We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lola Murray . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lola below.

Lola , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

A risk I took was big and life changing for me. The back story off my life between 2017-2021 was a journey of anxiety and depression also finding my identity as a transgender woman. I was struggling mentally and physically within myself. I had to deal with pain and hurt from people in my life that didn’t really care about me. It took me to a place of darkness that I ended going towards a toxic relationship, drugs and becoming a drug addict. I know this story is  before my big risk. It is very emotional but it gave me the strength to learn from those lessons and mistakes. That’s when I took my big risk of a lifetime to make changes and find happiness for myself. Throughout all of that chaos of pain and darkness I was tired of what my life has became. I wasn’t happy with myself, and I ended up loosing hope. In 2018, I tried to gain confidence again within myself because of my depression and I decided to a project with a old high school friend who had a photography business. She gave me the confidence to do a shoot for her so I said yes to the project. I was 25 years old during that time. After doing the photography project I felt so powerful again. It was the day I decided to model and create artistic photography. I was struggling a lot with finding myself as well. During 2017 I made the decision to be Transgender. I went from being Edward Murray Jr. to bring Lola Faye Murray to life. When I did this photoshoot for my friend it was my first time I expressed myself as a trans woman’. It helped me love myself but also love who I am within my gender. I was still struggling mentally but I was getting by and I was still using drugs to down my emotions because of a man who was continued to make me feel like a bad person and crazy. I was fighting to do better but also getting stuck and it was the most horrible experience I could have ever imagined. I went through this for awhile. Also, during my struggles I ended up doing a second photoshoot out of my own pocket in January of 2019 because I wanted to find confidence again once more . I kept going even though I was I was at my lowest and I had no one to support me. Few months later I decided to sign up for college with University of Phoenix on December of 2019 because I want to get an education for myself because I had no type of degree and I tell you that I was still struggling mentally with my emotional issues and drugs at the time. I started school March of 2020 to get my Associates Degree in Business. At that time the Pandemic started and it was pretty crazy that I started around the time of the pandemic. I was studying and doing the best I could. I was still struggling with my problems but I was making good grades. I was still fighting with light and dark with myself, which was depression.

I knew that I had to do all of this on my own. I was always there for people my whole life which included my friends and family but when it came to me no one was there to pick me up. My biggest risk and life changing decision was to leave my home state of Texas and start my life all over somewhere else. I gave up drugs, I cut out people that wasn’t there for me, and I got out of the darkness on my own. It was very hard but I had strength and hope to make this change. On November 5, 2021 was the day I left to go to Los Angeles, California with only $300 and no place to live or work. I just left because my gut told me to. I had no fear just hope. I never been to  California ever, so it was a huge risk for me. I didn’t know anyone at all either. It was the best decision I ever made in my life to come to Los Angeles. November 7th, 2021 I graduated visually with my Associates Degree in Business a week later I started my Bachelor’s degree in Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology. I chosen to do this degree because of the struggles that I went through between 2017-2021 so I could help people emotionally. I wanted to show people how I got out of darkness because I know others been through what I did. When I got to LA I was staying at hostel for three weeks and I ended up getting a job and  a place with a man name Amir who took me in and gave me a free room just to help him out in his home. I took the offer because I had no where else to go. I had blessings within the three weeks I was in California. I will tell that it was faith and hope that got me through. I know Hod is  on my side and I was protected spiritually for sure. That’s the beginning of my new life being settled in California. The big risk gave me life again and hope, now I have to keep on with my journey. I worked hard to settle in and get myself to a place where I felt safe and secured. Once I did that I started to get back into my modeling which I began 1 year and 3 months later in February of  2022. I started to build my modeling portfolio and I worked so hard to learn about the modeling world here in Los Angeles. I started doing side jobs on Backstage. I was getting a lot done. I was in school at the time while doing all of this hard work. I was helping a guy who gave me a room, I was working, and I was pushing to find a talent agency. On July 11, 2023 I was signed and represented by Bounty LA. It took me 4 months of hard work to get to into the agency and I was so happy when they wanted me. Since then I been featured in two magazines with Fashion Republic Magazine and Swing Magazine, and a short film called “First Shot”. I have done auditions and many other jobs with photographers. I grown as a person and I gave up so much to get this happiness. The  risk was the best decision of a life time. Not only did I get signed but I also graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in October 2023. My life has been on a roller coaster but it taught me a lesson. No matter how much I tried to give up, I still pushed myself to do better. Since then I never touched drugs again and I haven’t had depression since I got here to LA. I struggled through drugs addict, mental health, and my identity but i health all of that as of today. My names is Lola Faye Murray and I am a transgender woman,  survivor, college graduate and a model. This is the story of the biggest risk I ever took for happiness.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As you know now my name is Lola Murray. I am 30 years old and from a small town called Taylor, Texas. November, 5 2023 will be two years I have been in Los Angeles, California. I started modeled as a craft and now that I am represented by a talent agency I have the inspiration to gain more confidence. I love modeling but I also love helping people emotionally within mental health. I am proud of my accomplishments because I went from nothing to something. I want others to hear my story so I can share positivity to the world. 

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal and mission in my creative journey is to love myself and share my story that can help people who is going through hard times in life and struggling with mental health and drug abuse. Modeling was the goal to gain confidence but it’s also a hobby because I love being behind the camera. That’s why I wanted to be signed to a agency so I could make money but love myself at the same time. My mission is to just be me and help people emotionally. This world needs happiness. 

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish there were resources about more transgender models. During the time I started my creative journey I didn’t think I would be able to be a model because of my gender. I am glad to be one of them or those models now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lolafayemurray.com
• Instagram: lolafaye_93
• Other: https://linktr.ee/LolaFayeMurray https://m.imdb.com/name/nm14929979/?ref_=tt_cl_i_10

Image Credits
Christopher Brown Samera Abdelbagi