Anna Mae
Anna Mae is a Nashville-based indie pop artist and songwriter whose work blends nostalgic storytelling with textured, romantic pop. With over 200 film and TV placements, including a recent Rolex campaign, she’s known for crafting emotionally resonant songs that explore love, identity, and growth through a modern feminine lens. Her recent writing leans into a more intimate, guitar-driven sound, capturing the beauty in fleeting moments through deeply honest, unguarded songwriting. Beyond her own artistry, she is passionate about championing fellow creatives and hosts women-centered gatherings through her community, Life of the Creative.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
First and foremost, I’m an artist and songwriter! That has always been my north star when it comes to my career. These days, I’m also dabbling more in creative writing and dreaming about starting a company in the music industry where I can help other artists further their careers in a meaningful way.
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
I’ve been writing songs and singing for as long as I can remember, so it’s really always been the dream for me. In high school, I started taking the idea of pursuing music seriously, which ultimately led me to move to Nashville from Minnesota.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
I think the longer I do it, the more intertwined they become! Which I love. When I first started out, I felt so much pressure to make things happen on my own, so I didn’t really bring my creative work to God. But over the years, I’ve realized that I have so much more peace and creativity when I’m communicating with God about whatever I’m working on. Often, that looks like asking for inspiration while I’m on a hike and dreaming about a current project I’m working on, or in my car on the way to a session, praying that the co-write and the song we create would be a blessing to me and everyone else in the room.
Quite honestly, there is nearly no better feeling to me than working on a song where I feel like I’ve been gifted the vision for it and just get to run with the idea. It genuinely feels like creating art hand in hand with God.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
I love getting outside and going for walks. I think hiking (year-round, regardless of the weather) and journaling keep me sane. They always get my creative juices flowing and get me really inspired. I can’t tell you how many song ideas or career moves I’ve had that have been a result of walking or journaling.
Both things are helpful ways to take a step back and look at things in the big picture sense, but also ways to let me deep-dive in on the intricate details behind a vision and its execution.
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
Don’t be afraid to embrace doing things in the way that feels most in sync with how you’ve been created. There can be a lot of pressure to go about your career or your art in a way that other people are pursuing a similar thing, but the magic happens when you do things in the unique way that truly suits you.
With everyone being created differently, it makes total sense that each of us would thrive when we are making art or following a path that is different from others around us. To sum it up, make the art you want to make, in the way you want to make it.