Lately, I’ve been in the mood for exploration. Not the big kind of exploration like traveling or chasing huge goals but something small, simple, and surprisingly fun. This time, I tried junk journaling.

To be honest, di ko naman talaga ito ginagawa dati. I’ve always been into calligraphy and journaling, pero yung junk journal, it feels different. Mas free. Mas playful. Ang saya kasi hindi mo kailangan mag-isip ng sobrang lalim just to exercise your creativity. Walang rules, walang pressure, just pieces of paper, random cutouts, stickers, and little scraps that somehow tell a story.

The other day, I checked out some tools online. Nakakita ako ng stamp-shape puncher. Ang cute nga pero ang mahal! Almost ₱400. Sabi ko, okay na muna. Sariling sikap na lang, meron naman akong art scissors. Pwede na yun to make fun shapes and edges. Sometimes, creativity thrives more kapag limitado yung gamit mo.

So simula ngayon, I’ve decided to start collecting ephemera. Mga simpleng bagay na usually tinatapon lang: receipts from a café, tissue wrapper na may logo, business card ng restaurant, bus tickets, random stickers, packaging, or even pretty tags from clothes. Ang sarap isipin na these tiny scraps can be given a second life sa journal.

Exploring junk journaling feels like giving myself permission to play. Walang mali, walang tama. Every page can be messy, raw, imperfect and still beautiful in its own way. Tapos lalagyan ko lang ng date sa baba kung kelan ko natapos idesign yung isang buong page. Done!

Kaya if you’ve been feeling stuck or pressured na dapat lahat ng ginagawa mo “meaningful” o “productive,” maybe try junk journaling, too. Minsan, the fun is in the scraps. The fun is in the freedom. ✨