In today’s digital age, it’s arguably never been easier to capture a memory. Thanks to iPhones with their ever-improving cameras and always-growing storage capacity, recording a moment is literally as simple as clicking a button. By the same token, my camera roll is now so cluttered that I rarely revisit it (save for curating an Instagram dump and perhaps killing time on a flight). My memories are lost in a sea of selfies and screenshots.
So when I started noticing a growing number of people reverting to a different, more traditional means of memory-collecting, I took note. ‘Junk journaling,’ as it’s been aptly dubbed, is exactly as it sounds: somewhere in between scrapbooking and traditional journaling, it involves collecting ephemera from your life – wristbands, tickets, brochures, you name it – and preserving them in a notebook.
Leading the charge on the junk journaling renaissance is author Martina Calvi. “Unlike traditional scrapbooking, which can be more curated and controlled, junk journaling embraces imperfection and expression,” she tells RUSSH.
“It’s about combining the scraps of your everyday life [...] into something meaningful. It’s part journaling, part art project, and entirely personal.”
View this post on Instagram
Of course, for many of us, it’s not an entirely new concept. As a child, I would spend hours poring over magazines for the perfect clippings and itching for the pictures on my pink digital camera to be developed, so I could arrange them on the pages of my scrapbook. And you need only to spend a few minutes on Tiktok, Instagram, and Pinterest to see that there are hundreds of young women eschewing modern technology in favour of the crafting habits of their girlhood.
@blnde.e nothing like late night in-n-out after some @Hozier #junkjournal #junkjournaling #junkjournalideas #crafts ♬ original sound - Puro Oldies
So why the shift? “I think, if anything, it’s a response to how fast everything moves in the digital world,” says Calvi. “We are craving something slower, tactile, and more intimate. Crafting is inherently hopeful—it says, ‘I have time, and this moment matters.’”
While scrapbooking in its original form was premised on a polished finished product, junk journaling is inherently a little freer – a bit like whipping out a notebook and unleashing your thoughts in a stream of consciousness. In Calvi’s words, it’s “less about creating something beautiful and more about finding beauty in the act of creating itself.”
Much like the ritual of traditional journaling, there's a certain catharsis to the tactile crafts like scrapbooking junk journaling. Not only are they a welcome divergence from doom-scrolling TikTok and other tech-related hobbies, but they invite us to press pause.
"It helps you slow down and notice things—small joys and ordinary moments—and gives them a permanent place to exist," Calvi says. "Incorporating a weekly junk journaling ritual into your life—dedicated time for pure creative play and reflection—can be deeply transformative."
For those looking to dip their toes into the world of junk journaling, Calvi's biggest piece of advice is to put the pursuit of perfection aside. "Everybody is creative, and junk journaling isn’t something to be ‘good’ at! It’s not about perfection or a finished product—it’s about being expression," she says.
"Don’t wait to collect “special” things to get started. Use what’s around you right now— Your first pages might feel messy or unpolished, and that’s okay. The important thing is you are taking the time to slow down, document your memories and feel creative. And that’s a beautiful thing to do for yourself!"
You can read more about junk journaling in Calvi's craft coffee table book, The Art of Memory Collecting.
