Graphic Design Senior’s Art Depicts Breaking Free From a Creative Block

Zoe Bastian, a BYU graphic design student, reflects on overcoming a period of intense creative block during the past winter semester, describing it as “one of the worst art blocks of my life.” She felt disconnected from her work, “sick of only making designs on my computer,” and overwhelmed by emotional stress, leading her to feel “creatively and emotionally ‘Stuck.’”

Originally an illustration major, Zoe had long missed traditional art. When accepted into BYU’s “Art in Japan” summer study abroad program, she embraced the chance to reconnect with painting. “I knew I wanted to push myself creatively, try painting again for the first time in years and create something to help process and resolve my feelings of being stuck.” Supported by her professor Gary Barton and classmates, she created something she was finally proud of again.

Her project was showcased in the Department of Design’s annual student show, “Chroma,” and deeply reflected her time in Japan. “The art boards these are painted on traveled with me to and from Japan, the paint and brushes used to create these were all purchased in Japan, and the colors and forms of the paintings were heavily inspired by all the fantastic art I saw by Japanese artists while living there.”

Though she doesn’t consider herself as much of a painter, this project pushed Bastian's boundaries. “I had some ambitious ideas for figuring out how to make the figures I was painting visually ‘break out’ of the confined canvas that they are stuck inside,” she said. The pieces became a source of personal healing and a symbol of growth, and became lasting keepsakes of her experience in Japan.

Grateful for the exposure and conversations sparked, Bastian concluded that “at the end of the day, artwork and good design mean the most when they emotionally resonate with people.”

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