We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carla D. Brown. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carla D. below.

Carla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I remember a job I had once. I would come home every evening and plop down on the foot of my bed; many times falling asleep immediately from exhaustion but ALL the time dreading doing it all over again in the morning. I was in the field “everyone” told me I should pursue and on a career path I convinced myself would be worth it – eventually. However, at the end of the day, I was tired! I was unfulfilled and still searching for the purpose behind it all. MY purpose. Could I sustain something like this for years to come? For the rest of my life? I knew I had to find something else. Something meaningful. Something that would wake me up in the morning motivated by great expectations for the day and the joy in knowing I was doing exactly what I was created to do. Needless to say, that was the very last job I had in that field.

Work, an entrepreneurial endeavor, or any other personal project, should be in alignment with who you are at the core. It should mean something more to you than a paycheck, a paid invoice, an impressive resume, or fame. You do it in excellence because you care. You endure the tough times because it matters. You sleep well at night because you know how you spent your day had purpose.

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

I am the Creator and Host of Support The Dope Radio, a podcast that was originally designed to provide a platform for the best and the dopest independent artists in the city of Chicago, IL to tell their own stories in their own words. Prior to the podcast, I wrote a music spotlight along the same premise for a blog I was a part of with three other ladies. As an avid writer and reader, I enjoyed the art of storytelling. As someone with a musical background of my own, I was passionate about these artists being depicted in the most accurate and genuine way possible. I believe in being a servant to others and I believe in the powerful impact music has on our lives. At the time, the music spotlight was the best way I could come up with to lend my talents in an effort of service to some incredible talent.

Some of the artists told me it was the best interview they had ever done and many of the faithful readers told me they really enjoyed the interviews. There was just one problem: In a society that had grown accustomed to receiving bite-sized, 140 character-long tweets, apps like Instagram that (at the time) focused on pictures, and the introduction of things like audiobooks, the interviews were at times too long to read for the likes of some attention spans. So how could I continue to be a resource for independent local artists and get them even better exposure? Adapt to the times and turn the written blog into a podcast! Support The Dope Radio was born!

It made sense as a natural progression of the written blog. For many years, I considered a career in broadcast journalism and was often told I had a voice for radio. So, here was my chance to explore that a little bit on my own terms. The podcast was very conversational in nature and even allowed time for the artists to showcase 2-3 of their songs. I believe what set me or the podcast apart back then was that I wasn’t just a fan of these artists. I’m also very musical and that enabled me to ask questions or have conversations surrounding topics or ideas that may not necessarily be explored by a host that was solely a music consumer.

I’m proud to say Support The Dope Radio completed 5 seasons (the last couple of seasons being broadcasted on Spotify and iHeartRadio) before I made the decision to take a hiatus. I had moved to a new city, Atlanta, GA, and wanted to spend some time getting adjusted. This year will see the relaunch of Support The Dope Radio with Season 6. It’s the same idea about providing a platform with the purpose of sharing someone’s story, however, it will not be limited to Chicago and it will not be limited to independent artists. During my hiatus, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with some really great people in music and I am inspired for the new season! The goal this time around is to share the stories of the people behind the music – the songwriters, producers, vocal producers and arrangers, musicians, audio engineers, etc. Without these extremely talented people, some of our favorite songs wouldn’t be what they are to have even become our favorite songs in the first place. If we’re being completely honest, some of our favorite artists wouldn’t even be our favorite artists if not for these people doing what they do as well. It’s time to give them the spotlight! Let’s continue to Support The Dope!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Share, share, and SHARE! If you see, read, or hear something you like, share it with someone else! Our society has been socialized to quickly share gossip, jokes, shocking or traumatizing news stories, etc., but we don’t share nearly as quick things we just think are cool or great! We see it or hear it, consume it for ourselves, and keep it pushing. Just think how much better society would be if we all knew just a little bit more about all of the super dope things and people around us!

Even further, everyone has a story to tell. Your own story matters, whatever that looks like. In fact, there’s someone waiting to hear it. It may be just what they need to keep going, to give something a try, or to just be themselves. SHARE YOUR story, too!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is finding your tribe. You make yourself vulnerable when you decide to share a body of work that is reflective of your true, authentic self. So when someone accepts it – or even better – when someone relates to it, that feels amazing. It gives you a sense of belonging. The more you connect with others, the more you begin to build a community. A community where you can feel welcome to express yourself freely, support others in their self-expression, and collaborate to create some really special things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/CarlaDBrown_
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
NP Photography G4 Aperture