These mystical photos were taken by New York-based actress, model, and director Syrie Moskowitz and artist Eden Tijerina. The subjects include Syrie, Eden, and a couple photos of musician, Chrystabell, enjoying the moss-covered trees.
“In March of 2020, some of my dearest girlfriends and I packed our suitcases full of woolen tartan and camera film to set off on a unique journey. Our destination was a haunted, medieval castle by the sea in the Scottish Highlands, where we were to host a thrilling workshop for our magical brainchild, “Muses Escape.”
Seventeen women of all ages joined us for a week of intensive writing and enchantment. The collective creative energy of unfettered females seems to ignite inspiration like no other force. Its warm thrum accompanied us as we roamed the blustery castle grounds and moss-covered abbey—a pleasant quarantine from the quotidian concerns of our lives back home.
We sat reverently on the floor of the castle dungeon for a candlelit lecture on philosophical love letters by our dear Dr. Grewal, followed by a performance from a magnificent harpist who regaled us with traditional Gaelic songs. We composed stories, letters, poetry, and songs, which we shared with each other by firelight (goblets of local spirits in hand). We played Sardines late into the night in the adjacent, 19th c. manor house. We collected fallen flora to weave into crowns, which we placed as offerings to the graves of a seven-hundred-year-old Viking cemetery. We forged new friendships and strengthened old ones—an edifying experience that came to an abrupt halt when coronavirus erupted into a worldwide crisis. We hurriedly left our seaside respite in the face of impending travel restrictions.
After we returned to reality, we didn’t want to lose touch with that magic we had created, so we initiated a new series of free, remote activities called, “Muses from Afar.” Our goal is to bring women together during this time of isolation, and to use creativity to help soothe the disquiet that so many of us are currently navigating. Join us at themuses.art.”
