What I Love About Junk Journaling
Where simplicity, slowness and creativity meet
Hello, I’m Claudia, and Happy Quiet Life is where I share my view on the world as a Highly Sensitive Person. You’ll find reflections and stories about slowing down & living simpler, reconnecting with nature, mental health & self-care, books & reading adventures. Welcome!
Limiting my screen time
In November, I wrote about how I made a conscious decision to limit my screen time drastically because my nervous system perceives the scrolling, the snippets, the permanent bits and pieces, myriads of links, ads etc. as threats and has a hard time calming down and feeling safe.
In December, I noticed that something had shifted. I was more than happy to stop after just one and half hour online. No need for more, no desire for the rest of the day. My dysregulated nervous system has slowly begun to trust me on that, to rely on me on making good decisions, to stop the constant noise and attacks. There’s a glimpse of feeling calmer.
Analogue activities
Encouraged, I’m looking forward to more offline and analogue activities. I already love reading books, gardening, going for walks in nature. I enjoy jigsaw puzzles and the occasional board game. I especially love watching sunrises, clouds, birds, bees and other wildlife (hello squirrel, hello hedgehogs!) in our garden. And you’ll find me sitting in my favourite armchair, drinking tea or cocoa, looking out of the window and doing - apparently - nothing quite often. As a highly sensitive person I need my time to process input and life in all aspects, and a lot of time that is.
Junk journaling
I started junk journaling in the summer.
A new creative outlet that combines simplicity, slowness and crafting something with my hands (which is something I’m usually not that good at).
I don’t buy magazines or anything. I only use materials I got or already have like old books or calendars, leaflets or brochures, gift wrapping paper or napkins, chocolate wrappings (great time to collect them right now!), tissue boxes or tea packs. It really is all litter, old materials, and that’s the point for me. Creating with what’s already there, but giving it a new meaning, a new life.
It’s fun to browse through all the items and snippets in my box where I store them - and settle on a theme while finding the pieces that resonate with me. Sometimes I have a theme in mind, sometimes I’m open and let the theme find me while looking through the box’s content.
I’ve never thought of myself as having any talent in the visual department - and that’s not the point in doing junk journaling. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even good. I don’t have to achieve anything.
It’s about something different.
It feels good to do something with my hands instead of being in my head or online all the time. It’s tangible.
It’s simple to do.
Choosing the pictures and words and snippets to express what I feel and what captures the moment and what’s important in my life at this point is calming and gets me into a creative flow eventually. One of the best feelings I know.
The book I use is of a small size, so the blank pages are not daunting, but it’s also a challenge to encapsulate the essence of what’s going on and what’s on my mind.
It takes as long as I like to create a page. I use iterations, I let a layout be on my desk for a day or two, change it, move an item, pick different words or substract them altogether. A work in progress, I come back to it often. I take my time.
It’s a fun activity. Just for myself. It helps me to stay in the present and in my body.
It also feels good and right to make creative use of something that would be considered waste otherwise and would be thrown away.
The message conveyed by the finished page is a lovely reminder what to focus on and I put it on my desk until the next journal entry.
What I create is not “good”. It’s not art. It doesn’t have to be. No pressure to do it perfectly. Just doing it. Having fun. Being creative. Outside of my usual field. Playing. Falling into the flow of creating and joy.
Creating with limited materials, waste even, re-using materials to express myself, this is meaningful to me and makes me happy.
My latest: less words, more playfulness
You might have noticed, I usually use a lot of words and quotes in my junk journal entries. It’s who I am. Written words have always been my world.
This has started to change lately. Being out in nature much more often, observing, taking pictures has added a different layer, another outlook. The visual has become more prominent for me, without feeling the need to descibe or name everything I notice, to not always look for words. Liberating.
My latest junk journal entries seem to reflect that. They are (almost) without words. And more colourful. Winter Magic in the Forest. Happy Christmas in the Mouse House.
It’s fun to be playful, even a little bit silly, because life as I know it is often earnest, serious and tough. I love the possibility for a lighter mood. It’s fun to just try things out, not stick to one style, and to explore many different facets.
Mood board
It’s not only junk journaling, I also love to create my mood board for the season the old-fashioned way, although there are all sorts of digital and online possibilites.
Putting physical pictures like postcards, old calendar sheets and pages from an old coffee-table book on my white metal pinboard above my desk, feeling the small, but heavy magnets, hearing the clunk sound when they attach to the board, rearranging the tangible items by hand, this is something entirely different than designing it digitally.
For me, it adds a layer of depth and wholeheartedness that only comes with doing it the analogue way.
❄️ So, here’s to winter! ☃️
Ooooo. Junk journaling (besides its alliteration) is not a good name for something so pretty! I love your collages ~ the idea of repurposing found materials from around the house + being creative and tactile. 🤗 You should share them on Notes.
Also, I wanted to tell you that I watched Netflix's Thurs Murder Club last night and it was great! The first novel has been far enough from my memory that it was fun to "recall" events and see how they handled it. Overall, pleased with the cast too. Happy New Year, Claudia! 🥳
What a great idea and I love that this process just evolves depending on how you're feeling. Such a lovely creative outlet in every way 🌳🌷💫