Nerds Are Here to Stay (F*ck AI)

Nerds embody a level of human connection, creativity and authenticity that could NEVER be replicated by an LLM. This project is more than mere portraits, it is a celebration of women who are unapologetic nerds… or maybe it’s just an excuse for me to collaborate with really cool people?! Say it with me: AI is not your “friend”!

Shannon Spence

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she/her

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Lab Technician & Cartoonist

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Shannon Spence ~ she/her ~ Lab Technician & Cartoonist ~


As a kid, Shannon Spence was hooked on The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. Now, she’s a lab tech and cartoonist. Her comic, P*nk Lab Grl! follows punk girl Shelley who “gets a job at a laboratory to help fund her band’s show”.

Shannon gets pumped up by over the top, indulgent, fun comics that go HARD with the artwork. She likes microbiology because it’s more artsy… growing bacteria, identifying color (even smell) and how it looks in order to identify things more accurately.

She wishes more people understood the crucial role labs play in medicine, “we’re the unsung heroes of hospitals”. In fact, did you know 70% of all medical decisions are made based on lab results?

“Have you ever peed in a cup? Well someone had to open that cup, put it on a bacterial plate, grow it, analyze it and even see what meds need to be used to treat it. The veterans of microbiology can know what bacteria is growing just by looking at it”
— Shannon Spence

If you identify as a woman who is a nerd, live near (or within 2 hours of) New York, NY and are interested in being photographed for this project, click the button below or send me an email here! All participants are eligible to receive one professional portrait for FREE as a “thank you”.

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