Dare to find radical empathy for the people around you - Murugiah

Murugiah returns to Daring Creativity for a conversation that feels like watching someone step fully into who they were always meant to be. A multidisciplinary artist trained in architecture, living and working in London, Murugiah has spent the years since his last appearance developing a deeply personal body of work — acrylic paintings that fuse his digital aesthetic with a new emotional rawness, rooted in his Sri Lankan heritage and shaped by a decade of intentional craft. ~ One email to the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration led, against all expectations, to an invitation to open the entire centre with his debut solo exhibition.This is a conversation about patience, pursuit and the quiet power of just doing the work — without waiting for permission, without chasing the outcome, and without needing the world to show up before you get started.Key takeaways:Creating your own opportunity is not a strategy — it's a mindset. One email sent from a place of genuine excitement changed the entire trajectory of Murugiah's careerEmotional heft takes time. The years spent developing a visual aesthetic were necessary before the personal, introspective work could emergeFollowing the fun keeps you present. When imposter syndrome strips you of the now, curiosity and play bring you backTactility is a response, not nostalgia. Moving into acrylic painting was a deliberate turn towards what AI cannot replicate — intuitive, human, physical decision-makingThe journey is the reward. The hours at the table, the meetings, the exchanges — those are what you carry. The response to the work is secondaryRadical empathy fuels introspection. Putting yourself in someone else's shoes — even a bus driver's — creates the internal awareness that feeds deeply personal workA debut doesn't need to come early to matter. Coming to it at 38, with a full life behind him, made Murugiah's show richer and more resonant than speed could ever have allowed Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinicdaringcreativity.com |  [email protected] by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFcFree audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobookBook bundles  https://novemberuniverse.co.ukLux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/  (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)