Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Williams Murphy.
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit ever since childhood. Some of my fondest memories as a child included writing, choreographing and producing plays and musicals for my three-year-old sister and I (age 7) to perform after dinner for my parents. My mother was a principal soloist for the Houston Ballet and my father a business owner, so I grew up watching both of my parents create and lead. My father helped me open my first checking account at age 12 and gave me my first planner, stating that successful people always have some kind of plan. I think that’s when I first got a taste of what it meant to have a “vision.” I accredit their guidance plus constant love and encouragement for my desire to dive into a “creative-entrepreneurship” life path. I ultimately chose the writing and education industry and my sister the music industry.
I started my first LLC at age 25 right after finishing grad school. The first children’s book I wrote and published was inspired by a story I wrote in the 3rd grade. Little did I know that story about my childhood pet iguana would launch my career in my twenties and literally allow me to travel the world to write the next eleven books and publish many other children’s authors as well.
I studied psychology and counseling in school, and my master’s thesis was on Adlerian Psychology because of its emphasis on childhood. I was always fascinated by the role childhood plays on who you become later in life. I started my nonprofit organization, iWRITE, after one of my first school book tours. The first year I toured, I spoke at nearly 50 schools across Texas. I continued to hear students ask the question, “Can kids be authors too?” I had already started a small publishing company called LongTale Publishing back when self-publishing barely existed like it does today. I had the resources to publish kids, so I launched the first “I Write Short Stories by Kids for Kids” Publishing Contest in 2009.
I will never forget what it felt like to hold my very first book for the first time. It changes you. I wanted kids to experience that same feeling at an early age to increase their own positive self-esteem all the way into adulthood. I was raised to believe I could do anything. I wish more kids in the world could live their lives with that same innocent confidence.
Over the years I witnessed many changes in education in a short amount of time. I found myself speaking at conferences, educator trainings and television stations often on topics from balancing technology to creative learning. Today we still don’t own an iPad in our home because we have young sons and don’t want them to become reliant on a handheld device for entertainment (or learning for that matter). We want them to come up with ideas on their own while their brains are developing at such a rapid rate.
Now fast forward, iWRITE is on its thirteenth year of publishing kids and providing creative writing programs to students. I just recently had the privilege of bringing educational opportunities through literacy/writing over to my new role at The Bryan Museum where I have been the Executive Director for the last year. It has been exciting to merge literacy with Texas history. I love being able to work with a team at the museum who have a passion to make sure that these foundational subjects do not go unnoticed as it would be a detriment to our society. Bringing literacy, creativity, and opportunities into the history realm so that young people relate while remaining curious and aware of our shared experiences parallel with my own internal mission to make sure we all do our part to influence the next generation in a positive way.
Now that I am a wife and mother with kids of my own, my greatest accomplishments will hopefully be in the future, with the help of my husband, to encourage our boys to explore, be curious and love to learn for a lifetime.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My biggest struggle right now is balance. There are weeks were I have to remember to catch my breath. There is always this nagging pressure to do it all, and I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that you will never please everyone. There will always be someone who you disappoint.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Bryan Museum?
My recent role as Executive Director of The Bryan Museum has allowed me to embrace the rich history of the great state of Texas … where I have lived my entire life … and bring literacy initiatives over to our educational mission. The Bryan Museum truly brings history to life through one of the world’s largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. The museum was founded in 2015 by JP Bryan, a descendant of Stephen F. Austin, and located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home.
The museum provides history and literacy programming for all ages in a way that is fun and relatable. Being able to teach the stories behind a Texas hero or artifact or piece of art through hands on experiences resonates well with kids. Getting to hold an artifact that was used in a battle over a hundred years ago, sit in a saddle, or read a journal from an explorer who landed on Galveston Island in the 1500’s is truly memorable. We believe learning happens best when you don’t realize you are learning … for all ages. At the museum, kids get to be adventurers in a state that has wild and fascinating stories to tell. We want to increase the next generation’s appreciation for and an understanding of our shared, diverse history and how it influences our world today.
I love being able to bring my experiences from iWRITE over to the museum. Our most exciting shared project to date has allowed us to take iWRITE’s annual publishing contest to a whole new level. In 2022 we are working to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Published Book in the World (7 ft. tall) and give 1,000 students the opportunity to be published authors and illustrators. The book will be called I Am Texas, and the contest will give young people the opportunity to share their Texas story through fiction, nonfiction, poetry or artwork. Regardless if a student’s family has lived in Texas for generations or they want to research the history of Texas and share their own perspective, we want students to be excited to get involved in this opportunity. iamtx.org
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The I Am Texas Book will be released on November 5th, 2022 and permanently displayed at The Bryan Museum.
Contact Info:
- Email: melissa@thebryanmuseum.org
- Website: www.thebryanmuseum.org
- Instagram: thebryanmuseum
- Facebook: iWRITELit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiKDkJqDtRCrXU60oOmLmIQ
Image Credits
Wardah Ajaz
Emily Jaschke
