Portfolio Landing: A Semester of Making with Meaning

As this class comes to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect on what this semester has meant to me, not just as a student, but as a designer, builder, and storyteller. This course challenged me to think about aesthetics not as decoration, but as a deliberate choice: a tool for communicating emotion, narrative, and intent through the things we create. It gave me space to explore, prototype, and ultimately build something that I’m proud to share beyond the classroom.

Upcycle Project: The Red Tree Sculpture

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We began the semester with the Upcycle Project, where I transformed scrap wood into a laser-cut red tree sculpture inspired by the Unexpected Red Theory. What started as a technical experiment in laser cutting quickly turned into an exploration of contrast, form, and color theory. The bold red color made a strong visual statement, while the layered structure played with depth and repetition.

What I learned from that project, about form, material constraints, and design intention, carried over directly into my main project. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed working within tight limitations (recycled materials, limited tools) and how those restrictions sparked creative decisions I wouldn’t have made otherwise.

Main Project: Layered Tree Wall Art with Hidden Photo Frame

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For the final project, I wanted to create something meaningful, a piece that could live beyond my own walls. I designed a layered wooden tree wall art piece with a hidden hinge and photo compartment, meant as a gift for the scholarship foundation that supported me through college. The idea was to represent growth, connection, and gratitude, using the tree as both a literal and symbolic centerpiece.

This piece brought together everything we explored in class: material exploration, aesthetic theory, CAD modeling, fabrication, and personal storytelling. I pushed myself to integrate both precision and sentiment into the design. From laser-cutting and sanding to designing the hidden photo layout in Canva and building the frame by hand, this project asked for both technical skill and emotional clarity.

What I’m Proud Of

• Seeing a personal story become a physical object. The final wall piece wasn’t just something I made, it was something I felt.

• Learning to work iteratively. I made mistakes, prototyped, revisited the design, and improved the result each time.

• Balancing technical rigor with aesthetic vision. I feel like this class gave me permission to care about both, equally.

What Challenged Me

• Working with natural wood materials wasn’t always predictable. Warping, uneven cuts, and glue-ups that didn’t go as planned taught me patience and flexibility.

• Balancing time across classes while still wanting to fully invest in this project. This class was one of the few where I wanted to go above and beyond, not because of a grade, but because I actually cared about what I was making.

Looking Forward

This class reminded me that my best work comes from blending engineering with emotion, and that aesthetics aren’t just a surface layer, they shape how we understand and connect with the things we create. I’ll be adding this project to my design portfolio, and I’m linking in my LinkedIn as a representation of who I am and feel free to connect!