‘Less screen time, more hobbies:’ Tucson journaling group helps young adults connect

She kept receipts, ticket stubs and boarding passes that followed her from country to country as a military kid in journals to document her thoughts and memories. She drifted away from the hobby as she got into high school, but TikTok’s junk-journaling corner pulled her back in a few years ago.

When the 23-year-old moved to Tucson two years ago for a manager’s position at Capriotti’s, she said the hobby became a way to clear her mind. Still, she wanted more than a solo craft.

"I didn’t have a community. I didn’t know anyone who did what I did," Logan said.

Junk journaling, similar to scrapbooking, is a creative journaling technique using recycled materials like old books, magazines, receipts and fabric scraps. It’s an eclectic and personal way to document memories, express creativity through mixed media and repurpose "junk," Logan said.

When an Instagram creator asked viewers to comment on their hometowns to help form local junk-journal groups, Logan noticed two other Tucson commenters — Codi Wilcox and Twyla Haggerty.

"We planned a little coffee shop date, and it was just really fun. It was my first time being like, 'Oh my gosh, I’m not a weirdo.' There’s other people here who are like me," Logan said. "After that, nothing really happened until one day Codi texted saying, 'Hey, I want to try and make a club.'"

That first meetup grew into Keep Tucson Crafty, a monthly junk-journaling club that brings makers in their 20s to 40s together for a creative hobby. The group launched its social media pages in October and has since gained nearly 1,000 followers on TikTok. There were four meetups in 2025, with more planned for this year.

Craft groups aren’t the only local communities popping up on social media. Across Tucson, young adults are turning to online platforms to meet people offline and build real-world connections.

Meetup, a leading platform that connects people over shared interests at events, found in its 2023 annual report that 71% of global users were looking for in-person events and about 60% of users were looking to make friends and partake in shared hobbies. 

"People registering for Meetup events are the strongest they’ve been in three years," Meetup CEO David Siegel wrote in the report. "This is a strong signal to have optimism in the fight against loneliness."

A 2025 Cigna study found that 67% of Gen Z participants classified themselves as lonely, the largest percentage among the generations. Millennials were the second largest, with 65% of participants classifying themselves as lonely.

"Generation Z and millennials, who grew up alongside digital technologies such as the internet, mobile phones, and smart devices, are the most connected, yet they have higher levels of loneliness than older generations," the study says.

For Logan, that rang true. Starting Keep Tucson Crafty was partly her way of quitting her "doom-scrolling" habit and spending more time doing something that made her happy.

"Our first post on Instagram kind of blew up, and then we just kept posting about our meets," she said. "One TikTok was like, 'Less screen time, more hobbies,' and that got people’s attention."

Dayne Disesa, an attendee at a recent Keep Tucson Crafty event, said she's junk journaled since she was 14 as a creative way to document her memories. She met Logan, Wilcox and Haggerty at an event and said everyone's friendliness has kept her coming back.

"I really like the people, they're all really nice," she said. "I like getting to create and we exchange materials. I think it's super cool. It's nice having a community."

Keep Tucson Crafty events cost $15 to $30 per person to help cover local reservation costs. Visit @keeptucsoncrafty on Instagram and TikTok for information on future events.