Community is what gave birth to the original Mortal Muses blog in 2010 – many of us had been exploring our creative juices in online photography classes such as the Picture Spring/Picture Summer/Picture Fall/Picture Winter classes taught by Tracey Clark at Big Picture Classes.  We built our sense of fellowship on our blogs and on Flickr – encouraging and cheering one another on as we tried new ways of telling visual stories, and sharing the fun of shooting weekly prompts and trying new things.

Here on Mortal Muses, brought together by Tammy Lee Bradley, nine of us blogged on weekly themes, sharing the amazing talent we were finding on Flickr.  From my first post to my last, when I passed the baton on to Holly, I felt so grateful to be part of an amazing collective of women (and a few men!) who were sharing their work here.  And my pride in the women who re-created the site and continued that work of building and maintaining this amazing community is still going strong.

This isn’t an ending, I look on it as a new beginning – a fresh start and a bringer of oxygen into our lives.

As a final nod to where we began, some of the alumni have paid tribute to our humble beginnings with a bench shot while others have shared a favorite image one last time.  

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The Mortal Muses pushed me out of the cozy nest of my comfort zone so I could spread my wings and saw me through one of my greatest periods of photographic growth, complete with growing pains, and the balm to soothe them. I am at a place now where I feel at home with where I am in my photography, at peace with my process and progress. I would imagine it has been a place to help you all find a home, too.  Here’s to a wonderful group of amazing women photographers, to an even more awesome group of inspiring followers, and to new journeys for all. – Cara Farnell

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Photography is way to tell others how you feel about what you see. Don’t be afraid to share yourself honestly and openly.  You’ll be surprised how many people respond to your work. Until we meet again! – Lindsey Garrett

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Being part of Mortal Muses helped me begin to trust my photographic instincts and know I was on the right path artistically. I thank my fellow muses for all their encouragement and friendship. – Lucy Loomis

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I am so happy I could be part of the original mortal muses, I am so sad to see it go but I love all the friends I have made and seeing the beauty you have all created.  Here are my current muses 🙂  xoxo April . – April MacArthur Newman

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Feeling as though Mortal Muses is a child who has graduated and is now going on to the next chapter, a little sad, but proud and happy and excited to see what comes next.Maureen Nichols

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The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest

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And finally, here’s my bench shot, on the old blue chair in my garden that hosted many feet and bench shots over the years.

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And appropriately, a shot of that chair breathing its last after I fell ass over tea kettle when it refused to hold my weight any longer.  On to new beginnings!

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Cheers,
 Kim Thompson-Steel (mosey)