Make Muse: Online Media Website Debuting Print Mag

WTF is Make Muse?!  Make Muse is an online news and media website and print publication where you can find the muse to make a change to gender-based societal standards. By voicing experiences and propelling action, we dish daily information and inspiration. 

We are dedicated to highlighting the vast and varied experiences of young women, girls, trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified and all of the cool things they do--on any scale. We’re a team of feminists, and if that word scares you, Make Muse might be the right place for you to explore what the f-word actually means through daily news, creative content, submitted work, and our coming print magazine.

We're passionate about being a community, providing a platform for you to share your own work, and sharing true stories about real people. Along with our regular contributors of writers, photographers, and artists, we invite you to submit your work for inclusion on the website and in future print publications.

*Introducing The Make Muse Magazine* Make Muse is about to be in your backpack, on your coffee table, and in your hands- not just online. We're celebrating the launch of our first print magazine this Fall. The magazine will expand on the themes Make Muse presents in its online form. We've designed this baby to be a keepsake, meaning it will be 132 pages of design, photography, and editorial pieces that look at feminine societal standards across our 10 sections. Designed to be a source of muse, we're curating and crafting something that every young woman will want her hands on. 

I Need Details! The Make Muse magazine will be a semi-annual endeavor. This means that our first issue will come out in November 2018 and our next issue is expected in May 2019. We're pouring our hearts into every issue- creating something for you to savor for six months. Ten pages of each issue will be devoted to each of the ten sections that we cover. They'll be filled with special pieces written strictly for the magazine, the best of our submitted work, poetry, photo series, and more. The other pages will be devoted to other fun and games!

But Wait- Isn't Print Dead?! We're more than a print magazine- we're a memento. Each issue is a piece of art, a diary of sorts, a source of inspiration. Our goal is to inspire you with the artistic muse to go out and make a change, specifically when it comes to feminine societal standards and existent gender roles. Just like the agenda that you carry with you every day, the notepad next to your desk filled with late-night hopes and dreams, or the worn paperback that you can't part with, we're fulfilling a need for a smart magazine for young women who know the value of offline content. 

How Are You Different Than Other Magazines Out There? Our mission is to tell the stories of individuals doing cool sh*t on any scale, rather than focusing on known-names or celebrities. We're covering a wide range of intelligent topics- body, fashion, career, education, government, activism, wellness, community, art, and entertainment. It's a mouthful- we know. However, the print edition is designed to include a variety of categories because young women are not solely interested in style or food or art. They care about the world, are worried about their futures, and want to have fun in the midst of our global chaos, too. On top of that, being a young woman, non-binary, or femme individual comes with unfair societal standards and expectations. This magazine is about challenging gender roles and encouraging its readers to be daring, action-oriented, and most importantly, who they are, despite whatever society says they should be like.

Who Creates Make Muse? Make Muse was founded by Maura Sheedy this past  International Women's Day- March 8, 2018. It all began 4 years ago, however, when she started @makeuplessmaura Instagram to document 365 without wearing makeup at age 16. After her makeup-free year, watching the 2016 political climate in action, and holding her first job in a corporate setting, she came to the conclusion that beauty standards are not the only expectations for females that need to change. She saw it in beauty, politics, workplaces, and so many more areas that she witnessed. Make Muse, an online news and media site and print publication is a continuation of Makeupless Maura and as well as a response to these experiences. She now works with a team of 15 (and growing!) who work to create and curate content. 

$$$ We want to make our print edition as accessible as we can to all. The magazine will be on sale for $16.50 per issue (plus shipping fees and taxes). It will be available for purchase on our website beginning this November. The Make Muse Team is also partnering with independent bookstores, magazine shops, boutiques, and other business that are interested in carrying Make Muse so you can find us IRL too. (Business owners who are interested in wholesaling- hit us up!) 

I Can't Wait Until November! We were hoping that you'd say that! In the meantime, browse our online content that's updated daily, submit your own work, sign up for our newsletter, and support our iFundWomen campaign. Every last penny will help ensure that the Make Muse magazine is a reality. 

What Are You Spending My Money On When I Donate? $3250: Printing the first 1,000 copies ||| $900: Office and design software including Squarespace, Gsuite, Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Mailchimp, Ship Station, and Cognito Forms ||| $700: Marketing ||| $300: Business ||| $250: Copyright package ||| $240: Shipping materials |||  $200: Photography ||| $660: Crowdfunding/Rewards

TYSM! If you engage with, share, or donate to our campaign, the entire Make Muse team thanks you from the bottom of our hearts! Large or small donation- we don't care. Even just $2 helps! We have an amazing array of rewards for donating- stickers, shoutouts, tote bags, magazine copies, subscriptions, advertising packages, and more- that we hope will serve as a token of our appreciation. Many thanks and much love from the entire team. <3