beautiful project😍

I use the derwent pencils for my collage quilts.

I just ordered the derwent pencils from your site recommendation. Thank you.

beautiful job in teaching. Thank you.

Thank you Alex for sharing this video. It inspired me so much. I am retired and have recently taken up sketching and painting. I have thought of creating a nature journal but wasn’t sure how to start. However I was given a lovely art/journal sketch book for a present, so excuses now. Thank you again and I will certainly be watching more f your videos.

Hi Alex, haven't heard from you for a while(a month now) Hope all is well. I figure you are busy getting your map ready for the art exhibit. Please continue with your blog ;)

Those inks are lovely flesh tones.

Your work and books that are all hand done is a great inspiration. All the nice hand writing to describe the nature you have captured with artistic beauty. These books are priceless. I so love your work. Thank you for sharing.

I think it’s brave of you to get out of your comfort zone and talk about a difficult topic. I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and I’d love to see you have a walk and discussion- though I’m all for you talking about the environment and green issues, and all the artistic things, maybe even the natural history of your area (I do love the fossils). And I wish you good luck on your Buddhist journey! I’m looking forward to your next video 😊

I love lotus blu notebooks. I saw that one on her website this morning but it’s sold out. So pretty. Her books are so pretty but I never buy because my skills are elementary and I don’t want to ruin it with my art.

So wonderful to see all the support on here. All the best to you on your journey x

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.Awesome work.

And your words are so wise and helpful! Thank you!

Your artwork is beautiful!

Wow... The years of exploration. I took a lot of your advice after integrating the twelve-pack that I purchased. I also took into account the color pallette I have been using in my other work. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you Alex for your thought provoking video. ❤

i realy realy liked it, thank you!!

Thank you for taking us along with you on your walk. It was great sharing.

Dear Alex, it makes me sad that you are suffering and I wish there were a medicine to heal your pain and a salve to cover your wounds. But while we have not yet invented a guaranteed product to cure anxiety and heartache, you clearly are taking steps towards recovery - your awareness, the courage to speak, and your spiritual engagement tell me that you are not letting a climate of increasing politicized hatred get you down. It was your kindness that drew me to your Nature Journaling videos. It was your connection with the ancient forest and your dedication to the cliffs, the rocks, the sand, the water, that kept me watching. It is you, the person, whom I admire and respect. You bring us closer to Mother Earth and show us how to express ourselves in our desire to depict, understand, and support nature. I feel severe discomfort when I see the direction a growing part of our population is taking; I see more unrest and more polarization. More pain. As an old person I don’t have the luxury to believe that I will outlive the trend, and so I concentrate on the bright spots in my present life. And you, young man, are definitely a bright spot in my life. ❤️

I have enjoyed your all your videos, but this one made me so sad. My oldest grandchild is transgender. I love him unconditionally and I worry over what the future holds for him. Be yourself. You are a beautiful and talented person. Sending much love your way. 🌈♥️

While I can't quite put this across as eloquently as you Alex (he's the better half!) I just want to say how bloody proud I am of you for putting this video out there. Because I know how damn hard it was for you to do this. When you're at your highest, you change the world one new inspired nature journaler at a time. When you're at your lowest, you come on here and re-read all of these comments about you. Because you need to see how much of a positive impact you're making on people and nature. It's invaluable to remind yourself of this when the world is horrible and depressing. You are loved.Cuddles waiting when you get home.

What a brave and thought-provoking video - and how sad that in 2024 you still feel that you had to make it. I absolutely believe that everyone has the right to live their life as they feel happiest, regardless of gender, religion or colour and that this can best be achieved by acceptance and mutual respect. You definitely have my respect for talking openly about your experiences and also for being who you are as an artist and environmentalist. I hope that life for LGBTQ+ people in the UK (and elsewhere) improves to the point that videos like this are no longer necessary and I shall do my best to help bring this about by being open in my support. You have so much to give to the world and should take great pride (no pun intended) in what you have already achieved ❤

I already think you're one of the coolest people in the nature journal community, Alex. Now, I admire you even more. Thank you and major props for talking about your identity. That takes incredible courage in a world that is still filled with far too much bigotry. It makes me angry to think of you and any other friends and family being treated this way and having to defend something so basic as being yourself. I know it's been bad here in the U.S. - I didn't know you were facing this in the U.K. too. :( Big hugs to you. ~Yvea (she/they) - used to being IDed as 'she' but self-identify primarily as agender.

Beautiful video Alex! Thank you for everything you do and who you are. ♥️

Thank you for sharing Alex, I appreciate your honesty and courage. Sending you support and love, best wishes, Claire

This is awesome dude

Alex, thanks for this thoughtful, beautiful and honest video. As a person who doesn't belong to the LGBTQ+ community, I am always interested to hear more, to kind of understand more from the inside, about what it's like for people to live in our society who don't belong to the dominant demographic. It's so important for me and other "straight" people to hear how things are for our fellow humans. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts, and thank you for the trust you have in your online community. You expressed everything beautifully as usual. I deeply regret that our society as a whole (in Canada too) has to politicize the experience and life of some of us in a way that puts on pressure, shines a light that may not be welcome, and prevents people from just being happy, ordinary people living their lives. It seems to kind of take away your right to ordinary, private happiness without having to justify yourselves. I belong to the dominant culture, and no one is saying things about me (except occasional people ranting publicly about Pagans, which is not nearly so intense or intrusive as what you're experiencing). I hope the climate will change... part of the fuel for change will come from sharing experience as you are doing in this video. Though of course it puts you "out there" in a more intense way, too. Thanks for your courage in making this video. Please know you are respected and loved by people who follow you; you have added so much to others' lives and experiences with your warm and generous drive to share your love for nature, your love for art, your creative processes and your spiritual side. You're a beautiful, wonderful human being and the world is a better place for having you in it. Stay courageous Alex.

❤️

Thank you for sharing your story Alex, your loved and I will always support you! 🏳️‍🌈 Edit oh and I really enjoyed the walk and talk it was excellent to get to know you more and I could see that being an excellent way to make some content (other topics :) )

Total respect to you in opening up. I'd guessed you were gay but not trans...but that in no way has any bearing or alters my opinion of you as a human. In my world, kindness to others and caring about nature are the defining attributes I look for in others....sad you felt the need to make this video, the world can be a cruel place sometimes

Love the illustrations and the massive fossil you showed. Thanks for explaining these things that I don’t thoroughly understand but happy you have found your life partner. As a woman I feel I am more understood on some level by gay and transgender…think along the same lines…it shouldn’t be a big deal. My children and grandchildren need to be true to themselves, as do everyone’s children and grandchildren. Yes environmental issues are my focus. We are very much on the same page…❤

Sending compassion, acceptance and hugs your way. Growing up near San Francisco gender has never been an issue that I worried about, just being a good person is all that matters and when you find love, you deserve it for yourself. I just want to be on the beach with you finding ammonites, and journaling the wildflowers and tide pools. I think everyone in the world has self esteem issues, value yourself, love yourself, be yourself. Thank you for sharing your love of nature with everyone.

Well said Alex. It's so sad that you're being made to feel stressed and anxious about being a trans man. You are obviously a brave and talented person with so much to offer the world. I hope you receive all the support and compassion that you deserve in order to feel valued and to fully love yourself. ❤

Hi Alex, you are such a wonderful person all around, and I'm sorry you've been having a hard time with things lately in the UK. (Well, you know how crazy the U.S. always is, seriously, on so many levels, especially with this being a Presidential election year, but enough about that!). Thank you for being so open and for sharing your story. Yes, I have and support all LGBTQ+ people in my circle of family, friends, and co-workers. I'll admit that I don't always understand all of the terminology and what the transitions entail, but I believe each person is a human being who deserves respect, to be treated with kindness, and to live free from harassment or any kind of intimidation. /// You have so much to offer the world, and I have learned so much from you over the past year. I would like to see more of these videos, whatever the topic. A walk-and-talk is a great idea! I hope you do stick with creating some KZfaq videos, amidst all of your other projects! Even shorter videos are much appreciated and can lead to more subscribers and monetization of your channel. /// I wish you well, Alex, and please do love yourself as we all love you. Take care and we'll still be your tried-and-true fans and friends! Happy Pride Month!💜💙💚💛🧡❤🌈

Thank you so much for your bravery, Alex, I am so incredibly sorry it has become this horrible in the UK… Sending you and the whole community lots of love and strength ❤

❤

Your own Pride Walk was a very powerful and open conversation with us out here in KZfaq land. Pride is certainly needed and always should be a joyous celebration of humanity. Your work in the Nature Journaling community is so important and needed by everyone. And your kindness, teaching style and enjoyable videos make my day each time I watch.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. Your frustration at the political context meaning you are needing to divert energy to justify existing is so beautifully articulated and makes so much sense. By sharing your experience in your work/professional sphere you hold the door open for anyone who has experienced structural discrimination of any kind to bring our stories with us to work in the environmental sector. Doing this is not a distraction - it is naming a distraction: the constant additional work of negotiating a space to thrive. Sending you best wishes and thanks for sharing your story and experience. 🌈

Thanks for sharing your story with the world

Thank you so much for speaking up about this. I am a Buddhist and gay non-binary person who identifies as they/them here in America. The political situation is not much better over here luv. Your honest, no-nonsense approach to this is a breath of fresh air and a testament to us all. Sending you lots of love from across the pond, Namo Buddhaya 😊🙏🧡

Yep overlapping, but I could bring the circles closer and I also have that book! 🙏💚 I'm struggling with the prospect of radiation treatment and all the miserable side effects. I was painting before being diagnosed a couple of months ago. I had left my job and was minding cats in a gorgeous old house in a picturesque country town. It was a lovely arty house with the kind of clutter that's inspiring and the sunroom and back courtyard were full of character. Now I'm staying with family recovering from surgery and it's a conventional house but happily there is a track through the gum trees that leads to a pine forest, so I walk there most days. I don't know what my life ahead will be but I hope getting back to painting and drawing the beauty around me will help give me uplifting thoughts and might become a way to earn a side income in the future. 🙏💚

Having followed you for many years and knowing how kind and generous you are to your nature journaling community I find it strange that anyone could then decide to not like you anymore for opening up about your personal connection with being GTQ. I know it happens but shouldn't the person, ie you, be defined by more than just being gay or trans? I've known you to have been gay for as long as I followed you, you've never hidden it but also haven't made it what defines you. I respect you for making this video and for also making nature and nature conservation your main priority. I'm not sure if this makes any sense at all it's currently 2am and I can't sleep 😅 Take care Alex and know that I'll always support you 🥰

I’m so proud of you ❤

I appreciate your courage and sharing. I completely support and respect you. I adore your work and your message. Please know you are appreciated and valued. Keep up the amazing work you are doing. Much love from across the pond.

There is a saying ‘You are what you create’. You create beautiful artwork so you are an artist.😊🇬🇧

Thank you so much for all you do day to day helping us connect with nature with kindness. I’m so deeply sorry you and others experience such toxicity. Please know that you are appreciated and admired for who you are and what you do. Thank you for speaking up. Please be kind to yourself and gentle to yourself too just as you are with others. Sending lots of love and respect! ❤️

Thank you for sharing Alex! It's so unfortunate that we cannot just be who we are.

Beautiful video, Alex ❤️ Thank you for your authenticity and openness.

Thank you for sharing your story and your insights, Alex. Here in the United States, there is so much hatred and vitriol aimed at LGBTQIA+ people. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, it's so distressing sometimes even though I live in what's considered a more "progressive" state. I'm so happy you found Buddhism and yoga and nature journaling on your healing path. Much love to you.

You are who you are. Be proud of yourself and live your life your way forget about what others think ❤