The Journal Collection

When my parents sold my childhood home, I added to my collection boxes of old journals and sketchbooks that I had stored at their house. I hadn't fully thought about it or identified as a journal person until I saw all of them together in one location.

Over the past few years I've started to see that I'm not the only one who makes journals sorta, kinda, but not exactly, like I do... sometimes they call what they create junk journals, sometimes smash books, visual journals, travel journals, treasure books... I started seeing my work/life archives as Collector's Books (for collecting evidence of present moments) or nature adventure journals, but I'm still on the hunt for a name that fits just right. Suggestions welcome!

I do know that I love the process of making them and I cherish every one. Journaling, for me, has become a practice in creative wellness. The journals themselves act as time machine or a portal to revisit different times of my life. I can note the transformations, the growth, the experiences. Documenting the daily adventures with my handcrafted nature-based materials gives me a chance to get present, and also to get lost in awe.