TikTok’s and My Current Favorite Hobby
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.
I like to believe that it’s at the fault of my Gemini sun sign that I am so prone to growing bored of my hobbies. Of course, some of them do stick with me, but most of the time, I find myself looking for the next best thing to satisfy my creative urges and settle my scatterbrained tendencies. Currently, that hobby for me is junk journaling. I used to be an avid journaler in a similar sense during the pandemic, but found myself doing it less and less as time went on. But during a doom scrolling session on TikTok one night this summer, a video came across my page of @livebrave2 or Cheyenne Livelsberger, showing what she called her “junk journal.” Her sunny disposition and insanely aesthetic journal pages immediately had me hooked, so I picked up a fresh blank journal the next morning.
What is junk journaling?
At this point, you’re probably wondering, what even is junk journaling anyway? Some unfun people in the comment sections of junk journaling TikToks might say something along the lines of, “This is literally just scrapbooking,” but in my opinion there’s much more creative liberty and flexibility in this activity compared to the other. A junk journal combines the memory keepsake aspect of scrapbooking with the personal touch of regular journaling, but with an emphasis on “junk.” Junk can be literally anything you may collect in your day-to-day life that can be pasted into a journal spread: receipts, paper maps, napkins, business cards, physical tickets, coffee sleeves, stickers; the possibilities are quite endless. Many also enjoy printing out photos to go along with their junk, providing context to the items they collected that day.
In my experience, the creative pressure to make something that looks cool or aesthetic is taken away compared to scrapbooking, because the element of used/found junk invites a sense of inherent imperfection. Sometimes I do put a ton of effort into my spreads with lots of planned out photos, stickers, washi tape, scrapbook paper, etc, if I’m feeling inspired. Other times I might just write out my thoughts and sketch a quick doodle on the page. With junk journaling, I haven’t felt the urge to compare my art to the kinds others online are making, because the process is so personal it would be almost impossible to. On another note, this hobby is extremely affordable to start, and from there, you can spend as little or as much money as you want. All you really need to begin is a blank journal, some glue/tape, and your junk!
Q&A with Cheyenne Livelsberger
I had the lovely opportunity to speak with Cheyenne over email and ask her about her love for junk journaling, and her experience being on TikTok so far.
Her Campus: How did you get into junk journaling?
Cheyenne Livelsberger: I started junk journaling at a young age thanks to my mother! She has been journaling her whole entire life and passed along the love of the hobby to me. At such a young age, I wasn’t focused on writing; instead, I spent most of my time collecting items like McDonald’s wrappers, fruit stickers, and mini-golf scorecards. It made life feel like a little scavenger hunt trying to find little things that brought me joy! I carefully preserved these treasures in my most cherished possession: my bright pink diary that had “Cheyenne’s Diary” written across the top. It was both my diary and my very first junk journal!
HC: Why did you decide to start your TikTok?
CL: I decided to start my TikTok and center it around the journaling community because I feel like my calling in life is to inspire others! One of my passions in life is to empower others to begin their own journaling journeys, break free from perfectionism, and unleash their creativity! I have so many people commenting on my videos saying that they started a journal because of me and it brings so much joy to my heart and soul! I want to always give other people ideas, inspiration, but overall I want to spread positivity and make a safe place on TikTok!
HC: What is your favorite aspect of junk journaling?
CL: What I cherish most about junk journaling is that it serves as a time capsule of my life. I’ve had a bad memory for a long time, so it’s so nice being able to reflect on everything I’ve experienced throughout my lifetime! I also enjoy creating journal spreads and exercising my creativity on a daily basis. There’s a part of me that feels connected to my inner child, who used to have wild imagination, play, and create every day! Junk journaling has been such an amazing tool for my imagination but also my mental health. It has been such a beautiful hobby and it feels so deeply rooted in my life now!
Follow Cheyenne on TikTok and Instagram for great vibes and adorable journal inspiration!
