Meet Sof Delgado | Multi-Medium Storyteller and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sof Delgado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sof, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always leaned towards the creative since a young age! I grew up in a family of incredibly talented artists, all of which pursued careers unrelated to the arts! My mom’s a beautiful singer and lover of music, my dad can draw like nobody’s business, my aunt has incredible crafting skills and creativity, the list goes on and on. There is value and worth in finding passion and joy outside of the arts and I know the adults in my family enjoy the careers they lead currently. But there was a lesson I think in seeing that the every day average person often has an immense amount of artistic ability within them, and they often don’t pursue it, at least not full time. That motivated me to take a leap and pursue my love of the arts vocationally. It also helped that my family was always *incredibly* supportive of that decision. I was always making things when I was younger- my friends were definitely patient with how often I corralled them together to make a movie or a music video haha. My desire to create just feels like something rooted in me, like as intrinsic as breathing. I have a lot of varying interests and maybe one day vocationally I’ll step outside of the arts but I think I’ll still forever be an artist.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I dabble in a lot of different areas of art! I primarily work in theatre as a playwright, set designer, carpenter, and stage manager but also work as a film director/editor, improviser, song writer, and puppet builder/designer when I have the time. If I had to pinpoint one thing that sets me apart, it’s that I’m community oriented in all ways when it comes to my art. I love to write about people, about the human condition, and when displaying that art I try to give back. One project for example was a film I wrote and directed back in 2021 titled ‘What We Choose To Share’. I had the idea to have people anonymously submit love letters, platonic, romantic, or otherwise. I then wrote the script based around the submissions I received. When we premiered the film we held a fundraiser and the proceeds went to a local LGBTQ+ youth center! Things like that, I feel strongly that art should both pull from and give back to your community around you. It hasn’t always been easy for sure! I moved away from my hometown in Orlando in 2020 so beginning your artistic career in an entirely different state is scary and intimidating. Up to this point most of my work has been self produced via fundraising or with a limited budget. But it’s so worth it. There’s a valuable lesson you learn when you’re forced to make art with limited resources. I challenge early career artists to get out of the mentality that they need to be making “big and important” work right out the gate. First of all, *all* art is important, regardless if your audience size is 500 or 5! Some of the most profound artistic experiences I’ve had have been between a small group of people. It’s a big mental roadblock to get over, but there’s no timeline. The moment you stop measuring your artistic endeavors with made up definitions of success, your art becomes a lot freer and more you. Plus, I’ve found the quality of what I make has gotten a lot better that way! I’d say that sums up my brand: radically and unashamedly rooted in the people around me and the simplicity of making art for the sake of it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a really fun question and one I’m still figuring out as I’ve only lived in Atlanta for a year now! First of all- eat local. Eat local! Give me a tiny hole in the wall that I’ve never heard of before. If the menus are a little dingy and there’s a kid of the restaurant worker just hanging out in the restaurant, doing homework or something, you know you’re about to have the best meal of your life. I love being outdoors and birdwatching so I’d definitely suggest hitting up any of the hundreds of parks located in and around Atlanta. Its fun to people watch and sit under the shade of a tree. I’d also strongly encourage anyone visiting to hop online and look for local organizations for things to do! There is *always* something happening in Atlanta, it’s probably one of my favorite parts about living here. I’m part of an art club for example: ATL Queer Art Club. Their events are for the most part free and its a fun way to meet people and find community. There’s also the board game group Outworlders, they meet up and host board game get togethers and YAWP which is an organization that connects creatives through open mic nights and other creative events. The options are limitless and the best part is all of these groups are local and run by people who just want to make the world a little better through building community.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m normally not one to plug businesses directly, but I was a Live Más Scholar when I was in school. The program created by the Taco Bell Foundation is more than just a scholarship- they provide an entire community of scholars and professionals from every industry that you could imagine. It’s an incredibly supportive community and process and I would not have been able to get through school without the scholarship funding. They also allowed me to directly pursue creative ventures such as when I went to the Live Más Summer of Connection Conference in July of 2023 and gave a pitch presentation on theatrical arts education funding. I’d also just like to shout out my sister because she’s my whole world and lives in everything and anything I do.

Website: https://sofdelgado.my.canva.site/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thirdspacecommunityga

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sofsyoutube

Other: Feel free to specifically check out one of my more recent works, You Are Not Your Face, an original production which debuted at the inaugural Lavender Festival last summer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atf0L5hXctQ&ab_channel=Sof

Image Credits
Photo 1: Lizzy Carver
Photo 2: Vivian Almodovar
Photos 3-6: Sof Delgado
Photo 7: Abigail Tichenor