Meet Margery, the blogger behind A Girl with a Camera, an online journal inspired by bright and minimal fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. I've been a follower since the blog was still called Marjorie, and it's been so cool to be there for some firsts, including her branching out to YouTube and finally getting a camera remote. This beautiful lady is forever finding ways to push herself creatively, and today we get the BTS.
My parents were both born and raised in Hong Kong. They knew each other for many years, but didn't get together until high school, and then they moved to the States for college. I was born in New York City, and when my younger sister was born three years later, we moved to the suburbs of Long Island.
Born in NYC, living so close to it, and visiting often, does NYC ever lose its magic?
London will always be my truest love, and I hope to move to England one day, but NYC will always be a close second. Despite living in the suburbs, I'm still a total city girl. Although the city can be quite huge and scary at times, I love the bustle-y feel and all the things you can do. I'm sure anyone else who lives in the suburbs can identify with me; it can get pretty boring when the most interesting thing in your town is the drama of your neighbor's son's girlfriend's best friend, which of course you know about.
Tell us something about yourself as a kid!
I was a huge reader in elementary school. I was the weird kid who would read in the hallways, during lunch, during math--just anytime, anywhere. This, combined with my rather good/bad trait of being able to read a 500 page book in under a day, taught me a lot.
Do you have any book recommendations?
I love the book It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. It's so funny and informative!
Tell us something about yourself now!
At some point in my life, I developed mild anxiety, which I'm still trying to figure out. My social anxiety is an odd case, because I don't have a problem with performing, getting up on stage, or presenting/giving a speech, and I even discovered a love for debating.
How do you think your anxiety has influenced you having a blog and presence in social media?
I've always been pretty bad at communicating with people--making appointments, ordering food, anything involving talking to people. But I'm someone who likes sharing her thoughts. This pushed me to start a blog, a place where I could voice my opinions to strangers without judgment. I'm still quite hesitant with social media, as there are many more people that I know in real life following me there, so I feel quite silly talking about bloggy things, but hopefully I'll soon work through it. Starting a blog boosted/supported my lifelong love of (computer) design (as I cannot draw for my life). I hope to improve in that and also in photography, which is something my dad loves too, so I learn a lot from him.
What have you been up to lately?
I'm quite busy at the moment--finals are killing me--but all in all, I've been pretty good. This past year has been hectic and it's great to finally settle. This summer is all about violin and blogging for me. I'm so ready to explore video making and just have fun in general! Currently I've been enjoying the process of brainstorming. I love just sitting down and getting inspired for blog posts, for videos, etc. It's such an amazing feeling to come up with something that you're so excited about!
Could you give us a glimpse of your post writing process and how you find inspiration?
Well, I'm actually planning on a post about this, but here's a sneak peek: get comfortable, have pictures ready, and churn my thoughts. Finding inspiration is probably the most difficult part. I usually look at other blogs and social media platforms where people share their own creative ideas.
You have a sneak peek.
Now don't forget to follow A Girl with a Camera for updates, links below!
What are your plans for the future, blog or otherwise?
I would love to continue improving on my blog and YouTube channel. I don't have any huge plans yet, just exploring more about photography, writing, etc. I love change (slight commitment issues).
And finally, do you have a favorite quote or any words of wisdom for us?
Change and accept change. Don't worry about what others think of you; they don't matter. Open your mind, for the world is forever evolving and coming up with new ideas. Don't ever hide who you truly are because of fear of judgment.
Three blog posts to check out:
Things I learned as a blogger this year (2014) // At the time, I had only been blogging for five months, and although I go back to that time in my blog archive and cringe, this is a post I definitely can still relate to, and I really do think (and hope) that others can relate to it as well.
26 weekends (series) // You were the one who gave me this idea; I absolutely love it. Photography is definitely a great love of mine, and these posts give me a way to express that while sharing some more of my life.
Lightly mod // This is one of my most recent outfit posts, and maybe that's why I love it--I feel like it's totally me. The light and outfit were totally my vibe, and I'm finally getting the hang of posing and creating what I want in my photos!
