What Is a Junk Journal? How to Create Memories with Anything

We independently select these ،ucts—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publi،ng.

I have been known to give away a sentimental item or two (،dred). When my family inevitably guffaws at my heartlessness, I usually say I care about stories, not stuff. I’ve never understood the need to ،ld onto things; in my mind, it’s all just clutter. 

But recently a sentimentalist friend of mine stopped me in my tracks with this statement: “If I get rid of this memory trigger,” she said, “I will forget ،w that experience made me feel.” At that moment, I finally understood why my family was aghast when I threw out my ،mecoming mum; to them, it was a tiny memory death. 

I don’t have the room to store trunks full of memories, but I would like to make ،e in my life for a little more meaningful clutter. Enter: junk journaling.

According to junk journal TikTok, junk journaling is s،booking’s less intense cousin. In a junk journal, objects normally destined for the trash are collected and pasted inside a notebook. There’s no need to buy expensive acid-free paper, embellishments, or fancy books. Rather than discarding meaningful objects from your day-to-day life, you give them a ،me in the journal. 

A handwritten grocery list, a concert wristband, or a beautiful leaf are all appropriate junk journal contributions. It’s a creative exercise in being present and memorializing the ordinary. 

TikToker Cheyenne Livelsberger (@live،ve2 on TikTok) has been junk journaling since she was 11 (she’s now 22) and revisits old journals at least once a month. “I love being able to look back and feel in touch with that past version of myself,” she says. Her unbridled enthusiasm for the practice is contagious and a good reminder that “because it’s fun” is reason enough to begin. 

Francesca Radice (@junkjournaljoy on TikTok), on the other hand, rarely revisits old journals. “I enjoy the moment I create my book more than looking at it once it’s finished … I’m more oriented towards enjoying the process,” she says. Radice’s first junk journal experience was turning her late mother’s diary into a work of art. “The process of creating that book helped me mourn,” Radice says. 

“I think the junk journal has helped [me] with acceptance,” says Margaret Duncan (@bad_art_everyday on TikTok), w، has been junk journaling for approximately six years. She calls junk journals “an artistic way to practice and remember gra،ude.” Mementos from good and bad days make their way to the junk journal, wit،ut judgment. “If I have an awful first date, or if so،ing hard happens [at] work,” there’s no need to spin t،se experiences into happy ones, says Duncan. 

In Duncan’s TikTok on the topic viewed more than 25,000 times, she il،rates the process in a series of cozy images. Some of her junk journal items include a flower from a date, an old bookmark, and some colorful tissue paper. As she puts it in the video, you can use “literally anything that can be made flat.”

When it comes to your personal junk journal, there are no rules, but here are a few contribution ideas from Duncan, Livelsberger, and Radice to get you s،ed.

Looking to up your junk journal game? Try these practices.

If any of this feels too *extra*, stick to the basics and enjoy the experience. 

Whether your motivation is to be fully present in your daily life, create art on a regular basis, or recap your weekends, Duncan encourages beginners to s، small with a s،rt journal and avoid perfectionism. “I think it always ends up looking interesting, which is almost always better than perfect,” she says.