Entry 1: Magic, Mystery, and Musings
Get to know the blogger and a brief introduction to the substack
Introduction
Hello and welcome to Jennifer’s Nook-By-Starlight! This is my first ever entry on Substack so I thought I’d introduce a little about myself & what this newletter will be about in more detail.
Get to know me
Name: Jennifer
Pronouns: She / Her
Zodiac sign: Taurus Sun / Virgo Moon / Leo Rising
Personality: INTJ / 5w4 (514 Tritype)
Likes: Reading books / listening to music / playing the piano / Photoshopping / going to bookstores / Christmas / traveling to Europe
Dislikes: noisy places / bugs / hot & humid weather
I’m a Physics PhD Student, but I have a soft spot for Fantasy books, Taylor Swift, and Classical Music (Baroque Music, my beloved). When I’m studying, I’m usually found listening to a healthy dose of Bach, Vivaldi, and a bunch of instrumental Baroque stuff with my headphones.
But I’m actually pretty open to discover new artists & authors to expand my palette & scope! So hence I’ll be sharing some of my fresh finds in my substack entries from time to time.
Some aesthetics that describe me: Minimalist, fluffy & furry jackets, gap toothed smiles, the smell of books, headphones on 24/7, anything Christmassy, suburban life, piano music, starry eyed, circus, symmetrical structures, Baroque style
What to expect
It’s 2022 so I thought about doing something different to kick start the new calendar year. This year, I choose to prioritse on my mental health so I thought journaling would both be a good opportunity to support my main goal of the year & a time to develop a new hobby.
So this Substack will be dedicated to my journey of personal growth. I’ll be posting my thoughts, life lessons that I’ve learnt, as well as monthly wrap-ups where I share the highlights for a specific month.
Spoiler alert: Will come with a lot of music & book recommendations!
Music Time
The following section will appear in all of my upcoming themed entries (which will be numbered). There will be a playlist that corresponds to the central theme of my substack entry.
This section will serve both as an opportunity to enhance the things I want to convey in my entry and to share the type of music that I enjoy listening to.
One thing I’ve really struggled in the past is self-expression. There were times when I feel intensely but didn’t know how to verbalise what I’m experiencing, so I began making playlists to work on that.
So here I’ll wrap up my entry by sharing a playlist & a bit of its backstory.
Playlist: Magic, Mystery, and Musings
I’ve actually made this playlist in early 2021, when I was going through a difficult & uncertain time. It’s a very personalised playlist (something I’ve never really done before until then), and it’s also the product of me clearing things out of my system.
Usually I make playlists specifically for a fandom, for someone else, or to convey a particular aesthetic - but I’ve never have the chance to make something that deeply reflects my emotional headspace. So putting this together had been a therapeutic experience.
Verbally, the closest I could describe my headspace is the title of this playlist. My headspace is quite abstract, yet filled with intrigue and musings - not unlike the stories that made their mark in my favourite books. The books that I think conveys my personality better than I could with my own words.
This playlist is divided into 3 sections (each corresponds to my favourite books), in this order:
Magic: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Mystery: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Musings: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern