Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay White.
Hi Lindsay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I moved to San Diego in 2005 after landing an assistant coaching job with the Mesa College women’s basketball program. I stayed one season before realizing it wasn’t the right fit, and that pivot is when music shifted from a hobby into a serious career pursuit (and coping mechanism, but that’s a story for another day).
As I became more involved in the local arts scene, my creative work unfolded alongside major life shifts, like coming out, losing my mother, and navigating ongoing mental and physical health challenges. Those experiences, coupled with a growing commitment to advocacy, inspired an artistic practice rooted in community care.
From 2018 to 2021, I organized Lady Brain Presents, a creative collective for gender-marginalized artists.
Around the time my daughter was born, I launched Qulyn, a journal line “for folks with feels,” and began developing a hybrid memoir-album project titled Dead Mom Talking, which explores how grief continues to shape us long after loss.
More recently, I took over leadership of Songwriter Sanctuary, a monthly music series dedicated to spotlighting San Diego’s premier songwriters, now celebrating its third anniversary and operating as an official nonprofit organization.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the hardest parts is surviving the same systems I’m trying to change. As a working artist, mother, and someone navigating mental and physical health challenges in an expensive city, there is very little distance between advocacy and survival. The nonprofit system is deeply broken and places an unnecessary burden on those most in need of resources. It’s exhausting to make a continual case for investing in systems of care while simultaneously drawing from an empty well. This is true for nearly every organizer, artist, mother, and disabled person I know. The question is, if our society understands this to be the case, why continue to accept it? What kinds of changes can we all make to ensure that we are not exploiting these valuable community members?
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I use music, writing, and shared spaces to help queer kidults, antifascist folkies, grief-stricken sad sacks, anxious oddballs, postpartum or peri/menopausal pressure cookers, equity-driven entrepreneurs, and anyone else with an open mind, caring heart, and/or raging spirit feel less alone in this world. Then I invite them to build a new world with me.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of breaking generational trauma and raising my daughter with unconditional love. That sets me apart from a lot of folks, unfortunately.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
There are a lot of great ones, but one that always comes to mind is when my mom rocked me to sleep. I’d sit on her lap while she’d sing or read stories, and I still remember the way her voice sounded when I leaned my little head on her chest. The ultimate feeling of comfort and safety – I wish this for all kiddos for their whole lives.
Pricing:
- -Songwriter Sanctuary Season Passes & Single Day Tix Available Now at songwritersanctuary-sd.com
- -Qulyn Journals Available at qulyn.com
- -Lindsay White Music & Writing available at lindsaywhitemusic.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lindsaywhitemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songwritersanctury_sd
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaywhitemusic
Image Credits
Sydney Valiente
Alfonso De Alba
Nic Roc (You Belong Here)
