If your social media feeds are anything like mine, I am sure you have seen a recent crafty trend flooding your page: junk journals. For those who do not know, junk journals are made by saving found or recycled objects in the pages of a journal and creating collage spreads with them as a way to preserve memories or other feelings. I started keeping a junk journal as a New Year’s resolution, and from just the few weeks I have been using one, I have been convinced that every college student should too. College is a very formative time in our lives, and we should do more to preserve our memories.
One main reason for this is affordability. Compared to some other crafts, junk journals can be incredibly affordable and, as we all know, college students need to save money whenever they can. When junk journaling, you can use whatever supplies you have on hand to make the craft accessible for your lifestyle. There are three main components to a junk journal: the journal itself, the “junk” and something to combine the two.
While picture-perfect journals on TikTok tend to use a nice Moleskine notebook or something of the like, any sort of notebook will do. I personally prefer a bound notebook rather than a spiral, as I feel it is easier to make two-page spreads. However, if you have a mostly empty spiral notebook from a class last semester or a strong preference for another type of notebook, really any type will work.
Besides the notebook, the only other thing that you need is an adhesive of your choosing. I personally would recommend glue sticks, as they are easy to find when shopping, are relatively mess-free and are highly affordable, with name brand glue sticks retailing for around 50 cents each. Other options include tape and rubber cement, but just choose whatever makes sense for your goals with your journal. The last ingredient in a junk journal is, of course, the “junk.”
People have different definitions of what sort of things qualify as junk for their journals, and this is just the definition that works for me. I am putting more effort this year to practice less consumerism and reuse more, and with that, I am trying to not purchase anything special for my journal. Instead of buying stickers or special paper, I save little pieces of junk from my everyday life to try to see the beauty and art in everyday objects. Some scraps that I love in particular are sleeves from coffee shops, cards that people have written for me, doodles from my notes and pretty much any of the packaging from my day-to-day purchases — whether it's from make up or microwave mac and cheese. I also previously purchased a few vintage Life magazines and will occasionally cut out pieces from those to add a bit of cohesion and to just enhance the page.
When it is time to actually journal, you can take a few different approaches. You could always make a themed collage based on the junk you have on hand. Some examples that I have seen of this are basing your spread off a color or word. What I like to do, however, is make weekly scrapbook-like spreads as a way of memory keeping. For example, I like to take receipts from meeting a friend for coffee and write either on it or next to it what I did and the date it occurred. I have found that this is easier than scrapbooking, because it removes the pressure of getting the perfect photo to print out later, as well as the complications of printing out said photos.
I know that it can be hard to incorporate new hobbies while in college, especially with the onset of the new semester and commitments becoming intense once again. But I really do believe that adding junk journaling into your routine will not add stress, but rather decrease it, and be an excellent way to practice mindfulness, just like journaling in general. When junk journaling, you can take a step back, turn on a favorite podcast or a movie that you have been meaning to watch and let yourself fall into a trance where the only thing that is expected of you is a duty to yourself and your journal, creating the best art you can.
