Introduction: "Micro-Journaling" With Minizines

About: Grandma Van uses the Instructables website to share little print-and-mail books. Once in a while, she has other fun things to share.

Journals are very popular right now. A journal can be used to keep a record of anything. When I join art events, such as an ATART on ATCs For All , I make a "micro-journal" to help me remember what happened.

The format of my micro-journals is a single page of paper, cut and folded into a little booklet. This type of booklet is very common and goes by many names. I call this type of booklet a "minizine."

I'd like to share with you the steps in making a micro-journal minizine.


Supplies

Paper.

Step 1: Plan Your Micro-Journal

You can make a micro-journal with a single sheet of paper and a pen. However, I prefer to use a computer. I like making little booklets so much that I made a template on my Mac Computer, which makes it easy for me to create minizines. I published that template here on Instructables. (See https://www.instructables.com/Zine-Template-for-a-Mac/. )

There are also MANY other Instructables about minizines here on Instructables.


Step 2: Make a Cover

Since I enjoy ATART events, I made a simple cover which I will be re-using.

Step 3: Create an Introduction

Events on ATCs For All begin with an announcement of the "rules of the game." I just copied and pasted important parts right into my minizine template.

Step 4: Record What Happened

For a challenge ATART, there is a list of tasks and points. For this example, there were sixty tasks, but there were a hundred points possible. I copied and pasted the tasks, then put asterisks next to a task number if additional points were possible for that task.

Step 5: Check Things Off!

As I completed tasks, I checked them off. I also mailed a copy of the ATART micro-journal to each person with whom I traded. Art + making books = a Happy LuAnn.

Step 6: Share Your Micro-Journal Minizine

Instructables.com is a great place for sharing your creations with others! I produce mostly paper projects like this minizine. There's not a big audience for this kind of thing, but Instructables does not reject low-interest projects like this. The site permits me to publish to a small audience, and I am very grateful for that.

If you took part in the February 24-February 27 ATART on ATCsForAll.com, here is a minizine that you can print at home.

Step 7: How to FOLD a Minizine

My good friend Tess recently made a little instructional video: Folding a Minizine


Step 8: Make a New Micro-Journal for Each Event!

Here's a micro-journal for the latest ATART on ATCsForAll.com: The St. Pat's Day ATART, March 10-14, 2022!

Step 9: Micro-Journal for ...

Here is the micro-journal for the Lotteria Swap!