The age of social media has ignited new ways for people to share their lives online, turning individuals into independent auteurs of the movie that is their own existence. Taking a photo or video with one’s phone has become a human instinct. A new mindset, then, takes hold: has a moment truly taken place if there isn’t proof? As the adage goes, “pics or it didn’t happen.”
But sometimes, a digital memento just doesn’t cut it. Some prefer a more intimate way of documenting even the most mundane moments of their day. By keeping receipts, packaging scraps, and other prosaic artifacts that would otherwise be thrown away, these pieces of junk capture a moment long after it has passed. They end up preserved between the pages of a notebook—a practice called junk journaling.
The art of remembering
A unique take on the ritual of journaling, junk journaling resembles scrapbooking, where various mementos are pasted onto a page in a free-form layout. However, unlike the traditional scrapbook, each piece is intentionally curated to etch memories onto paper.
This urge to memorialize an important life event through scraps and tokens is what pushed Lili Ungco (IV, AB-PSM) to begin her junk journal journey. Coming from a big family, Ungco shares how challenging it can be to schedule time together. But when she finally went on her first international family trip, Ungco knew the memories would be too precious to part with. “I kept all of the receipts, tags, and everything,” Ungco recounts. “I thought to myself, ‘What if I just scrapbook it?’ And then, [in the end], my whole journal or sketchbook turned into a junk journal.”
Documenting one’s life in a notebook may be nothing new, but the approach has become increasingly inventive. Nicole Neptuno (IV, AB-CAM) has been filling out diaries and planners since she was six years old. Seeking a more artistic outlet, she turned to bullet journaling, where she would create meticulous monthly spreads that included a calendar and a personal playlist.
But as time went on, “It felt like a chore. I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing,” Neptuno expresses. “It was a system that I did not really feel connected to.” Eventually, she found greater fulfillment in assembling spontaneous layouts from collected tickets, candy wrappers, and photobooth printouts, to name a few. She realized that letting go of perfection allowed more room to express herself.
Ungco echoes this sentiment, saying, “It’s because of that perfectionism [that] paralyzes people to even start or ever be content with what they create.” Journaling does not have to be a meticulously codified system for filing away memories; instead, it serves as a space to revel in the highlights of their lives, no matter how messy or imperfect they may seem. She reminds, “Creativity is only ever born when you’re in a state of play.”
Flipping through the pages
Exceeding the core of junk journaling as an expression of artistry with items perceived as trash, these spreads also evoke emotions. “Junk journaling helps me be kinder to myself,” Ungco expounds, noting that this allows her to create without the expectations of aesthetic appeal, giving her the space to break free from rigid standards. Through this hobby, Ungco escapes stringent routines and repetitive systems that cause burnout, and reveals a more “human” side of herself in her art.
Meanwhile, these patchworks of ephemera serve as a way to express positive feelings for Neptuno, explaining that she transmutes these to her work. “I feel so much gratitude. I feel so much joy. I feel so much warmth looking back,” she gushes, flipping through her journal and fondly pointing to her nostalgic layouts. The moments they capture are mostly simple: a quiet breakfast with her family, a chaotic school day with her classmates. Yet, each page carries the emotional charge stored in the trinkets she has saved.
This, ultimately, is the essence of junk journaling—not the Pinterest-worthy perfect collages, but rather the memories that they capture and, most importantly, the people with whom they share them. Junk journaling becomes a social experience as loved ones contribute to each other’s spreads. “I love being remembered,” Neptuno gushes, recalling the receipts and tickets her family and friends have eagerly handed her to include in her journal.
For Ungco, the experience is shared best when journaling alongside a friend. “It just feels much more intimate because while you’re journaling with someone, you also get to talk to them about their junk,” she remarks. As scraps of daily life emerge, stories and experiences are exchanged, and pages fill with remembrance and meaning.
To live and to love
At its core, junk journaling is an act of remembrance—an archive of who these chroniclers were, who they loved, and what they valued.“ Journaling is one of the ways to honor who I was at the time, the people I love, and the memories I really cherished at that time,” shares Neptuno as she mentions the memories she associates with each spread: trips taken with her family, movies checked out at the cinema with her friends, cafes dropped by. All of these moments were preserved in tickets, receipts, calling cards, and stickers—trinkets that would’ve been discarded, becoming evidence that she had lived and loved.
More than a hobby, junk journaling invites people to appreciate the small things often overlooked. For those looking to start, these archivists advise: go ahead and start collecting. Find a canvas, be as creative as you can, and surround yourself with people who inspire you. As a final suggestion, Ungco notes, “Always use glue stick[s].”
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s January 2026 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSJan2026 .
