He’s an intellectual, there’s no doubt about it. Wise beyond his 19 years, contemplating the individuals around him with such delicacy and deep understanding, Piers Murphy at SUPA Models, possesses unique musings of his generational companions. With no personal social media and an appreciation of the quality of being alone, it almost feels as though Piers was maybe born into the wrong time… or is this the way all young boys will evolve and he is just ahead of the curve?
A writer constructing dystopian worlds and foreign landscapes, fictional characters within the mind dance about, all channelled into the paper beneath the nib of his pen. His drive in poignant, it means a lot, and it has become part of his makeup. Intriguing curiosities spark an excitement within him. Having dabbled in psychomagic and getting lost in psychedelic worlds, his creative mind goes far beyond your average teen. Time is invested in discoveries, getting caught up deep into the logistics and understandings of the way things are, and he speaks with such eloquence.
An abundance of revelations tumble out in his words, including pilrimages embarked upon through Spain, and that, after a childhood growing up in London and a short stint at a countryside boarding school where the birds wake you in the morning, a prospective future at Cambridge University studying French and Portuguese lays ahead for Piers. For now though, he'll enjoy his time off. No plans. No schedules. Can deal with that later.
How would you describe generation Z?
It’s difficult. I think most of the narrative of how it’s described is kind of controlled by older generations, and they kind of think of us as a bit more shallow than we are. There is an element of shallowness, but I also think there’s a deeper understanding of cross-platform living and a different way of life. I think with some time and a bit more maturity, it could be better than anything we’ve seen so far.
Where do you think this shallow misconception comes from?
The social media thing is definitely a big deal, I think a lot of people are quite scared of that in a way. It does have downsides and it’s not something I’m hugely interested in myself, but as a generational thing, it can have quite a lot of positives. I think there are some differences in attitudes between the generations - as far as emotions and stuff goes. I think we’ve got different priorities, especially in relationships and sex and things like that.
What sort of challenges do you think this generation faces?
Mostly questions of self-esteem - either too low or too high - that’s a big problem. If we can just figure out where we are and work from there, we could do a lot of great stuff.
What are the best things about growing up now?
I think there’s more equality of opportunity than there has been. I don’t think it’s a finished process yet, there’s still a long way to go, but it’s definitely better than it’s been in the past.
You’ve lived in London your whole life, what’s it like growing up here?
It’s nice. I went to boarding school for a bit during sixth form in the countryside and that was far out in the middle of nowhere. It was a really weird experience, because I’m usually very ‘inner-city’ and involved in that kind of stuff, but it was cool and much quieter. I actually woke up to the sounds of birds one time.
That’s actually a thing?
Yeah! I was like; ‘Jesus, I didn’t know this happened’. It's really nice to be able to go wherever you need to really quickly, and it’s a lot of freedom at the same time as being quite crushing. It can be lonely when you’re surrounded by a bunch of people, but I think overall it’s something I wouldn’t really change for anything.
You wouldn’t have wanted to have a different upbringing in the countryside? Have those birds from day one?
No, I don’t think so, I’m not that kind of person. It’s weird ‘cause when you’re in the countryside there’s a demand to be more sociable in a way, and I enjoy my own company as well as actually doing stuff.
Do you think those who have spent their whole lives in the countryside would have a bit of a culture shock coming somewhere like London? How do you think their lifestyles differ?
I was only there for two years, while most of the other people had been there since they were 11 or 13. It’s definitely weird for them, especially watching them come out of it and trying to get jobs in the city, but to be honest, they get the hang of it pretty quickly. It’s more of a cultural thing, it’s a different way of seeing interactions than the actual technical stuff of getting around and looking after yourself.
How come you decided to go to boarding school for sixth form?
I don’t really know. I just kind of needed a break; it was all getting a bit heavy. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go get some space and regroup. I don’t think I could have handled it for longer than I was there, but for the time that I was there it was really nice.
What sort of things are you passionate about?
I like to write in my free time. I’m going to be a writer after uni. I’m on a gap year at the moment, but after uni I’m going to put all my energy into that. I haven’t started yet… actually taking a double year off, pushing it as far into the future as possible until I eventually have to face it. But yeah, I love writing and expressing myself through that, and I get quite passionate about certain issues that I try to put into my work.
Image taken from Boys by Girls, shot by Cecilie Harris.
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