We recently connected with Sarai Murdock and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarai , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Growing up I was bullied in school. Having to deal with that for most of my childhood was difficult, especially while I was growing into my body and finding myself. One thing I struggled with was comparing myself to other people. I struggled not just with confidence in my physicality, but as well as my art. I was scared of rejection because people found ways to make me feel unworthy. I thought it was better to just hide my art rather than embrace it. When I got to my sophomore year of high school at Cleveland School of the Arts Covid took over. I was tired of being scared and decided to take baby steps towards improving my confidence in my art. I made an art account on Instagram called @siristakingover, the account is still up, and slowly began to post my art throughout the year. I remember when I posted myself dancing for the first time in years. The very first time I did was in seventh grade. I ended up deleting it a day or two afterward because I found out somebody from my school screen-recorded it, turned it into an edit, and posted it on their spam page to make fun of me. Someone in their comment section asked me if I was drunk. After that, I told myself I would never let anyone see me dance again until college. When I made this art account I told myself that no matter when I put myself out there people would have an opinion regardless. I told myself that I would rather be hated while doing what I love rather than let hate stop me from pursuing my dreams. When the video of me dancing was uploaded I got scared and threw my phone on my bed before turning it off for about three hours. Once time passed by, I went to check it not expecting too much engagement. When I checked, I had a lot of likes and many positive and surprised comments complimenting me. This was the start of a new beginning. From then on, the more I forced myself to post (even when I didn’t like what I was watching) the more secure I became in myself as an artist. It also contributed to my self-esteem for myself. I began to realize that I shouldn’t compare myself to other people. Whether it was my talents or my physical appearance, growing up I compared myself to other people a lot. Sometimes I didn’t have a choice because bullies would compare me to them as a way to make me feel less than. The bullying stopped right before finishing middle school, but when I first went into high school it took me some time to build my confidence. I remember sitting in my room around my junior or senior year. I was scrolling on Instagram and looking at these beautiful influencers. It was different girls posting pictures of themselves on my Explore page. I went through their posts thinking to myself ‘I wish I looked like these girls. I’m just not pretty enough for social media. I’m mid, not gorgeous or out of this world pretty.’ As I’m thinking this and scrolling, I hear this internal voice interrupt me.
“ These girls are really pretty,” it said.
“Yeah, they are” I responded.
“So you admit you think these girls are really pretty?”
“Um… yes,” I said.
“Do you also admit that they all look different?” asked the voice.
“Um… yes,” I said again not understanding where this voice was going with the conversation. Again, this was all an internal conversation.
“So if you can see the beauty within all these girl’s differences, how come you can’t see the beauty within yourself just cause you look different than them?”
This internal conversation happened around a few years ago yet I still remember it because after hearing that response I spent about 5-10 minutes just pondering and my mindset changed drastically. It truly opened my eyes. I put my phone down and looked at myself in the mirror without feeling insecure. Another internal saying I developed was “If we can see the beauty within the sky and flowers, why do we struggle to see the beauty within ourselves regardless of our differences.” When I developed this mindset, my security within myself improved a lot and I stopped comparing myself as much. Even on the days when I have more pimples on my face than I would like, or the days where I am dancing or modeling and not doing as well as I’d like; I know not to be so hard on myself as I was when I was younger and more insecure.
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?
As a multidisciplinary artist, I express myself in many different ways to be able to step into multiple art fields. I have a focus on fashion, where I work as a freelance creative director/stylist/ producer/ model. I also direct fashion and film campaigns. You can book me @siriz_fashionworld. With modeling, I do print, runway, and editorial. I’ve walked for several fashion shows including Fashion Talks, FriskmeGood, and Indie Fashion, and been published in magazines such as Bold Journey Magazine and The Violet Edge. I also know how to sew and have been growing this skill over the last few years by making garments now and then.
I currently work as a social media manager/ videographer/video editor for a food company but have a freelance business where anyone can book me for my services @siriz_designs. Outside of that, I’ve been collaborating with local creatives on short films and have been stepping more into a path of acting. I have mainly been featured in local music videos, and been featured in a few short films here and there including my own that I’ve made. I also had the opportunity to participate in a commercial done by TRG last year and would love to get more into commercial acting/modeling. I love to create my own projects that include music, poetry, and dance. One of my favorite things to do is mix two or three different art forms together. I also want to mention I have a friend who created an entertainment company called JOAT (@joatentertainment_). Together, we all create different creative projects, films, music videos, songs, photoshoots, etc..
Everything I do is with the intention of elevation. While I have my focus, I want people to know just how versatile art can be. Since I was a little girl I knew that I would step into multiple fields of art. I intend to continue elevating and taking hold of any creative opportunity that comes my way that can build me as an artist. I think there is a misconception about multidisciplinary artists that “A jack of all trades is a master of none” as people say it. However, people never say the full saying that “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” So with my brand and the work I do and intend to continue pursuing, I want to inspire people to never put themselves in a box. I want to show people that you can be successful in more than just one avenue. People like Teyana Taylor, Keke Palmer, and Zendaya inspire me because they have also shown this as a fact.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most important qualities that were most impactful throughout my creative journey have been ambition, being open-minded, and networking. There are so many other important qualities as well such as being professional, time-management, and other things. However, these three qualities are the things that have kept me motivated and successful. Whether you go to school or teach yourself, your goal should be to gain knowledge in the field you’re most interested in. However, knowledge does nothing without passion. This is why it is important to be ambitious. You can be educated, but if you’re not passionate about the field you’re pursuing you won’t know what to do with the knowledge you have. Ambitious people like challenges. Ambitious people are the ones who dream big and believe that they can turn it into a reality. Ambitious people are the ones who may not be the most educated but are going to show up to class every single day, they’re going to find a way to attend events and be present because they want to succeed. Being open-minded is what allows you to gain knowledge and grow. Being open to feedback and constructive criticism but also new adventures, experiences, and new lessons. Being open to learning and having the humility to accept that you are not always going to be the BEST this or that in a room. Lastly, networking is one of the largest ways you can build your career regardless of what it is. In a lot of industries, it is about who you know. Networking includes being open to collaborating. For a long time, I did everything by myself. I was my own director, cinematographer, photographer, actor, model, etc.. I had to learn that I was blocking blessings by not allowing myself to get help when I needed it. Being open to working with people is important. It is also great for creating a community of people who know you, appreciate you, and support you. Support is essential in building a healthy and secure career as an artist. Networking is also important because you never know who can get you in the rooms you strive to be in. One amazing person telling another amazing person that you are a great person to work with could change your life for the better.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
In the last year, I have gone down the path of being a director for both fashion and film projects, mostly fashion. I would love to continue to work with different photographers, models, and clothing brands to direct shoots for them or even assist as a director and model for campaigns and fashion shows. It would be nice to do more work on a traveling basis. I also am open to being signed as a model, I am currently freelance. I would love to be a part of creative and editorial photoshoots, as well as print. I would also love to collaborate with other filmmakers as a director, screenwriter, or stylist. I do have some experience in screenwriting and editing. My goal is to get more familiar with screenwriting and cinematography. I also would love to take on more acting roles. I have a few different acting projects that I’m working on at the moment that I’m excited about. I would also appreciate the chance to work as a dancer. One of my goals is to be featured in a music video or film as a dancer or choreographer. Collaborating with a filmmaker on dance would also be cool. I have the most experience in hip-hop but do have experience in jazz, African dance, ballroom, and salsa dance. My other goal is to attend more open mics since I write poetry and am an author. I published my first book at the age of thirteen. If I had the chance to talk to an editor, that would be great for getting back into my career as an author. The book I published is called “Bully Free Zone: how to stand up for Yourself”.
You can connect with me through Instagram and my email, @siriz_world_ and [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: https://saraimurdock.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siriz_world_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sirizworld
Image Credits
first pic designer: Darryl Darby, @100_days_of_couture @darryldarby, photographer: @rya.nova (Rya Angelou)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
