We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay White a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lindsay thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

The Gillian Welch lyric “We’re gonna do it anyway / Even if it doesn’t pay” comes to mind. Artists all have to art; it’s what we do regardless of whether or not we can figure out how to earn a living at it. Being in a creative “flow state” is probably the closest to happy most folks can be. For me, it’s the closest to God or “source” I ever feel.

Unfortunately, though, modern society makes us humans pay an increasingly hefty price for our basic needs, so much so that we feel pressure to monetize our passions for survival rather than offer our creations to others in a mutual exchange of love (which can also come in the form of money and other currencies, but there is a different kind of energy around a love-based transaction than a fear-based one).

Sometimes it’s hard to put our own passion projects on the back-burner because our limited time only allows us to use our creativity for paying jobs to keep a roof over our head. There’s only so much gas in the tank every day, and sometimes the work that fills up your piggy bank burns you out before you have time to focus on the work that fills up your heart.

I quit my last corporate job in marketing after my mom died and haven’t looked back. It can be scary to monkey-bar from gig to gig and client to client, especially now that well-intentioned laws are wreaking havoc on freelancers’ and small business owners’ ability to earn a living in California.

But thankfully, the pros still far outweigh the cons. In addition to being able to set my own rate and schedule (so important for me as a new mom with no childcare support), I get to decide what kinds of projects to take on and what kinds of people to work with. I never want to have a grown adult telling my grown adult self what to wear or when to work or what desk to sit at ever again, so I will continue to bust my butt to make sure I put out great work for my clients and put on great shows for live music lovers and keep my tiny little businesses chugging along in the process.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I have always been passionate about writing, which is at the core of everything I do creatively. After a very brief post-collegiate detour into the world of coaching college basketball, I started to get serious about music and became very involved in the San Diego songwriter scene, releasing music and touring all over the country solo and in various configurations. It’s a goal of mine to be a nationally and internationally recognized folk/indie artist and lyricist – I want my name to come up when people are talking about songwriters like Anna Tivel, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Milk Carton Kids, and countless other artists who inspire me. My recent foray into motherhood admittedly makes that goal challenging to attain, but I will keep chipping away for funsies.

Besides music, I offer freelance writing services to various clients to keep a roof over my head. It’s a fun way to earn money while learning a little about a lot – I’ve written for colleges, entertainment brokers, musicians, nonprofits – you name it!

I also just launched a line of journals called “Qulyn” that largely focuses on providing a space for “folks with feels” to process some of the topics that society tends to push under the rug: grief, death, postpartum life, breakups, living with a disability, and more. My hope is to eventually get those journals into spaces where they can reach those who might benefit most – like hospice facilities, schools, grief counselors, birth workers, and more.

Lastly, I am hellbent on finishing my book “Dead Mom Talking,” a memoir about my estranged relationship with my mother and the experience of acquiring mediumship abilities after her death that led to our reconciliation. I don’t care if one person reads it, I just want to finish it. (But people should read it). Trying to manifest a book deal over here so I can afford to finish it – hit me up if you know someone I can pitch this sucker to.

As for what sets me apart – I want to say it’s my willingness to be vulnerable about hard things, my ability to connect the personal to the Universal, and a desire to help people process their complex feelings through writing and lyricism. I am very much a believer in things like karma, reincarnation, and the one-ness of all souls. So often we get caught in this Western mindset that we are on our own — every person out there fending for themselves in a cruel, greedy world. But it’s only that way now because we’ve made it that way and we’ve allowed those in power to essentially scare us into this delusion that there is not enough to go around. The truth is, we can design something completely different if we are mindful about it. If we actually look to history as a place where we can learn from mistakes, practice accountability, divest from what doesn’t serve us, invest in what does, and grow with the health and happiness of each other and the planet in mind. If we stop moving through life in fear and judgment. If we stop meddling in other peoples’ identities and just let people be who they are and love who they love and make choices about their own bodies. If we prioritize the enduring dignity and wellness of all people over the insatiable allure of profits. I strive to help people remember (and remind myself) that we are in this together –literally forever — and that we have the collective power to make our experience awful or amazing for each other. All harm is our harm. All love is our love. I am human, so mistakes are part of the gig, but I try my best to do more good than harm, and I ask the Universe in my meditations to send love to me and through me so that I can not only evolve but also help lift others up.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I really wish that folks who are “winning” the game of capitalism (especially those who consider themselves to be liberal) would really lean into the idea that redistributing their wealth in meaningful, direct ways is one simple way to improve society for all. You don’t have to wait for reparations legislation to pass to start practicing ongoing community care and help alleviate the suffering of those who have been harmed by the same systems that have benefitted you.

Housing is a huge stress for creators, especially here in San Diego. I would really like to see folks with means come together to find and fund solutions in that regard. If I had money, I’d snatch up the first multi-family building I saw and turn it into affordable artist housing for women and gender-marginalized folks. Could you imagine how much our communities would benefit from the art and ideas of folks who had the financial freedom to create? The ripple effect would last for generations.

This could also look like offering a cheap or free room or back apartment to a Black, Indigenous, Queer, disabled or otherwise marginalized artist, activist, parent, etc. instead of putting it up on AirBnb or letting it sit empty.

This could also look like sending gas cards or gift cards to your favorite artists or paying one of their ongoing utility bills.

This could also look like becoming a “Patron” of an artist through Patreon or other crowdfunding campaigns used to fund albums, tours, etc.

This could also look like getting involved with helping a local artist connect with powerful/wealthy people in your networks, or mobilizing those people in your networks to raise money on an ongoing basis for local creators.

This could also look like contributing weekly or monthly to a mutual aid, whose services usually benefit low-income families which often include “starving artists.”

This could also look like starting a house concert series in your backyard.

This could also look like helping an artist promote their work/shows, etc or liking and sharing what they post online.

This could also look like simply asking your favorite local artist what would help them the most.

There are really no shortage of ways to support and contribute to the art and well-being of local artists.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I am constantly unlearning my addiction to urgency and efficiency. I live with extreme anxiety in a capitalist patriarchal society that pretty much has no love for working mothers or artists, so I’m constantly feeling an enormous amount of pressure to be and do all things at all times. But the more I do, the more there is to do, ya know? The very best moments are when I can resist all that noise and just go lay down, as the very wise Tricia Hersey teaches.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lindsaywhitemusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsaywhitemusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindsayannwhite
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/listentolindsay
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/lindsayannwhite
• Other: www.qulyn.com and www.patreon.com/lindsaywhitemusic

Image Credits
Sydney Valiente Rye Room Jeff Ross Sharisse Coulter