Dr Aimée Fletcher (@aimee_speaks)

Spotlight on Weird Pride Day with Fergus Murray, AuDHD Writer, Community Organiser and Science Educator Celebrating Weird Pride Day on March 4th

Spotlight on @weirdpride.day: I wrote a piece for @jadefarrington.bsky.social's excellent newsletter.
open.substack.com/pub/jadefarr...

This video is dedicated to my incredibly supportive parents, who have always supported & encouraged me to be my weird and authentic self. I'm incredibly lucky to have parents who created a safe space to explore who I am.

They have often said I should record & share more videos, so this is for them!

Weird Pride Day Part 2:

I'm not someone who typically records videos like this, but this year I felt compelled to add a short, one-take clip about Weird Pride and why it is important.

There is so much more that can be said about #WeirdPride. Check out the #WeirdPrideDay posts for more events!

Aimee poses in a doorway that has been filled with modern bricks. She has both hands above her and to the side to hold the doorway and she has lifted one leg and crossed it. She looks up and is visibly laughing.

Photo is from this weekend when I was with two of my weird & wonderful friends who told me I should do my signature "jazz hands" amongst some standard pictures. This one was the only one that was not blurry as I, true to form, ran away with the silly poses.

I call this one "Door to Opportunities"

Aimee poses in a jazz hands position on an old cobble road. She is wearing a blue coat, pink scarf and her camera around her neck. She is doing a big smile.

Happy Weird Pride Day!

Weird Pride Day is about embracing individuality & rejecting the stigma that often comes with being "weird".

I'm proud to be weird, proud to be silly and proud that friends tell me they can be their "authentic selves" around me because of this. That's an honour.

Stay weird!

Aimee holds up a plate she painted with Snoopy in the middle smiling and surrounded by different coloured lovehearts (reds, pinks, purples) with the word "Love" written in purple.

Today's Monday Joys ✨️
- One of my best friends moved near me for the first time in 7 years!
- I went alone to a Gorillaz listening party in a bar & made a new friend.
- I pained a plate 🎨
- I've spent some time planning publications from my PhD
- I spent time with my family & dogs at the weekend 😊

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New study shows self-identifying autistic adults were similar to diagnosed adults. But they more likely to be women, experienced worse mental well-being, were more likely to experience unmet support needs faced unique barriers to receiving support. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

The student reaching out is especially lovely as I *love* mentoring and nurturing research ideas.

Any opportunity to help someone shape their research is one I hate to miss. It was lovely to meet with one of my PhD supervisors today to talk about *finally* publishing articles on my PhD work! 😁

Quirky Sass and Belle vase of a woman in dungarees with brown hair and red bandana is held up by Aimee's hand. The flowers in the vase are purple tulips and daffodils that are yet to open.

A white hot chocolate with dark chocolate shavings is accompanied by a chocolate and salted caramel tart and glass of water.

Today's Monday Joy's ✨️
- Going to a market & bath bomb workshop at the weekend.
- Picking up seasonal flowers after donating to charity on my day off
- Sweet treats while planning next steps with my research
- A student reaching out to talk about my thesis & ask for guidance for their own work 😊

I was also inspired by a spicy biang biang noodle dish I tried a few weeks ago at a market and got the ingredients based on my memory of the flavours and I've got it pretty close on go number two. Some slight taste tweaks, but I've found a new quick staple dish.

Aimee holds her latest stained glass piece she has been working on above a light box. This piece is inspired by a Tenement door with a sunrise transom above it. The glass is black recycled glass for the doors, red and purple for the boarder, light grey details and clear glass with floral patterns.

Today's Monday Joys ✨️
- Almost finished my latest stained glass piece (started in July & been worked on & off since)
- Spending time with my dad eating good food and making plans for coming weeks with friends
- Re-connecting with drawings after not drawing for a while
- Positive meetings & feedback

Since COVID, I haven't had the motivation to get out and about with my camera, when though it had always brought me so much joy and community (especially as this was before I was open about being autistic). I found a safe space in photography.

2026 I've decided is the year I re-connect my love.

You can imagine my surprise when the next AGM came & a candidate for President said they wanted to make "Photosoc great again" (you can guess the reference, and how doubly frustrating it was to hear that!).

I had decided not to re-stand & I went on to help my friends set up the Chocolate Society.

We ended the year with new cameras, a new darkroom being developed, a bigger bi-annual exhibition, a shortlisting for 'Creative Society of the Year' and I reduced our membership fee to make it more accessible.

I joined Photosoc to learn more about photography & left with leadership skills as well.

End result: not only did they agree to let us continue having a darkroom (I had argued that we were one of the oldest Photography Societies in the world so should have one), they allowed us to design what the new one would look like.

All this while running 2 events a week & overnight trips.

I worked with our equipment manager to write the funding application, we submitted and and we secured funding to buy new film cameras and towards the exhibition to add a new film category: result!

This opened the door for advocating to keep our darkroom. Phase 2 was more talks & emails.

Not to be defeated, I made it my mission to 1) get new cameras & 2) save the darkroom.

I met with the person who gave me this news more often than he would have liked & I planned to apply for funding that would 1) replace some cameras, 2) fund one of our exhibitions & 3) prove need for the darkroom

Fun fact: I was the President of the University of Edinburgh Photography Society during my time studying my undergraduate degree there.

On my birthday (start of my Presidency) I was told our cameras had been stolen and our darkroom was closing as they wanted to use the space for something else.

Aimee grins holding her camera up to her face. She is looking through the viewfinder to take a picture of a friend taking a picture of her. She is wearing a light blue coat, has curly brown hair and is stood in front of a pond with swans in a park with people walking around it.

Belated Monday / January Joys ✨️

- I marked 1 year in my role: it has been lovely to work somewhere I feel valued.

- I went on a trip & caught up with friends: it has been great to (re)connect with people I care deeply about

- I picked up my camera for the first time in a while & I'm loving it 📷

No one should feel unsafe walking, particularly in a busy area like I was. No one should have to feel like the way they look warrants someone doing this.

If you see someone veering path towards someone walking alone, please take note and don't just walk by if someone looks unsafe or uncomfortable.

When I don't wear make-up and "dress up", I don't usually experience this. It's peculiar as this is not an experience I've had too often, nevermind twice in two weeks.

I am okay, I was safe and just ignored their interaction, but it is worrying that people feel it is okay to be aggressive like this

An observation:
This month I have worn make-up twice. Both times on Saturdays as I have been "dressed up" for a party/event.

Both these times I have experienced a (different, both visibly slightly older) man veer from their path, extend their arms and swear/say something at me in an aggressive tone

I've been there - it's always Preston! I've had two or three trains that were supposed to go through Man Picc suddenly terminate at Preston ("no driver" at least twice). It can definitely be confusing and scramble your brain when it isn't your stop, or it terminates 1 or 2 stops away.

They are brilliant for sure, I've had mostly very positive experiences with Scotrail staff too down the years, and at my highest commuter time I was traveling 6 days a week on average. I'm glad they supported you with that trip too, it makes so much difference when you have these good experiences!

I really didn't expect to see it again and I'd made peace with it's loss. I'm so thankful to Donald, who made it his mission (even when I said it was okay and I'd accepted it was gone) to find it when he was back on shift today.

I dropped off a thank you chocolate & I'll share positive feedback too

I'm not 100% sure I feel comfortable using it after 30+ hours in a train track puddle, but I've currently got some disinfectant cleaner on it and I've wrapped it up as a first stage to decide whether I'm keeping it as a sentimental reminder of all it's journeys or whether to risk using it again.

Unexpected update!

I asked at the station about lost property (on the off-chance I imagined it went on the track)& they took my details to contact me if they find it.

This afternoon I got a message that it was found on the track & retrieved from a big puddle.

I collected it and... it still works!

Best of luck with the fellowship and job applications, I'll keep my fingers crossed you get (hopefully positive) updates on some of them soon!

I think the chances are low, and lower of them working, but it is very kind of them to offer to look out for it and let me know.

The outcome will be okay, I'm glad I can handle situations like this better now than when I was younger!

I hope all is going well with you. 😊

Thanks Kiri, I have quite small ears and I'm pretty particular about earphones so I'm hoping they're okay. Worst comes to worst if I don't take to the ones I have, I'll try order another pair the same style.

The train station have offered to look for it on the off-chance it can be found 🤞