Elizabeth Mikkelson: Through newspaper design, I found a way to be artistic and am grateful for the new skills I have learned

“Pick up a sketchbook and crayons and draw whatever you want,” my elementary art teacher said. 

The thing was, I didn’t know what to draw or how to convey my creative side. I’ve never been one with natural artistic talent. Everytime I imagine a picture and attempt to draw it, it somehow always ends up looking the farthest from what I had envisioned. For the longest time, I thought this skillset was what capped my artistic abilities. 

In my last ditch artistic efforts of taking high school art classes, I always felt frustrated by my work. No matter how hard I tried, it would end up looking more like a dinosaur than any kind of human.

It wasn’t until I pressed “download” on Adobe InDesign for the first time at the beginning of junior year for Harbinger that I discovered a brand new realm of art — digital. Whether as simple as creating a box outline or tracing a lined figure, I found myself captivated by the endless possibilities at my disposal as a staff designer. 

Beyond text on a page, I recognized that a few intentional lines or a strategic photo cutout could tell a story in itself, expanding my preconceived notion of what “art” could institute. 

Although it was intimidating to join the staff with a blind eye to Adobe software and digital design in general, it’s been the most rewarding experience to not only learn new techniques on my own, but also learn from the award-winning designers on the publication and work towards bettering my own skill set. 

Junior year was a rocky start to say the least. I couldn’t tell you what the words “graf” and “text wrap” meant, and had more than a few breakdowns deciding between italicized versus normal test. But I slowly integrated myself into the staff, gradually feeling a greater sense of pride in my work as the deadlines — and empty coffee cups — stacked up. 

Through gaining more leadership experience on staff in the two years I’ve been on Harbinger and landing the role of Design Editor this last semester, I’ve learned new skills that I know will come in handy if I ever need to make a quick resume or design a party invitation. Of course, I couldn’t have done any of it without the absolute best co-Design Editor — the creative to my conventional — Tommy Paulus.  

If you would’ve told me when I first joined Harbinger that I would achieve Design Editor my senior year, given my lackluster “traditional” art skills, I would’ve laughed in your face. But I wouldn’t trade this position and the experiences I’ve gained from it for anything and am so grateful for all of the memories that will last a lifetime.