Hi, hello, welcome to Made of Mint! Thank you for reading this post (and hopefully, future ones as well). So, first entry… Time to introduce myself and outline the content I want to share on here.
Who am I?
This probably isn’t the place to get all philosophical about the complexity of such a simple question, though I could engage in a very lengthy debate. Clearly, I overthink things a lot and am fairly analytical. Even though I prefer to see deadlines as suggestions, I’m rather proper when it comes to language, decorum, and such.
Yes, I’m that person who ends every sentence in a text message with a period. Apparently that means I’m much more likely to be perceived as less sincere but I promise you that I always try to be genuine. I just like order, which is tough to come by in the chaotic world we live in. Grammar is one small thing that offers control and structure. That being said, I’m not above breaking the rules every once in a while.
My personal interests are extremely varied. I’m into reading, photography, baking (more recently cooking too), and I’ve been into competitive sports since I was 11 years old. I’m in my mid-20s now, so that’s more than half my life spent competing, albeit not in the same sport. There’re five sports I’ve done competitively. Although, sports has been a fixture in some form or other since the day that I could walk.
I’ve also left a lot of interests in my wake, not necessarily because I wanted to but mostly because I was spreading myself too thin. I sung in choirs, was part of a classical orchestra, figured out how to sew, enjoyed beading, did theatre, tried dance, and so many other things. Some of these pursuits I wish I had started when I was younger. Then I might have mastered them. Thing is, I’m a singular human being and there are only so many things I can do within 24 hours a day.
What’s in a Name?
My given name is Joséphine. I go by more nicknames than I can count. Call me Josette, Jo, or anything else that makes sense to you — if I’m cool with it. I do hate “Mojo Jojo” and I also cried when a classmate in first grade called me “Jose Hose”. Hose means pants in German. I found that insulting. Nobody thought to call me “Jose Rose”. That might’ve made me feel better about rhymes.
Before I spiral into lamentations over nicknames, let’s take a look at Made of Mint. As far as being memorable on social media goes, short and sweet is the surest way to go, unless you’ve got something offbeat or unique.
After thinking for weeks what to name my new blog, my mum practically gifted the name to me. She made a passing quip, “You’re made of peppermint.” I asked her why she said that. She told me with all that peppermint tea I’ve been drinking since I was a child, it must be in my blood by now. Hah. There you have it: in essence, I can’t live without peppermint tea. Made of Mint perfectly sums me up that way.
Where Are We Headed?
I’m jumping into this blog as someone who has been blogging for several years already. A common advice is to blog within a niche. That’s what I did. I blogged very specifically about young adult books. For one, that’s a topic I knew I would have things to say about for a long time. For another, I was applying for publishing and writing related internships when I started out.
While I still intend to continue, I also feel like in some ways, I’ve grown out of it. There are other subjects I want to explore and I have so many thoughts that swirl around in my head. I want an avenue to verbalise some of that. I also want to connect with people outside of the book blogging community. This is why we’ve arrived here today.
After focusing so much on one niche, I’d like to leave things considerably open-ended. In the grand scheme of things, I envision Made of Mint as a literary lifestyle blog. I read a lot, so books will feature heavily. Overall, my approach will be reflective and introspective. At the same time, I plan to document certain aspects of my life. The overarching categories that I expect to fill are Books, Photography, Journeys, Food, Lifestyle, and maybe Creativity.
I hope my introduction has given you a sense of who I am and what Made of Mint is about. Naturally, I’m excited about launching into this new project. It would a mean a lot to me if you decide to stick around!
