For a project during one of my previous semesters, I described graphic design as “ugly”—and, despite the way it sounds, I stand by that statement. Each project is a creative journey in itself, and I strive to put all of my passion, all of myself into every one. Inevitably, journeys have setbacks—behind every finished design is a laundry list of scrapped ideas and failed sketches. Moreover, passion by its definition is a bit messy, and I think it’s important to leave a little room for messiness in my work. I often struggle with the idea that my work must be pristine, but I find that my work feels much more honest when I allow my vulnerabilities and anxieties as an artist to show through. It may be a little uglier than the perfection I fall short of, but it tells a much more human story.