We are in a digital era. Everything about us is on social media, a digital scrapbook of what we do throughout our years. In 20 years, when we look back upon our lives, will we only have something on a screen?Â
The rise of creation—journaling and creating physical things—is something that has been on the mind of individuals on my For You Page, and my own mind as a result.Â
Social media isn’t something that is a bad thing- I have found creators who have inspired me to try different things and have taught me about things I probably wouldn’t have found out about without. But it has also led to people losing their creativity and individuality.Â
There has been a growing complaint about individuals wanting to have a physical archive of their lives, asking why individuals don’t write more handwritten letters to people or create things. My mom’s old photo albums and her journals are some things that I love looking at to take a peek at what her life looked like before my sister and I were born.Â
Martina Calvi, a mixed media artist and social media creator from Australia, grew in popularity by showing her scrapbooking and filling her life with art, especially through customizing. Calvi is leading the “junk journaling” campaign, creating a “how-to guide” for scrapbooking. The whole creation of something is collecting bits and pieces of your life, creating a time capsule of what your life looks like at the moment. Within my own life, I am a sentimental person. My keepsake boxes are full of cards and things from the past, and looking back transports me to elementary school. Â
The creation of physical things takes time and is something that heavily opposes the current fast pace of life we have now. Curating and collecting things is something that can’t happen instantly. I have been looking for some magazines for months, trying to find the perfect one for my collection.Â
My magazine collection while being something seemingly simple is a physical reminder of that moment in not only the world but also my life. I have a Harpers Bazaar magazine that whenever I look at it I’m reminded of my study abroad and when I traveled alone for the first time to Switzerland. It also allows you a space to see how your interests have grown and changed over time. My magazine collection only really started to grow this year and I’m already gravitating to different publications then I did 4 months ago.Â
Creating a physical archive is something that has forced me to slow down in my day-to-day life and is a way to look back and see changes in my interests and as person in a more intimate, intentional way then just tapping through social media alone.Â