'Everybody is an artist': Community members collage their clutter in junk journals

From direct-mail advertisements, magazines and used envelopes, the scraps that humans are inclined to discard serve as the tools Jennifer Hansen uses to craft her junk journals — an eco-conscious and inexpensive way many journalers hone their creativity.

As the Orange County Arts Commission grants and operations coordinator, Hansen organizes a wide variety of art classes for the nearby community. Hansen has been combining her two lifelong hobbies — collaging and journaling — for years. So, when local artist Kathy Burnside approached her in 2023 about offering a junk journaling class at the Eno Arts Mill, Hansen was intrigued. 

In fall 2023, Burnside officially hosted her first junk journaling class with the arts commission, and now facilitates the Junk Journal Artisans Meet-Up every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eno Arts Mill. 

While junk journaling is new to the Orange County Arts Commission, it is not a completely new idea; people have engaged in similar practices since the 19th century when families used Bibles as a way to document family history, tucking birth announcements, obituaries and other sentimental scraps within its pages. Modern styles of junk journaling have gained traction on TikTok, with artists sharing pages that they created based on everything from vacations, movies and fast-food restaurants, to name a few sources of inspiration.

Junk journaling generally begins with a blank page. The artist attaches the “junk” they collected or have on hand to transform that page into a piece of art, an expression of themself. Some artists add stickers, stamps, drawings, photos and other elements to help them further personalize their journals. They can take many forms: scrapbooks, bullet journals, calendars, mood boards; the journal’s design and use are up to the imagination of its creator.

“It's a craft and it's a skill that you learn and develop over time,” Hansen said. “So the more you do it, the more you put paper on paper, the more you develop your own style, your own aesthetic, and you say, ‘Oh, that's me. There's my voice right there, right on the page.’” 

While junk journaling gained national attention on TikTok, for many, the craft is often a private exercise. 

Kennedy Hall, a senior majoring in studio art and human development and family science, sometimes begins junk journaling by playing around with markers or other things she has around her room. She said that her favorite pages are associated with the memories she has of making them, such as when she drew in her journal while overlooking Florence, Italy, on her study abroad program. When she looks back at that entry, she feels connected to the person she was in that moment, she said. 

“Something that’s so healing about art is how personal it can be, and that it’s just for you, you’re making it for yourself,” Hall said. “Just prioritizing my experience with making it instead of hoping that someone sees it and recognizes me for it.”

For some, their junk journal serves as a way to express their feelings about some of life’s harder experiences. Mirabella Petruzzi, a junior majoring in media and journalism, said she dedicated a few pages of her junk journal to a friend who passed away. Petruzzi also uses her journal to document her college experience, such as when her a cappella group, The Loreleis, performed at Cat’s Cradle. 

Burnside, however, wanted to bring her art to a local audience, rather than keeping it private. She began junk journaling in 2020 from her home in Mebane, NC. Burnside tried to find local classes and groups to get involved with but found that nothing was offered — something she wanted to change.

Before proposing a class to the Orange County Arts Commission, she got her start teaching through Alamance Arts — an arts organization in Alamance County. It was there that she introduced junk journaling to Neysa Rojas, a former nurse from New York who now frequents the artisan meet-ups.

As a way to share their love of art with others, over the summer the two women started Blue Wagon Studios, its name a nod to the blue wagon they once used to transport their art supplies. 

“And it's funny because our motto is, ‘It's never too late to create,’” Rojas said. “Right? Because obviously we're a little older. I don't know if that's the right word to say.”

“Seasoned,” Burnside interjected, while the two were at the weekly Junk Journal Artisans Meet-Up with the commission. 

“Right. We're seasoned,” Rojas said, laughing.

Burnside and Rojas teach junk journaling to all ages, bringing their knowledge to a summer camp at Alamance Community College and the retirement community Twin Lakes Community, for example.

“Everybody is a designer. Everybody is an artist,” Burnside said. “We just have to pull it out of you.”

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