Crafting Memories: The art and therapy of scrapbook journaling with Tercia Goh

Although Goh maintained numerous journals in her youth, she only ventured into journal scrapbooking eight years ago, coinciding with a quiet resurgence of vintage journaling. “I love the beautiful calligraphy and design embellishments of European ephemera,” Goh remarks, particularly fond of classical French and Italian artefacts and the window they offer into a different time.

Overall, the paper-based hobby is making a steady comeback with Instagram boasting over 16 million posts related to scrapbooking and journaling, while TikTok has amassed over 580,000 posts related to scrapbooking with 4.8 billion views and counting.

The therapeutic benefits of scrapbooking are numerous, with a 2020 study by a team of researchers from the North Dakota State University observing that revisiting nostalgic memories increases social connectedness, with scrapbooks serving as a source of psychological comfort.

“As a quiet child, keeping a diary became a coping mechanism for me. I found it challenging to express myself verbally, so I turned to writing and journaling as a means to articulate my feelings and confide in my thoughts,” Goh recalls.

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As Goh transitioned from the advertising industry to freelance work, she discovered more time and flexibility to delve deeper into her favourite pastime. This journey led to multiple brand collaborations and ultimately, the inception of her stationery company.

Skybambi Stationery debuted its inaugural product, The Companion bag, in 2019. Handmade from leather, Goh conceptualised the perfect craft bag when she couldn’t find a solution that suited her needs for journaling on the go. “I designed one for myself and put up a few extras for sale, which sold out in 60 seconds. That was the beginning of a passion project that grew into a side hustle,” the avid jet-setter explains.

Custom made from buckle hardware to leather tags, the wait time for each modular bag ranges from two to three months, depending on selected add-on accessories. To date, Goh’s company has launched a series of other products such as leather journals, accordion folders, and a “Voyager” trunk inspired by a vintage WW1 first aid kit she countered in Australia. “I love incorporating elements from various sources and infusing them to create products with its own story and character,” she details.

All Goh’s creations find a home within her mesmerising craft studio–a warm and inviting refuge filled with scrapbook journals, alongside an assortment of scrapbooking tools and other bric-à-brac from her travels. Goh admits her most unusual treasure is an antique brass lettering wheel stencil dating back to the 1860s. “It is a peculiar circular rotating contraption originating from America. Funnily enough, I acquired it while antique hunting in Bangkok. It is fascinating how historical objects end up travelling through migration,” she observes.

Another treasure in the antique lover’s studio is her century-old Remington typewriter, offering tactile pleasure and a means for Goh to tap into her muse. “I see myself as a temporary custodian of the antique treasures in my possession, until they find admiration in the hands of future generations,” she muses. This sentiment also applies to her scrapbooking endeavours, which she views as a means of crafting cherished mementos from each phase of her life to be passed down to loved ones.

Fond of scouring flea markets across Rome, Firenze and Paris, Goh has also added photo albums from the late 18th and 19th century into her raw material reserves. Aware that others may find it uncanny to keep old photos of strangers, Goh clarifies, “It offers a connection point with people and events that shaped our world long before we existed.”

In addition to documenting her life, Goh has utilised journaling as a means to explore the world around her. “Art was the bait that opened the gateway to knowledge, deepening my appreciation for nature,” she explains. Inspired by archival illustrations from explorers like Charles Darwin, Titian Ramsey Peale, and Ernst Haeckel, Goh’s art journals reflect these influences, with themes ranging from entomology to marine biology.

Goh also pays tribute to individuals she admires, such as the late Peter Beard, a photographer, diarist, and activist who traded New York high society for a life devoted to his passions in Kenya, Africa.”I traced his footsteps, meticulously curating, researching, and stamping bits and pieces of his life into my scrapbooks,” Goh shares. “I reimagined his field notes amidst nature and the wild safari, taking cues from his expressive diaries, which were truly inspiring.”

Realising there was a small but thriving local community of journal scrapbookers, Goh endeavoured to organise Sunday Scribbles sessions once a month in Kuala Lumpur since 2018, gathering like-minded creatives to chat about new stationery discoveries, craft techniques, art books, and any other source of inspiration. During the pandemic, Goh kept up the sessions through Zoom, connecting with a global audience. “Sunday Scribbles has a strong community in Kuala Lumpur, and I host pop-up sessions whenever I travel to London and Melbourne.” The community in Kuala Lumpur has since grown, endeavouring to meet actively on their own, only demonstrating the passion and dedication of the nation's local journaling community.

Strengthening bonds through journaling, Goh once visited her good friend and founder of Bomo Art Stationery, Károly Boldizsár in Budapest, collaborating to create a custom scrapbook journal. Goh later ventured on a week-long Scribbler’s Cruise from Budapest to Vienna. “We journaled and explored stationery stores together while travelling from city to city on the Danube river, Europe’s largest river basin. It was a dream come true to do what we love together, in the flesh! All of which would not have been possible without social media and the digital world,” Goh enthuses. She hopes to venture to Cairo in the future, with the vision to journal on a cruise down the River Nile.

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Inspiration can come from unexpected sources. Although she did not grow up with interactive children’s books, Goh admits to discovering touch-sensitive titles as an adult that delight her inner child and impact her work. “A great example are the pop-up and pop-outs from MinaLima’s Harry Potter books, filled with the magic of paper engineering.” She further notes, “There is also S by JJ Abrams, a ‘living book’ packed with dynamic features like flaps, dimensional structures, pull-tabs, wheels, and removable napkins, folded maps, postcards and so on. These elements have inspired pages in my journal and I am constantly trying new ways to emulate that immersive experience.”

Despite encountering some criticism for her hobby, her passion is unwavering. “I’ve been told that [journal scrapbooking] is childish and a waste of time. I understand why some may hold that point of view. I believe what makes us all unique is our individual hobbies. For me, it is an outlet that brings joy and connects me to a community of like-minded individuals. It is this sense of purpose that drives me to design unique workshop formats that foster an environment conducive to self-expression and reflection,” Goh asserts.

Her advice to novice scrapbookers is to steer clear of comparisons. “Although platforms like Instagram are a great source of inspiration, they can also foster feelings of inadequacy,” she cautions. Goh emphasises the importance of recognising that everyone progresses at their own pace. “Prioritise progress over perfection and personal fulfilment over external validation,” she suggests. “The most crucial aspect is finding joy in your creations. Celebrating your own growth is essential for discovering fulfilment in your creative pursuits and, ultimately, in life.”

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