as a kid was something I missed. By intentionally using methods associated with childhood artmaking, I gave myself permission to be imperfect again. And in doing so, I found something much more resonant: a creative process rooted in memory, emotion, and authenticity. These designs started as hand-drawn elements, some abstract and some representational. I turned these into digital and analog patterns, and screen-printed multiple prints as part of a functional design exploration. Each piece is tied to a specific memory or emotional state, transformed into something that is not only visual but also usable. This isn’t just a collection of prints; it’s a celebration of where I came from as an artist, and a step forward in defining who I am as a designer. It taught me that sometimes the most meaningful work comes from the parts of ourselves we try to outgrow, and that revisiting those spaces can lead to something entirely new.