Josh Muir, Winner of a 2015 NATSIAA award (Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Award) is out there encouraging young Indigenous artists to enter this year's NATSIAA awards in the hope of discovering the next upcoming Indigenous artist.
Josh Muir, a Yorta Yorta/Gunditjmara man from Ballarat, was the recipient of the 2015 NATSIAA Telstra award in the youth category.
Wining this prestigious prize has transformed the young man's artistic career and outlook on life. He became a major commissioned artist; his work has been exhibited and features in prestigious galleries including MARS Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and the White Night Festival.
Living testimony that if you put your mind to something you can achieve it
As applications for the 2017 NATSIAA Telstra Awards opened we caught up with him to learn about the impact of winning the award in 2015 on his career and his life.
The young artist shared honestly his thoughts, his battles with depression and troubled youth. He says that he owes his recovery and overall success to his art along with the support of his family and friends.
About winning the NATSIAA award and the effect on his career Josh Muir says, "Its been one crazy journey since winning the prestigious award. I have been asked if I was prepared for what's to come. Me being me just assumed that it was just going to be fine. That's why am here to share a bit more about the journey. My whole life changed from winning that award I came home and had my first debut exhibition at Mars Gallery and that was a knock out. There were people there talking about the possibility of White Night in 2016. That was a very successful projection artwork onto the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria).
It took me to places I've never dreamed of. Now I live in Melbourne. I have just finished an artist in residency at the Victorian college of the arts for twelve months which was supported through the Helen McPherson trust.I was named the Hutchison fellow of the University of Melbourne. My whole life just changed pretty much overnight.
I just got the idea of what they were saying about 'are you ready?'. From this moment; looking at my year in retrospect.
With the NATTSIAA's the most important thing that I discovered is trust in myself."
Now Josh Muir is out there calling on other young Indigenous artists to follow in his footsteps and enter this year's NATSIAA Awards in the hope of discovering the next upcoming Indigenous artist.
He also took the opportunity to send a a message of hope and perseverance to young people in general, and First Nations youth in particular, to pursue their goals and dreams free from the fear of failing.