I’m Alex Thomas, a queer autistic artist based in the UK. I'm really into planning and journalling so often make videos about this. I also like to capture slices of life that feel special.
this was a very cool video! i always enjoy heating you talk through your systems. as a fellow autistic who feels guilt abt engaging with special interests its so nice to see you give yourself space to talk about them! (cryptids like the mothman are some of my favourite special interests) i rlly love the diy artsy style of your personal rings! the little skeleton bear charm is v cool!! 🌟
I feel like a lot of us struggle with giving ourselves permission to engage with our special interests. I know I have a lot of conversations with myself about, I’m an adult why am I still so invested in this topic? But it’s nice to know I’m not the only one that has that conversation. Thanks for giving it voice!!!
yeah i feel like it's a big work in progress for me (and a lot of us!) to undo a lot of the things we may have been told when younger and all the feelings that come alongside that. i'm glad you were encouraged by me talking about this stuff :-)
the feeling is mutual! with the old notebooks, i figured they're going to be more useful to me in the planner than gathering dust on my shelf. this being said i have a a6 hon that i didn't utilising fully this year sat on the shelf. it's occurred to me to take pages from that (day pages and white out the dates) but part of me is still reticent haha
i love your videos! (especially the long ones) :) Your selfmade dividers looks so good! I use your A5 Artprints as dividers in my commonplace ringplanner. <3 I am also autistic and late diagnosed, i love hearing you talk about your special interests and books, topics related to autism.
thank you. i find myself chatting away for ages so i'm glad you like these longer videos. that's so cool that my work has made its way into your planner! thanks for the encouragement regarding talking about special interests - it's taken me ages to start getting comfortable letting myself talk at length about this stuff :-)
love your videos! they always make me wanna journal more :) i am nearly decided on a similar setup to yours (cousin avec and weeks), but i have been toying with the idea of a ring planner. the fact that it would allow me to be constantly building and switching up my system throughout the year is so appealing! but at the same time i fear i'd miss the structure and ease of a system like hobonichi 😅
your pages are always so nice! thank you for sharing your new stationery, glad you were able to treat yourself a bit :) i’m prob going to stay with hobonichi for my planner (weeks) and daily journal (a6 avec) bc my autistic brain can’t handle a change of formats 😅
I love your videos!! And I’m obsessed with the stickers you bought! I’m sticking with the Hobonichi Weeks as my media journal, even though it really is too small and I only got about 6 months in it before it became overly stuffed and unwieldy. There is just something about that particular journal that I just love, and I really can’t tear myself away from it.
Fantastic use of Field Notes! Love the key stickers as a quick glance ref and mixture of photos, inserts, momentos etc to make the notes super immersive. Love it 😍
Thank you Alex for this lovely video! I enjoyed it with my morning coffee and some strawberries. Your new sketchbook is a beautiful colour~ Ive given littletinyegg a follow now! I love the sticker you have from her~ :)
Thank you so much for these videos. I've been really struggling to make decisions and do basic stuff like cleaning and such because of overwhelm but everytime I just put on one of your videos my brain just... clicks back into place? The combination of your voice and topic and practical explaination of tasks just helps so much. So thank you so much for making these. I know from my own experience that making videos like these can be alot. So thank you so much ❤
i'm sorry to hear you're struggling so much. i have similar difficulties so i understand where you're coming from. i can't tell you how it warmed me to read that my videos help you. thank you for commenting and being so open
Lovely video again! I do find the sound of you talking very quiet, I have to put my sound on 48 or higher to be able to hear you. Not sure if that's something easily fixable? <3
@@OktoberJournal thanks and thanks for the feedback about the audio. I think that's partly because I speak quietly but I'd also had some feedback in a previous video about the audio being too loud and variable, so I'd tweaked it down before. Something for me to look at
i’m happy with whatever video format you decide to create! i loved seeing you flip through your field notes books. i hope your august setup works well for you!! thanks so much for sharing as always 💛
Hi!! Thank you for your beautiful videos ❤ And there is no need to apologize - we all are here to spend time watching your diaries and listening to your stories. I really appreciate that people share some of the insides of their journals, it is making me feel calm because often I feel like I'm crazy because of my 'journal addiction'. But watching your videos makes me not only grateful but also happy in case I'm not alone with my interest. It means a lot for me!!
I personally prefer this “layout” of your videos. I really like the others, don’t get me wrong, but personally I love videos where you sit down and chat and update us, rather than vlog style. I prefer it on everyone’s channels, more laid back maybe? Excited to watch while I journal!
@@paperstoryjournals thank you. I got it from eBay. If you search display shelves market or something along those lines, you should be able to find them :-)
love your videos! would you consider making digital versions of your stickers available in your shop? i really like your art, but i live in another continent, so the stickers plus all the fees would cost me about seven times as much :(
@@jabutixereta hi, I'm glad you like the designs. If you were to buy via Etsy, the fees should get collected my end. My Etsy page is alexthomascreative.etsy.com I think making some designs available digitally could be a good option as well though, so I'll look at doing this :-)
@@alexthomascreativeThank you for the reply! Etsy only seems to collect European (or rather, European Union and UK) or North American fees and taxes, and maybe for some other parts of the world, but not for the country where I live in South America. Here, besides shipping, there is conversion rate, payment fees (for buying in another currrency) and import taxes, which would make a £3,00 sticker cost around £18,00. If it's too much work or not in your best interest (I know what's like being a disabled person with art as income), it's okay to not offer digital versions of the stickers. :)
@@jabutixereta blimey those fees are intense. I do have digital rewards as part of my Kofi offering but I'm looking to revisit some designs and come up with new stuff in the coming weeks - so I'll see what I'll be able to do and update on an upcoming video
this was such an enjoyable video! thank you for bringing us along. i think i’d mentioned before but My Brother’s Husband is a lovely manga :) i have a similar if not the same translucent glass pumpkin jar!! 🎃
Hi alex! Im really liking the format of the vids! Can I make a very Gentle suggestion? your clips have different volume levels, the music, your voice, and the sound you put in the day card, are all different, so you could level them, either bring your voice up, or match the others to your voice volume. BUT don't worry if you cant, i can always just lower and up the volume no worries!!
i loved seeing you flip through your books!! also very much enjoyed this style of video, i hope editing wasn’t too strenuous! thanks for sharing as always :)💛
@@autisticbucky thank you. My laptop played up because I had a lot of old footage backed up, so I had to do a bit of tidying. Once I actually got the footage on to my editing programme it was fun to do :-)
Hi I really enjoyed this video. Your a6 hobonichi looks so good! I use a hobbies and interests journals [media] in my hobonichi weeks mega since start of this year and I enjoy it but keep forgetting that I have it but I can always back fill things because I have a monthly page in my hobonichi cousin for all things I consumed :) if you see my video you’ll know what I’m talking about 🤪 I love how yours is looking and Megan Rhiannon insert looks good too. I am a mood reader :) I finish a book then whatever my mood is I pick a book based on that. Normally thrillers I love reading. I love the film the others ! One of my faves. Your art work is lovely also. Thanks for sharing. Xx
@@thejournaldiaries thank you. my memory is so rubbish I worry about missing stuff cause idk how well I'd be able to backfill. It's one of the things that's made me think I'll probably be best with a big book for everything next year. I've thought about the weeks mega cause you get all that space at the back. I could do with re watching the film at some point. It's been a few years but it really stuck with me.
the poem you shared is so sweet, thank you for sharing! 💛 i love the mixed video format, but i’ll watch whatever you feel like making. :) i also have the same problem with lines/words wiggling when i’m trying to read. i think it’s part of dyslexia but i’m not sure, my eye doctor said that it’s not a physical issue so it must be neurological :/
Thanks, dyslexia shows up quite often in my family but I'd not really thought about it being a thing for me cause I love reading - it's just stuff like that happening if the paper, print size etc isn't right that can impact me
I started commonplacing in my hobonichi notebook. Thanks for the push and inspiration! It’s going to be fun and interesting;because it’s my first time commonplace things
