Sara Egan

My work is inspired by contemporary board games, blending the digital illustration style commonly seen in them with my own personal twist through hand-drawn colored pencil illustrations.

My sustained investigation explores the idea of the butterfly effect and the domino effect and how small moments can lead to large changes. I wanted to focus on the importance of context and how everything happens because of something else. This exploration of the consequences of personal choices inspired me to design a choose-your-own-adventure board game, where players navigate a series of decisions that shape their final outcomes. By creating multiple pathways and outcomes, I looked to mirror the unpredictability of life’s small moments and the way they can alter our personal narratives. Through this design, I aimed to highlight the complexity and interconnectedness of decisions, encouraging reflection on how our actions influence both ourselves and those around us.

I started with a historical approach, exploring the butterfly effect in terms of real, large-scale ideas. As my sustained investigation developed, I narrowed to a more personal approach, focusing on how the domino effect impacts individuals and small groups of people. This led to my interest in the idea of small moments leading to alternate realities, proposing the question, "What if things were different?" As I revised and developed my sustained investigation, I came to realize that the interconnected nature of life is present through such a broad array of human (and even nonhuman) interactions. The development of my sustained investigation deepened my understanding of how seemingly small actions can create a ripple effect, producing different outcomes across various perspectives—whether historical, personal, natural, or even imaginary.

I decided to depict the idea of the butterfly effect through a choose-your-own-adventure board game, taking inspiration from modern board games, like The Game of Life. I thought that a tree would be an effective way of depicting this concept as it highlights the "branching-off" aspect of making decisions through the literal branches of the tree.

In my design process, I took inspiration from Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I wanted to pay homage to this book because it emphasizes the importance of one's own actions in helping themselves grow as a person. The children's book affirms that you can make good choices to control your future in a way that is understandable to a younger audience. Building off that idea, I wanted to create something that was also intended for children, a board game, whilst displaying themes of the domino effect. This book was able to inspire not only the concept of my design but also the stylistic aspect of the game. I displayed green stripes in the design of my tree to pay reference to the green-striped caterpillar from the book. I also displayed different hand-drawn fruits throughout the board game, as I admired the hand-drawn look of Eric Carle's illustrations.

My advice to other AP Art and Design students is to create work that truly interests you. These courses offer the freedom to explore whatever inspires you and allow young artists to flourish in their own unique ways. I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity, dive deep into research, and focus on the subjects or themes that ignite your passion.