When Julie Fordham, a Tucker-based painter and the president of the Tucker Arts Alliance, began her foray into art, she was 15. She did what she called “sketchbook art,” combining collage and writing to create pieces of art in her journal.
Today, she’s bringing the accessible and experimental art form, now known as junk journaling, to Tucker with a weekly workshop at Mama Debbie’s Art Emporium.
Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Fordham hosts Drunk Journaling, an evening dedicated to the art of junk journaling. Attendees enjoy a themed cocktail and two hours to work on their projects with provided materials.
“It’s basically two hours where you can work on your art and play and be creative,” Fordham told Rough Draft. “I do themes, I do matching cocktails, but more importantly, it’s an allotment of time for people who don’t think they’re very creative or don’t have the time set out for creativity.”
Like the name suggests, junk journaling creates art out of everyday ephemera like receipts, stickers, lists, tickers, and other paper scraps. One of Fordham’s regular attendees is making a book dedicated to her travels. Another is making a one-of-a-kind baby book. Similar to scrapbooking and collaging, the medium is designed to be accessible and experimental; you can use photos, stickers, magazine clippings, trash, drawings, and writing, all on the same page.
“I think the important part that I think a lot of people overlook or don’t value is experimentation,” Fordham said. “You grow so much as an artist from experimenting. Junk journaling is the perfect place to do that.”
Drunk Journaling is for everyone, even those who don’t junk journal. Attendees can work on any craft or project they’d like; the workshop simply serves as a space for people to get creative.
Fordham hopes to expand the book-centric arts in Tucker with a book-binding class at Mama Debbie’s in November.
Tickets to Drunk Journaling are $20 and can be purchased through Mama Debbie’s website. More information about Julie Fordham can be found on Instagram and her website.
