How We Blog is a new series that investigates the blogging habits of some of my favorite bloggers. First up: Jennifer of A Merry Mishap.
1. Please describe your blog and your reason for creating it.
I started the blog, A Merry Mishap, initially to be a creative outlet. I wanted it to be a way to catalog design, be it interior or in product design or even fashion. It was too hard to choose just one aspect of design to focus on so I didn’t. I also wanted to feature some DIY projects, though I haven’t kept up with that as of lately. I wanted A Merry Mishap to be a place to visit and be inspired or even informed.
I would say that the blog’s direction has changed a bit from when I first started. My taste and appreciation for design has matured a bit and I think I’ve also become a bit more personal with my readers than before. I used to plan out my blogging topics more decisively and now it’s all on a whim. I usually post things the night before and it could be anything random like a piece of jewelry or an image of a single room or an item I recently purchased.
2. Where do you find inspiration for your posts?
I find my inspiration from all over. I try not to directly post something I find on other blogs, I think it’s good to bring something original, when possible, to the table. Sometimes I do find incredible photos or links to artists via fellow bloggers, in that case I always link back to them as a courtesy! I am inspired by other bloggers, though. Each has their own style, their own focus or way of life. I actually enjoy blogs that are very personal, it’s always great to see how others live! That does inspire me, people’s styles. It makes me see my own blog differently, makes me see other ways of blogging that I might not have considered before!
3. Please tell me a little bit about your blogging habits.
Typically I blog in the morning for the next day. Sometimes I’ll stumble across something great & post date it for later in the week.
I usually write only something small & sweet as a caption. I noticed thats what I like in other blogs that I read. In the past when I write a larger paragraphs, few read them! I think individual blogs develop a reputation as being just a certain way, and when they change their style or in my case write much more than viewers are used to reading, than the avid readers don’t respond well.
We all have our blog favorites for different reasons. I visit my sister-in-laws blog, for example, to see pictures of her kids and stay updated on the family. I visit D*Sponge to see great real-life interior spaces & the weekly DIY’s. I’ll visit Lena Corwin’s blog to see great, organic patterns & check up on her current projects. If any of those blogs changed too dramatically or became online novels, it would completely change the reason I visit them in the 1st place!
4. How many other blogs do you read a day? What are some of your favorites?
Throughout the course of a day, I visit quite a few. I have a link list on my sidebar & I’ll literally just check the entire list. There are a few others that I like but I don’t check them daily.
A few favorites are::
D*Sponge
Darlng Dexter
Fine Little Day
Unruly Things
OB
coco+kelley
my little corner of the world
I could really list 100 really great blogs, but that’s only a small handful.
5. What do you love the most about blogging?
Ahh, this is hard. Hmm…I think I love a couple things. One, like I said previously, it’s such a great creative outlet! Also, I love how I’ve met such great people! The networking aspect is wonderful, I only wish everyone wasn’t scattered all across the world! Some people I’ve met are such kindred spirits, it seems like a crime that we can’t be real-life friends! Maybe that’s my favorite aspect, meeting all of these splendid people!
Thank you, Jennifer, for your thoughtful answers!
If you would like to be a part of the How We Blog series, please contact me: pj at somewhereinmiddleamerica dot com.