Announcement from Lindsay White

Hey fam,

I am writing you today with an announcement that makes me a little weepy. Effective Tuesday, June 1, 2021, I will be dissolving the Lady Brain Presents LLC and stepping away from leadership/organizing responsibilities.

Many factors contributed to this decision, including a pandemic that wouldn't quit and a baby on the way. In short, there is not enough space or capacity in my body or brain to lead and grow this group the way I originally envisioned, and that’s not fun for me or fair to members. I've been pulled toward leadership my whole life, but now I feel my body and spirit telling me to explore some of the other ways I can be in service to community without sacrificing my physical and mental health or creative identity.

Part of me can't help but feel like a failure as this project comes to a close, but that's just capitalism trying to make me feel bad about myself, so I shall resist those feelings with lasting memories and great friendships. I know we did a wonderful thing here. And I know that good thing will grow into some other good thing. I have high hopes that everyone in the collective will continue developing relationships, resource-sharing, using the platform for good, and showing up for each other in a myriad of ways. I hope that by leaving the "reins" open for any and all to grab, the group will become a truer collective with many leaders and more of a blank canvas for everyone, which is the intended vision anyway.

I will be taking the name “Lady Brain” with me because it's a business/entity name that I invested much labor into and would love to keep it, along with its guiding principles, intact should I decide in the future to rework it back into the community (one-off festival, etc.). A new tentative name for the group is Creative Siblings Collective SD, so be on the lookout for potential member collaborations and showcases.

To all our members who participated, performed, organized, podcasted, produced, presented, wrote, designed, and so much more for Lady Brain Presents and all its endeavors, you are all my heroes. Special thanks to Jules Stewart @adventuresofjj who was instrumental in so much of the branding and design work and Cathryn Beeks who hosted one hell of a podcast and produced one hell of a festival.

I want to thank all of you in our community for showing up for our events, which means you showed up for our amazing members and the causes they care about. Your attendance not only demonstrated the value of supporting marginalized genders in the local creative community, it allowed our members to raise funds and awareness for organizations that most need our attention and support. I often think about the great waves of positive, loving, healing change that could come about so quickly in this world if only those with means lifted up marginalized artists with the resources they need to get their incredibly innovative and community-building ideas off the ground. I hope you all continue to find the artists who would flourish with that kind of support. In becoming an ongoing patron of their work, you will literally change the artist, the community, and the world for the better. Please be a part of that change. (Need an example? Check out Miki Vale's Soul Kiss Theater!)

I have no doubt this collective will grow into whatever it’s meant to become and I have so much faith that the folks who are meant to lead the way will do so with all the grace and creativity in the world. I hope we can count on your support through that transition. Thank you again for everything!

-Lindsay

P.S. The Lady Brain Presents website will be coming down within the next week or two, so make sure you check out our Members page to find and follow all your favs on social media!

image description: photo of Lindsay White at the 2019 Lady Brain Fest wearing black hat, black shirt, red pants, and black boots, standing to the left of a huge canvas backdrop which reads "LADY BRAIN" in hand-painted blue and purple bubble letters. Photo by John Hancock