Hello Friends,
Our founder is and has been a contributor for Minted Mag for about a year. She has found wisdom, creativity, and inspiration while working alongside our next Mover & Shaker, Shirley Lau, Minted’s founder.
TWT: First things first, can you explain to our readers how Minted Mag came to be?
SL: I was in my second and last year of grad school (studying journalism, no surprise), brainstorming an uber awesome idea for my master’s project. My background was in magazine writing and I had recently developed a liking to the visual aspects of design and layout, so it was only natural that I create something with the two. That, along with the fact that I saw a lack in publications that focused more on just fashion or beauty, was reason enough for me to start something that focused on the other part of women’s lives: their careers. Insert Minted: a quarterly digital magazine. It actually evolved from just an idea to a fully launched digital magazine in just the span of about four months. But, after the third issue released this past summer, I switched gears and made Minted into a lifestyle website—the same content I was putting in the magazine, but available every day and not just every quarter.
TWT: Of all the stories that you have covered, is there one that is most memorable?
SL: I worked on one magazine feature a few years ago, focused on giving complete makeovers to a select group of women. It first sounded a bit too “fluffy” for me and, honestly, like a way of touting that women should have to physically change whom they are to be accepted by society. But when the applications for the makeovers came pouring in, I was floored by what I learned about hundreds of women in the community.
One woman wanted the makeover to help herself build confidence after undergoing a double mastectomy; another who had lived through domestic abuse and needed a new start in life; and one who was a single mother working three jobs and had no time to focus on herself because she was too busy worrying about her children.
This was the most memorable mainly because I was able to talk to an amazing group of women whom I otherwise never would have met otherwise. (This is one of the main reasons I love being a writer and journalist—you meet so many amazing people!)
TWT: What is your biggest challenge in managing Minted Mag, and how do you overcome the challenges?
SL: My biggest challenge is producing content that people will want to read, and then pushing and marketing it so that people can read it. With the Internet now, anyone can make a website and share content with the world—that’s a lot of noise for a reader and they don’t always find you in the thick of it. I’ve learned the best way to overcome the noise is to 1) always make an excuse to tell new people about Minted and 2) to try to hone in, as best I can, on what my readers want to read about.
TWT: What three pieces of advice would you give to young bloggers?
SL: I would encourage young bloggers create a site focused on what they’re good at doing, not just what want to write about. Just because you may want to be the face behind the next big food and recipe blog, doesn’t magically make you talented enough to do it. But if you travel a lot and happen to take awesome photographs, make a travel blog showcasing your latest trip to Europe and feature travel tips. If you have a knack for turning that nightstand you found on the corner into a refurbished piece of eye candy, start a DIY blog.
Also, make sure you have eye-catching graphics. Whether it’s photos, your own Photoshopped images, or images you’ve found via the web (and have credited!), having eye candy to accommodate your blog posts will make a world of difference in engaging your readers.
One more thing to note: A successful blog is a numbers game—you always want more readers. As I mentioned earlier, getting your blog above the noise is key, but you’ll need help doing it. Immersing yourself into the blogging community can do wonders for you. Think of how many readers you can gain if a notable blogger simply mentions and links back to your site. But how will that happen if you don’t start building those relationships?
Whether it’s commenting on other blogs you enjoy reading (a huge must!) or simply reaching out to other bloggers and chatting with them, you’ll find that it not only brings traffic to your site and helps you gain more followers, but you may also find a great mentor in the process.
TWT: What advice would you give to students in high school who wish to pursue a career in writing and journalism?
Keep writing, constantly. Keep a journal, write short stories, have a blog—whatever you can do to continually improve your writing; the more public, the better, in my opinion. When you know you have an audience, you’ll hold yourself accountable to continue with it (even if it’s just Aunt Jane reading your work for now) and it’s a way to see how receptive people are to your writing style.
On that same note, make sure you’re reading a lot. You’ll soon realize that when you’re constantly reading well-written material, it rubs off on you. It’s like watching someone perform the same task over and over again—you learn to do it yourself! Also, realize that it’s not a glamorous profession, but it’s a fulfilling one! Knowing that potentially millions of people will be reading what you write is a great feeling. No, you may not be a New York Times bestselling author or have a byline in the Wall Street Journal, but how many people can say they get to share what they do with such a large audience, even if it’s just hundreds of people?
TWT: Here at The Write Teacher(s), many of us work with “at-risk” youth. These students are recovering drug addicts; struggling drug addicts, teenage parents, and almost all of them come from broken homes. The struggles, demons, and anger that our students face is often a hindrance to their progress in school and life in general. Do you have any words of wisdom to offer these students?
SL: Don’t allow the negative aspects of your life to be barriers to your potential, especially when it comes to getting an education. Instead, find it in yourself to use those negative experiences as a constant reminder to do and be better than what you once were.
Also, realize that the only person holding you back is … you. Nobody can force you to stop the drug use, to get to school or study. If you’re already on the path to bettering yourself, realize that you’ve already overcome a hurdle that takes so much courage and such a positive mindset. You have the same power and right to succeed as anybody else.
TWT: In today’s economy, arts programs in schools are being cut. What reasons would you give a politician for preserving the arts?
SL: Art programs are at the core of the developmental process in school-aged children. From spawning creativity and self-expression to helping students test better, there’s a long list of reasons why art programs should not be cut. Studies have shown that students involved in the arts do better overall in testing and they also learn to think and analyze in a way other curriculum can’t. With testing being the current barometer of a person’s intellectual capacity and likelihood of getting into the “right” college, it makes sense to give them the resources to be better test takers. Why is the government so willing to focus on preparing students for college by providing financial aid, career counseling and other forms of readiness programs, all the while cutting back on the art programs that help educate students in their earlier years? It’s proven that people absorb more when they’re younger—they can learn a new language much easier, pick up new habits (good or bad!) and overall are better equipped to be sponges to any new information.
TWT: Here at The Write Teacher(s), we believe that art drives life, and theatre transforms lives. Would you agree or disagree with those statements? Why?
SL: I completely agree with both! Though both art and theatre may not seem life changing, I’ve come to know they’re the driving forces behind creativity, self-expression and self-confidence—and all three are qualities that help with your career and personal relationships.
Life is all about enjoying the people and things around you and art teaches you to do that. When you read, you learn to enjoy the stylistic choices in tone and sentence structure. When you view a painting, you learn to enjoy the colors, textures and technique. Overall, art teaches you how to enjoy life and to analyze it, versus being an oblivious bystander.
I grew up being a part of the community theatre scene—even though I never scored the lead role in a play, it added tremendous value to my life in the form of being able to work with others and building my self-confidence.
TWT: Just for fun, what’s your favorite movie?
SL: There’s a tie for my favorite movie: I love the Devil Wears Prada and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. There’s a theme between the two, being that they’re both based on the fashion magazine industry. I guess I was almost meant to be in the industry and Minted has been my own version of what I’ve seen in those movies.
TWT: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
SL: My greatest teacher was Richard Koci Hernandez—a professor and my former thesis adviser at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. His passion and talent for the visual arts and journalism is beyond amazing and inspiring. Any time I sat down with him to brainstorm designs or story ideas, you could see him nodding his head furiously, waiting for you to stop talking so he could tell you how brilliant (or not-so-brilliant) your ideas were; he was so open to sharing his understanding of the industry. That, and his way of thinking is so innovative (he’s turned into an Instagram celebrity because of his unique way of storytelling through photos), I knew whatever direction he guided me in would be the right one. It’s hard to find people who you know you can rely on for consistently good advice.
Thank you, Shirley! Here’s to many more years of working together.
Live, Love, Learn,