To be completely honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first applied to be a part of the MUSE Online Contributor team during my first year at Queen’s; and I mean this in the best way possible.I have always been completely in love with storytelling. I think this is because stories can belong to anyone, told from different perspectives, and when told, they have the power to change people’s worldview, days, and lives. When I was little, I narrated everything I did in my head, making for a very spacey seven-year-old protagonist in a rather boring story. I wrote poems and novels that never got past the third chapter before I could even spell (I have journals from kindergarten filled with stories that sadly neither I nor anyone else will ever be able to read). Through fashion, I got to express my mood each day, got to confuse my brothers with the wacky outfits I put together, and I got to own and be myself; tell my story. However, in truth,  as I got older, I lost confidence in my imaginative storytelling self. I can’t pinpoint exactly where it comes from, but sometimes, it just feels easier to blend in and shut up to be taken seriously and respected.So when I first heard about MUSE, I was hesitant to apply. Not because it didn’t sound like my kind of community, quite the opposite in fact, but because I didn’t think I had much to say that was significant or serious enough to impact people in the way I had always wanted to. So as I said above, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.I was completely blown away by the welcoming and purely kind energy in my first team meeting and every MUSE get-together I have attended since. I will never cease to be amazed at the dedication, passion, and kindness that defines all nineteen members of the online team. We are the voices behind the articles you can find proudly advertised for on our Instagram seven days a week and read in full on our website. The online team is made up of unapologetic, creative, forthright, and respectable individuals, a combination of words that before MUSE, I did not think could exist. MUSE honours diversity, creativity, and, more than anything, owning and expressing oneself.We are moving into a new season of fashion, politics, social movements, and so much more. Rest assured that the MUSE Online Contributor team will be here to document it all. Stay passionate, proud, informed, and open to perspective by keeping up with the work of our team this coming year. We are so excited to share what we have in store!Yours Creatively,Margot Dent, Online Contributor 

FAMILIAR MUSE FACES

MARGOT DENT (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is reading and Pinterest."

EMILY HARGRAVE (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is the great outdoors!"

RACHEL DUNN (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is my mom :)"

MEGAN TESCH (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muses are all of my beautiful friends."

FIONA MEESON (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is all the interesting people I see on the bus."

MAKAILA ATSONGLO (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is my mom. She pushes me to see the best in myself and to see the best in the world. The new perspective she gives me in every situation pushes me to be creative, imaginative, and try new things."

ILA LINDSAY (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is nature, my friends, and good books!"

JOANNA PETROPOULOS (she/her)

Online Contributor and MUSE'ings Editor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is all the seemingly mundane moments that make life so special."

CAITLIN PARKES (she/her)

Online Contributor, Second Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is being outside of my comfort zone, that's where I find most of my inspiration."

MUSE NEWCOMERS

BELLA CRYSLER (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is my friends and family."

SIERRA JONES-MCLEOD (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is my culture, inner thought, and imagination."

LIZ GONZALEZ (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is the random, late night conversations I have with friends and family. Those always make me think about life in new ways."

VICTORIA NOON (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is my beautiful mother."

JULIA HARMSWORTH (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is a good walk."

SADIE LEVINE (she/her)

Online Illustrator, First Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is other artists! I'm lucky enough to know so many incredible artists personally, and I also use Instagram as a tool for discovering artists I may not have found otherwise."

SADIE MCFADDEN (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is self-growth and the fight for equity."

LAKSHMI ANANDARAJ (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is a captivating story and some good music."

TALIA BELL (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine 

"My muse is a good playlist."

KRIS SANCHEZ (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is good art."

ÉLYSE WILLIAN (she/her)

Online Contributor, First Year with MUSE Magazine

"My muse is time. Time is something none of us can avoid, and fighting against it is as futile as it is meaningful. We are constantly looking fondly at the past and excitedly at the future, but the present is always combining every moment we've had despite our disengagement with it. I try to incorporate my past lessons, future desires, and present feelings into my work. Sorry if that comes off a little spiralling-existential-crisis-y! Life is short, and the fear of time is a powerful force we can all harness for good."

 

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