We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Dudley Berry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mary Dudley, appreciate you joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I often feel like as an artist and musician, especially in this era of social media and constant metrics, there is a push to define yourself more than ever. A push to find your niche, your genre, perfectly curate your “artist brand”, create something easily recognizable and do it again and again and again. A push to find what works and stick to it. I’ve never been good at boxes. I feel limited by sticking to one thing. I’ve been grappling with how to boil, simmer, and reduce the entirety of my being into something that is digestible and easily understood to the masses. But I think through this process we can lose the gritty pieces that truly connect you to your audience. The contradictions and the stickiness and the fragments that don’t fit perfectly. The glimmers of your shared humanness. We talk and hear about “authenticity” everywhere it seems, but what does that actually look like? For me, it’s risking the possibility of being misunderstood- something I feared and avoided for a long time. I discovered somewhere along my artist’s journey that people will misunderstand regardless, so they might as well have all the information. I think that’s the only way your audience can really find you, is when you bare it all despite that risk. That is the kind of authenticity that exudes its own gravitational pull. It’s magnetic. I feel it from my favorite artists and I hope my pull is strong enough to find those who need it. I believe it is.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Mary Dudley Berry. Alabama blood, Tennessee raised, California based. While I don’t currently reside there, being raised in the South deeply impacts the work I do both in and outside of music. I am forever inspired by the radical movers and shakers and healers and wisdom keepers from the region, and I feel them in what I create. I know many in this industry say they were made for it or have dreamed of it since inception, but I truly never imagined that I would be pursuing a career in music. Not because I didn’t love it, but because I didn’t let myself even dream of it. I didn’t write my first song until I was 23 solely because I had never tried to, or more accurately, had never allowed myself to try. But once I began, it was like a dam breaking. A dam of 23 years of things to say, of words and feelings unspoken, of thoughts kept tucked away safely in my own mind. The weight of carrying it all lightened with each song. I am a chaser of feelings and a lover of intensity, and the euphoria of finishing that first song remains unparalleled. I remember thinking, “Wow. I want to do this forever.” Since then, there have been many songs and 5 of those first few landed on my debut EP, “Anthropocene, Vol. 1” released this past September. It was a huge undertaking, one that I am deeply proud of, and feels like a time capsule for that chapter in my life. The 28-page zine that I made and released in companion to the EP remains my favorite thing I have ever crafted with my hands. As I dive deeper into this pursuit, I have so much more grace and gratitude for that version of myself who decided to take the risk and share things I was scared (and excited) to say. As I work on my current project, I feel so much more confident in what I am creating and in my ability to execute the visions in my head. I trust myself more, I believe in myself wholeheartedly, and I owe it all to the girl who didn’t know anything other than these are words that need to exist outside of myself.

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

I think we need to kill the starving artist trope. Artists and creatives have often been cast aside within society as unstable, unreliable, their work seen as a hobby or side gig, not “real” work. Within late-stage capitalism and the constant unveiling of the systems that uphold it, what actually is the “real” work? Artists and creatives are the mirrors and while we exist within this paradigm (while actively fighting to change it), I believe that artists and their work should be deeply valued and compensated accordingly. I come from a place of immense privilege, as is the case for so many who are able to pursue creative, “riskier” careers and I can’t help but to grieve all of the incredible art and talent hidden within those who are not able to take such risks. It should never be a choice between surviving, thriving, and creating. For so many creating is the way to survive and thrive. It shouldn’t be reserved for those with something to fall back on.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

All I’ve ever really wanted to do is help people. I thought that meant being in the medical field so I dreamed of being a doctor for a long time until I realized that sometimes the most helpful thing we can do for others is share our stories. Alchemizing the pain into something meaningful, acting as a bridge to deeper understanding and connection. I hope that the stories I share through my songs, my art, my words find those who need them the most. I also facilitate sound baths, community gatherings, women’s retreats, etc. and I infuse my published music with the same sounds, frequencies and energy to promote deeper healing beyond the words themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marydudleyberry.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marydudleyberry/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572349584667
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marydudleyberry
• Other: Music on all platforms under “Mary Dudley Berry”

Image Credits

Bella Lopez

Gregory Shark

Dara Feller

Smiles Meyer