ALICE; a conversationalist;

It seems fitting that the first person we are meeting is somebody I have known for most of my life and, yet, when we started talking on a rainy February evening, I heard things I had never known about Alice. We touched on her passion for graphic design, what it means to be “COVID fine” and her decade long journey to becoming a Coffee Master.

These are the first 8 questions I asked Alice and, as always, we only touched the surface.

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Alice’s pronouns are “she/her”.

Before we start, let’s get to know you in 30 seconds.

Hi! My name is Alice Thomas. I am 27 years old; born, bred and currently living in Bristol. I recently graduated from Bath Spa University – I got a degree in graphic communication. I am awaiting a design residency which is in collaboration with the university and that’s really exciting. I’ve also worked in coffee for 11 years and am a coffee ambassador for the south west of England which means I talk about coffee so you can make me a coffee and we’ll talk about it all day. 

What has your experience with COVID been like?

A bit dogshit. Would you like me to elaborate?! So, I feel like there’s this new term of “COVID fine” in the sense that, thankfully, all of my friends and family are still alive. Those that had COVID have been able to make full recoveries so that’s brilliant. I guess that’s what this really all comes down to. I still have a job, whilst I am currently furloughed and have been three times, I have something to go back to which not everybody has the luxury to say. But you know with the hierarchy of needs, I guess my core needs are taken care of however, the further you go up the pyramid, that’s where things are lacking. I am somebody who is incredibly social – I love spending time with people in my life and I’ve not been able to do that so that is something I have really struggled with. I also really enjoy travelling and going to other places with people and making more memories and. Also, my career has taken a hit as well. I graduated in summer 2020 and I had every plan to be in relevant employment associated with my undergrad and that has not happened. I’ve stayed in the same job role just because the creative sector is taking an absolute beating at the moment. I am not where I wanted to be in my career but I have a job so I am trying to look on the bright side of life. Things could be better… 

Reflect on your mental and physical health. Do you look after yourself enough? What methods do you practice to ensure you are well every day?

Great question! I believe that my self care regime/journey goes in waves. I would say there are some times where I am really considerate of myself and considerate of how I am looking after myself both mentally and physically. But then there are times where that will slip and that is something that I, well…. it’s inconsistent. If you want it in one word, it’s “inconsistent”. But that is something that I am trying to work on. Physically? This month, I’ve not been working out a lot but I really am looking forward to getting in to doing some more yoga. I also follow a plant based diet which I think is great and I am really happy with that decision. I think mentally everyone’s a little bit fragile in the current circumstances and I am trying to look after myself as best I can. 

Do you consider yourself to have a solid support network?

Absolutely 100%, I am really fortunate to both have an incredible relationship with both of my parents and my brother. I’ve got one older brother and I would say we are pretty close. I also come from a very typical nuclear family – my parents are still together after 30+ years – and I’m really thankful for all that they do. I cannot say enough good things about Mr and Mrs Thomas! I am really lucky in the friends boat as well. I have been so fortunate in my life to come across a myriad of wonderful people that I am proud to call friends. I feel 110% that I have wonderful people around me and I am wholeheartedly supported by the network that I was both with and have also gone on to cultivate myself. 

What type of relationship did you have with your family whilst growing up?

I think overall a pretty positive one. I think that, as I said, as an adult I have a very positive and close relationship with my parents. I would say that everybody has growing pains as they are growing up and dealing with authority and change. I feel particularly my Dad and I would clash quite a lot simply because we are both quite headstrong people. If that’s the tea that you are after! My dad and I are very similar so when we are on the same page, we can have a laugh but often if we are at loggerheads, I wouldn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. Overall growing up, my parents provided for me everything that they could – I come from a working class family but we were lucky enough to have a car and go on holiday once a year. I think they are luxuries that people cannot afford so I am thankful for my upbringing. 

Where do you find your daily inspiration?

I watch a lot of online video: I do enjoy YouTube as a platform. I think a lot of YouTube in greater media gets a lot of bad slack for eating tidepods or Logan Paul but actually if you dig deeper, I think online video is here to stay. I would say, as somebody who is a print maker, I really do enjoy inspiration through processes. I find that as someone who has done a creative subject at uni and wishes to pursue that further, that I find my creative ignition comes from within having a play and just doing: as Nike would say. Just scribbling stuff down or making prints or whatever, it often evolves as you continue to create so I find the creative process is very inspirational. I also love music and I listen to a lot of music so that has always been a big inspo for me.

What do you do for a living? Is it your passion?

I am currently a barista and coffee ambassador. I wouldn’t say it’s my main passion but it’s something that I am passionate about and do enjoy. 

What do you think is the first thing people notice/think about you?

I am trying to think of how to answer this! I think people notice my hair because whilst it is (well, pink at the moment) very long, it’s typically a physical attribute that people will talk to me about. If I’ve got my hair down, they will mention my hair and ask if it’s real which is interesting. I think people think I’m personable and up for a chat or a laugh. I often find strangers telling me their life stories so that’s got to be a good thing, right? I’ve been told I’m a conversationalist. 

What do you think is the biggest hardship that you’ve faced in your life so far?

Oooh! I think “biggest hardship” is objective but I think the thing that has hurt the most the longest would be when the store I worked in closed. I worked in the same coffee shop for 9 years and I put a lot of effort and hard work in there so to sit in a meeting and be told “sorry, it’s not making enough money” when you’ve put your heart and soul into something is a tough pill to swallow. I found the subsequent process of potentially being reallocated or made redundant very hard because also I’m looking at how am I going to support myself as a student (at the time). Not only was it a tough situation due to the status I had within the company I work for, I travel around for my job and administer training across the country. I had to pretend that everything was fine and be a face for this company that I was really struggling with and I felt like I had been chewed up and spat out. Even today, it still hurts. 

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