Hi! I’m Sofia de Aros, a writer, singer-songwriter, and visual artist born and raised Manila, Philippines. I moved to Spain in 2023, and now reside in the center of Madrid. 

In university I studied Communication with a specialization in Media Studies and Journalism, and took up extra elective units in songwriting, nonfiction writing, and poetry—my most central fixations. 

Right after graduating, I landed my first job as an editorial assistant and later the fashion lead for Preview, a top fashion magazine in the Philippines founded in 1995. 

There, I spent a good part of two years, churning out hundreds of both short and long-form articles on fashion, celebrity news, and entertainment. When the threat of the pandemic died down, I got the opportunity to attend events for luxury brands and assist in the production of cover shoots, and interview celebrities for profiles. 

It was in Preview that I learned how to write fast and sharp, how to spot a story, and how to pitch it. I owe my work ethic to my fabulous colleagues who trained me by example; who could solve any problem and fit the whole world into the neatest, most comprehensive Google Sheet known to man. 

I left that job to make the dramatic transition to working for the Philippine national government. After mostly working at home and writing about kitten heels and pebbled leather all day, it was a shock to suddenly be in a dynamic office of suits and endless piles of paperwork, just months ahead of a theatrical presidential election. 

I worked in the communication department of an agency that addresses national literacy and publishing. I managed their social media accounts, created systems for content monitoring, wrote press releases, and met with both library and bookstore workers.  

Highlights of my stint included conducting 24 live (and spontaneous) stage interviews with authors for the 2023 Manila International Book Fair, as well as producing the Youtube series Show YourShelf, in which we toured the home libraries of prominent Filipino creatives. It was at this job that I met the most passionate, diverse, and interesting people that I’d ever met in my life, and my mind was blown wide open. I found that the world was so big and I liked the idea of pursuing it. 

Since leaving the Philippines, I’ve served as a contributing writer for Wedded Wonderland, a business-matching platform and publication for luxury weddings worldwide.

These days I work as an English teacher, and spend all of my free time on my all-consuming art obsession, which spans a folk-jazz album that I’m inches away from completing, and mixed-media sketchbooks that I’ve been hoarding for years. I have now digitized some of them, available for your perusal on my art website, Sofia’s Journals. 

Feel free to connect with me via email at sofiadearos.work@gmail.com or Instagram at @sofiadearos. Cheers!