Miscreant Misadventures with Marcy

What makes a great blog? Well, that's purely opinion; it depends on your tastes, and what topics you enjoy. That aside, page views do count for something. With that in mind, blogger Marcy Williams shares her reasons joining the blogosphere.

Williams, who lives in Atlanta, is crafting a quirky, original blog filled with a variety of artistic ideas. Initially, however, Williams was not the avid blogger she is today. "I'd originally written one blog entry two years ago, and I decided that I wanted to start writing regularly...it was good practice for me to start blogging semi-regularly. Once I started, it became kind of addictive."

Though she tends toward writing about art, food, and fashion-related topics, Williams admits that she doesn't necessarily have a preference: "It's hard to pin down one thing which is my favorite, which is probably why the blog itself is so varied. It's difficult to choose between fashion, food, crafty things, and the weird things I come across every day."

Among the entries that might fall under "weird things" are Infomercials Make Me Laugh, which specifically examines the hilarious "RoboStir" product, and Random Find of the Day, which proudly displays a 1943 gas mask found on Shopgoodwill.com. If you stop by Miscreant Misadventures, expect to see a greater collection of "weird things" as the months go by!

After learning of her background, you may better understand where Williams' blog originated. "I have a degree from SCAD [Savannah College of Art and Design] in fashion design; I've [also] been cooking since I was a very small child. And I've been an avid reader and writer since [I was able to] read and write!" Prior to her education at SCAD, Williams also received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from LaGrange College, also in Georgia.

While "Miscreant Misadventures" is steadily gaining popularity and readership (even from readers in such areas as South Korea, Russia, Slovenia, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand), one might ask, did Williams have a "plan" as to how to attract readers? "Not really...I hoped it would [take off], but I didn't expect it to."

As much as she loves fashion, one misconception readers may have about bloggers like Williams is that they watch many of the fashion-related reality shows (e.g. Project Runway). "I have watched some of them," replies Williams, "...honestly, some are really bad, and some are pretty good...but mostly they're not necessarily about fashion; they're mostly about the interactions of the designers, and the crazy things they do.

"If they actually had a TV show that was all about design, they might not air it, because there wouldn't be enough interest. Design is full of hard work and intricate details that might not be interesting to watch...other than by aspiring and current designers - but that's what happens on every reality show. They overemphasize the craziness of people and deemphasize what the show is actually centered around. Can you tell I'm not a fan of reality shows?" she says, laughing.

Besides her blog, Williams has two other sites that she uses professionally. "I have a fashion portfolio site at Wix.com: Marcy Williams Portfolio, but it's not quite perfect; it's still under construction. And I have a photography site, Wix.com: Marcy Williams Photography, because I also have a passion for photography." Both these sites, which are incredibly reflective of Williams' personality and talent, can't really be done justice in a paragraph. Suffice it to say that they're quirky, cool, and are simply asking to be visited!

As far as other blogs that she likes to read, Williams expresses, "I read a lot of blogs; an interesting food blog I've come across is Bean and Barley; I like it because it's funny and quirky. And, because I'm in the midst of wedding planning, I pretty regularly check out Offbeat Bride. I also read Jen Lancaster's blog, at Jennsylvania.com; she's a hilarious writer. And those are just the ones I read semi-regularly!"

Among Williams' most popular entries on "Miscreant Misadventures" are "...a tutorial for making paper flowers out of old novel pages...I also did a blog post about Sally Gordon a lady who's 101 [years old], still working, and not planning on retiring. She's extremely sassy!"

Williams gives partial credit to some of her social networks for the blog's increasing traffic. Which ones, you ask? "LOTS!" she exclaims, laughing. "Facebook has brought me the most traffic...I'm also a member of the Offbeat Bride Tribe Social Network for brides actively planning weddings, and I posted one of my tutorials there; I've gotten a ton of traffic from that."

For those who have yet to visit Williams' photography site, one of her most interesting photo shoots involves various models wearing or posing with masks. Beside the photo slideshow is a poem written by Williams that begins, "I have a little mask on/I wear it every day."

Of the mask project, she explains, "I came up with the concept while taking a photo class at SCAD...I was inspired by the idea that we all kind of put a front on in the presence of different people...we show different sides of ourselves to different people...in a way, we wear a mask. I wanted to explore that idea with masks in my photography project. The poem, however, I wrote when I was in 6th grade, and came across it recently!"

Also on her photography site are "micro" shots, which Williams reveals, "...are pictures of lichen at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Georgia."

Still, as much as she enjoys photography, she says that professionally, she would most like to pursue "fashion - different aspects of it consume me."

Williams is also an avid reader, which on occasion inspires her writing: "I'm really inspired by strange and unusual things; I've been kind of obsessed with circus people and carny folks. I recently finished Water for Elephants, which didn't inspire the obsession, but was an interesting addition to it. My senior collection at SCAD was inspired by sideshow folks."

So if you're one of those folks who has the potential to start blogging (or just plain writing), but are unsure of where to begin, Marcy Williams has some advice for you: "Just do it. The hardest part about blogging is starting! Write about what you love...what your passions are, and everything will come from there."