Showcase

Hi everyone! My name is Kyra Palmbush and I’m a Design student at Freestyle Academy. My past two years at Freestyle have been full of change and challenges as I transitioned from Film to Design as my elective this year. Outside of Freestyle, I spend most of my time playing volleyball, working with kids, and spending time with my family and friends.

For my Senior Showcase, I am excited to show my Senior Kanji Book and my Senior Zenith project; these pieces capture some of my best work and are an accurate reflection of all that Freestyle has taught me.

There were many steps involved in creating my Kanji Book. The project was based off an English assignment where we were asked to interview someone with a different identity than us. I used quotes from this assignment as well as photography and illustrations to create the book.

When designing my Kanji Book, I wanted to stick with the theme of my interview while also using the more traditional Japanese Stab Binding style. I tried to use illustrations that would connect to the quotes and be visually appealing. This project stood out to me as it was a unique combination of digital and physical art.

Below you can see my book deconstructed and a video of the final product.

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My Zenith project was much more personal for me as it was done completely on my own. I was able to choose the idea for the project, a children’s book, and tell my own story with my own words and illustrations. Although these projects were unrelated, they both built my design skills and overall confidence in unique ways that got me to where I am today.

When we were first introduced to the Zenith Project, I knew right away that I wanted to make a children’s book, as I hope to be an Elementary school teacher. This assignment seemed to be the perfect opportunity to challenge myself and create a product that I could use in the future. Body image has always been a struggle of mine, and when coming up with an idea for this book, I thought of a concept that had been introduced to me when I was younger about body image. It was this idea that your body is a tool or paintbrush and that ultimately the mark you leave behind, seen as the way you love the people around you, is what matters, not the tool being used. I wanted to communicate this message with simple illustrations and color.

Below is my final product.

I would like some feedback on how you experience my work. What do you feel is lacking in each project? Do you notice anything in these works that you feel is inconsistent? If I were to start over on these projects, what would you recommend I change? Moving forward, what would you recommend I continue pursuing and what should I focus on less?

Next year, I plan to study Education at University of Idaho on a volleyball scholarship. I am excited to experience a new culture and to play volleyball in college. I have always wanted to be an elementary school teacher and pass on my love of learning to young children, so I am especially thrilled to be following this path.

I am beyond grateful for everything I have learned at Freestyle. I have grown in so many ways through this program and truly believe it made me into a better person. The opportunity to be taught how to create work that impacts the lives of others has been an especially important lesson for me at Freestyle. I have been given all the tools and resources I need to go out and make my mark on the world, and for that I am so excited and grateful. Thank you for looking at my work!