Meet Ryan Murray | Owner, Designer and Fabricator Six Seven Studios

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Murray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Before having a child I worked everyday from the time I woke to dinner. I even had a hard time doing this like brunch on the weekend because that was valuable day light time to work. Now, that I have a daughter I am still out the door before 5 am but I make an effort to be there when she is home from school and spend loads of my time with her on the weekends. She enjoys coming to the shop and checking out all the tools and things I’m working on. In particular, she loves driving the fork lift around. Balance is definitely a challenge when you have your own business and especially when you love what you do. I have had times when I have to work long hours, my wife will bring my daughter and dinner to the shop and we can be together for a bit and show them what I am working on. Finding ways to include my love ones in my projects has helped me keep engaged with both parts of my life. I guess the thing is if your work and personal life merge balancing them is not as much of an issue.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My background is that of an artist. I made sculptures, now I make sculptures for a living. My masters degree is actually in furniture design from RISD. The projects that are most exciting to me are the ones that present new challenges like new materials and new ideas such as video or movement. I think what is challenging in my work is also exciting. I am alway learning new softwares and testing new materials. I do not believe it has been easy to get where I am, however I am resilient and thrive at the chance to solve another problem. When I started this business I was working on my backyard patio in July, which means 120 degrees with a one week old baby inside making an eight foot tall fiberglass football. That was a difficult time, but I was determined. The challenges then are different than the ones now. I think having a strong family has helped push me through but also not being afraid to try something new.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Most likely I would take him camping! But if we stuck around phoenix, we would go to Phoenix Rock Gym, or visit friends at Eleven10 Moto Garage or grab some food at either Maria’s Frybread or the Parlor.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It is hard for me to pin point one but my parents Randy and Theresa Murray stand out. They are creatives and professionals. The business they have built together is a great example of what success looks like for me. They supported the ideas for example, that the building of a giant popsicle is not only a job but seeing it through into a career. They are devoted parents and remarkable mentors.

Website: https://www.sixsevenstudio.com

Instagram: @sixsevenstudios

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-murray-3b9649203/