Junk Journal: An Uninhibited Space
Why am I so passionate about engaging others in the practice of junk journaling?
A junk journal is a safe, uninhibited space to be creative without having to worry about perfection.
There is always some debate about what makes a junk journal. A purist would claim that a junk journal should be made entirely of found objects and recycled materials. And while this is certainly a great environmentally friendly practice, it might cause unnecessary stress that restrains the act of creating.
For me, a junk journal is made from any material that gets my creative juices flowing and that doesn’t make me worry about messing it up.
So, sometimes I will start with an old snack box! Maybe it’s a box that brings me joy — like a little box of Cheez-Its saved from the family road trip. I often choose “book sized” boxes that are ready to be manipulated.
Next, I might cover the box with a scrap of paper from an old project. Maybe, I’ll cover it with recycled grocery bags that I have turned into faux leather. Or perhaps, I’ll just leave the box as is so that everyone will know it is made from old packaging, unpretentious and full of fun colors.
Then, the real treat begins. The pages of a junk journal are the space for inspiration, experimentation, release of frustration, and a place to hold silly or sentimental treasures. What I cram in between the cover of that snack box is completely up to me.
To build the pages, I can choose fun papers from my stash that make me smile or reuse my daughter’s engineering notebook (equations look so cool, even if I don’t understand them all).
Once I have the pages, I will begin to decorate. Sometimes, I’ll organize my ideas with a theme like coffee or Valentine’s Day. Or, the design can be completely random, just sticking stuff to the pages. You can save a favorite chocolate bar wrapper, glue it to a page and then write a silly poem about your love affair with the dark alluring sweet that calls to you from the cupboard every evening. You can stab holes in a page with a protractor to release the frustration over something your mother-in law said over the holidays and then cover it all with your favorite color of paint, making it all better.
The goal is always to have fun and be creative without letting that inner critic steal my joy with those stupid notions of “doing it wrong.” If I catch myself feeling frustrated or stuck, I’ll simply flip the page and move elsewhere in the journal. Or, maybe I just scribble on a a page to remind myself that it should be fun.
You may choose to never let anyone see your junk journal — a really great practice, especially if you struggle with perfection. Or you may keep working until it feels finished and then share it with a friend or a trusted junk journaling group. The point is, it’s your journal, do what you want.