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Welp, that was certainly not the year we planned for. But despite everything, Lady Brain Collective members stayed creative and stuck together, and Lady Brain Presents did our best to showcase their awesome work to the community. Here's a quick video recap of just some of the work we did and fun we had. Thanks to all of our members and Patreon contributors for supporting us - and if you're not yet aboard the Lady Brain train, find out how to join and/or contribute - 2021 will be even better with you in our fam! Video Description: This video slideshow features various social media graphics, photographs of Lady Brain Members, gig flyers, screenshots of virtual/zoom events, and member artwork - all occurring at Lady Brain Presents, either in physical locations or online over the year 2020. The video covers the following topics:
-Community Gatherings (Lady Brain members at open mics, house concerts, venues) -Virtual Showcases (Lady Brain members participating in online events) -Workshops and Meetups (images of hikes, vision boarding, guest speakers, virtual presentations) -Lady Brain Media (photos of podcast guests, Lady Brain writers, online reviews, gig flyers, social media graphics, blog features) -Lady Brain for Hire (gig sharing and business spotlight social media graphics) -Lady Brain for Change (Lady Brain raised $600+ for RAINN) -How to Join - www.ladybrainpresents.com/join -How to Support - www.ladybrainpresents.com/contribute or www.ladybrainpresents.com/shop -See You Next Year & Photo credits to local photogs/friends who captured this year’s events: Sydney Prather, Alyssa Douglas, Darci Fontenot, Cathryn Beeks, Mary Hamer.
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12/17/2020 0 Comments December Member Meetup Recap - Candlelight Vigil and Throat Chakra Meditation with Tori RozeThanks to all who closed out 2020 with us at our final virtual meetup of the year! We held space and shared silence for all the losses we've experienced and witnessed this year, we expressed what we'd like to leave behind and take with us into the new year, and we participated in a guided throat chakra opening meditation facilitated by Lady Brain member Tori Roze of Roze Wellness. We highly recommend reaching out to Tori if you/your team are looking for a way to grieve and heal and grow with intention - she offers virtual Reiki sessions, Reiki-blessed jewelry, guided meditations, and more. Below are a couple snippets from Tori's session that may help you realign with your purpose and voice going into 2021. Transcription: “And you can repeat these here with me if you'd like: I am understood. I am a good listener. I am authentic. I have integrity. I am honest. I speak my truth. I have a voice. I have a story I am worth knowing. I trust myself. I am a creative being. I have no limitations and I love myself warts and all." Transcription: “When you're ready, you can open your eyes and wiggle your, and shake your body and jiggle and readjust and come back into this space. Stretch, get some water, do what you need to do. A really good thing at the end of this is to give yourself a hug. Cause we are all missing hugs, like big time. So if you actually give yourself a hug and hold it there for a minute, it actually has like the same effect feels pretty good. You can do this any time you feel like you need to be held to because you're literally holding your heart right now. Thank you everybody. I appreciate all of you guys really big time. And I want you all to just be out there flourishing being your most badass selves and sharing what it is you have to share because that's what you are here for. So share that stuff." If you're a San Diego-based womxn or non-binary/gender non-conforming creative who is interested in building community, collective education, and resource sharing, we'd love to have you! Please register to join Lady Brain Collective here!
Thanks to folks who participated in this month's book discussion of Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot. It was an honest read from a wonderful writer - highly recommended! For anyone who missed the book or the discussion, we came up with some journaling prompts inspired by the book as it relates to Lady Brain Collective. No need to read the book to chew on these prompts! Let us know what you come up with! (Questions also listed in plain text below for accessibility).  Image Description: Infographic with pink and purple accents featuring icons of various berries. Pink, purple and black text reads "Lady Brain Presents Creative Journal Prompts Inspired by the Memoir Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot. Eight questions are listed in pink and purple color blocks...see below for text description. 1. What are some narrative devices or styles you commonly use? And for what strategic purpose, if any?
2. How have you been able to articulate traumatic/painful experiences for your own healing or to help others heal? 3. What does complicity and responsibility look like for you as a person or as an artist? 4. What stories live inside you that won’t exist in the world unless you create them? 5. What stories have impacted your capacity for empathy? How can you use art to help others empathize with what they might not identify with or understand? 6. What is "expected" of you, your identity, your culture, etc? In what ways do you want to embrace or resist that as an artist? 7. What did you need in your past that you didn't receive or couldn't quite articulate? How can you ask your community for what you need now? 8. In what ways can you anticipate or listen to the needs of your community and respond to those needs within your capacity? 10/22/2020 0 Comments October Member Meetup Recap: Zopen Mic
Thanks to all members who participated in this month's virtual open mic meetup! Lots of heartfelt and poignant pieces were shared, covering an array of topics like love and acceptance, social change, processing time and anxiety during a pandemic, and more. In lieu of a community gathering this month, we thought we'd share some of the pieces that were performed on this public platform. Read on for a partial replay and discover if any of these artists' words or music resonate with you!
Julia Sage
Original Song: Here Comes the Clock
Bonnie Nicholls
Original Song: Nothin'
Dishes in the sink, evidence of drink In bottles and cans near the door Unanswered texts, unrelenting requests To see if I've got off the floor All I wanna do is nothin', lie around and give in to the fear All I wanna do is nothin' and slowly disappear Curtains drawn, weeds in the lawn Detritus on the porch Bed unmade, bills unpaid The whole place should be torched 'cuz All I wanna do is nothin', lie around and give in to the fear All I wanna do is nothin' and slowly disappear No energy left to explain the entropy inside my brain Inertia is the only thing that moves me now All I wanna do is nothin', lie around in bed all day All I wanna do is nothin' and slowly slip away Slowly slip away, and slowly slip away Susan Lipson
Original Song: Let's Reframe
Complacency is how things go from bad to worse
And it really is a curse When silent shrugs are all we show. Standing by, not standing up Is the reason things don't change For we ALL must rearrange The status quo. The worst of history repeats Unless we stop the trend. It's up to us to end The unjust treatment we allow. We can say it's not our fault, That we've done nothing wrong, But we owe more than a song; We've got to act and stand up now. Chorus: Who are we? Let's reframe As if viewing Earth from space We're just multicolored folks-- The human race. Who are we, staking claims Based on pigment in our skin When the color of our blood Is just the same?! We're part of systems that allow Injustice to exist Now it's time we all resist The -isms hidden in our laws. No human merits privilege More than any other, We ALL come from a mother-- To grow in peace is our shared cause. Only what we add in goodness Can measure human worth For we're all here on this Earth As vital cogs in a machine. So, if some of us are broken Then ALL of us must fix The social structure, adding bricks To build foundations not yet seen. Who are we? Let's reframe As if viewing Earth from space We're just multicolored folks-- The human race. Who are we, staking claims Based on pigment in our skin When the color of our blood Is just the same?! Until we give up stupid notions That anyone's worth more, We ALL know what's in store: More of the same. Unless we teach our kids that they are No better and no worse, We'll maintain the racist curse With no one else to blame. Who are we? Let's reframe As if viewing Earth from space We're just multicolored folks-- The human race. Who are we, staking claims Based on pigment in our skin When the color of our blood Is just the same?! Chorus repeats Astra Kelly
Original Song: Heavy
Heavy, unsteady Waiting for voices to follow Heavy, unsteady Searching for words I can swallow The rain came to shatter, pouring down pain Drowning perceptions we had Waiting, unchanging I won't give in to the madness Chorus: Heavy, heavy I can't carry this weight Steady, steady now Lean into faith, til we break Through Thoughts come in like tremors Sirens signal the storm The rain came to shatter, reflections of me Pieces of the puzzle to place Heavy, yet ready Guide me into grace Chorus: Heavy, heavy I can't carry this weight Steady, steady now Lean into faith, til we break Through Bridge: Dreaming of finding home, safe from the storm Be weightless my soul, when fear lets me go Chorus: Heavy, heavy I will carry this weight Steady, steady now Lean into faith, we will break Through Lindsay White
Original Song: A Little Piece of Quiet
It's like the windows in my spirit and my soul have all been painted over It's like the locks in my heart were changed, and not by me and no one made me a key It's like I'll never know what could grow outside these gates What kinds of fates would await me It's like these poison clouds are shrouds upon my ears It gets harder and harder to hear I just, I just need A little piece of quiet Turn it down Shut it out Gimme more of that sweet silence ​It's like more people just keep dying all the time with bigger numbers come smaller headlines I make a fist, resist, but this twisted mind it binds my wrists I exist in fits Is this all there is If I killed this sound Would I drown or live Repeat Chorus Cathryn Beeks
Original Song: This Time
let's face it
we're not gonna change some people's minds they weren't raised right taught to kill and fight you know the kind and all I can hope for is their children will see the light look with your heart, kid You know what they're doing ain't right this time we are living in makes me wanna give in and die but this rage keeps me living injustice makes me wanna try I don't understand how some folks can turn a blind eye no more will I ignore I aint letting up this time It's now or never I ain't ever seen it this bad so many years of pretending what we had now everything's broken and every one is the glue If you won't join us I will fight harder than you let's face it we're not gonna change some people's minds they weren't raised right taught to kill and fight you know the kind and all I can hope for is that their children are not blind look with your heart, kid we'll make it better this time
Thank you, readers, for stopping by and lifting up our members by bearing witness to their work! Community members and prospective members, please check out our FAQ pages if you are interested in being a part of the Lady Brain fam!
Thanks so much to those who attended our Virtual Cafe workshop on the topic of vulnerability with guest facilitator, Dr. Lorri Sulpizio, Director of the Conscious Leadership Academy and the founder of the Center for Women’s Leadership at the University of San Diego. Lorri guided attendees in a discussion about where we are, what we need, what we are learning, and what we might shift to adapt to this moment and meet ourselves. We started with a check-in and shared answers to Lorri's prompt: What is one of the biggest shifts, creatively or otherwise, you've had to make in the last several months, and what opportunity or insight have you noticed from this time? We also talked about some of the ways anxiety can push us into a disequilibrium or detachment that prohibits us from accessing our vulnerability or makes us feel as though being vulnerable might threaten our safety. We learned some myths surrounding vulnerability, for example:
Lorri challenged us to identify how these myths show up in our lives, where they are coming from in our experiences, and think about what we can do to challenge them and rewrite our narratives moving forward. She also talked about developing strong networks of support to combat those times when our traditional support systems (family, etc.) might not be able to show up for us as we hoped. See clip below: TRANSCRIPTION: It's really hard if people have failed you in the past, people who you hoped and expected to show up for you, and didn't, that's really hard. And again, it's similar. I would say, find those folks that do you know, groups like this, you know, that maybe it's not the same as a spouse, parents, siblings, unfortunately, but you know what? These people are people who are going to show up for you. And that's amazing, you know, finding the folks that will show up for you and be there for you is huge. And it's an amazing gift. And so then maybe once you find that space, it's like, okay, I do have people in my corner, and people do show up for me so I can tell myself a new story that it's not true that nobody shows up for me. People who live like me kind of authentically creatively, they show up for me, those are my people, you know? Those other people like, oh, they're in my life. What can I do about it? I'm related to them. So I'm going to find a way to get through, but I've got these people, right? Who do see me and that's such a powerful feeling. And so it's worth finding it. And then slowly that power can overwhelm the lack over here, if that makes sense. Stay tuned for our September community gathering, where we will channel some of what we've learned and share pieces of art centered around the idea of vulnerability! If you're interested in learning more about joining Lady Brain Collective, start by visiting our FAQ, then head over to our JOIN page to submit a membership application!
Thank you to everyone who attended this week's member workshop Q&A with Mona Tavakoli! Her positive energy, insight, and commitment to being part of a team was a breath of fresh air in today's often-dark, isolating times. Below, enjoy a couple clips from our virtual call where Mona talks about showing up authentically for social justice. TRANSCRIPTION: “I think what became really clear to me was through Rock Camp and why that space is so important to me is that could I, by just being myself, could I by just being Mona, with all of my quirks and all of my beauty and all of my insecurity, exactly as I am, could I come to this space? And just by showing up to the space, can I help somebody else feel free or seen or loved? So that was walking the walk for me. So being on stage as a person of color and feeling like maybe that's gonna be important somehow, but then going and being the boots on the ground for Rock Camp, and not just being Persian Mona, or not being lady Mona, but just being myself and creating a space where other people can come and just be themselves. You don't have to be the best drummer in the world. You don't have to have technical skills. You don't have to be a great teacher, to be honest with you. You just have to come into the space and say, 'Let's do something together. Let me teach you something that I know the best way that I know. And can you then reflect something back in that space? It was so powerful and it felt like, that's social justice, that's equanimity. That's creating an equal playing field for all girls. That's saying, 'I'm going to be who I am. You be who you are. And let's create a space.' And music is the medium in that way. Right? And writing a song or learning an instrument is - this is going to sound weird, but a distraction to learn those deeper values of communication and allyship and compassion and self-love and how to be a better citizen of the planet." TRANSCRIPTION: “So if you want to be a social justice warrior advocate, you have to be yourself, and you have to be true to you, and do the things that feel true to you and be of service that way. Is it through songwriting? Is it through poetry? Is it through volunteering? Is it through creating space or a meal for somebody else? There's so many ways to be creating equality in your own life that is true to you and not true to the vision of somebody else's social justice." If you're a local woman or gender-marginalized creative who is interested in building community, collective education, and resource sharing, we'd love to have you! Please register to join Lady Brain Collective here!
Thanks so much to members who participated in any/all of our Community Action Plan workshop series. While our workshops are typically offered privately as a feature of membership and to ensure proper safety and support of our members, we decided to share the steps we covered below just in case any of our readers might find this exercise helpful in their work towards creating racial and social justice. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, so we hope this framework helps you feel empowered to take (or follow) the lead in the various communities to which you belong. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions! Step 1: Identify Your Communities (transcription here for accessibility) Thanks so much to everyone for attending both of our virtual workshops this month and helping us keep this community together even though we are restricted from gathering in person! Special thanks to Jules Stewart for giving us a great rundown on resolution and sizing of images during our discussion on Media Assets. We also talked about bios, pull quotes, promo photos, and more. It's always great to be prepared and professional when it comes to working with folks in the media!  As for our Recording Home Vocals workshop, our special guest Amelia Sarkisian talked to the group about various microphones, set up, signal flow, gain structure, and more. Given the circumstances of sheltering in place, it was beneficial to discuss ways to become more proficient in our home recording set-ups. There's so much to learn - we'll definitely be revisiting this topic in the future!  Over the last year, Lady Brain Collective has worked diligently toward building a strong community with a real presence in physical spaces. Needless, to say, recent events surrounding the corona virus threw us for a bit of a loop. But we realize that tough times call for stronger ties, so we are adapting and moving many of our workshops and showcases to a virtual setting until the coast is clear and we can gather IRL. Kicking things off in the workshop realm, Mary Bee and Mary Hamer led a wonderful Zoom presentation on the topic of Live Streaming 101: Tips, Tricks, and Tech. During the meeting, attendees discovered new and interesting ways to showcase their work and broaden their audience online. Members shared tips and tricks on all things live streaming, ranging from best practices, various streaming platforms, and recommended software and gear.  While we're still a little salty about not being allowed to share physical space, we know it's for the greater global good, and all those familiar faces on Zoom helped us feel connected! We will continue to offer virtual member workshops on relevant topics for the duration of our shelter-in-place experience.
If you're a San Diego-based creative womxn interested in participating in this member workshop, we'd love to have you! Please complete your membership application and subscription below! 3/4/2020 0 Comments March Member Meetup & WorkshopMembers, please mark your calendars for this month's meetup and workshop. First up, we'll be continuing our hike series on Tuesday, March 10. Then, on Sunday, March 29 we'll be holding a workshop on the topic of recording quality vocals at home. Our guest speaker will be Amelia Sarkisian who has studied and worked at some of the top studios in San Diego. Please check our private Facebook group and/or Member Toolbox for all the details! Prospective members, find out how to join the collective and access all the benefits of membership here.   |
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