Meet Layla McMurtrie

We recently connected with Layla McMurtrie and have shared our conversation below.

Layla , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Hey! My name is Layla McMurtrie and I am a Detroit-based journalist and co-founder of the community organization The Vision Detroit. While I am unsure if I have one specific purpose in life, I think that my biggest passion is merging communications with art and community work. I discovered these passions throughout my life through waves of different personal and professional experiences.

Since childhood, I’ve loved writing songs and poetry, partially because my father was a songwriter and my mother was an English teacher. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school, however, that I decided I wanted to study journalism.

Soon after beginning college at Eastern Michigan University, I joined the newspaper The Eastern Echo as a music review writer. By my senior year, I had held positions as podcast editor and managing editor, ending the last year and a half as editor-in-chief. I didn’t know just how far working at The Echo would take me or that it would become such a big part of my life. My role as editor-in-chief further made me realize my passion for creating and leading projects, as well as interviewing people to write feature stories that would impact the subject and others in the community. This position also made me feel that I wanted to create my own arts-centered publication and continue to be a leader and editor.

Shortly after graduating, my friend asked me to start a nonprofit arts organization with him and another person, and I felt that this was the perfect way for me to channel my creative energy and my desire to help others, especially those who are underrepresented.

I’m honestly not sure if I believe in having a “purpose,” or if I have exactly found my end goal yet, but I believe that many experiences have shaped my current path and that I will continue doing what I love and hoping to impact others in the process.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Currently, I am the Digital Content Editor at the Detroit Metro Times, metro Detroit’s alternative weekly newspaper. In this remote role, I post content to the paper’s social media accounts, create slideshows, and write articles on various topics. My favorite thing to do is interview people in the community for feature stories, especially when it’s about something creative. Having the opportunity to tell stories that impact Detroiters fills me with joy. I am also very happy that the publication I work for is one that covers topics that other papers do not, or at least not in the way we do. This always makes me feel like I’m in the right place for me right now.

Sometimes, I also write impactful stories for Southeast Michigan’s LGBTQ newspaper, Between the Lines.

Additionally, about a year ago, I co-founded The Vision Detroit, an organization with the goal of providing resources to young artists and a platform for them to connect with the community. Through this, I have helped host monthly free open mics where local talent performs. We also provide art supplies during the events for people to chill and create in the back. These open mics grew quickly and have turned into something special way beyond the three of us who started them. As another way for The Vision to connect local artists with the community, I started a podcast called Tell A Vision where I have interviewed over 30 artists of all kind about what they do, how they are connected to Detroit, and their own visions for the future with their work. I am super excited for us to grow and create more ways to help young creatives thrive.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

This is difficult, but I have feel that three qualities that have been most impactful for me are ambition, passion, and compassion. I have little patience though, but these are what first came to my mind, so I’ll stick to it.

If you have these three qualities, I feel like it can get you far.

My passion for writing and compassion for others drove my ambition to get to where I am now. I made sure to network with people, maintain consistency in my work, and always continue learning, so I could get the opportunities that got me where I am now.

Not everyone has one passion, so I would say it’s important to explore different avenues and find ways to merge your passions in unique ways. Even if you are not in a field where you are directly helping people in your community, having compassion is important in all aspects of life, even if just to have an easeful time in the workplace with others. Finally, ambition is what needs to be focused on so that you can turn your passion into action. So, reach out to people who can help you, don’t give up, and keep doing what you love.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

The Vision Detroit would love more people to join the team, in large or small ways. Personally, I would love writers/editors who are interested in helping me create a community arts publication for young writers. I would also love someone to help with content creation and podcast editing, plus people to help brainstorm ideas in these areas. Overall, we need passionate people who are interested in helping with graphic design, photography, videography, event planning, event set-up, music producing, and anything else you think could help us. We are currently all volunteering our time for this organization, but we can provide you with experience and benefits like internship credit, volunteer hours, free merch, and event tickets. If you join The Vision, you will be a part of a passionate team of creatives who are well-connected with artists of all kinds and have the desire to help others. We hope to grow in the coming years and be able to pay everyone. First, we need to grow. Reach out to me if interested or DM us on Instagram @thevisiondetroit.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://linktr.ee/laylamcmurtrie
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laylamick25/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/layla-mcmurtrie-634058208/
• Twitter: https://x.com/McMurtrieLayla

Image Credits

Photo of me: Jay Walker
Two open mic photos: Melli Pittiglio