A former Chicagolander,
Eileen (Mish) Murphy lives with her husband and three dogs 30 miles
from Tampa, Florida. She received her Masters degree from Columbia College,
Chicago. She teaches literature/English at Polk State College in Lakeland and
has recently published poetry in Tinderbox (nominated for
Pushcart Prize), Rogue Agent, Thirteen Myna Birds, The Open Mouse, Writing In A
Woman’s Voice, and a number of other journals. She is a staff writer
for Los Angeles-based Cultural Weekly magazine. She also does
book reviews and photography. Her website is mishmurphy.com.
Since I don’t know too much about you and
part of the mission of WritersnreadersII is to introduce artists and writers to
other artists and writers, can you tell us a little about the different
creative hats you wear. Do you use or prefer the label of artist? How do you
define yourself as an artist?
I am a poet, a
full-time tenured professor of English composition and literature at Polk State
College, Lakeland, Florida, a non-fiction writer of book reviews, staff writer
for the L.A.-based Cultural Weekly, and a visual artist.
During the
college school year, a lot of my energy is focused on my students at Polk State
College in Lakeland, where I’m also adviser to the Creative Writing Club, which
I founded five years ago. My vision has been to improve writing and literary
awareness on campus. But I wouldn’t be the teacher I am if I wasn’t at heart a
writer and visual artist, my passion for which spills out in everything I do in
the classroom.
I pursue my
writing and visual arts in my “leisure time” ( I do get time off in the
summer). My poetry has been widely published, and I’ve completed a first
collection of poetry, The Knife Tree,
for which I’m currently pursuing publication. I’ve been a poet for as long as I
can remember—in my heart, I’m a poet.
In recent years,
I became interested in doing reviews of poetry books as a way of improving my
understanding of poetry. The non-fiction articles I write for Cultural Weekly improve my overall
writing and keep me on my toes.
I have always
used my photo/visual art as a kind of no-pressure relaxation activity. In the
last year or so, I developed a different, unique style. My photos are now on
show in a gallery in Tampa. The prints are for sale at the gallery and through
my website.
What sorts of materials do you use and
are you drawn to using and why? What are your subjects?
In my poetry, I
like writing about Florida; I also write about girlhood, and the deaths of a
brother and grandmother, both of whom were important to me. Sometimes I feel
compelled to write about war or global warming or some issue that’s on my mind.
I occasionally write sonnets, haiku, or prose poems, although I usually write
free verse. I compose poetry on a computer.
Each poetry book
I review is a new adventure. I use a pen and notebook to write out notes about
every page, every poem. To date, the articles I’ve written as a staff writer
for Cultural Weekly have all had a tie to Florida, but I know that won’t always
be the case. I interview people with my pen and notebook, but also record at times,
using my cellphone’s recorder, which I recommend. (Samsung).
My subjects as a
visual artist might be considered unusual. I did a project where I photographed
the geckos that live around our front porch—their technical name is anoles.
They’re lizards that look like dinosaurs close up, but are gentle, shy, eat
insects and don’t bite. I use Photoshop and other computer programs to get a
final psychedelic image of these geckos I n tropical colors and to transform
them in various ways. They represent my current photo art obsession, which I am
naming, “Gecko Art.”
When did you first discover you were an
artist? What form did that discovery take?—did someone label you an artist? Did
you receive praise that hit home? Win a contest? Feel a sense of accomplishment
at executing a particular work?
I knew I wanted
to be a writer after I graduated from college, but my parents wanted me to go
to law school. I graduated from law school convinced that it had been a wrong
move, but determined to give it a chance. However, things didn’t work out—I
hated being a lawyer. It was then I decided to go back to grad school and get
my masters in creative writing. I did it at night and paid for it myself. I was
fortunate to be able to attend Columbia College in downtown Chicago, not far
from where I worked. Making the decision to go to grad school in creative
writing, and then the faculty and program at Columbia College, first made me
feel like a real writer.
I never
considered myself a professional visual artist until I was validated by
strangers. On a plane trip I took this spring to Denver, I met a couple of
artists from Tampa who said they owned some art galleries. I showed them my
“Gecko Art,” on my cell phone, and they said they were impressed and would be
in touch. What were the chances this was legit? But it was, and now my “Gecko
Art” is hanging at a respectable gallery in Tampa. The reception was last
Saturday and everything worked out. Although this wasn’t my first gallery show,
it was professionally done and the first where I believe someone might buy
something. Now I feel like an artist.
What kinds of obstacles have you
encountered in your creative/artistic life and how have you met them?
My family did
not support my becoming a writer or artist, so I can’t tell you how much
self-doubt I’ve had to overcome on that account. To give them credit, my
parents were concerned that I be able to earn a living and thought “writer” or
“artist” was another name for “poor person.” At the time I graduated from
college, I remember there was a nationwide low in hiring of English teachers,
which put that career on the “no go” list. I kept writing things like poetry
and short stories, while doing as my parents wanted. Eventually, however, my
non-interest in a legal career got the better of me and I changed to the
teaching of writing and went to grad school in creative writing, which improved
my life.
My main obstacle
in becoming a visual artist was myself. I had my mind made up that I couldn’t
master the crazy intricacies of professional cameras- f-stops, film speeds and so forth. Two summers ago, at Polk State
College, I managed to complete my first professional photography class with a
grade of A. Before that, I’d been enrolled in a number of photography classes
both in Florida and in Illinois that I dropped out of, sorry to say. However,
it was in the 90s that Calyx Journal published one of my photos, giving me
encouragement to continue. I didn’t really need it—I was doing it for the joy
of doing it. I eventually learned the technical stuff. I wish I hadn’t been so
negative about that!
What are your feelings and thoughts
regarding success as a professional—opportunities to show at galleries and
museums, sales, etcetera. How would you gauge your own success? What advice, if
any, would you impart to a young, aspiring artist?
I’m in this
writing thing for the long haul. Are you also ready? There’s a few things I’ve
learned.
I believe in
NatPoMo group projects and other writing with a group or with a partner.
Collaboration is a joy. I believe in Peer Review. I believe in cross-training:
fiction writers writing poetry, poets writing fiction, poets and fiction
writers writing articles, poets writing memoir. We should all try to write
haiku, for example, anything and everything to keep the writing juices flowing.
I believe in experimentation.
I believe in
helping other writers and in having writer friends. Having writer friends makes
the writing life so much easier. Gather your writer friends like security
blankets, like family, like a last drop of water.
Every writer
should have another creative outlet that’s low-stress. Im fine that some of my
photo art is now deemed practically commercial. But I’ve done photography all
of my life and I refuse to stress over it. In fact, I use it to relive stress.
That’s not going to change.
They say success
is 10-percent inspiration and 90-percent perspiration, and I believe that’s
true. I believe in old-fashioned work and stick-to-it-ive-ness to meet my
goals. But you should write what makes you happy and do art that gives you oy.
That way, if you’re not a popular success, you’ll be a success within yourself.
Do it for yourself first, and then for other people.
I believe that
if you’re just breaking into the writing field, be on the lookout for
opportunities. I met some artists on a plane and my artwork took a new
direction. It might still have happened sooner or later; it happened sooner.
But if you’re young or new to the writing biz, it’s important that you
recognize a lucky break for what it is and pounce on it when it occurs.
Get prepared.
Attend conferences, network with other writers, take classes, peer review your
work, join writers’ groups. Of course, submit your work. If you keep your eyes
and ears open, you won’t believe the opportunities! Get read to soar.
EILEEN MURPHY
