why i keep a media journal…
for those of you who already read my media journal essay on substack, click here to scroll down to the supplemental content.
I started a YouTube channel in October of 2023 because of media journaling.
As a devoted YouTube watcher of over two decades, and having enjoyed videos within the Booktube niche for most of that time, I was very familiar with reading journals. But I'm not just an avid reader; I also watch a lot of TV and films and experience bouts of hyperfocus on one specific type of media - like only listening to podcasts for weeks or playing a video game that was just released with little care towards anything else.
Seeking community and inspiration
Since I was interested in journaling about all parts of the media I consumed, I went to the search bar to look up inspiration and examples on YouTube (I think we do this because we're seeking community, validation, and inspiration). Except that I didn't find much. I was saddened to see very few people keeping media journals, and even fewer were keeping them how I wanted to— as a form of memory keeping.
It's my belief that we are the media we consume, but what's more, the media we consume can also be a time capsule for who we were at that moment. You can tell that there's a general fascination with logging the things you read and watch because websites like Goodreads, Storygraph, and Letterboxd exist. These are spaces where you can keep track of the TV shows, books, and movies you've consumed and can also form a community around those things. But what about on a personal level? What's the value of media logging there?
My reasons for keeping a media journal
Aside from a way of keeping track in a purely productive stance, there's something to be said about picking up a journal and seeing what you read or watched x amount of years ago. We often remember the media that directly changes our lives. But even media we didn't really like or don't remember well has lodged itself in our psyche and informed the way we live after we've consumed it. That might sound woo-woo to some of you or far-fetched, and it's your right to think that way, but I don't think it is. Our realities are solely our own based on our own lived experiences, and even if our conscious mind doesn't remember something, our subconscious mind does.
All that being said, this isn't the main reason I keep a media journal.
I have a bad memory, which is one of the reasons I'm drawn to journaling and memory-keeping in the first place. I'm also a homebody, spending a lot of time consuming media as one of my hobbies, and the type of media I'm consuming changes based on the seasons of my life.
Reliving moments from the unique lens of media
I can look back at 2022 and see that I read heavily that year compared to 2023 because I kept track of it somewhere. Memories become blurry the longer it's been since we've experienced them. I probably won't remember, information as seemingly unimportant as that in five or ten years. But my journals will be there to remind me, and I'm happier for it. But that's still not the main reason I keep a media journal.
The media I consume is always emotionally attached to what I experienced in life when I was exposed to it. In essence, I read and watch things based on my mood. So I can usually tell what mood I was in by the things I watched or read in a week, month, or year. I know I'm not alone in this because I've heard others say, "I know I'm in a bad mental health state when I binge x type of media."
Creating Monthly Playlists: Musical Time Capsules
I've been creating a monthly playlist since 2019 after seeing Nina Montagne post hers. As I'm writing this I have five years worth of monthly playlists full of the songs I was listening to. That's 63 playlists and counting! I can remember vague things about where or who I was with as I listened to each of those songs.
Whenever I hear "Pocket full of sunshine," I remember a ride down the freeway on our way home back from school in Puerto Rico when I was 10. When I hear "Chariot," I remember being in an apartment living with my grandparents as I worked from home, having started my first business recently, and being so excited for the days to come. When I listen to Bohemian Rhapsody,I remember a road trip I took with some of my best friends to North Carolina in 2019. When I listen to the songs on my March and April 2020 playlists, I remember how my world began shattering and has been shattering since.
Media Journals are vessels for memories & creative expression
I wouldn't think of remembering these things if I didn't have spaces that hold those memories in waiting for me. I know where to look for them if I need or want to find them. They are glimpses my past self has left for me via the art others have made and sent into the world. They are a way for me to participate with the art and merge it into my own lived experiences. They are a part of who I am.
They are as important to me as images of my cats, of my friends and family, and of my house. I live those experiences as much as the ones I take on vacation, in a new city, or on a long drive to places I've never seen before. I am transported by every book I read, every movie or show I watch, and every song I listen to. I get to return to the version of me that went there each time I am reminded of it.
The most important reason: Media Journals are Personal Time Machines
That's all memory keeping is- opportunities to travel back in time, sitting inside notebooks long ago archived. That's the main reason I keep a media journal. They are an opportunity to witness myself in different way, in a way no one else can access, because so much of the media we consume causes a personal evolution: inside the mind and heart.
The way I use a media journal has changed throughout the years, but the reasons remain the same. Sometimes, I need more words to remind me. Sometimes, just the title of the media will bring it all back. You have to decide how much detail is important to you or necessary.
Some people keep media journals via reviews, and some do basic media logging. Some people will make collages or paste images of the media covers and collect the quotes inside a journal. Some will write about the feelings they experienced or where and when they experienced it. I've done a variety of all these things depending on whether the media was more or less impactful to me. Ultimately, you get to decide for yourself what feels right and true to you.
Supplemental Content
A few of my media journal focused videos:
url: https://youtu.be/78-N45zK9d8?si=rtx7ewsq3pq8uKr2
title: "why im moving back into traveler's notebook ✦ setting up my media journal & commonplace TN"
description: "✦i am moving away from the Paper Tess B6 and back into my standard traveler's notebook. in this video we are setting up the standard camel as a commonplace t..."
host: youtu.be
favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/271635d3/img/logos/favicon_32x32.png
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/78-N45zK9d8/maxresdefault.jpg
url: https://youtu.be/\_Gw97VbR1fU
title: "journaling in my hobonichi weeks media journal + what im currently reading & watching ✨✒️"
description: "hi everyone! this video is a slightly different format since its sped up. join me for a quick journaling session in my media journal as I decorate and update..."
host: youtu.be
favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/271635d3/img/logos/favicon_32x32.png
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_Gw97VbR1fU/maxresdefault.jpg
Other Youtubers sharing their media journals:
url: https://youtu.be/TT24jl6-CCs
title: "Setting Up a Hobonichi Weeks as a Media Journal for 2024"
description: "As part of my 2024 journal and planner setup, I'm introducing a media journal! I considered making this a reading journal, but ultimately decided on adding s..."
host: youtu.be
favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/271635d3/img/logos/favicon_32x32.png
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TT24jl6-CCs/maxresdefault.jpg
url: https://youtu.be/uvncjVSvcHc
title: "Media Journal with Me: Oscars 2024 Films ⭐️ | Abbey Sy"
description: "📕 𝙾𝚁𝙳𝙴𝚁 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 The Art of the Travel Journal → https://www.abbeysy.com/the-art-of-the-travel-journal🎨 𝙿𝙰𝚃𝚁𝙴𝙾𝙽join our art club for exclu..."
host: youtu.be
favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/271635d3/img/logos/favicon_32x32.png
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uvncjVSvcHc/maxresdefault.jpg
url: https://youtu.be/g7ALQHynDV4
title: "2023 Media Journal // Flip Through & Set Up [B6 Stalogy]"
description: "Today I am sharing a look inside my 2023 Media Journal documenting the books, movies, TV shows, and music I consume this year. In this video I explain my set..."
host: youtu.be
favicon: https://www.youtube.com/s/desktop/271635d3/img/logos/favicon_32x32.png
image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g7ALQHynDV4/maxresdefault.jpg