Meet Roxann Murray

 

We recently connected with Roxann Murray and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Roxann, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I am a fighter. I have always been a fighter since I was a child because no one fought for me. I fight for my rights, my voice, and my survival. I fight for others who don’t have a voice. I do this through the lens of a camera, through visual storytelling. I document others’ struggles so people can understand the world from a different perspective; becoming desensitized to issues affecting the planet and her inhabitants will bring nothing but harm to all of us, and sadly apathy has spread.

I have a tumultuous relationship with the word “resilient” as do many people with Indigenous descent. We have had to survive colonization, genocide, and erasure since 1492, which makes our ancestral trauma a huge burden. That trauma along with modern life events shows up in health issues, both physical and mental. It takes immense work to heal. Frankly, we are sick and tired of being called resilient. We know that society wants us to stop fighting and give in to the powers that control this planet, but we will never do that. We will continue to survive; we have for over 500 years.

I am the daughter of an abusive family, a progeny of both the colonizer and the colonized. I have learned to develop resilience after being constantly dismissed by the systems put in place that are meant to protect humans. I get my resilience from my matriarch ancestors; they stand beside me as I walk this Earth and they protect me when I am afraid.

Low income, neurodivergent, disabled Indigenous artists are not prioritized. In a world where billionaires and narcissists are celebrated, sensitive empathic people with no money and weak health are ignored. I am a fighter living in a world where society wants people like me to disappear.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

From the moment I first picked up a camera over twenty years ago, I knew that photography would be a major component of my life’s work. I received my B.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences from the University of Washington Tacoma in 2009. Since I was a child, I have had a strong connection with the natural world. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I developed an affection for trees, ferns, and the seashore. I became involved with documenting community members through a commissioned photography project funded by the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture. The exhibit is now in the Seattle Civic Art Collection. My latest body of work, Matriarch, was funded by the Tacoma Arts Commission through the Artists Initiative Program.

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?

Self awareness
Empathy
Hope

In my deepest darkest moments, I still had hope even when it was difficult to see. Looking inward has helped me understand not only myself but the world around me.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

I would go on adventures around the world and check places off my travel bucket list. I would get tattoos, marry my partner, ride in a hot air balloon, and finish all the books on my bookshelf that I haven’t read. I would volunteer at animal sanctuaries. I would try and heal the strained relationship I have with my mother. I would let my loved ones know how much they mean to me. I would sing and dance shamelessly.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Portrait of myself by Rob J Allen
All other photographs by myself

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