Once upon a time, I realized that I had far too much stationery.
When presented with this information, the only thing I could think of to help me downsize it was to actually use them. But the sheer amount I had was daunting, and I wouldn't be able to use all of it if it had just been me and my, at the time, singular journal. So I enlisted some help under the guise of a hangout. I organized a small journaling hangout with some friends, bringing along my stationery horde and some craft supplies. It turned out to be a success! Me and 9 other friends crowding a long table at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; papers, washi tape, and stickers shared and used in assorted journals and notebooks. It was then that I decided that I wanted to open up the circle a little more because we had so much fun.
So I organized another one. This time, I encouraged friends to invite friends, and I also made a public post on social media. This was the first Journal Jam (then referred to as a journal hangout) that I hosted.
And then people started asking me when the next one was, so I organized another one. This time, I decided to have my friend Belle (@bellemaps) to co-host with me. We had a zine to go with our Mid-Year Planning theme written by Belle and designed and printed by me. It, too, was a resounding success.
It occurred to me after the third iteration of my little event, that the Journal Jam could stand to be a regular event people could attend. Nothing too demanding, just a 'come and go as you please' type of arrangement. I would post about it and invite folks on a quarterly schedule, reserve a table or two (or three, or five), bring all my extra stationery, and welcome a community, free of charge. The only trade-off was that attendees would also have to patronize the coffee shop, which happened to be Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It was the least I could offer, given that we'd spend about five hours journaling and scrapbooking to our heart's content.
The largest Journal Jam we had was back in November 2025, where we occupied no less than six tables at CBTL, with the attendee count going up to at least 35 to 40 individuals. I tend not to take a lot of photos during these events since I've usually got my hands full attending to everyone, but it helps a whole lot that people have been nothing but cordial, even kind and generous at these events. People find themselves making new friends or reconnecting with old ones, finding a common connection in craft and journaling. People have also been donating their excess stationery to our journaling materials buffet, so it feels like a good and never-ending basket of gifts.
The photos below show the "before" and "during" of the Journal Jams.
The success of the Journal Jams wouldn't exist without the community that continues to grow with it and the people who keep showing up to make the space as friendly and comfortable as possible. For that, I am always grateful. It is my hope to continue to bring people together in somewhat-accessible creative spaces like these to forge better connections.
As of writing, my Journal Jams do not have a dedicated group chat or discord server. We don't even have registration forms or sign up sheets. We only have our materials and stationery, a long table at Coffee Bean, an open invitation, and a wish for a communal creative space.
It is also my hope that someone out there gets inspired to make their own Journal Jams for their community too.