Abbie Sawyer on Creativity, Ritual, and Her Most Intimate Album Yet

A Soulful Conversation on Music, Motherhood, and the Art of Staying Present

As a singer-songwriter-in-revival and a longtime broadcaster, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with creative minds and I can say with confidence there’s something truly grounding about sitting down with Abbie Sawyer. She’s not just a remarkable Iowa-based singer-songwriter—she’s someone who lives her life as a creative act. Every choice, every song, every cup of tea seems to carry an intentionality that you can feel.

Rick Rubin, Resonance, and the Power of Simplicity

We covered a lot of ground in our conversation for Maxwell’s Iowa CoffeeCast—from Rick Rubin’s philosophy on creativity to the magic of recording in her living room. But what stayed with me most was the way Abbie describes the process of making music. She doesn’t just write songs—she excavates them, following an intuitive thread until something lands.

“When I’m writing,” she told me, “I’m usually looking for clarity, or healing. I don’t always know what I’m trying to say at first. But if I can hit a chord or a lyric that feels like it’s putting a finger on something—grief, elation, wonder—then I know I’m close.”

There was a moment in our chat where we both lit up talking about Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. I had just finished reading it and was struck by how familiar it all felt—like someone putting words to truths we already know but rarely say out loud.

Abbie felt the same way: “It’s like you already knew everything in that book, but you’d never seen it laid out so simply. Just a single sentence on a page, and you’re like, ‘Yes. That’s it.’”

A Living Room Studio and a Handcrafted Sound

That philosophy guided the making of her upcoming album, Persimmon, which she recorded entirely in her own living room. “This album is about love and loss,” she said. “It felt right to record it where the songs were born.” With the help of her friend Gabe Scheid from xBk Live, who co-produced and engineered the album, they built a make-shift studio in her home. Microphones went up after school drop-offs. Guest musicians came through, including Steph Graham, River Glen, Lorin Ditzler, Chris Hansen and Matt Jesson. The vibe was intimate, almost sacred.

The album, which releases April 25, 2025, is deeply rooted in the idea of presence—of being exactly where you are and letting creativity emerge from that space. That philosophy even extended to the tea they drank during the sessions. “I made a special tea blend that I gave to everyone who came through the studio. So even though they recorded at different times, they all shared this common thread,” she said.

Mama Bare Botanicals and the Sensory Side of Songwriting

This is where Abbie’s other passion comes in: Mama Bare Botanicals, her line of essential oils, teas, and mists. It’s not a side hustle—it’s part of her creative ecosystem.

“I love pairing music with scent, with taste,” she told me. “Music is energetic and invisible, but when you add something you can feel or smell or sip, it deepens the experience. It makes you more fully human.”

She dreams of shows where the audience dabs on essential oils created for specific songs. “I know it sounds a little woo-woo,” she laughed, “but I think we’re all craving those kinds of immersive, connective experiences.”

And she’s not wrong. I think a lot of us are hungry for something more than the usual performance. We want realness. We want presence. Abbie brings that into every space she enters.

Creative Cycles and Finding Flow in Chaos

Of course, as a parent, artist, and entrepreneur, she’s constantly juggling priorities. I asked her how she finds time to write music amid the chaos of daily life.

“It comes in waves,” she said. “Right now, I’m in output mode—working on design, rehearsals, promotion. I can’t be writing songs at the same time, because I’ll get totally distracted. So instead, I’ll make a new tea blend or mix oils. It keeps me grounded without pulling me into that other headspace.”

What stuck with me most, though, was our conversation about doubt. Like most creatives, Abbie knows the internal critic well. When you have the ability to record endless takes, she said, it can become a “luxury-slash-curse.”

“I have to tell the people I’m working with, ‘You need to cut me off,’” she said with a grin. “I’ll keep tweaking and tweaking. But at some point, you have to let the song be what it is. A moment in time.”

Live vs. Recorded: Embracing the Moment

She reflected on the difference between live performance and studio recording. “When you’re on stage, you’re creating something unique every time. That can never be replicated. It makes it special. And honestly, I’ve had to let go of the idea that a performance has to sound exactly like the record. That can be so limiting.”

Gratitude and Creative Grounding

By the end of our conversation, I felt what I often feel when I talk with Iowa creatives: deep gratitude. Gratitude that people like Abbie are out there—writing songs about wild ramps and soil microbes, brewing tea blends for each phase of an album, and reminding us that creativity is not a product. It’s a way of being.

New Song Releases

Abbie will begin rolling our singles from Persimmon beginning March 28, 2025—the first called Empty Drawer. Learn more about her merchandise and the opportunity to pre-order a limited edition vinyl record at abbiesawyer.com.

Upcoming Shows

If you haven’t seen Abbie Sawyer live, make plans to catch her album release shows on May 3 in Iowa City at Trumpet Blossom Cafe or May 9 in Des Moines at the Temple for Performing Arts.

LISTEN to my fresh-brewed Iowa conversation with Abbie NOW on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

You can also CLICK HERE to listen!