Ep 128 - Brian Spahr - Writing 59 Songs in a Year: Brian’s Return to Songwriting

About this episode

Brian Spahr discusses his journey back to songwriting after a 20-year hiatus and shares insights on his creative process.

(The audio ended abruptly on this episode but we are posting what we have - please check out Brian's music - he is amazing!!)Dawn and Ruth open the Created Creative podcast by celebrating Ruth’s birthday, discussing Memorial Day and a graveside service involving ashes finally buried after 12 years, then Dawn shares attending a live meeting about a world-schooling organization offering furnished apartments, Finnish-system schooling, and community in multiple countries on three-month cycles. They introduce an interview with Brian, a singer-songwriter, author, and chaplain in Fort Wayne, Indiana, whom they know from Youth Encounter. Brian describes starting songwriting in college, releasing CDs, then taking a 20-year break due to life demands and discouragement, before returning during COVID after mentoring a young songwriter and joining an online workshop. He built a practice of writing and publicly posting a completed song every Monday, producing 59 songs in a year, refining his lyric-focused storytelling voice; one song, “Threadbare,” was published in American Songwriter. He now prioritizes relational engagement over chasing streams while preparing an EP. Join Created Creative…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ruth Hetland, Dawn Trautman

Guest: Brian Spahr

Topics covered

• songwriting
• music
• creativity
• personal growth
• entrepreneurship

Keywords

• songwriting
• Brian Spahr
• music
• creativity
• Threadbare
• American Songwriter
• entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Youth Encounter, American Songwriter, Created Creative Podcast

Books & works: Threadbare

Places: Fort Wayne, Indiana

More episodes of Created Creative Podcast

• Ep 129 - Because Sometimes You Need to Cross an Ocean to Remember What Matters · June 8, 2026 · 22 min
• Ep 127 - The Magic is in the Pivot · May 11, 2026 · 14 min
• Ep 126 - Thomas Maltman on Making Stories Real · April 27, 2026 · 35 min
• Ep 125 - Creativity, Faith, and Early Brain Development with Dawn Rundman · April 15, 2026 · 39 min
• Ep 124 - Creativity Grows Best in Good Soil · April 6, 2026 · 26 min
• Ep 123 - Cleaning for Holy Week and the Moravian Gravestone Tradition (Because Sometimes Sacred Preparation Involves a Really Good Scrub) · March 30, 2026 · 16 min