Ava Swan on Community, Mental Health & Creativity | Just Keep Talking with Brother Love

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Brother Love welcomes Montana-raised, Nashville-based indie pop/alt Americana artist Ava Swan to discuss storytelling, mental health, creativity, and community. Ava recounts building “Ava Swan’s Choir of Angels” at Third & Lindsley after competing in Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem, inviting 15 songwriter friends to create a collaborative, non-transactional night. They talk about Nashville’s relationship-first culture, making her album Sun Safari with producer Christian Diaz, funding it via a $15,000 Kickstarter, and the contrasting studio experiences of songs like “Looking Into the Sun” and “Bad TV.” Ava opens up about therapy, recovery through Adult Children of Alcoholics, comparison, service, meditation, and morning pages, breaks down songs including “I Really Hurt Myself,” “Sensitive Guy,” and “Future Tripping,” shares her red aesthetic branding, and previews a collaborative recording trip to Brazil with Diaz.

#mentalhealthpodcast #yourstorymatters #theartistsway #musicjournalism #recovery #choirofangels #altamericana #indiepop #songwriter #nashville #sunsafari #futuretripping #beseen #beheard #belong

00:00 Podcast Mission

01:22 Meet Brother Love

01:46 Introducing Ava Swan

02:23 Choir of Angels Night

03:57 Community Over Competition

10:48 Moving to Nashville

15:42 Sun Safari Era

17:54 Making the Record

22:05 I Really Hurt Myself

25:12 Creative Flow Power

26:44 Sensitive Guy Talk

28:32 Future Tripping Mindset

30:04 Naming Future Anxiety

30:56 Defining Real Success

31:46 Playlisting Versus Art

33:21 Community Over Metrics

35:15 Branding In Red

37:03 Mental Health Tool Belt

41:25 Service Beats Comparison

44:21 Big Heart Lyrics

46:17 Brazil Collaboration Next

47:56 Speed Round Questions

51:07 Where To Find Ava

52:11 Final Thanks And Outro