Life & Work with Reshmi Mukherjee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reshmi Mukherjee.

Hi Reshmi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Hi, my name is Reshmi. I am a content creator and copy writer by profession. At same time I am a passionate food and travel blogger. I grew up in the suburbs of Kolkata, India, in a middle-class family. My passion for travel is something that I got from my parents, especially my mother. My mother often says “I work so that I can save enough to travel”. I was always interested in cooking but was never a foodie growing up. That happened after I met my husband, who is a big-time foodie. I have been fascinated by narratives for as long as I can remember, which played a big part in pursuing literature and taking up writing and content creation as a career choice.

As a person, I am always inclined on trying new things and that has given me the opportunity to explore various aspects of my personality.
After moving to the US with my husband, I was unable to continue working due to my visa restrictions. When my husband left for work I had all the time in the world but very little to do. So, I started to spend a lot of time in my kitchen recreating dishes that I grew up eating as well as the new things that I got to try in this country. The suggestion of starting a blog came from another blogger friend (Rwitabhadra) based in Kansas City.

It was a great suggestion since the blog was the perfect platform to explore all that I was passionate about, food, travel, and storytelling. The journey began in the spring of 2015, with my husband always helping me with the photos or the technical aspects. With time, people started to follow my blog and my social media channels and appreciated my content. Since then, I have worked on professional blogging collaborations with various local businesses in and around Kansas City.

My continued passion for writing also helped grow my career outside of blogging. I now work as a full-time copywriter. The name “Breather Bounty” was a fun interpretation of my then situation, as the blog would lend purpose to the abundance (bounty) of free time (breather) in my life. Although my hands are quite full now with a full-time job and a toddler to take care of, I try my best to find time for my blog.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I started the blog, it was simply out of passion and there was very little expectation of other possibilities around it. However, once the blog started getting some attention we considered exploring its potential. But, my visa status surfaced as a major obstacle since I was unable to accept any paid collaboration opportunities.

All the work that I did during that time was pro-bono. That sometimes was a little disappointing. Although looking back I am thankful for those gigs as well, as they gave me the chance to connect with several amazing people. As immigrants, we have to always factor in the “ifs”. Our worst nightmare came true when we had to move back to India temporarily and had to dread a thirty-hour international trip with my less than a month old son.

This entire episode forced me to step away from blogging and focus entirely on the family. We all know, it’s often difficult to regain the impetus to re-start something once you’ve stopped. I am glad that I could finally motivate myself after more than two years of lull and start again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My day job is as a copywriter and content creator, and I blog about my passions, food, and travel. I think what sets me apart is my personality and my perspective of looking at things. Growing up in India, now living in the US for almost ten years and travel has helped me to always keep an open mind. That also reflects on all the work I do.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
This is an interesting question. I can’t help but refer to this anecdote from my own life. When I was thirteen or fourteen, I entered an impromptu essay competition organized by my school, and guess what the topic for the essay was?

“Your idea of success”. To my greatest surprise, I won. All that I wrote in that essay was how I felt happy when the people around me were happy and vice-versa. And to be successful is to be able to contribute meaningfully to other people’s happiness.

After all these years I think that is the definition of success that has stayed with me and motivates my choices.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://breatherbounty.blogspot.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reshmi_breatherbounty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breatherbounty
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3giDpW4_BesUFc94ckM2g