🌱Earth Day Inspiration🌿
by newsletter writer Jenna Duxbury
Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere. All around us, the plants are waking up, the birds & bees are getting busy, and the days are getting longer. Earth Day is on April 22nd! In honor of the season, here are some suggestions for connecting with nature and invigorating your own creative cycle:
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Spend time in nature. The Carolinas are home to so many diverse & beautiful biospheres: we’ve got majestic mountains, beaches, forests, and more. Pick one setting (or more!) and make a plan to spend some time there. Maybe take photos of cool things you see there or take notes in a journal. What insights, emotional connections, or experiences can you bring back with you from nature to incorporate into your art?
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Build an altar to nature with found objects. Maybe you find a cool stick on the ground, a fallen blossom, a forgotten marble, or a fistful of weeds from the garden. I have a growing collection of weird bones that I find in the woods behind my house. What patterns or surprising details do you notice about the objects you pick up? Is it possible for your art to exist in a state of simultaneous decay & growth, and how do you capture that?
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Clean up a corner of the earth that you do not own. Anytime you find green space in public, there is almost always at least one piece of trash lying there. Either by careless accident or deliberate buffoonery, we humans are messy. Cleaning the earth by getting rid of non-biodegradable crap that hurts wildlife is a net positive for everyone, and definitely contributes more beauty to the world. (Also, you should probably wear gloves and bring a trash bag.) Bonus points if you bring a friend so you both have an opportunity to do something good!
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Make a big salad. Seriously. Your body is nature, and giving your body what it needs is the purest essence of self-care. During times of stress, it’s easy to deprioritize nutrition and eating healthy meals. But, you gotta. Artists need healthy brains & bodies to function! Here are some suggestions for salad ingredients crowd-sourced from the Carolina Muse editorial team to jumpstart your inspiration and feed your creativity in the kitchen:
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from Jenna Duxbury (newsletter writer): garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, & candied walnuts
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from Misbah Chhotani (outreach coordinator): croutons, cherry tomatoes, & when they’re in season, pomegranate seeds
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from Amanda Conover (poetry editor): I hate salads lmao but if i eat them then tofu, nutritional yeast, shredded carrots, & black beans.
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from Jacob Shores (music editor:) My favorite salad is an elote salad with corn, garlic and scallions, & cotija cheese, but it’s almost closer to a dip than a salad. For a more traditional salad, a spinach salad, with boiled egg, pomegranate arils (shout out Misbah), bell pepper, croutons, & a honey sesame dressing.
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from Madison Foster (editor-in-chief): pickled red onions, strawberries, & walnuts! I also love a pasta salad.
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from Aidan Melinson (stories editor): I’m a big chickpeas and (maybe controversially) anchovies fan. I also love a crouton, pomegranate & poppy seed, and cracked black pepper.
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from Rush Johnston (dance editor): apple, craisins, goat cheese, Parmesan crisps, black beans, & balsamic mushrooms
Muse: A Carolina Creatives Juried Art Competition
Visual artists, you still have time to submit pieces for consideration in our first ever juried art competition! April 28th, 2025 is the last day to send us up to 3 finished works. Selected works will be available for sale and featured in a gallery showing at The Artistry Gallery in Greenville, SC from June through July. Please view all the details on our Duosuma submission page and contact us at carolinamuse.arts@gmail.com if you have any questions about eligibility.
Open for magazine submissions February 1st-April 15th
We are accepting submissions for Carolina Muse IV.II from February 1st through April 15th, 2025. Send us your poetry, short stories, paintings, photography, dance pieces, original music, or mixed media! See details on our submissions page.
V.I. is available now!
The latest issue of Carolina Muse is available to read for free in digital form on the homepage of our website. You'll be able to purchase limited copies at our upcoming events this year! Stay tuned to our social media for more information.
Check out all previous issues on our archive page here.
🌷Carolina Arts Events in April
West Columbia, Florence, and Greenville, SC - Plant & Flower Festivals
Wilmington, NC - Azalea Festival - April 2nd-6th
Columbia, SC - Tartan Day Highland Games & Celtic Festival - April 3rd-6th
Charlotte, NC - Charlotte SHOUT! - April 4th-20th
Raleigh, NC - Dreamville Music Festival - April 5th-6th
Winston-Salem, NC - RiverRun International Film Festival - April 11th-19th
Florence, SC - Arts International Festival at Francis Marion University - April 12th
Asheville, NC - Blue Ridge Pride Open Mic Night - April 17th
Charleston, SC - Charleston Jazz Festival - April 21st-29th
Lake City, SC - ArtFields Competition & Festival - April 25th - May 3rd
Do you know of a fantastic arts event happening soon in your area? 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.
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