On the dot: Student’s bullet journaling videos go viral
Student Experience
In eighth grade, Sawyer Bernard went to summer camp and was intrigued by the special journals that her camp counselors used to write and draw in, using brightly colored pens and markers. Instead of lines, their pages held rows of dots, used to create bulleted lists and artwork.
“When I got home, I bought all the supplies on Amazon, and got a cheap journal,” Bernhard said. “I didn’t expect to stick with it, but I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Today, Bernard has more than 400,000 followers on her bullet journaling TikTok account, @studywithsoybean. Her videos focus on study techniques, like essay preparation, study guides, and mind maps. Each month, she designs a new theme for her bullet journal, which also serves as a diary.
The first-year student from Denver felt drawn to the hobby because it merged two of her interests, drawing and organizing. “It’s a kind of a planner, but you get to add art.”
First-year student Sawyer Bernard keeps all her old bullet journals. “I can see what I was doing on certain days," she said. "All of my big life events and all the trips I've gone on are recorded.”
She started her TikTok account in 2020, as an escape while being stuck in her home during quarantine.
“It was a way to still interact with people outside of my house. I didn’t really expect it to go anywhere,” she said.
Bernard had her first viral video in December 2020, a how-to on drawing Christmas trees. She posted it while visiting her aunt for Christmas. She hadn’t checked her phone all day, and when she finally did, she found the video had several hundred thousand views.
“And all of a sudden, I had over 100 new followers, which was crazy for me back then,” she said.
Her audience grew quickly. She had 100,000 followers within a few months of that first video. Since then, it’s been growing steadily. Each time she’s added 100,000 new followers, she creates a video, unveiling the number on a cake.
Some of her videos on how to study have millions of views. She said she will be using the tips to prepare for her exams.
Young girls make up most of her followers. “They say things like, `Oh, I got all A's this semester because I've been watching your videos,’” she said. “It makes me feel so good to know that I've been helping them with their school and their grades, in some ways, maybe being a role model for them.”
She’s thinking about branching out into day-in-the-life videos now that she’s in college.
“I've been very happy here,” Bernard said. “Love all the classes, love all the friends that I've made. I’ve joined a few clubs and a sorority already. I'm feeling very connected on campus.”
She’s even tried an intro to painting class.
“I will say my painting skills are not as good as my bullet journaling skills, but it was really fun.”