I Led a Junk Journal Program for CALS’ 2nd Friday Art Night!
✨What Happened
Last week, the Arkansas heat waves put a pause on live markets and freehanding henna designs, and instead, I made approximately 70 junk journals (I had help). Why did I make 70 junk journals in 2 weeks? Because I was able to lead the 2nd Friday Art Night (aka 2FAN) art program at the Downtown branch of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS)!
This was such a huge deal for me. A couple of years ago, I had mapped out a series of workshops that I was going to get to do. Due to unforeseen circumstances, some possible hinky business, and the programming being ultimately outside of my control, this series was canceled.
✨The Old Plan
It was going to start with how to make a junk journal. I was going to show how to make signatures, stack your papers, pick your covers, know how much thread to use, and teach folks to make a single signature journal using the pamphlet stitch. The goal was to, afterward, teach how to use this stitch and modify the cover to hold three signatures.
From there, I wanted to split off into two different categories. The first was to offer different workshops on other ways to bind multiple signatures: a simple Japanese stab binding stitch, coptic stitching, and then the french link stitch.
After that, I wanted to return to junk journaling and use that same journal we would have made with three signatures to start teaching different junk journal techniques: ways to modify pages that are already covered in things, mark making, and ways to put things into your journals. This would have led to different types of ephemera making, with a focus on scrap busting. I had a list of the types of ephemera that we would focus on making, what materials we could reuse for this, and the ways to do this that would maximize the creative reuse factor. By the last bit, I mean reusing styrofoam to make very simple stamps, using old make up and expired nail polish to be your inks and pigments, using old toothbrushes in eyeshadow to distress pages, etc. There are ways to give life to so many things.
Then, if the programming was still going strong, we could even use any remaining scraps from that series to lead into paper pulp: we could use the paper pulp to make paper, to sculp small figurines, to make pendants for jewelry, or just to use as paper mache for larger projects, if desired.
This entire series fell through—I never had a contract that would secure my being able to do this program and when I tried to act different places about being able to lead it, was met with new obstacles.
✨The CALS 2FAN Art Program
However, this past Friday, I brought a large box of junk journals made from old food packaging boxes, packaging paper, junk mail, envelopes, paper bags, and donated used paper from a local business, bound with jute twine acquired from Dollar Tree for $1.25. It was a hit! The library spared all of their art supplies and had glue sticks, glue, scissors, magazines, and more! I brought my crop-a-dile, long stapler, and yarn needles for stitching. People were given the option of picking up a journal to take home, grabbing a handout with directions for the stitching, or making one with me and my partner right then and there.
This was definitely one of the highlights of the year. The amount of people that looked through the journals and made comments about how cool it was that they were made from trash, the amount of people that picked their journal based off of the snack that they liked, the few that wanted to know how to make one in person, and the amount of folks that crowded over the decorations table, cutting out cool things from vintage magazines, decorating their pages in the moment: all of it made my heart swell. I also couldn’t believe the amount of people that asked me about the program—whether I did this normally, whether I would be interested in doing it elsewhere, and what other elements to this idea are there that could be expanded on.
I was able to say, “OH I ACTUALLY HAVE THIS MAPPED OUT” and suggested a number of different ways that programming could go, focusing on creative reuse but also junk journaling.
I was asked if I just liked to make them because I got to repurpose trash. I loved getting to say that that’s part of it. Part of the allure of junk journaling to me is that I get to make it all out of trash.
✨Why Junk Journaling?
The other part is how accessible it makes journaling. I am a journaler. I have beautiful journals—I am still religiously devoted to my Onion Skin Journal and pretty much always have one ready for whenever I finish my current one. I use my favorite fountain pens, insert my best stickers, and use the inks that I think of as more “luxurious.” This isn’t because I think my words need any of that, but because I aim to treat my thoughts like they matter. This makes me excited to return to my personal journal, grab one of my beloved pens, and fill up pages with stunning inks.
But sometimes, that’s a lot of pressure. Sometimes, journaling that way makes the process feel like I need to have an introspective epiphany for it to be put onto the page. I know that that’s not true, and in fact, the opposite was the goal—I wanted to remind myself that even writing down that I was happy about the market that day, or writing down that I was stressed about the same things, that all of that is still important. It’s a part of how I am learning to treat my voice and wants like they matter.
This is where Junk Journaling can save the day. My junk journal doesn’t need to be beautiful. I can use sharpies if I want to, and for some paper types, I might even need to (parchment paper). I can glue in a receipt and say, “This is from Y’allternative! The store I have my stuff at—I found these cool things there today.” That can be the entry. Filling up the page with random things automatically makes the writing part feel less daunting. A random sticker, a business card from a restaurant, a logo ripped off of a branded bag from a local business—they sit on the page and already give your eye something more interesting to look at. It opens the door to documenting your day, which eventually leads to you expressing more of your thoughts and your self, and that’s when you can actually get to some of those introspective epiphanies.
I’ll preach about the benefits and wonder of journaling until the cows come home, but for now, I wanted to document this because it feels like the start of being able to actually lead the workshops I’ve been mapping out and spread my love for both creative reuse and journaling.
✨In Other “Making Things” News
I will be listing things back on this site soon. I have a lot of things over at a locally queer-owned shop in Sherwood, Arkansas called, "Y’allternative,” that features only local vendors and artists. I’ve been pretty obsessed with everything I’ve made and stocked my shelves with over there, but after six months, I haven’t really been able to turn a profit. Mostly, I just make back the money that I have to pay for rent there. I’ll be adding the items that I have in the shop onto my site here, and will get back into packaging and shipping items using the old schedule I previously had, where things were sent out on set days.
I’ve also been making props for the Actors Theatre of Little Rock. The last play I got to work on was Rocky Horror and I have a post over on Medium about that experience. Right now, I’m working on Come From Away.
✨Henna by Ren
Aside from those things, and truthfully, my main job and source of income, I’ve been continuing to do henna! This leaves me subject to markets, being able to pay vendor fees, and at the whim of the weather, but aside from those things, it’s been slowly growing! I’ve been able to do events for people, private appointments, photo shoots, and at markets, I love getting to talk to people one-on-one about so many things! As a mom that had regained freedom and then promptly reentered Babyland, I am often isolated and doing henna and markets has been my way of being involved with the “outside world.”
I truly do love it. I love watching my art skills increase. I love getting to talk about the tradition and history of it. I love getting to interact with people and appreciate the way everyone’s body is different: hands, fingers, wrists, arms, etc. We are all different. And it is a joy and a privilege to be able to set my art on someone, if only for a few weeks.
