Sofia Blades: How Harbinger has allowed her to realize her passion for making people feel things through creating

Ok, maybe I was a Harbinger hater during my freshman and sophomore years. Maybe I opened an issue every once in a while and pointed out every misspelled word, and maybe I disagreed with an editorial story every once in a while. But you know the whole “Jealousy is the root of all evil… blah blah blah” — I get it. I was most definitely wrong and extremely jealous.

In a friend group full of journalism-obsessed freaks, I couldn’t help but cringe at talks of “deadline” or even the mention of whatever a “jouch” was. But as much as it pains me to say, the J-room freaks were right — extremely hard to believe that I would be wrong about anything, right?

I’ve always been a little more right-brained than I’d like to admit, but taking a minimum of one art class a semester is something I’ve prided myself on.

But my main creative outlet has always been dance. I’ve loved dancing for as long as I can remember. I began dancing at a studio at three years old and took off running. It’s a rare and fulfilling to watch someone bawl their eyes out or even just smile because of the weird ways you move your body. 

But where oh where will I ever find this same feeling? Answer: Harbinger.

I’m extremely grateful for all of the opportunities and newfound skills Harbinger has brought me. I slowly eased into learning design and fell in love with a new form of creating my own work. And I realized that being able to visually tell a story is where my heart truly lies. It took a second to recognize that I didn’t just love dance and art, but rather that I loved conveying emotion through my work and getting a reaction from those I create for.

Maybe it’s all in my head and the 6’4” basketball player doesn’t actually squeal in excitement when I send them a copy of “page28sports.” But I am forever thankful for at least finding a goal that keeps me striving for more.

The J-room will always hold some mysterious power of putting you on the right path. But don’t you fret, my love for visual storytelling isn’t over. The University of Arizona’s graphic design program doesn’t know what’s about to hit them, and I owe it all to those dang J-room freaks. If “You’re only as good as the people you have around you” is really true — I just might be the best ever.