#Junk Journaling

[chaeshortcake]

Birthday tradition idea: Fill out a questionnaire about yourself every year like your favourite color, your favourite show, the song that's currently playing in your head, how much a loaf of bread costs, your comfort characters, best achievement, etc.

I've been doing it since I was 8, and next week I'm turning 18. If you're into journaling, it's honestly so worth it <3

[madeleinelovescolours]

pages from this week

[herosplatling-replica]

hello vela nation

[luvermore]

a couple of recent journals in my pocket size moleskine

[alucardsinep]

tere eestiblr siin on teile kohukese yuri sest ma lõpuks leidsin töötava skanneri

[paperpersephone]

"...and if I lose you, then I've lost all."

I finally did it!! Been wanting to make a Bucky spread for a while now. 🥰 This was so fun to make.

My other Marvel journal spreads: Loki | Steve Rogers | Daredevil

— PaperPersephone

[sylvanitchi]

collages in my journal to celebrate adding some new calico critters to the collection!! <3

[glossyhobi]

“That’s life. You’re always making decisions, taking paths that lead you away from the rest before you can see where they end. Maybe that’s why we as a species love stories so much. All those chances for do-overs, opportunities to live the lives we’ll never have.”

—Emily Henry, Book Lovers

[theatypicaljournal]

My junk journal spread from the localish fair I went to.

[acmkart]

Time for an older journal! This book was handmade by the lovely BooksAndTrees on Etsy, with a stenciled design in colorshift paint on the cover added by me.

As you can see, by the end this book has a serious case of alligator mouth, and is actually quite difficult to get to lay flat (I'll do my best for pictures). That's because it's bound like a traditional book! The binding is designed to fit the undecorated pages, so the addition of all my junk journaling inside made the pages too bulky for their cover. Using this book made me realize why purpose-made junk journals are often bound differently from traditional books -- to account for the bulk.

To be clear, this was not a flaw on BooksAndTrees' part. They made the custom journal I ordered. This was a learning opportunity on my part, realizing why certain book-making decisions are made. If you're using premade journals and struggling with alligator mouth, look into junk journal specific binding. It could help with handling bulk.

[raining-tulips]

Take what the water gave me

[herosplatling-replica]

another #junk journal page - this time of freya agent 3 splatoon my adored!! some of these stickers are years old, and i've held onto them for the longest time waiting for the right place to put them. it felt like it was time when i made this page

[plushybread]

deco for a penpal letter ଘ(˵╹-╹)━☆

[ketzzzel]

not much going on lately

[insideyourimagination]

some recent pages from my journal x

[paperpersephone]

This is a super quick example of what's in my 2024 journal! 💞

Despite popular belief, your journal does not have to follow a specific theme, it doesn't have to be tidy or "Instagram worthy", and you don't have to write in it on a daily basis!

I found peace in journaling when I let go of the expectation that my journal has to look like everyone else's on Instagram or Pinterest. I enjoy it way more being able to do whatever I want with it, rather than following a set of rules that don't actually exist. 😊

So keep this in mind if you struggle with keeping your journal:

Writing 1 line is okay if that's all you can write for the day. Don't force yourself to write, ever.

You don't have to write daily.

You can fill pages with photos, magazine snippets, doodles, receipts, stickers, postcards, whatever you may find! (Look at junk journaling, for example.)

Mistakes will happen. Your pages don't have to look perfect. Scribble, draw over, paint over, rip out a page, or stick pages together if you want to start over. It's okay.

Find out what YOU enjoy using. Find a pen that's most comfortable for you, find stickers of your favourite characters, washi tape in pretty patterns, or maybe invest in a printer. It's all about YOU.

Journals are a good way to reflect and look back at how much you've grown. Even if you don't feel like you've gotten anywhere, the pages you have filled are proof that you are still moving forward.

Journaling shouldn't feel like a chore, it's supposed to help you. Whether you use your journal to track new habits, to track your appointments and events, or if you do it for mental health. There are hundreds, if not thousands of different ways to manage your journal in a way it works for you. A little research and experimenting never hurt!