In the age of AI and very strict design rules, the freedom to be creative is more important than ever. As a student going from school, where design projects have very strict guidelines, to the workforce, where projects have even stricter deadlines, it can feel difficult to express any creativity. In the design field, I want to push the boundaries of traditionally accepted design, and be innovative in everything I do. Recently, I took a class in which we talked about the lack of diversity within typography— fonts rooted in Indigenous languages, hieroglyphs, etc., are considered "bad." Why should Helvetica be one of the only acceptable font? As a woman in the design field, I strive to be heard and seen through innovation. Women have always been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of design, but haven't been given their flowers until recently in history. According to datausa.io, women made up 51.9% of the design industry in 2022. Women are creative, and I strive to be one of the designers constantly making strides in the industry.

Freedom of creative expression is important to me because it keeps originality flowing in the art world. If everyone consistently copied pieces of art that are already well-known and established, everything would look the same. I strive to push the envelope when designing projects, precisely because I do not want to take so much inspiration from previously existing work that I end up creating a carbon copy. To keep myself thinking outside the box, I prefer to use my photography in my artwork. I feel more like I truly made that project from scratch by taking my own photos, as well as having more control over executing my vision for a piece. The project that I submitted is an album cover I designed this past spring semester in my Type and Image class. The prompt was to take random words from Wikipedia to create the artist name and song titles, then design a vinyl cover. I wanted an indie feel for my vinyl, and after editing about 16 variations of different photographs I found online, chose a photo I took of my sister for a different project. Using a photo I took of her made the project that much more special to me. My professor encouraged me to constantly push my creative expression for this project, which is a huge reason why it is one of my favorites. Creative expression for me means pushing the boundaries of my work and myself to continue producing original pieces.