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Behind the Scenes of Carolina Muse Lit Mag

by newsletter writer Jenna Duxbury

Carolina Muse turns 4 years old this month! 🎂 In honor of our very merry anniversary, here are 4 cool facts about our magazine:

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  • Carolina Muse is run entirely by volunteers! Every person on the editorial team contributes to the operations of this magazine because we are passionate about amplifying the voices of creatives in the Carolinas and beyond. We pretty much do this for fun.

  • We publish pieces from a diverse range of mediums including photography, painting, music, dance, poetry, short stories, sculpture, and mixed media. This broad inclusivity of so many artistic fields makes us a standout publication with potential to amplify many different voices.

  • Carolina Muse welcomes submissions from artists of all ages, anywhere in the world. You don’t necessarily need a connection to the Carolinas to be featured in our magazine!

  • Every spring, we host an annual in-person event called Arts Jam. It’s a celebration of the arts and the artists who make up our community! We’ll be in North Carolina next year, so mark your calendar now. 📆

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Thank you for being part of the Carolina Muse community! We couldn’t do it without you.

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Piece-Pairing for IV.III

 

Ever wondered what it’s like on the other side of the editorial process? This month, our editorial team has been hard at work reviewing your submissions and planning the content for Carolina Muse Volume IV, Issue III.

 

Part of that process involves a piece-pairing meeting with the whole team, where we look at all the amazing work that has been accepted for publication and decide which pieces to "pair" on facing pages or sequential spreads in the magazine.

 

Carolina Muse doesn’t have themed submission periods, but we often find that  connections can be drawn between submissions, whether it be their subjects, themes, or symbols. We love to weave similar pieces together, not only to help the magazine flow but also to provide a juxtaposition of how different art forms approach similar subjects.

 

Check out this example from IV.II:

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Creative Prompts Based on the Practice of Piece-Pairing

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  • Consider your own body of creative work. Which pieces do you think “go together” that perhaps contain recurring or opposing themes?

  • Sometimes books (especially children’s books) contain illustrations of important or memorable scenes from the story. Think about your favorite novel or book of poetry. If you were charged with producing or commissioning art pieces to accompany the story, which scenes would be enhanced by including a visual?

  • An old-school example of piece-pairing in another medium is the CD booklets that used to be included in physical CD cases back in the day. Oftentimes, the booklets included lyrics & photos of the artist(s). If you (or your parents) have any of these lying around, crack a few open and observe how the booklets are designed to complement the music on the album.

  • Choose one of the images linked below as a starting point of inspiration for a creative exercise. Spend just 20-30 minutes sketching, dancing, improvising, free-associating, or drafting a piece that could be paired with the image. Notice what elements catch your eye and ignite a spark of curiosity.

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Everything is Everything by Clarence Heyward

The Guardian by Earlie Hudnall, Jr.

Join Hands by Tseng Yu-ho

The Singer Farinelli and Friends by Jacopo Amigoni

Showtime Pearl by Jisbar

A bunch of dirty dishes sitting on top of a table by Olimpia Davies

Headrest by an unknown Egyptian artist

Get Ready to Vote! 🗳️

 

Carolina Muse is proud to lift up the voices of young creators in the Carolinas. We know that our voices are powerful. Many of us create art as an act of resistance: to our day jobs, to capitalism, to racism, to anti-queer attitudes, to patriarchy, to depression, to feelings of powerlessness.

 

It’s natural to feel disillusioned by our current political climate. But it’s more important than ever to use your courageous & powerful voice to vote in the General Election this November. Here are some practical steps you can take now to make sure your voice is heard loud & clear:

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  • Check your voter registration status. Even if you think you’re already registered to vote, check again and make sure your information is up to date.

    • If you live in North Carolina, use the Voter Search tool on the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. The database will also show your voting location for in-person voting.

    • If you live in South Carolina, go to the South Carolina Election Commission website and click on Check My Voter Registration to search.

    • If you live in another state, Google “check voter registration Texas” (or wherever) to figure out where to go. It’s super easy!

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  • Make a plan for how you will vote. There are several options to consider:

    • Will you vote in-person at your local voting station on Tuesday, November 5th?

    • Will you do early in-person voting during the early voting period? (That’s October 21 - November 2 for South Carolina; October 17 - November 2 for North Carolina.)

    • Will you request an absentee ballot to vote by mail? (Before you do, check the eligibility requirements & verification process for absentee ballots, as they vary greatly by state. For example, in North Carolina, you need two witnesses or a notary public to sign your ballot, and you have to mail a photocopy of a photo ID such as a driver’s license.)

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  • Encourage your friends to vote! Voting is sexy. Being politically informed & engaged is cool. If you decide to vote in person, maybe you can ask a friend to go with you and have a lil civic duty celebration brunch afterward. (OK, maybe this is cheesy, but this is what I, Jenna, am going to do with my voting buddy when we vote early in-person in October!)

📚 Arts Events in September​​

 

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Do you know of a fantastic arts event happening in the Carolinas in June? Tag us on social media

and let us know so we can help spread the word!

As always, we appreciate your feedback and are receptive to your thoughts & ideas. Please email us or DM us on social media to share.

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  • View the online version of our most recent issue.

  • Purchase a print copy of our latest issue or an Arts Jam t-shirt! This is how you can best support our magazine at this time 🤗

  • Apply for one of our open positions (we're in search of an ads manager).

Welcome to Our Monthly Musings

Thank you for subscribing! Your support means the world, and we hope you'll stick around for some monthly musings from our team.

 

Here's the lowdown: We have creative arts advice for all artistic mediums, local Carolina arts events, and creative inspiration from our talented team. See you next month!

WRITTEN BY

Jenna Duxbury

EDITED BY

Madison Foster

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