(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 Podcast's Patreon: patreon.com/u11072417

Learn more about Brian Spahr's music: https://brianspahrmusic.com/home

Here is the link to the crowdfunding page https://threadbarecreative.com/welcome-to-struggleville-junction

And here is the playlist of "Threadbare Songs"

https://untitled.stream/library/project/zL0z4lXtFXsrf03Aguv3P

00:00 Songwriting Rhythm Breakthrough

00:21 Birthday Banter and Holidays

00:50 Memorial Day and Veterans

01:17 Twelve Year Ashes Story

03:01 Spain Update and Worldschooling Pitch

04:12 Choosing Countries and Timing

05:56 Closed System Schooling Explained

06:46 Introducing Brian Interview

07:13 Brian in Fort Wayne

07:42 Wildwood Studio in Brooklyn

08:29 Pastor to Chaplain Career Path

09:06 Youth Encounter Team Days

09:52 Catching Up With Tammy

10:21 Songwriting Origins

11:09 Music Industry Shifts

12:00 Why He Stopped Writing

13:02 COVID Spark Returns

14:55 Monday Song Challenge

16:54 Finding His Voice

19:51 Validation Versus Streams

21:28 Relational Music Making

22:53 Making Time To Create

23:50 Advice For The Hiatus

24:48 Closing Thanks And Links