Rising Stars: Meet Morgan Murphy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Murphy.  

Hi Morgan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hmm, where to begin?!?… Well, I’ve always been entranced by bold colors, curious about my surroundings, excited by the act of imagining new possibilities, and eager to inspire others to pause and appreciate the beauty around them. Growing up in the charming town of Petoskey, nestled into the bay where the woods meet the water, from an early age, I was inspired by the colors, patterns, forms, and contrast of the area. From the colors of sunset skies to the patterns of pebbles under blue-teal water, and from the form of the quaint buildings downtown to the contrast of the scenery at the waterfront, I see aspects my northern upbringing throughout my career’s creative works. 

And I think it’s important to note that the content I focus on in my creative work has shifted since those early days. I went from painting portraits of animals to visually exploring places in my adolescence. Then, in my early 20’s, I really found my voice, creative style, and content while living in Bulgaria. I had finished my undergraduate studies in international political science and received a Fulbright grant to Bulgaria, which meant that for the first time in my life, I was living in a city where (at first) I didn’t speak the language well and where there weren’t many English speakers. It gave me the time and space to really lean into hobbies and, ultimately, to develop my creative practice. So, I spent a lot of time alone doing things that brought me joy and challenged me. I learned to bake bread. I learned to make jam. I learned to mend clothing. And most importantly for this interview, I painted and wrote. A LOT. 

Then, as my Bulgarian language abilities got a little better, someone told me about an art cafe I might like. I sought it out and started spending a lot of time there. It doesn’t exist anymore, sadly, but it was called ‘Home Cafe’. It really is the place where I grew into my voice and style. I would walk over and spend hours on the screened in porch or out in the garden, sometimes in silence and other times chatting with people the best I could. I would doodle, sketch, write, paint, and, eventually, even had my first (small) exhibition there. On long weekends, I traveled and saw places with inspiring architecture and color combinations, like Cologne, like Prague, like Bucharest, and like Kotor and Cairo, and Yerevan. Naturally, I got really got interested in capturing places with paint… not just the cliche places, but also the mundane ones that you pass every day or that combine lines or forms in interesting ways. And from there, I kept creating and my colors got bolder, and my lines got starker. Over time, I settled into my current style that’s something of a combination of pop art, comic books, and vibrant illustrations but mixed with a mosaic or stained glass feel. 

When I left Bulgaria, I moved back to Petoskey for a while to reconnect with my home region and lend my time and creative abilities to a friend opening a small business downtown. A bit later, I continued my academic study in political science and got a master’s in a two-year program in the Netherlands and Spain. My creative practice slowed down a bit during that time, but there were still many moments of creativity when I needed to decompress, process, and/or hold space for myself in the midst of rigorous theoretical study. I almost exclusively painted cityscapes of the places where I lived at the time, and I started leading art workshops at my university with a peer. It was then that I realized the transformative power of creativity – working with people coming from such different cultures, geographies, and walks of life to make something together. Since moving back stateside in 2019, I’ve rooted down in the Midwest and have connected with fellow creative women who have acknowledged my talent, commitment to my practice, and potential. The creative community I surround myself with today inspires me so much, and I wouldn’t be growing so much and so quickly without them. Today, I split time in Chicago and Petoskey, where I work by day in the urban planning field, and I create at night and on weekends. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth, but I in my adulthood, I’ve learned to practice approaching the struggles in my life with as much grace, patience, acceptance, and grit as possible. My art practice has been a way for me to practice that approach… it’s been a transformative experience fostering my personal, professional, and spiritual growth. Though my approach is generally positive, I think the three biggest challenges I’ve faced are: 

1. Acknowledging, accepting, and asserting that I’m an artist and that my art deserves to exist in the world (at whatever scale it does). As someone who has only taken a few community art classes and, despite hours and hours of creating, doesn’t have a formal education in art, sometimes my imposter syndrome flares up a bit. It wasn’t until I was living in Bulgaria that I admitted to others that ‘I am an artist.’ Despite being a creative and making art and living an artful life where I created pieces of artwork and wrote poems, I was hesitant to state that I’m an artist. It felt like such a professional thing that only fine art graduates or full-time artists could say. Nowadays, I confidently and honestly say I’m an artist, but it took practice and the affirmation of fellow creatives to get here.

2. Learning to accept rejection and keep moving forward. Sometimes there are art shows or calls for art that I feel really align with who I am as an artist, what I do creatively, and how I’m trying to grow in my art practice. Putting myself out there and then not get accepted for opportunities can be so challenging. For me personally, reframing rejection as redirection helps. It’s definitely a persistent challenge though!

3. Finally, moving around to multiple cities in multiple countries in my twenties made it difficult to consistently create cohesive collections of work and also made it difficult to foster a consistent creative community. It’s only since rooting down back in the Midwest that I’m able to create and grow at the speed and scale that I am now, and that’s partially because I have the physical space to house different supplies and partially because I have a welcoming community that believes in me and offers me opportunities to create.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am creative in so many ways, and I use different media and methods depending on what I’m creating and why. For example, if I’m trying to honor and celebrate a place, I use either acrylic paint or watercolor paint and India ink to amplify its lines, form, and feel. If I’m trying to celebrate something mundane, I typically use acrylic paint, markers, pens, and pencils to create a collage. If I’m seeking to work through or process an experience, I’ll typically use acrylic paint to create an abstract or write long-form poems. If my self-esteem needs a bit of a pick-me-up, I usually doodle and paint some affirming statements. 

All that to say, I dabble in so many things and am known for different things in different spaces. In Michigan, I’m known for paintings and hand-pressed scarves with the Petoskey stone pattern on them. In Chicago, I’m known for my local cityscapes of landmark neighborhoods, theatres, and places. On an international scale, I’m known for medium-sized murals I’ve done in the Netherlands, Chicago, and Bulgaria. No matter the content, I set myself apart with the use of bold, contrasting colors, slightly crooked lines, and the whimsical and playful nature of my work. 

Finally, in recent years, I’ve grown to use my artwork as an extension of values that are important to me, like social inclusion and sustainability. A work I’m especially proud of is a diptych of restorative justice in the built environment that I created last summer. The work was commissioned as part of a group exhibition and silent auction for a national conference on community healing. In the pieces, I explored the past, present, and potential future of society as it relates to re-entry and restorative justice and the infrastructure that makes up our societies. Showing the piece as part of the group exhibit and talking to people about the pieces was one of the most humbling, moving, and powerful experiences I’ve had. I’ve also started dabbling more with repurposing and upcycling items in an artsy way. This has manifested itself in collages, cardboard paintings, repurposed trinket jars, and hollowed-out books. The practice of giving something a new life excites me, and it’s been an enjoyable way to create that aligns with my love of reimagination. 

What matters most to you?
Art, imagination, community, and nature make life not only bearable but enjoyable. Along with these things, mindfulness matters, imagination matters, and uplifting others matters. 

Contact Info:

• Website: thenorthernloon.com
• Instagram: @thenorthernloon
• Facebook: The Northern Loon