Mary Cunningham: Showing Up Every Day

When do you feel most creative? 

In the morning, *if* I have time to myself and a little energy. All of that is rare now that I have a 7-month-old, but if I can wake up and be at my computer with some coffee by 5:30am, plugging away as the sun comes up, I feel like the world is my oyster…that is, if my daughter sleeps until 7 or 7:30. If she’s up at 6am, then I end up feeling a bit like a wilting flower because all that promise for some creative output is shelved as I transition my focus to her and my day job as a creative director. 

Who would you love to collaborate with? What’s a dream project for you?

I’d love to write words for an art installation; like recorded spoken word or poetry set to images and a music track. So I’d love to work with a really great music producer or composer and a visual artist. Think Dr. Dre, Frida Kahlo and me :)

What’s inspiring you outside of your own genre? 

In the same vein as my answer above, I’m immensely inspired by visual artists and musicians. And, really, performers and artists of any type—comedians, actors, dancers, directors, costume designers, jewelry designers, etc. I love the different ways creative vision and storytelling can come to life. 

How would you like the world to see artists and mothers? 

As explosively powerful. As the strongest and most resilient humans on the planet. We show up every day even when all evidence seems to indicate we should just give up because it’s often just. too. hard. 

I look to Toni Morrison, who was a single mother to two children while trying to establish her writing career and balancing a day job in publishing. Or Peggy Lee, who, if I recall correctly, wrote lyrics after her daughter went to bed.

I love this quote from Toni Morrison: “Women owe themselves their whole selves, as much as they owe their children their best selves.”

What do you do when you feel burnt out or filled with doubt? 

Talk to a friend who really knows me. And maybe that’s just through a Marco Polo video message or text, but connecting with someone who can remind me that I’m doing a great job even when it all feels so hard!

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Mary Joan Cunningham

is a professional storyteller, creative director and writer: she’s helped reinvigorate the GRAMMY brand, launched Nokia’s digital music service, launched her own company, and is currently a brand storyteller. She is also a new mother to a seven-month-old daughter!

As the result of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Mary created Thrive with MS, a site with tools to inspire others to thrive through anything that life throws their way. This mission earned national recognition, including a profile on the site Mogul, and a cover story on Health Monitor magazine. She was a finalist on Austin’s 40 Under 40 list and a featured speaker at Prevention magazine’s health summit. She is currently writing a memoir about finding love after her life-changing diagnosis.

Beyond the world of health and wellness, Mary was co-founder of Girl Around Town, a guide on what to do and how to dress in key cities around the world. She’s been featured in Time Out New York and also on “The Wendy Williams Show” as an authority on gift giving. As a writer, her essays have appeared in The New York Daily News, Livestrong.com, The Mighty, Huffington Post and elsewhere.

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Hi! I’m Heidi. Writer. Editor. Mother. I’m interviewing 100 creative mothers, because I believe the more we see other mothers making beauty and meaning in small moments, the more we will be inspired to make our own kind of art, whatever that may look like during this intense season of life. Support the project by sharing with a friend.