8 reasons to love junk journals

Loads of makers like the notion of producing a junk journal (they are a large amount of operate), but they really do not know especially why they want to build one. I’ll address 8 factors to adore about junk journals that spotlight how particular these publications are.

Probably you are acquainted with all of them. And perhaps, if you have not regarded all of these factors, they’ll give you some ideas or a renewed fascination in performing on junk journals.

Initial, let’s immediately include what accurately is a junk journal.

A Junk Journal is a handmade reserve of recycled and found elements and ephemera. The webpages can be utilized to publish, attract, paint or report reminiscences, thoughts, concepts, and inspiration.

Elements for a junk journal are typically identified or recycled, so this provides us to the initially issue to love about junk journals:

1 — Junk Journals are certainly exceptional items of ebook art

Given that there is this sort of a massive wide variety in all the features utilised to make a junk journal, no two are accurately alike. Lots of of us have a assortment of art materials, papers, individual ephemera, and other resources, and even if we have comparable materials, the final product or service just about every of us creates is exclusive.

Speaking of artwork supplies, here’s the 2nd matter to adore about junk journals:

2 — Junk journals commonly require heaps of products

This implies that you can actively have interaction in using up your art supplies and ephemera.

You can go as a result of your stash of pattern paper and corresponding shade inks. You can distress paper for your internet pages or tea-dye or coffee-dye paper. Pull out other combined media goods like paints and stencils. You can increase elaborations like ribbons, cloth, or beads. Here’s an option to use up what you have bought.

If you’re employing old or uncovered items, it’s the proper time to seem by way of your catch-all drawers in your home where you have stashed away —whatever you have been stashing away— receipts, notes, random shots, movie ticket stubs, and use them within your junk journals.

The 3rd matter to really like about junk journals speaks immediately to what you can do with all your observed bits:

3 — You can observe upcycling creatively

Believe of this as a ability. How do you arrange your materials and uncovered bits in a satisfying way? That’s the challenge that you can opt for to choose up when you are building a junk journal.

Art journal pages

I’ll be aware that this is where lots of persons can get tripped up and overwhelmed. You can get apprehensive, “Well, I never know how to do this. I want it to appear stunning and fantastic, but I’m fearful that if I try, I’m heading to dislike it, and I’m heading to be so let down, and I’ll sense like a failure”.

These are truthful fears. I definitely felt them when I was setting up out. If you discover by yourself in this situation, you can remind your self of two things:

  1. What you build is for yourself. You really don’t even want to display anyone if you really don’t want to, so you never need to have to be self-conscious about what you make.

  2. When you’re completed building your to start with junk journals, it’s attainable you’re not likely to like what you make (not likely) but it is possible. But the information you will have attained from the expertise will support so much in producing your subsequent a person. You’ll know what you could have finished in another way. Recall that this “creative upcycling” is a talent, so that implies you have to do the job at it.

If you are a very little overwhelmed with all the selections and parts of making a person, then consider my fourth motive to enjoy junk journals:

4 — You can “dress them up” as much or as tiny as you’d like

If you like hectic, chunky layers you can do that, or you can maintain them pretty very simple. You can think about what you want to highlight. It’s possible you want a ton of the focus on the protect, but want to maintain the web pages simple.

cover with postage stamps
I manufactured this go over with pages from a stamp album

Don’t forget, you can often go back and insert far more items around time. This is one thing that I nonetheless do. Years later on, I however go back again and work on selected publications.

I want to talk about some thing right here — the concept of time, and our method to doing the job on projects. We tend to have the expectation of generating artwork in a extremely specific way and it goes one thing like this: You get started, you get the job done proficiently just on that undertaking until it is completed, and then you move on the a thing else. The emphasis is on the conclusion item. You experience achieved only when you have generated one thing accomplished.

There are 2 issues to consider why this is not the ideal way to strategy generating.

  1. The journey is just as vital (even a lot more so) than the vacation spot.

  2. If you are so concentrated on completing and moving on, you may possibly be closing you off from returning to it, which is one thing I individually appreciate doing.

Following, the fifth motive to like junk journals is:

5 — You can pick a concept that speaks to you

Themes are very good since they support you imagine about the glimpse and really feel of your development. Some people like to invest in printable kits that include webpages and lesser ornamental bits. These digital kits are generally low-cost, ranging from $2 to $4 on Etsy, and you can seem for issues like a Xmas concept, Beatrix Potter, Jane Austen, a pirate concept, Wonderwoman, or whatever!

Some people today never treatment to use printable papers and relatively concentrate on discovering their very own paper sources. Really do not forget about that you can also opt for to target on loved ones themes and do a junk journal with pictures and papers from a relative or an individual essential to you. These are good techniques to embellish junk journals.

Future,

6 — You can use it to retail outlet paper treasures

Initially of all, brainstorm with me examples of paper treasures. Postcards and photos are paper treasures. What else? Forex. Postage stamps. Uncover a collection of paper treasures and then check out methods you can tuck them into your junk journals. 

Two chunky journals stuffed with vintage papers
What forms of paper treasures could you imagine observing in listed here?

The photo in this spread is very much altered from the tea and rust

The following reason to love junk journals is just one of my favorites:

7 — You can convert them into gluebooks

This is my very best recommendation for what to do with a gluebook. We are likely to get attached to the junk journals we make. This experience grows when you appreciate including to the material of the internet pages.

A vintage 1930s black and white photo of some cars parked in a square in a European city.

The past purpose to enjoy junk journals is:

8 — Junk Journaling delivers people jointly

It is astounding how social media has been a massive contributor to the popularity of junk journals mainly because it is what retains folks linked with a single a different, even when they’re on reverse coasts or in diverse international locations.

Talking of on the internet artists, Barbara of 49 Dragonflies is somebody who generates tons of films about junk journaling. I am on her YouTube podcast of most requested junk journal concerns, exactly where both of those of us will remedy queries men and women have about junk journaling. It arrives out following thirty day period in May well.

In the meantime, if you’d like to see a movie on my 8 factors to enjoy junk journals, you can see it in this article:

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=W9tt5v5gvAQ

By arnia

Leave a Reply