Tiffany is a fourth-year Nano-Engineering student based in California, who has used Instagram to inspire her followers with aesthetic posts and practical advice. She regularly shares stunning images of her journal spreads and workspace, and occasionally uses her platform to share informative guides too.

Tiffany has posted guides on a range of topics relevant to the studygram community -- from navigating high school to learning hand lettering. 

We chatted with Tiffany about her studygram, her advice for students, and much more:

You run a lovely Instagram account! Can you tell us about how you became interested in the studygram community, and what prompted you to start an account of your own?

Thank you so much! When I was in my junior year of high school, I saw a couple of  studygrams posts on my Instagram explore page. I followed a few of these pages and weeks later decided to start my own!

I’ve always loved stationery so being in a community with others who have the same obsession seemed quite fitting. I started off posting my colorful study guides (which I had started making before I even had a studygram) and things just went off from there! I posted about my bullet journal spreads, my college dorm room, and my overall experiences as a student.

As a nanoengineering student, have you found that your studies are impacted by your interest in journals and stationery? Do you think that the studygram community has, for example, inspired you to become more productive or creative?

I don’t find that what I am studying is directly related to my studygram/ bullet journal posts, but I believe that this community has taught and motivated me to become a better student in general.

People are always sharing their study tips and life advice, and that’s exactly what I love to do as well! This account is my creative outlet which brings me lots of joy. I encourage everyone to have their own creative outlets and find a way to incorporate it into your life.

Related to the topics of productivity and creativity, it's worth mentioning that your journal looks stunning! We'd love to learn more about your journaling process. Where do you start in creating a spread and how do you find inspiration for new layouts and designs?

Thank you! I like to have monthly themes for my bullet journal. This can be difficult because I have been doing this for so long and I feel like I am running out of ideas but there are so many amazing Instagram accounts (everyone I follow) that I look to for inspiration.

I find inspiration from anything and everything; from other artists in the community, certain trends I see, or whatever is happening in my life! As for the layouts, I make a cover page, a monthly calendar, weekly spreads, and a monthly reflection.

In general, I think my themes are pretty simple and I tend to use the same kind of layout because I don’t always have the time to make detailed spreads. I am a full time college student, so I want my spreads to be practical and not super time consuming. I make my weekly spreads on Sundays so I know what I can anticipate for the week. 

You've also shared a great mixture of aesthetic content and practical advice for students. Can you tell us what your favorite piece of advice for college students is?

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try something new! Whether it’s joining a club, taking a class outside of your major, or making conversation with the people sitting around you.

I was (and kind of still am) a pretty shy person in high school and never really got involved in too many extracurriculars so when I went to college I made it a point to join more clubs and I’m so glad I did. Of course your classes and coursework are very important but I think a huge part of the college experience is getting to meet new people, try new things and discover new hobbies and passions.

Talking to new people, and introducing yourself can be awkward and scary (at least it was for me) but you never know what may happen! I have met so many great people just from striking a conversation with the stranger standing next to me!

Also relevant to studying, you occasionally share images and videos of your workspace. How have you created a functional workspace, and do you have any tips for others who want to do the same? 

I truly believe that my space affects my mood. If my space is messy and boring, I have no motivation to do work. When my space is bright and tidy, I am much happier and feel like I can be more productive.

I fill my space with the things that make me happy! I have polaroids of my friends and family, art prints and stickers from my favorite small businesses, and some of my own art as well. Overall, lots and lots of color!

Even though my walls are filled with stuff, I try to keep my desktop tidy. I just have some stationery, my laptop stand (which I would highly recommend), my journal, and my water bottle. I make it a point to clean up my space at the end of the day so things don’t get too cluttered.

I have an ergonomic chair (also highly recommend getting one of these) recently started using a standing desk. I spend a lot of time at my desk so I want to make it as comfortable as possible. In summary, make sure your workspace is clean, comfortable, and makes you happy!

Lastly, our favorite question: what is your favorite must-have stationery item?

If I had to choose just one thing, it would be the hard tip Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen. I feel like most people in the studygram/ bullet journal community have one of these. It is a basic black brush pen, and can be used for lots of things!

You can use it to write your headers for your study notes or bullet journal spreads, for outlining your doodles, and hand lettering. It is definitely one of my essentials and I highly recommend it, especially if you’re new to bullet journaling (brush pens with a hard tip are much easier to control) :)

Thank you to Tiffany for these great answers. Be sure to visit her Instagram, YouTube, and Etsy.