#1 Introduction
Hi, hello and good day!
My name - well, nickname and the name non-colleagues and non-family-members call me - is Mina, and this is the first post of my blog Mina Daisy. I am 29 years old, live in Germany and I have two adorable cats: Freya and Percy. I love to read, write, play video-games, and crochet while watching movies or YouTube videos.
Now, you might be wondering “Ok, cool. But why have you started a blog — as a 29-year-old? Why have you decided to create your own platform to write about whatever you are going to write about? I thought blogging was dead?” (or not, I am just guessing), and honestly those are good questions.
Why did I decide to create my own Squarespace blog as a 29-year-old who has no influence, no major following, and no experience in this area? The answer is simple: I like to write and I don’t do it enough. When I was a (pre-)teen, I wrote in my journal every single day, filling up one notebook after the next. I would sometimes draw in it, I would stick concert tickets, receipts, and other mementos into it, and of course, I’d write down my daily experiences and feelings. And I have kept them to this day. I also wrote short stories and started several book-projects which have lead nowhere and I never finished.
As I grew older, I stopped writing regularly; I didn’t have the time. I stopped journaling and writing for fun and started studying and working instead. Life became stressful. More stressful than I thought possible and writing was just not a priority any more. I also did not believe in my skills as a writer and instead of working on it in the way a musician has to practice their instrument in order to improve or learn a new piece of music, I just gave up. But I really missed it and I had no idea that I did.
Two years ago, I finished my masters degree in English linguistics here in Germany and I immediately started working a full time office job. It is not a creative job nor a job where I see myself in five or ten years, but it is a job that pays the bills. And it is slowly sucking the soul from my body. I had this realisation during the summer of 2024 but I was too slow to take action. Last week it hit me like a truck. One panic-attack after the next, crying every ten minutes, and existential dread filling my chest, I knew I needed to change something. So here I am: writing my first blog post to start a new chapter in my life and trying to re-connect with my creative side.
So, what is my goal? Do I even have a goal? What am I going to be writing about? And is it worth sticking around? Well, those are some very exciting questions I am happy to answer for you!
What is my goal? - In the short term: to rediscover my creative side and create something on a regular basis. I also want to share my thoughts on topics such as books, movies, my hobbies which you, dear reader, might be interested in. In the long term: well, that is a good question and not an easy one to answer. All in all, I would hope to make writing my primary source of income - either through blogging, writing texts for a company, or potentially as an author (my childhood dream) - but I also do not want to get my hopes up too high or be unrealistic about what this can lead to. Who knows, maybe in a few months I’ll find out, that blogging is not my thing and I’ll just stop. Right now, I just want to try it out and see where it leads me.
What am I going to be writing about? - now this is probably the most interesting part for you. I mean, why do you care about my background or my story? You have no idea who I am. But you might like what I will be writing about:
Books, movies, stories: Reviews, recommendations, maybe my own short story or two, and so on. I love to read and watch movie, observing the plot lines, how the relationships between characters evolve, and feeling the emotions which are shared through the pages or screen. I could go on and on about why I love the book Red Rising or dislike the Disney live-action adaptations.
My hobbies: Crocheting, video-games, baking, writing, sports, and more. I know, I have been influenced by friends to start a new hobby or two, and maybe you might need a little nudge to start that hobby you are scared of as well. Or maybe you are looking for a new recipe for next week’s potluck, or a good reason (not) to buy that video-game you’ve had in your steam wish-list for months.
My life experiences: Now I do not want to make this blog a self-help corner. Heck, I don’t even like self help books - however, it is always nice to see that someone else has the same struggles as me and/or has found a solution to a long term problem that I myself have not been able to solve yet. Maybe you resonate with my experiences; maybe you know someone who has similar experiences; maybe you have never heard of my issues before and think I am wacko. In all cases, something can be learned. And I don’t just mean, you will learn from me, but I can also learn from you - a blog (or at least my blog) is not a one-way street. I very much welcome discussions and insight from others, so please feel free to drop a comment with your thoughts if you have the urge to do so.
If you have stuck around to the end of this introduction, I would like to say thank you. It is a huge leap for me to start this project. Despite the anticipation of putting myself out here, being at the mercy of strangers (and people I know), exposing myself, and sharing my thoughts, I am excited to start this journey.
Hopefully I will see you next week and until then, have a wonderful day and don’t forget to drink enough water.