Greyson Murphy finds his focus

BY LINDSEY HUGHES

Art Director

Greyson Murphy is a soon to be Tarleton State University graduate whose college journey had many unexpected twists and turns.

Murphy came to Tarleton as an animal science major. He knew from the very beginning that he wanted to do something with livestock or wildlife – anything that would allow him to work with animals in some capacity.

He quickly realized, though, that his original plan to raise show animals wasn’t benefited from his classes or the content he was learning. Soon after, he made the decision to switch his major for the first time, choosing agricultural education and starting down the teaching path.

Within his time as an agricultural education major, he was able to get involved in collegiate FFA, where he thrived. During one of his semesters, he took the Pursuit of Purple class with Dr. Chandra Andrew. Being on the fence about teaching still, he decided to switch to agricultural communications, which ended up being a decision that majorly changed the trajectory of his college career.

Murphy immensely enjoyed the classes within his new major, especially the media related ones. After taking one photography class, he realized that this was a real passion of his.

“I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors, so when I took the photography class I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll give this a whirl,’ and I rented a big lens and went to shoot some exotics… I enjoyed it, and I kinda got good at it at some point. Everything just fell into place,” Murphy said.

He was at a point in college that many students hit; he was plateauing and wasn’t at all sure what he wanted to do with his life after he graduated. He knew photography was a passion but wasn’t sure how to create a career out of that passion.

A lot of college students struggle with this same issue – knowing that you love to do something, but wondering if it’s something that could become more than a hobby. Murphy was lucky to have friends in his circle that directed him to a connection that would soon provide many more opportunities.

This is where he had to take a chance, one that a lot of students are often too scared to take. He found their Instagram and reached out, in hopes of being recognized and possibly getting an internship. Luckily for Murphy, he got a resounding yes, learning that it never hurts to put yourself out there and try for what you want; the worst someone can say is no.

The internship at Droptine Studios was the beginning of a career for him. Filming content and media for hunting ranches and exotic facilities fulfilled not only Murphy’s love for livestock, but his love for wildlife and media as well. Murphy plans to continue to work with Droptine after graduation.

All happy endings have a journey behind them, though, and Murphy had his fair share of ups and downs throughout college, as many students do. The phase of not taking classes seriously was a setback for him at first.

“I got setback a little bit with a class freshman year. I ended up taking the class four times. I was in a phase of partying too hard and not putting all of my effort into the class. Learning how to adult was the biggest thing for me,” Murphy said.

A lot of college students fall prey to the partying, low effort, high energy lifestyle that being at a university presents. Being out of high school and away from family, friends and familiarity is hard, and many people use it as an escape from reality and responsibility.

However, Murphy was able to recognize this and reroute his path before he veered too far off of it, and, through hard work, is now able to say that he has a secure future, doing something that he truly loves. A lot of this was also thanks to being a part of so many different organizations and experiences throughout his college career.

Some of Murphy’s favorite memories from the past four years were being on the livestock judging team during his freshman year and being a part of the CONAR Ambassadors, which he was a member of for three years, where they went to schools recruiting for Tarleton.

“Going to schools and advocating for a school and an industry that I truly believe in was always really fun,” Murphy said.

He was also recently involved with National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT), a group that he wished he could have joined sooner, rather than during his last semester. Through ACT he was able to go to Arkansas for the Agricultural Media Summit, where he won the photography contest, once again solidifying the fact that not only was photography his passion, it was also his talent.

Murphy was also lucky to have a great support system through all of the ups and downs that college and career readiness had to offer him. In his creative journey, as well as in school, his family and friends have been endlessly supportive.

“My parents have been really great about supporting whatever I’ve wanted to do. I’ve also found a really good group of friends in college. I found such a great group that was always wanting to help you accomplish the things you wanted to do,” Murphy said.

This support system kept him going during the hard times and pushed him toward achieving his goals without ever making him feel like he was behind for not always knowing exactly what he wanted in life.

This support from the people around him also allowed him to be able to focus on shooting media not just for work, but also for himself. He began to branch out from wildlife and shoot people as well, even doing some graduation shoots.

One of the seniors that Murphy did a graduation shoot for was Emma Hockett, a fellow agricultural communications major who chose him because of his ability to work with natural light and the uniformity within his photos.

“He has a look that is unique and consistent. I knew he’d deliver photos that matched the vibe I wanted,” Hockett said.

Hockett knew Murphy before working with him and knew that he would provide a fun, lighthearted energy during the shoot. Knowing that you can trust the photographer you are working with is imperative to a relaxed, fun-filled session, and Hockett knew that he was more than trustworthy.

“He was game for anything and really brought my vision to life… I can tell him what I need and give him base examples and know that I will be happy with the product every time,” Hockett said.

Another friend and fellow classmate of Murphy’s, Ashlyn Summers, has also had the privilege of working with him, but in a different capacity. Summers and Murphy had grown up in the pig show industry and had crossed paths before, but they became better friends during their time at Tarleton.

Working on Pursuit of Purple together was an experience that was far from easy, but by nature brought all of the students closer together. It is a stressful experience, however a lot of learning and growing happens every year for the students who are putting it on.

“Greyson always saw the situations for what they were, whether good or stressful, and made the best of it with a good attitude,” Summers said.

One thing that Summers learned very quickly from working with and being in class with Murphy was that no matter the situation, he always works his hardest to gain knowledge, skills and connections.

“He is always wanting to get better each day, not just as a person but in a skills aspect… the amount of information and knowledge he has obtained from professionals and has actually applied is commendable,” Summers said.

This also speaks to the importance of always asking, and always going for what you want.