Makers & Mystics: Recent Episodes
Stephen Roach
Makers & Mystics is the podcast for the art-driven, spiritually adventurous seekers of truth and lovers of life.
Evelyn Underhill: The Mother of Modern MysticsArtist Profile Series 40
Who was Evelyn Underhill, and why does her work continue to shape the modern contemplative movement more than a century later?
In this Artist Profile episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach explores the life of Evelyn Underhill, writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and one of the most influential voices on Christian mysticism in the twentieth century.
Although she is often remembered for her landmark book Mysticism, Underhill's own spiritual journey was anything but straightforward. From youthful encounters with transcendent beauty to explorations of the occult, philosophy, and Roman Catholicism, her search eventually led her into the Anglican tradition, where she discovered that mystical experience finds its deepest fulfillment not in extraordinary visions but in the ordinary rhythms of worship, sacrament, and life with Christ.
In an age captivated by spirituality yet often disconnected from historic faith, Evelyn Underhill's life reminds us that the deepest longing of the human heart is not simply for transcendent experiences, but for communion with the living God.
In This Episode
- The surprising spiritual journey that shaped Evelyn Underhill's life
- How Mysticism became one of the defining books on Christian contemplation
- Why Underhill believed mystical experience should be part of ordinary Christian life
- Her friendship with Baron Friedrich von Hügel and its profound influence
- The relationship between artists, beauty, and the contemplative life
- Why her final book, Worship, marked the culmination of her life's work
- What her story offers Christians, artists, and seekers today
Notable Quotes
"The mystic is called to be a creative artist of the highest kind."
"Beauty is simply Reality seen with the eyes of love."
"Long before we begin searching for God, God has already begun searching for us."
Books Mentioned
- Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness — Evelyn Underhill
- Practical Mysticism — Evelyn Underhill
- Worship — Evelyn Underhill
- Confessions — Augustine of Hippo
- Dark Night of the Soul — St. John of the Cross
People Mentioned
- Baron Friedrich von Hügel
- T. S. Eliot
- Julian of Norwich
- St. John of the Cross
- William Blake
- Augustine of Hippo
Connect with Makers & Mystics
If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who longs to recover beauty, wonder, and the contemplative life.
To support the ongoing work of Makers & Mystics and gain access to bonus content, join our Patreon community.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Website: https://www.makersandmystics.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What if art isn't simply something we admire, but something that asks something of us?
In this episode, Stephen Roach sits down with acclaimed printmaker, educator, and storyteller Steve Prince for a conversation about the vocation of the artist. Drawing from history, faith, family, and lived experience, Steve shares how his work seeks to preserve memory, confront injustice, and create spaces where genuine transformation can begin.
From the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement to the power of oral storytelling, from New Orleans kitchen tables to ambitious community art projects, Steve reveals why he believes artists are called to help us "remember to remember" and to imagine a more hopeful future together.
Together they explore:
- Why artists are called to be truth-tellers
- How history shapes both our imagination and our responsibility
- The role of beauty in confronting difficult realities
- Why storytelling is essential to healing divided communities
- Steve's Kitchen Table project and its vision for reconciliation
- Creating art that challenges, invites, and transforms
- Faith, social justice, and the spiritual calling of creative work
- Helping the next generation of artists embrace both courage and adaptability
Whether you're an artist, educator, historian, or simply someone longing for deeper conversations in a fractured world, this episode offers a vision of art as an act of hospitality, remembrance, and hope.
Quote from the Episode
"The artist helps us remember to remember.""Art isn't made to divide us, it creates a pathway toward who we could become.""Every table has something to teach us." - Steve Prince
Resources Mentioned
- Steve Prince's Kitchen Table community art project
- Trinity City graphic novel initiative
- Howard Thurman
- Martin Luther
- Medgar Evers
- Emmett Till
- Rosa Parks
- Martin Luther King Jr.
If this episode encouraged you, please consider sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or supporting the work of Makers & Mystics through Patreon.
Produced by Stephen Roach.
Music by Some Were at Sea.
Keep Creating. The World Needs Your Art.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Can beauty change a person? A community? A culture?
Sacred artist Kate Capato believes it can.
In this bonus episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach sits down with Kate to explore why authentic beauty has the power to heal, awaken wonder, and draw people into the presence of God. Together they discuss the modern crisis of beauty, the vocation of the artist, and how sacred art becomes an invitation into deeper communion with Christ.
Kate shares why she and her family travel the country as "missionaries of beauty," bringing paintings and music into communities where beauty becomes a catalyst for transformation.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Why beauty is essential
• The difference between beauty and prettiness
• Why modern culture is experiencing a crisis of beauty
• The spiritual practice of creating sacred art
• Practical ways anyone can cultivate beauty in everyday life
About Kate Capato
Kate Capato is a sacred artist and founder of Visual Grace. Through commissioned paintings, exhibitions, and speaking events, she helps people encounter the beauty of God through visual art. Together with her husband, she travels throughout the United States sharing sacred art and music as "missionaries of beauty."
Learn more: https://visualgrace.org
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Animation has a unique ability to carry profound truths beneath colorful worlds, unforgettable characters, and compelling adventure. Beneath the spectacle, the best stories invite us into questions of identity, grief, hope, and transformation.
In this episode, Stephen Roach sits down with animator and storyboard artist Gene Kim, whose career has included work with Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, and major film and television productions. Together they explore why stories matter, how animation can communicate deep spiritual realities, and why genuine character transformation lies at the heart of every meaningful narrative.
Gene also shares the deeply personal story behind his animated short film One Last Monster, revealing how the loss of his mother shaped its themes of trust, suffering, and hope. Drawing from Korean history, classic anime, The Lord of the Rings, and his own Christian faith, Gene reflects on the surprising ways fantasy can help us tell the truth about the human experience.
In this conversation, you'll discover:
- Why animation is uniquely suited for exploring profound spiritual themes
- The relationship between storytelling and personal transformation
- How compelling characters become vehicles for hope and redemption
- How Gene processed grief through the creative act of filmmaking
- Why the best stories remind us that we are never alone in our suffering
Whether you're an artist, filmmaker, writer, or simply someone who loves a great story, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at the power of imagination to help us make sense of ourselves and the world we inhabit.
Watch Gene's animated short One Last Monster and follow his ongoing work:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@onelastmonster
Instagram: https://instagram.com/onelastmonster
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this bonus episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach revisits The Pace of Beauty series with artist and designer Jennifer Sturrock.
Drawing from her background in couture, contemporary art, and theological study, Jennifer shares how fabric and materiality have become a framework for exploring deeper questions of identity, mystery, and communion with God. What begins as a conversation about textiles and clothing unfolds into a rich exploration of the Transfiguration, the symbolism of garments throughout Scripture, and the ways beauty reveals truths that often remain hidden beneath the surface.
Stephen and Jen discuss the theological significance of clothing and how fashion can function as both concealment and revelation. Jennifer reflects on her own artistic practice, including large-scale textile installations that invite viewers into contemplation, mystery, and embodied ways of knowing.
The conversation also explores Jennifer's idea of "rewilding the creative soul,” embracing vulnerability, and discovering the beauty that emerges when people become more fully themselves.
Highlights:
• Jennifer's journey from fashion and textile design into theology and contemporary art
• How the Transfiguration shaped her artistic and theological imagination
• Fashion as language
• Art as a practice of mystery, contemplation, and unknowing
About Jennifer Sturrock
Jennifer Sturrock is a Scottish multidisciplinary artist, designer, curator, and researcher whose work integrates couture, installation art, and poetry. Drawing on studies at Chelsea College of Arts and London College of Fashion, she later earned a Master's degree in Theology & the Arts from King's College London, where she specialized in the idea of beauty in theology.
Connect with Jen
Website: https://www.jennifersturrock.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jensturrock
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Beauty is one of the most celebrated words in art and faith conversations, but it may also be one of the most misunderstood. Is beauty simply what pleases the eye, or is it something deeper?
Can beauty exist alongside suffering, loss, and the grotesque? And what happens when we settle for beauty that comforts us while avoiding the realities that transform us?
What if beauty requires darkness, mystery, and even lament in order to reveal its deepest meaning? In this roundtable discussion, Stephen Roach and guests Corey Frey, Liv Ross, and Scott Aasman wrestle with beauty not as sentimentality or surface appeal, but as a force capable of holding together truth, goodness, suffering, and hope.
KEY TOPICS
- Why beauty can feel inauthentic when it is removed from struggle
- The original meaning of "glamour" as a veil designed to trap and deceive, and why that etymology still matters for artists today
- How the three transcendentals — goodness, truth, and beauty — function like a trinity: remove one and the others collapse into vanity, brutality, or cover-up
- What Edmund Burke and Kant meant by the sublime, and why terror and beauty belong together rather than apart
- The real context behind Dostoevsky's phrase "beauty will save the world," drawn from The Idiot, and why stripping it from that argument changes everything
- Thomas Kinkade's stated goal of painting a world where the Fall never happened, and what his private life and Andy Warhol quote reveal about the cost of bypassing Holy Saturday
- Why form without substance is essentially pornographic, and how true beauty requires the material and the spiritual coming together
- How artistic isolation stunts creative roots the way a tree grown in perfect conditions falls in the first storm and why community, friction, and disagreement strengthen both the artist and the work
About the Guests:
Corey Frey is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and co-founder of The Well Collaborative, a community dedicated to creativity, curiosity, and culture. He lives in Maryland with his wife and continues to explore the intersections of art, faith, and imagination.
Liv Ross is an urban monk, poet, essayist, and Managing Editor of Traces Journal. Writing from the Ozarks, her work explores place, wonder, memory, and spiritual formation. Her first book, The Blackbird Ballad, was published by Solum Literary Press in 2026.
Scott Aasman is an award-winning illustrator, educator, and co-founder of Salt Cellar Arts, an arts-focused community for the spiritually attentive and creatively engaged. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his wife and two children.
Resources Mentioned
- Beauty Will Save the World by Brian Zahnd
- The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Thought of the Heart and the Soul of the World by James Hillman
- Works by Flannery O'Connor
- Works by Cormac McCarthy
- Paintings of Thomas Kinkade
- Landscapes of J. M. W. Turner
Connect with Our Guests
Corey Frey
coreysfrey.com
Liv Ross
The Abbey of Curiosity Substack
The Blackbird Ballad
Scott Aasman
Instagram – San Illustration
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What does it cost an artist to tell the truth? Singer-songwriter Zan Fiskum has built her entire creative life around finding out. In this episode, host Stephen Roach sits down with Zan to explore how her most personal songs, about a toxic creative relationship, a fractured friendship, and a complicated bond with her mother, became anthems for strangers carrying the same quiet weight.
This is a conversation about the craft behind vulnerability: how to write specifically enough to be honest, and broadly enough to let the listener find themselves inside your story. If you've ever wondered whether your most painful experiences are worth putting into a song, this episode answers that question with a resounding yes.
Key Takeaways
- The particular is the universal. Writing from your most specific, personal experience doesn't isolate your audience; it invites them in. The goal is to leave enough space in the lyric for listeners to find their own story.
- Vulnerability on stage is a form of service. Sharing something raw and real can give your audience permission to feel things they didn't think they were allowed to feel, and sometimes, to take action they've been avoiding for years.
- Faith doesn't require religious language. Drawing on C.S. Lewis, Zan articulates a conviction shared by many artists of faith: we don't need more Christian people making Christian art. We need Christians making art, beautiful, honest, human art.
- Your constraints can become your creative fuel. Whether it's a commission, a theme, or a question crowdsourced from strangers on the internet, working within limits can push you toward material you'd never find on your own.
Resources Mentioned
- Zan Fiskum's album — Forbidden Art (available on all major streaming platforms)
- Makers and Mystics — "The Gift of the Elders" episode — A previous episode featuring Petrobas from New Zealand on how indigenous cultures honor their elders
- Zan's social media:
- Instagram: @zanfiskum
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Beauty As Survival: Breath, Embodiment, and The First Instrument
A conversation with Whitney Lynn
In this episode, I sit down with embodiment coach, creative director, and longtime Breath and The Clay collaborator Whitney Lynn to explore the intersections of breath, beauty, embodiment, and the creative life.
Whitney’s work centers on “returning the body to the body,” helping people come home to themselves in a culture that so often pulls us toward dissociation. Together, we explore how breath is far more than a biological necessity; it is a sacred creative force, a pathway into nervous system regulation, healing, and flow. Through breathwork, we discuss how the body becomes not an obstacle to spiritual life, but our first instrument of artistry, intuition, and connection.
This conversation continues on themes from our series on The Pace of Beauty, expanding the idea that beauty is not a luxury or superficial pursuit, but a necessary force for survival. Whitney offers insight into how beauty regulates us, heals trauma, and awakens us to deeper intimacy with ourselves, others, and God.
Together, we also confront the inherited fear of the body present in many faith spaces, tracing how distorted ideas around embodiment have often disconnected spirituality from physical presence. Whitney invites us into a richer vision—one where the body is not something to escape, but a sacred vessel through which creativity, healing, and divine encounter unfold.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Make Your Home In This Luminous Dark
A conversation with James K. A. Smith
In this episode, I sit down with philosopher and author James K. A. Smith (Jamie) to explore the mystical tradition as a living pathway into deeper faith, creativity, and presence.
Jamie shares how his journey into mysticism began not through abstract theology, but through personal crisis, an experience of depression that exposed the limits of intellect and certainty. From there, voices like St. John of the Cross and Thomas Merton opened up a new way of understanding faith, not as mastery, but as surrender; not as knowing, but as unknowing.
Together, we explore what it means to “make your home in the luminous dark,” to embrace mystery as a space of transformation rather than failure. We also dive deeply into the surprising role of art, especially contemporary and “difficult” art, as a powerful and often overlooked gateway into contemplation. Rather than delivering clear messages, great art invites us into encounter, disorientation, and wonder, forming in us the very capacities needed for a mystical life.
This conversation is an invitation to let go of control, to trust the deeper currents of love beneath reality, and to discover how both mysticism and art can open us to the presence of God in ways that certainty never could.
JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB!Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What can ancient stories teach us about creativity, courage, and our own place in the modern world?
In this episode, Stephen Roach welcomes poet and priest Malcolm Guite back to Makers & Mystics to explore his poetic retelling of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Malcolm reflects on how these stories shaped him from childhood and why myth still carries moral and spiritual weight in a disenchanted age.
Together, they discuss the role of storytelling in recovering a sacramental vision of the world. This conversation is an invitation to re-enchantment—to slow down, commit to your craft, and take your place in the great unfolding story.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT
- Why Arthurian legend endures: its moral and spiritual resonance
- Taking up the tale: how myth becomes personal meaning
- Re-enchantment: seeing the world with wonder in an age of distraction
- The value of slow, faithful creative practice
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach sits down with cultural critic, writer, and iconographer Jonathan Pageau to explore the state of contemporary storytelling and the enduring power of myth.
Pageau, creator of The Symbolic World, explains how symbols operate beneath conscious awareness to shape imagination and culture. Together, they discuss why traditional narratives appear depleted, how propaganda differs from true myth, and why fairy tales continue to communicate truths modern culture struggles to articulate.
The conversation turns toward artists and storytellers, what it means to create work rooted in beauty, transcendence, and enduring symbolic patterns rather than novelty or cynicism. The conversation also connects with the theme of The Breath and the Clay 2026 —what it means to make space: space in our art, in our imagination, and in our lives for transcendent meaning to take root.
Jonathan Pageau will be our keynote presenter for this year's event in Winston-Salem, NC, March 20-22. http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach continues the series The Pace of Beauty with Dr. Timothy Patitsas, author of The Ethics of Beauty.
Focusing on Chapter Six, The Mystical Architect, they explore the inseparability of beauty and goodness, the cruciform nature of the artist’s journey, and how trauma has shaped modern art’s uneasy relationship with beauty. Together, they consider architecture as a foundational pattern of experience and the slow work of cultural renewal through restored patterns of beauty.
Learn more about Dr. Patitsas and his work:
https://www.stnicholaspress.net/store/the-ethics-of-beauty
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
This replay episode features excerpts from a 2017 conversation with author Brian Zahnd, exploring his insights on Christian aesthetics and the role of beauty in faith.
The discussion centers on Zahnd's book, "Beauty Will Save the World," and his argument for understanding Christianity through the lens of beauty rather than relying solely on truth claims and moral arguments.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What does it mean to repair what has been broken, and can there be beauty in that work?
In this episode of Makers & Mystics, Stephen Roach is joined by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg for a thoughtful conversation on repentance, accountability, and the demanding work of repair. As part of our ongoing series on beauty, this episode explores repentance not as performance or apology, but as a process of truth-telling, learning, and transformation.
Drawing from ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary justice work, Rabbi Danya reflects on how individuals, communities, and institutions can move toward healing after harm—and why art, imagination, and beauty are essential for sustaining the work of justice and hope.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
The Beauty of Authenticity — John Van Deusen
Songwriter John Van Deusen joins Makers & Mystics to explore the beauty of authenticity in art, faith, and vocation. In a creative landscape that often rewards certainty and success, John reflects on the cost—and freedom—of making honesty the point.
At the center of the conversation is his latest album, As Long As I Am In The Tent of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise, a shape-shifting, faith-inflected collection that resists tidy resolutions and embraces vulnerability, doubt, joy, and embodied life.
Together, host Stephen Roach and John Van Deusen talk about creative calling, audience expectation, near-successes, family life, and why authenticity remains a risky—but faithful—posture for artists.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What role does beauty play in a fractured and hurried world—and what might happen if we allowed it to slow us down?
This episode marks the beginning of a new Makers and Mystics series, The Pace of Beauty, exploring how beauty invites us into a more attentive and spiritually grounded way of living.
In this opening conversation, Stephen Roach is joined by Winfield Bevins, author, artist, and founder of Creo Arts, a missional arts community awakening the world to the beauty of the Christian story. Together, they explore the themes of Winfield's book How Beauty Will Save the World and reflect on the intersection of art, faith, and community.
Winfield shares personal stories of how art became a lifeline during a formative season of his life, and how creative practices can function as spiritual disciplines. He emphasizes the transformative power of beauty and the arts in a broken world, advocating for a deeper integration of creativity within the church.
Book Offer for Listeners
Oaks Press is offering listeners of Makers and Mystics a free copy of Winfield Bevins’s book How Beauty Will Save the World. Simply cover the cost of shipping and use the code MAKERS at checkout.
Get your copy here:
How Beauty Will Save the World — Oaks Press
Resources
- How Beauty Will Save the World by Winfield Bevins
- Creo Arts
- Makers and Mystics Podcast
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What if beauty isn’t an escape from the outrage and exhaustion of the world—but a form of resistance against it?
In a culture overrun with anxiety and uncertainty, turning toward beauty can feel almost defiant. In this episode of Makers & Mystics, host Stephen Roach is joined by theologian, poet, and cultural critic Jonathan P. Walton to explore how beauty forms us for resilience, integrity, and repair—both personally and communally.
Drawing from his book Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair, Walton reflects on the spiritual and emotional work required to live truthfully in a hurried, narcissistic culture. Together, they discuss the tension between joy and guilt, the importance of celebration and lament, and the danger of the false self in spiritual formation.
Jonathan introduces the Four Rs—Rest, Restore, Resist, Repeat—as a crafted rule of life that helps us resist what deforms us while cultivating beauty, depth, and intentional living. He also shares the backstory behind his poem “Change of Plans,” offering insight into how community, faith, and honesty shape the long journey toward wholeness.
This conversation is an invitation to slow down, tend to what is wounded, and rediscover beauty not as escape—but as faithful resistance.
Resources & Links
- Beauty and Resistance: Spiritual Rhythms for Formation and Repair — Jonathan P. Walton
- Support The Podcast — Join our Patreon growing community! http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Moving at the Pace of Beauty
Season Introduction — Makers & Mystics Podcast
Elaine Scarry writes that “beauty quickens. It adrenalizes. It makes the heart beat faster.” Beauty is immediate in this way. It strikes us unaware and de-centers us, throwing us off balance and ushering us into a moment of euphoria.
Beauty comes to us in a flash, a sudden recognition, or a moment of beholding; however, its effects call for a much slower pace, one of deliberation and contemplation.
The pace of beauty runs counter to the breakneck speed of modern society. When we are hurrying along from one task to the next, we don’t take time to notice the tiny flowers along the roadside. We don’t see the grains within the hardwood or the elaborate stitching within a hand-woven rug. Beauty, then, is sometimes hidden and only reveals itself to those willing to slow down and surrender their gaze.
In this new series of Makers and Mystics, we’re going to explore the pace of beauty and how it serves as a conduit of grace and creative unction. We’re going to hear from a collection of artists, theologians, and creative instigators on how beauty impacts them spiritually and creatively.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this episode of Makers and Mystics, host Stephen Roach is joined by Jared Farley of Porter’s Call, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the emotional and mental health of touring artists and their families.
Together, they explore the tension between persona and person, stage life and home life, and the unique pressures artists face when identity becomes brand. The conversation examines the impact of fame on the human soul, the importance of sustainable rhythms, and why community and storytelling are essential for healing and wholeness.
Jared shares insights into why the soul is not built for fame, how isolation fuels addiction, and how intentional care and connection help artists return to themselves. Whether you’re a touring musician, a creative professional, or someone seeking greater integration in your life, this conversation offers practical wisdom for the journey toward wholeness.
Resources
- Porter’s Call: https://www.porterscall.com
- Backline: https://backline.care/
- Makers and Mystics Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/makersandmystics
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this episode, Stephen Roach sits down with creative collaborators Justin McRoberts, Whitney Hancock, and Corey Frey for a conversation about the art of building authentic creative community.
From introducing their new online offering, "The Light Between," to a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Breath and the Clay 2026 event, themed "Making Space," this conversation explores how artists can create meaningful spaces for vulnerability, process, and mutual discovery in their creative work.
This episode is a celebration of artistic collaboration, meaningful friendship, and the quiet transformation that happens when we make room for mystery.
About the Guests:
Corey Frey is a visual artist, poet, and musician based in Frederick, Maryland. Alongside his wife Christy, he co-founded The Well Collaborative, a community devoted to wonder, hospitality, and creativity. Corey serves as Exhibitions Manager at the Delaplaine Arts Center and is also a co-host of the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective book clubs.
Justin McRoberts is an author, speaker, musician, and spiritual director whose work bridges storytelling, faith, and creative formation. Through books, retreats, and mentorship, Justin helps people uncover their voice and live with greater authenticity. His work invites individuals and communities into deeper reflection, meaningful transformation, and a more embodied approach to creativity and spiritual life.
Whitney Hancock is an embodiment coach and creative director whose work centers on restoring presence, emotional honesty, and embodied spirituality. A former founding director of the Redding City Dance Company, Whitney now leads spaces—online and in person—where movement, breath, and nervous system awareness help people reconnect with the sacred intelligence of their bodies.
Stephen Roach is the founder of The Breath & The Clay and host of the Makers & Mystics podcast. He is a poet, creative mentor, and multi-instrumentalist with a background in ethnomusicology and film composition. His forthcoming book, How To See Invisible Things, will be published in October 2026 with Zondervan Reflective.
Opportunities & Resources:
- 🎟 Get tickets for The Breath & The Clay 2026
thebreathandtheclay.com - 🖋 Connect with Corey Frey
coreyfrey.substack.com - 📘 Justin McRoberts’ new book
InTheLow.com - 🌿 Learn about Whitney Hancock’s Woven Method
The Woven Method
🤍 Support the podcast & join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
patreon.com/makersandmystics
- ✨ REGISTER HERE:“THE LIGHT BETWEEN” Gathering — January 8
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this inter-seasonal episode, Stephen Roach is joined by returning guests Paul Anleitner and John Mark McMillan for a discussion of Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein adaptation. Together they explore del Toro’s visual storytelling, the spiritual and theological roots of Mary Shelley’s original vision, and why horror remains one of the most powerful vehicles for truth in our modern age.
What We Discuss
- Mary Shelley’s Origin Story
The Geneva “ghost story” challenge, volcanic winter, and the dream that inspired Frankenstein—plus the timely synchronicity with Stephen’s upcoming book. - Del Toro’s Visual Parable
Color symbolism, the contrast between Victor and the creature, and how the film communicates its meaning through pure imagery. - Theology, Philosophy & Monsters
Del Toro’s spiritual connection to the story, humanity’s desire to play creator, and how horror works only within a moral universe. - Ambition, Ego & Shadow
Victor and the creature as two halves of the same self, crucifixion imagery, and why many successful people feel they’ve “created monsters” of their own. - Why Horror Still Haunts Us
Horror as enchantment, ancient narrative patterns, and our longing for stories that reveal hidden cosmic significance.
Guests
- Paul Anleitner – paulanleitner.substack.com
- John Mark McMillan – johnmarkmcmillan.com
Host
Stephen Roach, author of the upcoming How to See Invisible Things (October 2026).
makersandmystics.com • thebreathandtheclay.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
In this season finale, Stephen Roach closes out our exploration of creative flow with a rich conversation with several artists from the Makers & Mystics Patreon community. Joining the discussion are artist and educator Angela Houk, writer and branding expert Steve Brock, and poet and visual artist Corey Frey.
Together, the crew explores the interplay between resistance and flow—how creative blocks, limitations, and even frustrations can actually become the conditions that allow new work to emerge and personal character to develop. As Wendell Berry reminds us, “the impeded stream is the one that sings.”
This episode examines:
- Why resistance can be a gift in the creative process.
- How Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow connects to happiness and fulfillment.
- The balance between focus and receptivity in both art and relationships.
- How preparation, practice, and openness set the stage for flow.
- The “radical middle” where challenge and skill converge
- Connecting the experience of flow to the Holy Spirit
This is a thoughtful, inspiring conversation on navigating resistance, finding flow, and staying open to the creativity that emerges when we least expect it.
Connect with the guests:
Angela Houk
Steve Brock
Corey Frey
–––
Support the Podcast
If you’d like to go deeper in these conversations and be part of the Makers & Mystics creative collective, consider joining us on Patreon. You’ll gain access to monthly online gatherings, bonus content, creative prompts, and a vibrant community of artists pursuing faith and imagination together.
👉 Join the community on Patreon
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Behind the curtain of cinema lies a hidden language, spoken not in words, but in sound.
In this episode of Makers and Mystics, Stephen Roach interviews Foley artist Ronnie Van Der Veer, exploring the intricate world of sound design in film. Ronnie shares his journey into Foley art, the importance of creating realistic sound effects, and the techniques he employs to enhance the cinematic experience. The conversation explores the creative process behind sound symbolism, and practical advice for aspiring Foley artists. Through case studies of films like 'The Occupant' and 'The Forgotten Battle,' listeners gain insight into the art of sound and its profound impact on storytelling.
About the guest: Ronnie van der Veer is an award winning foley artist from the Netherlands. From his studio just outside Amsterdam he has worked on movies like The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos, Girl by Lukas Dhont, war movie The Forgotten Battle and various Netflix, Disney and Amazon Originals. Ronnie uses his background as a drummer in his work as a foley artist.
See more of Ronnie's work:
www.foleytales.com
https://www.instagram.com/foley.tales/
Films referenced in this episode:
The Forgotten Battle: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10521092/?ref_=nm_knf_t_2
The Occupant: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7230422/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_cdt_t_6
Connect with Makers and Mystics:
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/makersandmystics
APPLY FOR OUR NOVEMBER 21-23, 2025 WRITER'S RETREAT IN THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS OF N.C.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaiDW84Ktc1KH1JLt236fNPaiKW22E_XnzJqIgjHc5zijzfA/viewform?usp=header
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
What does the life of a bizarre fifth-century monk have to offer our lives in the modern world today?
This episode of the Makers and Mystics podcast explores the life and influence of Simeon Stylites, a Syrian Christian ascetic known for his extreme devotion and outlandish lifestyle of standing atop a pillar for 37 years.
Stephen Roach highlights Simeon's early life, his ascetic practices, and the profound impact he had on society during his time. The discussion reveals how Simeon's unwavering commitment to prayer and his role as a public figure offers an example for how we stand atop our own pillars and digital platforms today.
Join the Makers and Mystics creative collective
Apply to attend The Breath and The Clay writer's retreat, November 21-23rd, in Moravian Falls, NC.
Support The Podcast
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
Amy Leigh Wicks is a poet, actress, and educator from New York City. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and an MFA from The New School in New York. She recently served as Dean of Performing Arts at Bethel Conservatory of the Arts and is the author of The Dangerous Country of Love and Marriage (Auckland University Press, 2019) and Orange Juice and Rooftops (Eloquent Books, 2009).
In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Amy about the intersection of presence, performance, and poetic confession. Their conversation explores the emotional depth of character work, the daily rhythms that sustain creativity, and the subtle terrain where vulnerability gives way to transcendence.
At the heart of the conversation, Amy unpacks the idea of confessional transcendence—the mysterious way raw honesty in art can lead beyond self-expression into something sacred and universal. Through personal stories and reflections, she explores how poetry and acting together deepen her awareness of beauty, pain, and the human condition. The episode culminates in a moving reading of her poetry that embodies the very themes explored.
Resources:
Get Amy's Book: The Dangerous Country of Love and Marriage
Support The Podcast! Show some love! If this, or other episodes, have helped you in your creative/spiritual journey, become a monthly patron.
Follow us on Instagram
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
As artists, we live our lives between worlds, the one in which we imagine and the one in which we must survive. But what do we do when the life we imagine and the life we live are incongruent? Often our lives look much different on paper than they do in our dreams.
Joining us for this conversation is author, speaker, and public health professional Prasanta Verma. Prasanta's first book, Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, was released in April 2024 and is a 2024 INDIES Foreword Book of the Year Finalist. Prasanta is a graduate of the Kenyon Writers Workshop, a Write On Door County Writing Residency, and one of her essays won Honorable Mention in the WI Writers Jade Ring Essay Contest in 2023. Prasanta writes to help us feel seen and find a sense of belonging, and wants to help us envision a society where we are healthier and more connected. She is both an academic and creative, and is currently working on her doctorate in public health.
In this episode, Prasanta shares about the concept of the ghost life and how art bridges the gap between our lived experiences and our aspirations. She shares insights on the importance of community, the difference between solitude and isolation, and the need for radical acceptance to keep creative flow through life's unexpected turns.
Resources:
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Follow Us on Instagram
Prasanta's Substack
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
“How do we hold both urgency and intimacy in our creative practices? How can an artist become a vessel of divine presence — not only in churches, but on club stages, in studios, and in everyday life?”
In today’s episode, I’m joined by jazz and gospel pianist Julian Davis Reid — a Chicago-based artist-theologian whose work sits at the crossroads of sound, spirit, and scholarship. Julian is a founding member of the jazz-electronic fusion group The JuJu Exchange and the creator of Notes of Rest, a ministry that invites the weary into the rest of God practiced in the Bible and Black music.
In our conversation, Julian and I talk about finding flow as a spiritual discipline, the tension between performance and presence, and what it means to make art that is both urgent and intimate.
Support the Makers and Mystics podcast!
Follow us on Instagram
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
- Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
- Connect with Makers & Mystics
Website: https://makersandmystics.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/makersandmystics
Instagram: https://instagram.com/makersandmystics
How does imagination shape not only our art but our spiritual formation? And what does it mean to hold space for play, growth, and even disappointment within our creative process?In this episode, Stephen Roach is joined by Jon Guerra — a singer, songwriter, and film composer based in Austin, Texas, whose work is marked by its devotional nature and spiritual depth.Jon shares the inspiration behind his latest record, Jesus, a deeply personal and contemplative album born from the tension between daily life and artistic calling. The conversation explores his experience scoring Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, the unpredictable and iterative nature of the creative process, and how imagination serves as a vital tool in both spiritual formation and the search for creative flow.Topics Include:Imagination as a tool for spiritual and artistic formationFinding creative flow amidst life’s changing seasonsThe role of play, growth, and disappointment in the creative processScoring for film and the collaborative, iterative nature of that workThe inspiration behind Jon’s new album JesusThe relationship between daily demands and sustained creativitySupport The Podcast:One time donation or monthly
In this concluding segment of our Artist Roundtable, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Donna Matthews continue their conversation on ecstatic experiences, flow states, and the artist’s impulse through a Christian lens. This episode explores ecstatic states in both Pentecostal and Orthodox traditions, highlighting the shared hunger for transcendent encounter across streams of faith. The discussion also hits on the need for a deeper theological framework around flow states, offering both spiritual and practical insights for artists navigating these immersive creative moments.About The Guests: Donna Matthews is a musician and creative artist. In the 1990’s she played lead guitar in Elastica and lo-fi, DIY band Klang, and in subsequent years devised and facilitated creative workshops for people in recovery from addiction. She is currently in her final year of a practice-based PhD in Music at the University of Glasgow. Interested in issues such as poetic intuition, inspiration, and gift, her work explores how the intuitive state might be conveyed through aesthetic form, while also exploring improvisation as a means of 'undoing form' to experience the inspired state.Corey Frey is a visual artist, poet, and musician. He and his wife, Christy, are the founders of The Well Collaborative, a community in Frederick, Maryland, dedicated to wonder, hospitality, and creativity. Corey works as the Exhibitions Manager at The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick’s downtown area. He is also the co-host of the Makers and Mystics podcast’s creative collective book clubs.Stephen Roach is the host of the Makers and Mystics Podcast and the founder of The Breath and The Clay creative arts organization. He is a published author, keynote speaker, and multi-instrumentalist with a background in ethnomusicology and film composition. He has penned five volumes of poetry, a practical guide for artists titled Five Creativity Killers and How To Avoid Them, and his most recent book, Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity, published by Square Halo Books. Stephen lives in North Carolina with his wife, Sarah, and children Evangelyn Belle and Isaac Brighton. His next book, published by Zondervan Reflective, is scheduled for release in October 2026. Resources: The Gifted State: Previous episode with Donna MatthewsIf you’ve been inspired by this podcast, please consider helping us continue our work of advocating for the arts by becoming a monthly patron at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics As an independent creator, your generosity enables us to continue our work! Thank you!!
In this Artist Roundtable, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Donna Matthews explore the concept of flow states, ecstatic experiences, and their intersections with art and faith. They discuss how creative processes can lead to profound spiritual encounters, the importance of vulnerability and surrender in accessing these states, and the role of discernment in navigating spiritual experiences. This Two-Part conversation highlights the deep longing for human connection, speaking in tongues, and the challenges artists face within faith communities.About The Guests: Donna Matthews is a musician and creative artist. In the 1990’s she played lead guitar in Elastica and lo-fi, DIY band Klang, and in subsequent years devised and facilitated creative workshops for people in recovery from addiction. She is currently in her final year of a practice-based PhD in Music at the University of Glasgow. Interested in issues such as poetic intuition, inspiration, and gift, her work explores how the intuitive state might be conveyed through aesthetic form, while also exploring improvisation as a means of 'undoing form' to experience the inspired state.Corey Frey is a visual artist, poet, and musician. He and his wife, Christy, are the founders of The Well Collaborative, a community in Frederick, Maryland, dedicated to wonder, hospitality, and creativity. Corey works as the Exhibitions Manager at The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick’s downtown area. He is also the co-host of the Makers and Mystics podcast’s creative collective book clubs.Stephen Roach is the host of the Makers and Mystics Podcast and the founder of The Breath and The Clay creative arts organization. He is a published author, keynote speaker, and multi-instrumentalist with a background in ethnomusicology and film composition. He has penned five volumes of poetry, a practical guide for artists titled Five Creativity Killers and How To Avoid Them, and his most recent book, Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity, published by Square Halo Books. Stephen lives in North Carolina with his wife, Sarah, and children Evangelyn Belle and Isaac Brighton. His next book, published by Zondervan Reflective, is scheduled for release in October 2026. Resources: The Gifted State: Previous episode with Donna MatthewsIf you’ve been inspired by this podcast, please consider helping us continue our work of advocating for the arts by becoming a monthly patron at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics As an independent creator, your generosity enables us to continue our work! Thank you!!
Overfamiliarization can blind us from recognizing the beauty and power of certain truths. When we think we have heard the story before or believe we already know what a particular truth has to offer, we lose the curiosity that opens us to deeper revelation. The work of the artist is to disrupt that familiarity, make the known strange again, and the familiar unfamiliar again, so that we see the world anew. My guest today is New York-based visual artist Faith Bryant. Faith's original style of oil painting recasts the gospel story through the lens of surrealism and deep color theory. Her work explores the complexities of Christian faith, personal identity, and the journey of healing. Through her layered compositions and hidden imagery, Faith invites viewers to take a second look at the truths we thought we understood.Connect with Faith on Instagram @edenesq_Support the podcast with a single donationJoin the Makers and Mystics creative collective
Elizabeth Bowman is a self-taught impressionist painter based in Charlotte, NC. Her work is steeped in imaginative renderings of biblical stories and visual meditations on the life of faith.In this conversation, Elizabeth shares how motherhood and prayerfulness give shape to her art, the importance of rest and reflection, and how she finds creative flow amidst the demands of everyday life.http://www.patreon.com/makersandmysticsMusic By: Some Were At Sea
Barbara Hannigan is a world-renowned conductor, soprano, and performer whose work pushes the boundaries of classical and contemporary music. Known for her fearless interpretations and deeply expressive performances, Barbara has built a career that defies convention and celebrates the transformative power of sound.In this episode, Barbara and I discuss her recent album Electric Fields, which offers modern arrangements of centuries-old vocal music. At the heart of the album are the compositions of Hildegard of Bingen — a 12th-century mystic, composer, and visionary whose sacred works still resonate with profound clarity today.In keeping with the season theme, we explore Barbara’s experience of finding flow in those transcendent, improvisational moments when the music seems to move through her rather than from her — and how this state of creative surrender shapes both her artistry and her life.Mentioned in this episode: * Electric Fields by Barbara Hannigan * Artist profile: Hildegard of Bingen Connect with Barbara Hannigan:https://www.barbarahannigan.com/home| https://www.instagram.com/hannigan.barbarahttps://outhere-music.com/en/albums/electric-fieldsSupport the Podcast:As an independent creator, your support makes this work possible. Learn how you can become a patron and keep these conversations alive at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmysticsMake a one-time donation
In this episode, Stephen Roach explores creative flow as a generative, life-giving way of being. He highlights the need for trust in the process and the vulnerability that comes with sharing one's art. Stephen encourages listeners to embrace rhythms of rest and rebirth and imitate the ocean. Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective Support the podcast with a one-time donation. Learn More about DITA 2025 with Rowan Williams, Malcolm Guite, and others.
I would imagine most of us think of inspiration as a sudden flash of insight that hits us out of nowhere and compels us create. It’s not something we control. The wind blows where it wishes and we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. But what if inspiration were a discipline? Brooklyn-based author and artist Carey Wallace has written an incredible book titled, The Discipline of Inspiration. Here, she addresses this question and shines a new light on how we think about our relationship to the things that move us. Poet and songwriter Patti Smith writes that "This book articulates... the beautiful compexity of what drives us to create and what we encounter when we do."In keeping with our season theme of finding flow, consider how nurturing our inspirations prepare us for those beautiful moments of creative transport. We’ll be talking more about this in the Makers and Mystics creative collective. Music by: Some Were At Sea
Leah Song is a storyteller, song-catcher, musician, poet, and community builder. She’s best known as the front-woman of the beloved band Rising Appalachia, which she leads alongside her sister Chloe.As a solo artist, Leah draws from the rich traditions of Southern soul, the diasporic sounds of the Celtic Isles, and her deep studies of folk music from across the Americas.In this episode, Leah talks with Stephen Roach about her journey through music, exploring the intersections of various cultural traditions and how the pace of our lives impacts creative flow. Resources: Join the Makers and Mystics Creative CollectiveSupport The Podcast with a one-time donationPatreon: Patreon.com/makersandmystics
Welcome to Season 15 of Makers & Mystics. In this opening episode, host Stephen Roach invites listeners into the unfolding journey of Finding Flow—not just as a creative high, but as a sacred rhythm and intentional spiritual practice.Anchored in a story from his experience as a touring musician, Stephen shares how he developed a pre-show ritual: using a sustained drone and improvised melody to “tune the room”—to draw the audience (and himself) into a space of collective attentiveness. It became more than a musical practice; it became a way of entering flow, of opening space for something beyond performance to emerge.In this episode, Stephen explores: * What it means to prepare a space for creativity * How flow requires attentiveness and surrender * The parallels between creative flow and spiritual presence * Why the environment we create—internally and externally—matters to our artWhether you’re a musician, painter, poet, or simply someone longing to move through the world with greater presence, this episode will help you begin to tune your own room—and step into your creative flow.Featured Music: Songs of WaterJoin the Creative Collective: PatreonSupport the Podcast with a one-time donation: SupportFollow Us on Instagram: @makersandmystics
Have you experienced those moments when the grind gives way to an effortless grace? When a poem or painting tells you what it wants to become, or when a melody sings itself into being? This state of creative flow is one that artists and athletes, saints and mystics alike, each aspire to attain. It is a state where time bends low and reveals a slice of eternity. When our minds are absorbed, the world around us dissolves. Five minutes becomes five hours. Attentiveness and reverie are caught in a kiss that transcends technical ability and becomes magic.In flow, we become the act we give our hands to accomplish. The painter becomes the painting. The dancer becomes the dance. We enter into something greater than ourselves, a move of the Spirit that is ever in flux and available to us all. This season on Makers and Mystics, we’re going to explore how to find flow,Not just as a creative high—But as a practice.A rhythm.A spiritual discipline And a way of life.We’re going to talk about what keeps us from entering it, and why it matters—not just for our art, but for our own development and well-being.You’ll hear from painters, poets, musicians, and makers of all kinds - each sharing stories of what enables them to find flow and the challenges that have kept them from it. You’ll hear from theologians and thinkers who see creativity as a sacred conversation.We’re going to talk about the discipline behind flow, the resistance that rises against it, and the mysterious grace that shows up when we least expect it.So if you’ve struggled to find flow —Or if you’ve ever wondered how to maintain your creative inspiration —Or if you’re simply longing to move through the world more awake and more alive…This season is for you.
In this final conversation of our BC25 introductions, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Dr. Marie Teilhard discuss the complexities of art that challenge conventional boundaries. They explore themes of heretical art, the distinction between shock art and risk art, and the importance of trust and exploration in the creative process. **Trigger Warning: This episode deals with sensitive subject matter such as self-harm and cutting. Join The Breath and The Clay virtually or in person Connect with Dr. TeilhardConnect with Corey FreySpecial Thanks to our patrons and friends who help us keep this train running. If you've been inspired by the Makers and Mystics podcast and would like to show the love, you can give a one-time donation here or become a monthly patron here.
Amanda Cook is a writer/musician/lover of books whose music explores the intersections of faith/doubt, love/loss, hope/despair, and fun/notfun. In this episode, Amanda talks with Stephen Roach about her latest EP Survey: Part 2 along with her thoughts on reconciling faith and art and the motivations behind her creative process. This episode continues our introductions to the presenters who will be with us at BC25.Resources: The Breath and The Clay (virtual & In person tix available.)Follow us on InstagramHelp us continue our work by becoming a monthly patron or by giving a one time donation.
What role does contemplative prayer have in healing the fractures of our modern culture and those of our own fragmented lives? And how can our spiritual and creative practices offer an antidote to the chaos of contemporary life?In today’s episode, we’re exploring these questions with best-selling author, counselor, and teacher John Eldredge. Drawing insights from his latest book, Experience Jesus. Really: Finding Refuge, Strength, and Wonder Through Everyday Encounters with God, John highlights several themes that align with those of our upcoming Breath and Clay creative arts gathering. He shares insights on what it means to live in the hour of fragmentation and how we can reconnect to the integrating center of all things. Resources: Makers and Mystics Creative CollectiveThe Breath and The Clay event! March 21-23rd in Winston Salem, NC. Use the code DREAM25 for a discount on registration! Credits:Episode Sponsor: Be. Make. Do. Podcast.Music: Some Were At SeaProduced by Stephen Roach and Brightbell Creative
Kendra Adachi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lazy Genius Way, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, and The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like A Lazy Genius. As an expert in compassionate time management, Kendra helps others stop doing it all for the sake of doing what matters. She Kendra hosts the nationally-ranked The Lazy Genius Podcast and lives in North Carolina with her husband and three kids.In this episode, Kendra shares about: * bringing our whole self to the table * viewing our life as a painting, not a puzzle * moving past binary perceptions of art and time Kendra will share a keynote talk and join us for a discussion panel on reconciling art and family at The Breath and The Clay creative arts gathering, March 21-23, 2025, in Winston Salem, NC. Links/Resources: Connect with KendraLearn more about The Breath and The Clay eventCredits:Episode Sponsor: MM Creative CollectiveMusic: Some Were At SeaProduced by: Stephen Roach
"Technology does a really good job of floating us past all of these inconvenient blessings." - John Mark McMillan
Today on the show, singer-songwriter John Mark Mcmillan joins me to talk about his new music, technology's impact on the arts, confessing to an AI Jesus, and recovering a sense of meaning in our disenchanted world.
If you’ve listened to the Makers and Mystics podcast or have been to any of our Breath and Clay events, then you’ll know that John Mark is no stranger to our community. He’s been a part of the Breath and Clay and Makers and Mystics world since the beginning. We love keeping up with his creative work and appreciate his voice to this community.
John Mark will be bringing his full band to perform some of the new songs for the first time ever in public at The Breath and The Clay March 21-23, 2025.
Topics:
The Impact of Technology on The Arts
AI Jesus
How we experience music together
Links/Resources:
Connect with John Mark
Book Mention: I'll Take You There: Pop Music and The Urge for Transcendence by Bill Friskics-Warren
AI Jesus Article
Kosuke Koyama Book
The Breath and The Clay
This episode offers a preview of the types of panels we'll be hosting at The Breath and The Clay 2025. It includes a live conversation with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Victory Boyd, gospel recording artist Leeland Mooring, visual artist and curator Corey Frey, and podcast host Stephen Roach.
This conversation was recorded live at the Resound Creative Arts event in Boulder, Colorado.
Reserve Your Spot at The Breath and The Clay March 21-23 in Winston Salem, NC.
In this series of conversations, Makers and Mystics will highlight several of the presenters and themes for the BC25 creative arts gathering, March 21-23, in Winston Salem, NC.
Today’s guest is Theo-poet and mystic Dr. de’Angelo DIA. The conversation explores the intersections of poetry, theology, and personal experience. DIA discusses how his early exposure to literature and comic book mythology shaped his understanding of sacredness and black charismatic spirituality. Stephen Roach highlights BC25 themes of fragmentation and wholeness, the search for the divine in secular spaces, and the influence of neo-Appalachian art on DIA’s work.
Learn more about Dr. de’Angelo DIA
Get Tickets to BC25
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Treat us to a cup of coffee for our work on the podcast.
In the season 14 finale of Makers and Mystics, Stephen Roach reflects on the theme of reclaiming wonder. Drawing from personal stories, spiritual insights, and the wisdom shared by this season’s guests, Stephen examines how we can rediscover awe and beauty in our everyday lives, even in a world that often feels disconnected from the miraculous.
Stephen closes the episode with a thought-provoking insight: Wonder is not just an experience; it’s an invitation. It’s the residue of the divine, a call to transformation, and a reminder that we are made for more than survival. When we open ourselves to wonder, we become what we behold and begin to see the possibility for beauty and meaning in every corner of life.
Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Help us continue our work with a one-time donation.
Myths and storytelling have been a part of human culture since ancient times. From the oral traditions of indigenous peoples to the epic tales of gods and heroes, stories have shaped our understanding of the world, our place in it, and our deepest desires.
For artists, these narratives offer more than a glimpse into the past—they are a source of guidance, inspiration, and meaning.
In this final conversation of our ‘Reclaiming Wonder’ series, I am joined by renowned storyteller, mythologist and Christian thinker Martin Shaw.
In our conversation, Martin and I discuss the profound relationship between storytelling and the arts. Martin shares the importance of allowing stories to remain wild, to breathe, and not become domesticated by rushing to interpretation. We discuss the concept of being 'wedded to the wild' and the role of artists in re-wilding faith.
You can learn more about Martin’s work here
You can explore our library of over 300 episodes with artists, mystics, theologians, and creative thinkers at http://www.makersandmystics.com
Thank you to everyone who has followed along in this series of conversations. I’d love to hear from you. Which conversations inspired you most? Which ones did you wrestle with or skip over? Send me a line, and if you want to go deeper into these conversations, please consider joining our creative collective at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
We’d love to have you with us.
I hope to meet you all at The Breath and The Clay event March 21-23, in Winston Salem, NC.
When you see me, come say hi. You’ll be in good company with other artists and creative seekers such as John Mark McMillan, Amanda Cook, Sho Baraka, Joshua Luke Smith, Kendra Apache, Elissa Weichbrodt and many others.
The new year is a time of reflecting, looking back over the lengths I’ve come, evaluating what has transpired in my life and in my inner life, and then looking ahead, seeking clarity and direction for where I will place my time, resources and attention for the months to come.
I find that a large part of transitioning from one moment in time to another involves letting go of the past, often grieving our losses, and making peace with the life we have rather than pining after the life we thought we would have or wanted to have. Then, through the mystery of the process, finding wonder even in grief, and in the midst of ordinary life.
My guest today is someone who has seen grief and loss in her own life and who also helps others on their journey through grief. She is one who has learned to recognize wonder in the most unexpected places, like grief and in letting go of the past. Her journey has led her through many different faith practices as well as her creative life has taken on many shapes and forms.
Today, I’m speaking with Award-winning author, contemporary translator of sacred literature, international speaker, and world-renowned teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog, Mirabai Starr.
This conversation was recorded earlier in 2024, but I think as we move into this new year, the conversation offers a timely invitation to find beauty even amidst our losses and to hold space for the every day to become a place of spiritual and creative transformation.
Much of our conversation centers on grief as an unexpected doorway to wonder. Mirabai shares about her most recent book, Ordinary Mysticism, which Ann Lamont calls a gorgeous, transformative, welcoming book for anyone who longs to feel more present, more alive, more joyful, and aware of the holiness of daily life.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy a longer unedited version of this conversation which includes several additional stories of my own and several from Mirabai. Visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY MARCH 21-23 2025.
Wesley Vander Lugt is a pastor, theologian, writer, and arts advocate. He teaches theology and directs the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts and Gospel Witness at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte North Carolina. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination and the Arts from the University of St Andrews, and his latest books are Beauty is Oxygen: Finding a Faith that Breathes and the forthcoming A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of Georges Rouault.
In my conversation with Wes, we discuss his latest book Beauty Is Oxygen and the role beauty plays in our experiences of wonder.
This episode is sponsored by The Breath and The Clay Creative Arts Organization, exploring the intersections of art, faith and culture. Our next gathering is March 21-23 in Winston Salem, NC. and features a diverse roster of presenters and performers, including Sho Baraka, Amanda Cook, John Mark McMillan, and many others. Tickets are on sale now at thebreathandtheclay.com
The Breath and The Clay is returning to Winston Salem, NC!! Join us March 21-23rd, 2025, for our annual creative arts gathering!
This event will feature musical performances, an immersive art gallery, keynote talks, various workshops, and community discussions.
Participating artists include Sho Baraka, Kendra Adachi, John Mark McMillan, Molly Parden, Justin McRoberts, and many, many others.
You can find out more about the event and reserve your spot today at thebreathandtheclay.com.
Visual Artists and Film-makers! Submit your works for inclusion in our immersive art gallery here.
Follow the event on Instagram for regular updates @thebreathandtheclay
Rob Bell is the New York Times Best-Selling author of fourteen books and plays, which have been translated into 25 languages. His visual art can be seen on Instagram @realrobbell. His band is HUMANS ON THE FLOOR, and his podcast is The RobCast.
Today on Makers and Mystics, Rob and I are talking about his Interplanetary tale of love, loss, and bread, his sci-fi fantasy novel Where’d You Park Your Spaceship.
In our conversation, we discuss following creative tangents and the long curiosity that keeps inviting us to follow them.
This episode is sponsored by The Breath and The Clay Creative Arts Organization. Our next gathering is March 21-23 in Winston Salem NC. Tickets are on sale now.
Katherine May is an internationally renowned writer, podcaster and speaker whose work touches on nature, spirituality, slow living and neurodivergence.
Her hybrid memoir Wintering was a global bestseller, adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and shortlisted for the Porchlight and Barnes & Noble Book of the Year. Her most recent title, Enchantment became an instant New York Times bestseller.
In our conversation Katherine and I discuss the common need for rediscovering pathways into enchantment and wonder. We discuss her concept of wintering and how even our most difficult times can become sources of creative and spiritual nourishment.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an exclusive segment of our conversation where Katherine and I unpack the phrase “secular mystic” as she’s described in the inner sleeve of Wintering.
I’d like to personally invite you to join us at The Breath and The Clay creative arts gathering March 21-23 2025 in Winston Salem, NC. Get Tickets here.
The question of when it is time to let go of a dream haunts most creatives at one time or another. Living out our sense of fidelity to a creative vision shifts and changes over time, just as the demands of life shift and change over time. But finding a way forward can be challenging, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Film producer Thomas Torrey has tackled this question in his recent musical drama Long December.
Thomas Torrey is a writer/director/producer based in the Southeast. His production company, Bad Theology, has produced three feature films, including the 2017 ride-share thriller FARE, which the Los Angeles Times called “stunning” and Bloody Flicks named as one of the Ten Best Films of the Year; the 2020 mind-bender MINOR PREMISE, which Forbes called “one of the best sci-fi thrillers of the past decade”; and the newly released musical drama LONG DECEMBER, winner of the 2024 One In A Million Award at the Sun Valley Film Festival. Thomas continues to produce films under Bad Theology and also founded a company called Protagonist, with a mission to help entrepreneurs and business leaders communicate and craft their stories through documentaries and social media content. You can follow Long December @longdecember.movie, Bad Theology @badtheology, and Protagonist @protagonist.company.
I caught up with Thomas in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to discuss the new film and the creative process behind its making.
Many of our listeners will be familiar with several members of the cast, including long-time friends of the podcast, John Mark McMillan and Stephen Williams of Jude Moses.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Thomas on the power of community in the creative process. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Early Bird Tix to The Breath and The Clay March 21-23, 2025!!!
Watch Long December
Makers and Mystics has teamed up with New Zealand's Sunday Sanctuary Podcast for a special collaborative episode.
For the November 10th episode of Sunday Sanctuary, Stephen Roach joins host Petra Bagust for a chat about poetry, creativity, and the different ways that noticing the small wonders of the world can reopen, restore, and change our lives.
In this segment of the conversation, Petra and Stephen discuss the wonder found in Maori culture, storytelling, and the gift of our elders.
Petra Bagust is a multi-talented Aotearoa, New Zealand media personality, writer, and advocate. Her passion for creativity and ethical living resonates with a wildly diverse audience, making her one of New Zealand’s most sought-after radio and television hosts since the nineties.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Attend our Advent Book Club!
For many people, and perhaps even for some of our listeners, the Bible elicits a very different response from one person to another. For some, it is a source of comfort and spiritual nourishment, even a great source of creative inspiration, while for others, it brings up difficult questions or even negative emotions and uncomfortable associations.
But as we’ve talked this season about disenchantment and reclaiming wonder, I’m curious if taking a second look at this collection of stories, songs, and spiritual directives may be yet another unexpected doorway into wonder.
My guest today is author and scholar Cheryl Bridges Johns. Cheryl is the author of four books including Re-enchanting The Text: Rediscovering the Bible As Sacred, Dangerous and Mysterious.
In our conversation, we discuss the impact of looking at scripture solely from a didactic viewpoint and what may occur in the reader who instead approaches the Bible as a mystical text with the uncanny ability to change and transform, even re-enchant its reader with a renewed spiritual vitality and understanding of God and the human condition. Cheryl and I also discuss the importance of nature as God’s second book and the role of imagination in creating the world around us.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Cheryl offering several practices to unlock a renewed vision on your creative and spiritual life.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Music in this episode by: Some Were At Sea
Lacey Sturm is a Grammy-nominated queen of hard rock who secured a place in rock history as the first solo woman to top the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart with her debut album Life Screams. With a career spanning songs like “All Around Me,” “I’m So Sick,” “Again,” “Impossible,” “State of Me'' and most recently “Awaken Love,”
Lacey Sturm has proven herself as one of the most powerful and enduring voices in hard rock. She is also a sought-after speaker and author, penning the autobiographical books The Reason, The Mystery and The Return. Also a dedicated wife and mother, Lacey tours with her family, supported on stage by her guitarist husband Josh Sturm. You can connect with Lacey at www.laceysturm.com
In this episode, Lacey shares openly about walking through devastating experiences early in life and the role music played in helping her find healing. She shares about her life now and how changing seasons bring out unexpected encounters with beauty and hope.
*Also, just a heads up, our talk today includes sensitive subject matter, including mental health, abuse, and domestic violence.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Name Drops:
Mr. Rogers, Nirvana, Tim Burton, Spiderman
Topics:
Art and Identity, Looking for the Helpers, Hope, Hurricane Katrina, Multiverse, Music
Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Abuse, Addiction, Death
Russ Ramsey is an author and pastor with a passion for uniting art and faith. He has been in vocational ministry for more than twenty years and currently serves as the lead pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church’s Cool Springs location. He holds an MDiv and ThM from Covenant Theological Seminary, and is the author of six books, including Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith (Zondervan 2022), and Behold the King of Glory, recipient of the 2016 Christian Book Award for New Author. Russ was also a founding contributor and member of The Rabbit Room and is a featured speaker each year at The Rabbit Room’s annual conference, Hutchmoot.
In today’s episode Russ discusses his new book, Van Gogh has a Broken Heart. The conversation explores how Van Gogh’s life and art reveal universal themes of struggle and wonder and what Van Gogh reveals about the human condition.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment on why the arts are important to communities of faith. Visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.
Name Drops: Van Gogh, Norman Rockwell, Paul Simon, Rembrandt,
Books: The Sunflowers Are Mine, Van Gogh Has A Broken Heart
Topics: Suffering, Van Gogh, Wonder, Faith, Honesty in art, mental health, emotional well-being
Trigger Warning: This episode deals with topics of racism, mental health, and suicide.
Van Gogh Letters
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Nick Leng is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer known for his abstract blend of electronica, classical piano and ambient soundscapes. Nick’s music is hard to categorize but evokes a sense of musical synesthesia, which he describes as a kaleidoscope of emotions turned into sounds.
Nick's musical journey began in his early years growing up in South Africa, where he was classically trained on the piano. His formal education provided a strong foundation for his later experimental approach, as he learned to seamlessly blend technical skill with a passion for experimentation.
In today’s episode, Nick talks with me about his musical development and the nuances of his ever-evolving creative process.
In a world where artists are often pressured to keep up with the demands of producing new content, Nick openly shares his struggles with the industry’s relentless pace. He talks with me about the importance of resisting this pressure and taking time to sit with the muse, allowing his songs to develop naturally.
In keeping with our Season theme of Reclaiming Wonder, Nick contributes a fascinating perspective on discovering wonder within new sounds and new ways of approaching music.
Name Drops:
Chopin, Maurice Ravel, Scriabin, Dawn of Midi, Portsmouth Sinfonia
Topics: Minimal Techno, Rominimal Music, creating from the subconscious, Classical Music, Experimental Music, Creative Process
Resources:
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Watch Nick Leng's Insanely cool Beetle Bugs music video
Edward Knippers is a visual artist whose large-scale body of work spans 50 years of practice and explores various genres, including figurative, expressionism, abstraction, and cubism.
His work has been displayed in museums, galleries, and private collections worldwide and centers on the human body.
His paintings often depict scenes from biblical narratives and invite us to consider the goodness, brokenness, mystery, and glory of embodiment, urging us to grapple with the temptation to avoid, sexualize, downplay, or disparage the human form.
Image Journal said of Edward Knippers that he is "without a doubt, one of the founding fathers of contemporary efforts to explore the relationship between Christian faith and the creation of outstanding new visual art.”
Alongside garnering numerous awards and accolades, Ed’s work has been the subject of much controversy. It has been banned, defaced, and even mutilated. The nudity, sometimes violent or disfigured forms within his paintings, have left some viewers offended at his imaginative handling of the biblical narratives.
I had the honor of interviewing Edward live at Gordon Conwell’s Embodied Faith Symposium in Charlotte NC. In our talk, I ask Ed about the role of embodiment within his work, how he has handled his critics and what advice he would give to this generation of emerging artists.
Support The Podcast.
Give A One Time Thank You Gift
Melbourne-based visual artist and electronic musician Mike Lane creates under the name Chalom, a name spoken to him in a dream. His practice consists of visually expressing dreams and meditations, with mostly found materials, embedded bible pages, penciled notes, and spray paint.
Beyond the haphazard backgrounds of his paintings, brushes or tools are rarely used in the making, just hands and fingers employing scrawly texts, scribbles, and vaguely figurative forms.
CHALOM’s prolific work is a deeply spiritual practice, and he loves to write blessings and prophecies, hidden under the paintings for the viewer to experience as mysteries and positive energetic flow, intended to shift the atmosphere in the spaces where the works are hung.
In this episode, Chalom talks with Stephen Roach about his creative process and the deeply-felt spiritual underpinnings behind his visual art.
Topics:
Dreams and Visions
Abstract Art
Risk in Art
Surprise in Art
Experiencing the Now
Name Drops:
Ludwig Von Zinzendorf
Henri Nouwen
Rivertribe
Become a Patron! Help us continue our work!
In this episode, podcast host Stephen Roach takes listeners on a journey into the world of ecstatic poetry. Drawing from the wisdom of Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton and author/scholar Michael Edwards, Stephen highlights poetry as mankind’s first language. He tells us, the meaning of a poem is not found in what a poem is about, but rather what effect the poem has on it’s hearer. Through reciting several of his own poems, Stephen reveals poetry and the poetic encounter as a doorway to wonder.
THE BREATH AND THE CLAY WRITER'S RETREAT Oct. 25-27 in Moravian Falls, NC. APPLY NOW.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Purchase A Collection of Stephen's Poetry
Our voice is one of the most uniquely defining qualities of our person. For artists and writers, finding our voice is a foundational and often painstaking process of search and discovery. For many, finding the courage to acknowledge, I am an artist. I am a writer. I am a musician, takes a lot of courage. Speaking it out for the first time can be an act of bravery and overcoming self doubt, imposter syndrome and fear.
In her book, The Mystics Would Like A Word, author Shannon K. Evans says,
“Claiming your own voice - your own perspective, your own experience, your own intuition, your own prophetic call to the world - is essential for artmaking.”
In this episode, Shannon talks about her journey of overcoming imposter syndrome, embracing her whole experience of balancing artistry and motherhood and how six revolutionary women mystics helped her reclaim her authentic voice.
Name Drops:
Margery Kempe
Julian of Norwich
Hildegard of Bingen
Stephen King
Rollo May
Topics:
Imposter syndrome
Motherhood
Wonder in the mundane
Unconventional lifestyles of women mystics
The writer’s life
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy exclusive interview segments at http://patreon.,com/makersandmystics
Apply to attend The Breath and The Clay Writer's Retreat. Oct. 25-27, 2024 in Moravian Falls, NC.
Stephanie J. Spencer is a visual artist, author, nature-lover and an Enneagram coach who is not afraid of hard questions. She loves moving towards the struggles of the human experience to help people find new ways forward. Stephanie has spent years coaching individuals and teams from around the country, from major universities to local churches, from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses. Time and again, she has seen the power of the Enneagram, imagery, and questions to open pathways for growth and transformation.
In our conversation, Stephanie and I discuss the Enneagram as a tool to help artists become more self aware and understand their own temperaments and motivations. Drawing from her book, Out of The Box and Into the Wild, Stephanie and I talk about discovering wonder in nature and how the natural world can serve as a metaphor for our own internal landscapes.
You can find links to Stephanie’s work as well as an unedited version of this conversation in the show notes and at patreon.com/makersandmystics
Name Drops:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Sleeping At Last (Ryan O’Neal)
Topics:
Enneagram and Nature
Natural imagery
Routine and Ritual
Join us at our Writer's Retreat! Oct.25-27, 2024!
Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram @makersandmystics
When we think of wonder or beauty, we might be inclined to think in terms of an external appearance, a scene of nature or an attractive person. But what if wonder is something that grows from the inside out? What if wonder is way of seeing? And what if wonder is an interior force, one that begins in the hidden recesses of our perceptions?
Today, on the show I’m talking with Oregon based, poet, writer and critic, Paul J Pastor. Paul serves HarperCollins as senior acquisitions editor for their Zondervan imprint, and also serves as a contributing editor for Ekstasis magazine. He's the author of several books, including Bower Lodge: Poems, and two forthcoming titles: The Locust Years and The Fire Cantos.
In our conversation, Paul and I discuss the importance of learning to see as a means of engaging wonder. Drawing from the work of William Blake, Flannery O’ Connor and stories from the Gospels, this episode takes us on a journey into our perceptions and invites us to reconsider beauty as more than an aesthetic experience.
Topics: Perception, beauty, wonder as an interior experience.
Art Forms: Literature, Philosophy
Name Drops: William Blake, Flannery O'Connor, Herbert, Donne, Horace, Sappho, Wallace Stevens, Dante, Biu Chun Han
Music: Some Were At Sea
THE BREATH AND THE CLAY WRITER'S RETREAT Oct. 25-27 in Moravian Falls, NC. APPLY NOW.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
This fall we have several opportunities to gather together, get inspired and build community. I'd love to see you at one or all of these happenings! Just click the links below to find out the specific event details.
If you’d like to stay in the know on our regular happenings and inspirations, sign up for our bi-weekly email list here.
The Embodied Faith symposium - Sept.21-22 Charlotte NC
Resound Creative Arts Conference - Sept 27=28, Boulder, CO
Karios Arts Event - Oct. 11-12, Charleston, SC
The Breath and The Clay Writer’s Retreat - Oct. 25-27, Moravian Falls, NC
The Breath & The Clay 2024 Writer's Retreat is designed to give writers of all levels space to get away from the noise of everyday life and focus on their craft, connect with fellow creatives, or make progress on a current project. Over the course of the retreat, you'll have the opportunity to engage in focused writing sessions, participate in group discussions, and receive feedback from peers. Whether you're working on a novel, memoir, poetry collection, or any other writing project, this retreat offers a supportive environment to inspire your creativity and help you achieve your goals. Presenters include: Amanda Held Opelt, Stephen and Sarah Roach, Corey Frey and other voices from The Breath and The Clay community.Sessions will cover a range of topics from practice to publication including:• Creative Prompts• Getting Unstuck• Cultivating Attentiveness• How to Write Well• Getting Published. The retreat will take place at Apple Hill Lodge in the beautiful mountains of Moravian Falls, NC. The full tuition is $500. This includes food, snacks, lodging, and supplies. Upon acceptance, a non-refundable deposit of $250. will be required to secure your spot. The balance is due prior to arrival. Please complete this application to be considered for participation.
Philosopher, Simone Weil said that attentiveness is the heart of prayer. In this episode, we discuss postures of attentiveness as gateways to wonder.
Guests: Dr. Mary McCampbell is an author, educator, and speaker whose publications span the worlds of literature, film, and popular music. She is the author of Imagining Our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy.
Dr. Joe Kickasola is a Professor of Film and Digital Media at Baylor University. He is the author of The Films of Krzysztof Kieślowski: The Liminal Image, and has published in numerous academic venues and anthologies, including Film Quarterly, The Quarterly Review of Film and Video, and The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Film.
_____
Topics: Attentiveness, cynicism, receptivity, humility, consumerism, experiencing wonder during times of upheaval,
Art Forms: filmmaking, photography, literature.
Name Drops: Douglas Copeland, G.K. Chesterton, Jim Jarmusch, Terrence Malick, T.S.Eliot, Wallace Stevens, Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrey Rublev, Rothko, Stan Brakhage, Virginia Wolfe, David Foster Wallace,
Movie References: Patterson, Tree of Life, Zabriskie Point
Support The Podcast! We need your help to continue our work of advocating for the arts.
Join our creative collective
Give a one-time donation
Cleo Rinkest is a South-African actor who has worked with the likes of Samuel L Jackson, The Walking Dead's Callan McCauliff, and Game of Thrones, Charlotte Hope. Through her acting, she seeks to perform stories that go beyond entertainment and enlighten her audiences to values of human flourishing.
Her current film projects follow themes of justice and mercy, capital punishment laws in Southern Africa, the supernatural realm, and the impact of AI on humanity.
In our conversation, Cleo shares about the sacred service of the actor, the role of empathy in her art form and how she embodies the personas of the characters she portrays. In keeping with our season theme Reclaiming Wonder, I asked Cleo what reclaiming wonder looks like in her life. Be sure to listen to the end for her answer.
If you’re a patron of podcast, we reserved a special segment of our conversation exclusively for you. In that segment, Cleo shares about the aspect of collaboration and the challenges of being a working actor in South Africa.
Help us continue our work! We can't do this without your support. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, show the love.
You can give a one-time donation here or join our monthly creative collective here.
Thank you, friends!
Poema: An Online Course by Stephen Roach
One of the more powerful aspects of visual art, is when a single image encapsulates an entire narrative, or when viewing a painting or illustration, the viewer’s imagination is invited to fill in the gaps and finish the tale. I recently came across an artist whose work embodies this narrative quality. I found myself going back to his images and studying what story was being told through the characters and gestures in each frame. I was moved to create in response. Which, for me is always a sure sign of a living work of art, when I am compelled to respond or when creativity is awakened and I am transported to an experience of wonder. Today, I have the honor of introducing this artist to you.
Cody F. Miller is a printmaker, illustrator, and mixed media artist whose illustrations often depict people on a journey, navigating the interplay between light and darkness, as they try to find their way home. Cody’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions and publications such as the “Arts Beacon of Light” at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, and the current front cover of Comment magazine. He received an Individual Excellence award in 2002 and 2018 from the Ohio Arts Council and is represented by the Sharon Weiss Gallery.
In our conversation, Cody shares about his own incredible journey of searching to find home and how discipline and everyday experiences become unlikely doorways to wonder.
If you have found yourself lacking wonder, I encourage you to spend some time with Cody’s work and also to listen to this episode in full for some practical wisdom on how to get unstuck. You can find images of Cody’s work on our Instagram and on his website.
Help us continue our work! We can't do this without your support. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, show the love.
You can give a one-time donation here or join our monthly creative collective here.
Thank you, friends!
Join Stephen Roach and guests for live recordings of the Makers and Mystics podcast. Follow the link for specific event details.Embodied Faith Symposium featuring Ed Knippers, David O’ Taylor, Bruce Herman and others.Resound Creative Arts Event - featuring Victory Boyd, Jason Upton, Leeland and others.Kairos Arts Event - featuring Stephen Roach and guests TBA
Donna Matthews is a musician and creative artist. In the 1990’s she played lead guitar in Elastica and lo-fi, DIY band Klang, and in subsequent years devised and facilitated creative workshops for people in recovery from addiction. She is currently in her final year of a practice-based PhD in Music at the university of Glasgow. Interested in issues such as poetic intuition, inspiration, and gift, her work explores how the intuitive state might be conveyed through aesthetic form, whilst also exploring improvisation as a means of 'undoing form' to experience the inspired state.
In this episode, Donna shares about her winding journey through music, addiction and fusing her deeply felt spiritual practice with her artistic discipline. Donna discusses the role of improvisation, speaking in tongues and what Lewis Hyde terms as the Gifted State or that posture of heart which readies the creative artist to receive inspiration and experience wonder.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy a full, unedited version of this conversation at http://www.patreon.com./makersandmystics
Here is a link to the Lewis Hyde interview mentioned in this episode.
When we lack wonder, we settle for the evening news. When we lack spectacle, we settle for shock art. When we can’t see the burning bush, we set the dumpster on fire. By this point, the Olympics’ opening performance has been discussed ad nauseum. Most of us have grown weary of the vitriol and moved on. Therefore, I hesitate to add another voice to the fire, but as one who leads a community of mostly faith-based artists, the performance has held a particular interest to me. I have felt a measure of responsibility to weigh in but more importantly, I have felt a responsibility to ensure my response is not reactionary or regurgitating secondhand information. This bonus episode highlights a few of my thoughts.
Wonder is all around us. In every moment, in every mundane or grand occasion. The earth and all that is in within it, is an unfolding poem spoken from divine lips in search of an audience.
In this introductory episode, Stephen Roach shares the groundwork for this season’s exploration of Reclaiming Wonder. He says, “It is the artist whose work bridges the realm of everyday life with the realm of mystery and deeper meaning. It is the artist who again re-enchants the world and helps us to reclaim our sense of wonder.”
Join the creative collective!
In this 5 week course, Stephen shares from his lifelong journey as an artist and musician on various aspects of the creative process. Learn More here.
Around the turn of the century, German Sociologist, Max Weber coined the phrase ‘disenchantment’ as a way of describing society’s transition from a mythical or religious understanding of the world to a rationalistic, scientific view. Advancements in science and technology alongside a perceived decline of religious devotion rendered the world demystified or void of magic.
Religious opponents celebrated this transition as a liberation from old superstitions and worn-out beliefs, to a world formed purely of empirical fact. But after a hundred years or more since this shift in the social conscience, the human heart continues to yearn for meaning beyond the material world. It is the artist whose work bridges the realm of everyday life with the realm of mystery and deeper meaning. It is the artist who again re-enchants the world and calls us to reclaim our sense of wonder.
In this upcoming season of the podcast, we are going to explore what it means to reclaim wonder. We are going to talk with a number of guests from artists and theologians to Enneagram experts and actors. We want to invite you to take the journey alongside of us.
If you’re looking to reconnect to a sense of deeper meaning both in your creative life and your spiritual life, this season is designed to help.
Starting Tuesday, July 30th, and running every week following, the Makers and Mystics podcast begins our series to reclaim wonder.
Join us for deeper discussions on Patreon.
Make a one-time donation to support our work.
In this live talk, recorded at the Audiofeed Festival in Urbana, Illinois, Stephen Roach encourages listeners that the value of a dream is not contingent upon its coming to pass. The value of a dream, he says, is in the dreaming.
For anyone, who has grappled with the death of a dream or the pain of letting go, this talk will encourage you that a dream can take many shapes and forms and that nothing is wasted.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Take Stephen's FREE course on Creativity & Fear
Support the podcast with a one-time donation.
In this Season Finale round table, founder of Ekstasis magazine, Conor Sweetman and essayist, Yi Ning Chiu discuss expressive individualism, various frameworks of community and why physical community remains essential in our modern, digitized culture.
Alongside of Ekstasis, Conor serves as the director of innovation for Christianity today while Yi Ning writes Please Don’t Go, a newsletter about life in community—why it’s terrible, why it’s essential, and why we shouldn’t give up on cultivating it.
Help us keep our show alive! Become a monthly patron.
Hello my friends. For those of you who have wondered why we haven’t published our regular episodes, I wanted to let you in on what’s been shaking.A week ago, my laptop was stolen. This was a brand new computer I had saved for months to purchase and only owned since December. I used this computer to produce, not only our Makers and Mystics episodes, but the additional podcasts I produce for other people. It is also the computer where I have been working on my new book and all of details of life. Needless to say, it has been a pretty hard blow to my business and to my morale. I won’t go into the details here, but I am not in a position to replace the computer.I believe good will come from this. It always does. I have worked through the emotion of the matter and come to a place where I can genuinely pray for the well-being of those who took it. Of course, I hope to see justice. Of course, I hope to see the computer restored to me. I have received so much mercy in my own life, I can only extend the same to the people who did this as well. God forgive them for they had no clue what they caused.I’ll be up and running again as soon as possible. Thank you for supporting me during this time.- Stephen
In this episode, fellow podcaster, community builder and co-founder of the First Things First Foundation, John Heers shares about how the Art of Hospitality has become a revolutionary act. He shares about a Georgian feast - called a Supra - where he plays the role of a Tamada and invites guests to share in this counter-cultural revolution by coming to the table.
By joining the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective, you can help us continue our work of advocating for the arts and connect with a tribe of creatives from around the world.
Kimberly Phinney is a professor, counselor, poet and writer. She’s been published in Ekstasis Magazine, Fathom, Humana Obscura, and many other publications. She is the editor and founder of the literary community The Way Back To Ourselves. Earlier this year, Kimberly’s poem “An Ode to Hard, Dark Nights” won the Audience Choice Award in our Bright Wings Poetry Contest in partnership with Ekstasis magazine.
In this episode, Kimberly shares how the vision for her creative community and her recent book of poems, Of Wings and Dirt were born out of her journey through an intense season of illness. As a community leader, Kimberly shares her thoughts on how artists and creatives can move against the modern bent toward isolation and disembodiment.
Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Support The Podcast
Music in this episode by Some Were At Sea
Andi Marie Tillman is an Appalachian comedian, musician, and self-proclaimed “recovering Pentecostal.” Her roots in performance began at the early age of 8 when she sang in churches across the Southeast. It was here Andi gathered much of the inspiration for what would later become her well-known cast of original characters.
Andi has acted in numerous shorts, feature films, commercials, and music videos including Come and Save Me by Danielson. But it was Andi’s series of TikTok sketches that elevated her platform and struck a chord with folks both native and new to Appalachian culture.
In this episode, Andi shares about the roots of her acting, her winding journey through Appalachian spirituality, and the healing power of laughter.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Andi’s advice to those who left the church
Andi Marie Tillman is an Appalachian comedian, musician, and self-proclaimed “recovering Pentecostal.” Her roots in performance began at the early age of 8 when she sang in churches across the Southeast. It was here Andi gathered much of the inspiration for what would later become her well-known cast of original characters.
Andi has acted in numerous shorts, feature films, commercials, and music videos including Come and Save Me by Danielson. But it was Andi’s series of TikTok sketches that elevated her platform and struck a chord with folks both native and new to Appalachian culture.
In this episode, Andi shares about the roots of her acting, her winding journey through Appalachian spirituality, and the healing power of laughter.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Andi’s advice to those who left the church
What does it mean to be a culture maker in a world of hurt and wondrous possibility? And what does it mean to mend the world, to bring healing and hospitality through our art and the details of our everyday lives?
Today’s episode features multi-Grammy winner Charlie Peacock and his wife and author, Andi Ashworth. Charlie and Andi have recently published a wonderful book together titled, Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of HurtThe book draws from their 50 years of marriage and lifelong experience working with artists in community.
In this conversation, Charlie and Andi share from their book on what it means to mend the world through honest, meaningful relationships and a hopeful imagination.
Patrons of the podcast can hear additional interview segments with Charlie and Andi on the power of writing letters and keeping a consistent practice of journaling.
Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to gain access.
Film director Chris White and songwriter Daniel Smith of The Danielson Family have crafted an 8-minute short film/music video titled "Come and Save Me," a poignant exploration of acceptance and community as a cure to the loneliness epidemic of our post-pandemic world.
In this episode, Daniel and Chris share about the film’s inception, working with lead actor and comedian Fred Armisen, and why the arts play a central role in addressing social concerns.
Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Listen to our previous episode wtih director Chris White on the film Electric Jesus.
Christen Lien is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates an innovative brand of musical storytelling. She disrupts the classical genre by integrating innovative technology and collaborating with artists and musicians from many mediums. Christen has performed for a diverse network of audiences around the globe, from the Dalai Lama to the Burning Man festival.
Through her lifelong devotion to the viola and her innovative use of guitar pedals, loops and electronic soundscapes, Christen’s compositions and performances create a multi-faceted musical landscape that bridges worlds and ideas.
In this conversation, Christen shares about her pursuit of mastery, the role of discipline and spontaneity in her work and how she experiences the flow state in her performances.
Christen Lien Official Website
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Mastery by Robert Greene (Referenced in the conversation.)
I recently traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where I participated in the 2024 Square Halo Conference: Return To Narnia: Creativity, Collaboration and Community.
As part of the event, I hosted a live podcast recording on the topic of creativity and community. Joining me for this conversation is graphic designer, children’s book illustrator, author, and printmaker, Ned Bustard. Ned is the creative director at Square Halo Books and co-author of my book Naming The Animals.
Joining us alongside of Ned, is author and community leader, Brian Brown. Brian is the founder and director of the Anselm Society, a Colorado-based organization dedicated to a renaissance of the Christian imagination.
In our conversation, we address the questions, why does community matter to the artist and what are its challenges? How can we foster healthier relationships between artists and communities of faith and how can we move beyond the impact of social disruption into new experiences of communal life.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy my live discussion from Square Halo on The Mischief of God In Art—Exploring Subversive Themes in Scripture and Creative Practice:
Visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.
This week's episode is a collaboration with Lisa Smith of the Be. Make. Do. Podcast!
We are flipping the mic around for this one and inviting fellow podcaster, Lisa Smith to ask MM host, Stephen Roach a few questions about the importance of community in the life of the artist and why gathering together now is such an important part of our creative work and the process of healing from social isolation.
You can learn more about Lisa’s community of artists at soulmakers.org or see the show notes of this episode.
In just a few weeks Lisa and several of the artists from her community will be joining us at The Breath and The Clay creative arts gathering to host a workshop on Curating Wholeness: Building A purposeful world through Art.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds.
In today’s episode Amanda discusses the art of lament and how deep-rooted communal practices of shared grief can help us heal and grow through the difficult experiences of our lives.
Drawing from her book Holy Unhappiness: God, Grief and the Myth of the Blessed Life, Amanda shares her journey of grappling with experiences of disillusionment when life with God didn’t feel the way she expected it to feel.
On March 22-24, 2024, you can join Amanda live at The Breath and the Clay creative arts gathering where she will be conducting a workshop called “Let There Be Grief: Rituals and Remembrances As a Path to Healing*”
Support the podcast
As a member of our Patreon community, you can join other artists and creatives from around the world as we support one another along this journey of art and faith.
We host regular book clubs, artist check-ins where we share our wins, challenges, inspirations and knowledge.
We’re eager to connect with you! Join today!
As we prepare for The Breath & The Clay creative arts gathering, I’m going to be highlighting several of the speakers and performers who’ll be joining us at the event.
For today’s episode I reached into the archives and pulled a segment of my conversation with BC24 headliners, Elephant Heart.
Elephant Heart is the Los Angeles-based electronic duo Jason and Victoria Evigan. Elephant Heart’s music Is Rooted in their shared passion for international travels, world beats and global cultures Elephant Heart creates genre-bending music that pulls multicultural influences from far and wide.
This segment of Season 7’s conversation carries a meaningful contribution to our current season’s theme of community and culture.
In this clip, Victoria and Jason share about the healing power of music and its ability to bring people together, the beauty of cultural diversity as well as a candid look into Victoria’s own process of moving past fear into the fullness of her creative expression.
You can listen back to the full episode here.
Relationships form the heartbeat of community life. The way we interact, the way we understand one another and hold space for the differences between us determines the quality and depth of our societies.
Our guest today is relationship expert and author Christa Hardin. Christa is host of the popular Enneagram and Marriage podcast. She has been working with and researching marriage for two decades, providing hope for couples who are struggling to find their light, love, and mission together in any season of relationship.
In this conversation, Christa unpacks some of the ways she has helped couples foster a deeper understanding of one another through utilizing the Enneagram and her years of research and practice. She shares about our social instinct and how we can move toward finding common ground with those who may see life a bit differently than ourselves. Christa offers ways to cultivate health in our most intimate relationships and how these same dynamics can translate to a larger, cultural level.
Join us at The Breath and The Clay
Become A Patron!
More About Christa: Christa Hardin, MA is a relationship expert, author, as well as host of the popular Enneagram & Marriage Podcast. Christa has been working with and researching marriage for two decades, providing hope for couples who are struggling to find their light, love, and mission together in any season of relationship. Her most recent Amazon best-selling title, "The Enneagram in Marriage: Your Guide to Thriving Together in Your Unique Pairing," is now available wherever you buy books. You can catch up with her at @enneagramandmarriage on Instagram, Substack at "Of Light and Joy". You can find her website, blog, and Enneagram & Marriage podcast links at www.enneagramandmarriage.com,
Kaleb Moten is a singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, and musician, dedicated to revealing beauty and meaning, and liberating other artists to do the same.
Kaleb has released four studio albums to date and is currently producing two more. In addition to his solo work, Kaleb also works as a music producer, with credits for artists such as Victory Boyd and Abbie Gamboa.
In this episode, Kaleb shares one of the foundational encounters that shaped him as an experimental, musician, as well as his journey of developing a vocabulary to encapsulate some of the deeper experiences of his music and life.
In keeping with this season’s theme of community and culture, Kaleb shares about the impact of leaning into particular expressions of art not only as an individual but what happens when an entire movement of people collectively express the same heart.
Kaleb will be joining us along with Victory Boyd at The Breath and the Clay creative arts event, March 22-24, 2024.
This cultural moment may be one of history’s most interesting times to find home among a community of likeminded people with whom we identify. On the one hand we are more connected than we ever have been (thank you internet) and yet at the same time, people feel more disconnected than ever before. Isolation and loneliness have become an epidemic. So much so, in May of 2023, the surgeon general put out a statement calling isolation and loneliness a public health crisis.
In this introductory episode, podcast host Stephen Roach sets the stage for this season’s conversations and discusses how the artist can respond to the need for community and become an agent of healing for our culture.
Build community with us at The Breath and The Clay March 22-24 in Winston Salem, NC
Go deeper into these conversations with our online community
Music by: Some Were At Sea
Community is a vital component to our mental, emotional and spiritual health as well as a formative influence on our creative work.
Throughout history, artists have gathered together with other artists for mutual support, inspiration and the sharing of ideas.
Despite the overarching digital landscape of our present day, the need for gathering together is no less important. In fact, it could be argued that it is all the more important so we do not lose touch with what it means to be human, to look another person in the eyes and share our stories around a common table.
Community creates an ecosystem of trusted voices who can appreciate and critique our work, contribute to our artistic growth and create a sense of belonging. And it is within the womb of creative community where seeds of culture begin to germinate.
Creative community contributes to and challenges the larger cultural values, upholds traditions or gives a platform to needed voices of change. Establishing creative/spiritual community facilitates shared experiences and creates a safe place to explore new concepts in art and deeper explorations of theology.
The artist’s role in shaping culture cannot be overstated. Percy Shelley wrote that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Therefore as artists of faith or those responsible for leading faith communities, if we care about where our culture is headed, we need to take seriously our responsibility to nurture the artist’s voice in our midst.
Starting Tuesday January 30th, we’ll begin a short series of conversations on how creativity, community and culture give shape to the life of the artist. We'll be featuring many of the voices who will be performing or presenting with us at The Breath and the Clay gathering.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to follow along and if you want to take a deeper dive into these topics, you can sign up at Patreon.com/makersandmystics and participate in our regular online community discussions.
The Breath & the Clay
Join our Patreon. Show some love. Help keep the lights on.
In this season finale episode, podcast host, Stephen Roach shares how desire informs our sense of self and how the practice of detachment can help us navigate the journey from a false self to embracing our true identity as the beloved of God.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is offering a Doctor of Ministry degree in The Arts, Ministry, and Mission as a part of a new initiative in theology, the arts, and gospel witness. Follow this link to learn more and apply.
Get Tickets to The Breath and the Clay
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative collective
One of the core markers of a person’s identity are the beliefs they hold to be true. A person’s faith becomes a fixed point from which they view and understand the world. But what happens when those beliefs are shaken? Or what happens when a person is confronted with a difficult truth that collides with or even contradicts their view of the world?
Our guest today is storyteller and best-selling author of Returning to Eden: A Field Guide for the Spiritual Journey, Heather Hamilton. In this episode, Heather shares what it was like to undergo a nervous breakdown and a subsequent mystical experience that re-ordered her understanding of the universe.
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY
SUPPORT THE PODCAST
Ours is a fast-paced digital world where technology has become such a personalized part of our daily lives, it’s hard to imagine who we are without it.
Social media, augmented reality, and AI-driven personalization each contribute to the formation of a digital identity which impacts the way we connect with others and how we present ourselves online.
We’ve grown accustomed to how our smartphones and smartwatches intertwine physical and digital experiences. We’ve become accustomed to the ways technology influences the way we perceive ourselves and others but what happens when these technologies progress toward a seeming agency of their own? Or what about when our likeness is replicable in a virtual rendering or when the creative works we make are easily emulated by AI?
For many artists, these capabilities bring up real concerns about intellectual property and the ethics of what constitutes our identity.
Joining us for this discussion today is someone whose creative work intersects the worlds of art, technology and the future in ways that offer a positive look into the influence of emerging technologies on the artist’s life.
Sam Rad is a lifelong student of humanity, storyteller, performer, and musician. She was trained in anthropology, theatre, and movement/embodiment at New York University, British American Drama Academy at Oxford University, and Lee Strasberg Institute in NYC. She started her career as a theater director -- before founding 4 technology companies.
Today, Sam Rad is considered a futurist, one who looks into emerging technologies and helps us understand the coming impacts these tools will have on our lives. She is a published author and highly sought after motivational speaker who merges spirit and science through consciousness, connection, and creativity.
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Get Tickets to The Breath and the Clay 2024!
We’re excited to open submissions to our fourth annual Bright Wings poetry contest in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine! We believe in the power of poetry to move the spirit and shake the world. Let’s hear your voice ring loud!Deadline for entries: Nov. 25th, 2023Click here to learn more!
How we show up in the world often takes on a wide variety of expressions. Our public and private lives reflect the many roles we play in society and the varying facets of personality traits we form to cope with different situations.
From parent to co-worker, artist or spiritual practitioner, from a social media persona to a dinner guest with friends, even bygone roles remaining with us from childhood, our sense of identity moves through a myriad of shapes and forms.
But what happens when these different aspects of our lives no longer communicate? Or when we are expected to abide by a former version of ourselves that no longer reflects our current view of the world?
Joining me for this conversation is licensed mental health therapist, Jay Stringer. Jay’s academic background includes a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the renowned Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. As well as he has received specialized training under Dr. Dan Allender while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Allender Center.
As we approach our final episodes on this seasons theme of art and identity, I think you’ll find Jay’s perspective to be both rewarding and challenging.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Jay at Patreon.com/makersamdmystics
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
Bright Wings poetry Contest (until Dec.15th)
Art Submissions Now Open!
This Artist’s roundtable discussion was recorded live at Loom creative arts event in Spruce Pines, NC. The conversation centers on the importance of building creative community, the embodiment of the creative process and what it means to be an artist of faith amidst a culture in crisis.
Joining us for this discussion is long time friend of the podcast, author/illustrator Vesper Stamper, photographer and founder of JHS pedals Josh Scott, conversation host Corey Frey and myself, Stephen Roach.
As we prepare for The Breath and Clay 2024 I wanted to share this live discussion to highlight some of the vital community discussions we will be hosting in the days to come.
Support The Podcast! Join our Creative Collective http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND POETS!!
Submit your poems to Bright Wings 2023! Winner receives $1k and publication in Ekstasis Magazine! http://www.makersandmystics.com/brightwings23
Submit your art to BC24 immersive gallery! https://www.thebreathandtheclay.com/artsubmissions
This year I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several creative arts gatherings including Loom, Hope Words writer’s conference and here recently, the Guild in Raleigh NC.
The talk I gave at the Guild is a call to take a look at the mindsets we are cultivating in our lives and a reminder that what we feed is what will grow. Are we feeding a mindset of abundance or one of scarcity? Is our inner framework one of hope or one of negative anticipation?
I wanted to share this live talk with you as an encouragement to consider how the mindsets we keep determine the quality of art we make and the lives we live.
- Stephen
Get Tickets to BC24
visit thebreathandtheclay.com
Art Submissions to BC24!
At one time, religious identity and the Christian narrative formed the social imaginary of our western world.
To be a part of a local church or to identify with some aspect of the values of traditional faith was an assumed part of American life.
But today, autonomy, self-fulfillment and individual expression seem to have taken the forefront of how a generation defines themselves and lives out the search for meaning and deeper purpose.
My guest today is novelist and prolific writer, Tara Isabella Burton.
Tara Isabella Burton is the author of the novels Social Creature, The World Cannot Give, and the forthcoming Here in Avalon (S&S, January 2024), and the nonfiction Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World and Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians.
She has written on religion and culture for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and more. She received her doctorate in Theology from Oxford in 2017, and is currently a Visiting Fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center.
In our conversation, Tara shares about how modern society has not so much abandoned it’s yearning for transcendence in favor of a secular world view but has rather simply re-mixed the grand narrative to fit the values of expressive individualism.
Tara also shares about fiction as a catalyst of embodying truth and how fandom, religious affiliation and art play into the shaping of identity.
You can pre-order Tara’s upcoming novel here.
You can join the Makers & Mystics creative collective here
You can get tickets to The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering here! March 22-24, 2024 in Winston Salem, NC.
Hugo Ball was a German sound poet, theatrical performer and mystic. He and his partner Emmy Hennings were the original catalysts of the infamous Dadaist art movement which they started in Zurich, Switzerland around 1916.
What may be surprising to learn is that Hugo Ball was a Catholic and his bizarre forms of art were deeply informed by his theology.
Joining me for this episode is visual artist, writer and art critic Jonathan Anderson. Jonathan writes about Hugo in his book, Modern Art & the Life of A Culture.
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
What do we make of the world we have been given? How do we bring order from chaos, beauty from ashes and flourishing from what is formless and void? Echoing the words first spoken by the Great Artist in the Genesis narrative, we, too, have been invited to bring forth, to give birth, to call life into being.
At this year‘s The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering, we are extending this invitation to you. Come. Participate in the unfolding of your creative inheritance.
As artists and creators, we are called upon to be the architects of hope for our generation and for the generations to come. Lend your voice to the transformation, and liberate the creative spark.
Let there be.
Each year since 2014, The Breath and the Clay has gathered in Winston Salem, North Carolina for a 3-day experience curated to inspire, challenge and transform your creative and spiritual journey. The event consists of live performances, keynote talks, an immersive art gallery and instructional workshops.
Whether you are a working artist, a curious observer, a newfound experimentalist or a lifelong explorer, this interactive environment will liberate the creative spark within you and set you on a course of creative discovery.
GET TICKETS
ART SUBMISSIONS
Tasha Jun is a Korean American melancholy dreamer, wife, and mom, who grew up in a multicultural and biracial home. She’s spent her life navigating the space between worlds: American and Korean, faith and doubt, family devotion and fierce independence. As a Korean American, she wandered between seemingly opposing worlds, struggling to find a voice to speak and a firm place for her feet to land.
In today’s episode, as we continue our exploration of art and identity, Tasha talks with me about her journey from self-rejection to self-acceptance and how writing her memoir Tell Me The Dream Again served as a means of integrating the multi-faceted parts of her identity.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy a deeper dive into this topic with Tasha on our Patreon.
Read The Transcript
After accidentally fixing a broken guitar pedal in 2007, Joshua Heath Scott’s natural curiosity pulled him into the rabbit hole of electrical engineering and circuit design-- from this experience, his company, JHS Pedals was born.
Today, JHS pedals has become one of the most influential pedal companies in the world, preferred by recording artists such as Beck, John Mayer, Madison Cunningham and many others.
Josh’s YouTube series, The JHS Show, has garnered millions of views from audiences spanning the globe and often expands into documentaries on musical technology, invention and music history.
Aside from his guitar-related work, Josh is an accomplished published photographer who focuses on photographic essays of Midwestern America.
Much like his pedal company, Josh tells us he accidentally fell in love with photography, riding his bicycle throughout Kansas farmlands and documenting what he saw.
In today’s episode, recorded live at the Loom creative arts event, Josh talks about the curiosity that drives his creative work as well as ‘the adjacent possible,’ a term describing creative and innovative possibilities that grow as they are explored.
Following our theme of art and identity, Josh shares about finding reflections of ourselves in others and in the way we see the world around us.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Josh at patreon.com/makersandmystics
Qais Essar is a contemporary Afghan composer, instrumentalist, and producer who channels his melodic designs through the rabab, a 2,500 year old instrument from Afghanistan. He has toured extensively, sharing his new genre of music nationally and internationally. He has contributed original music to feature film and television also, composing for 2021’s Oscar-nominated film, Three Songs for Benazir. In 2017, Qais was recruited by director Nora Twomey to compose an original song for her Oscar-nominated film, The Breadwinner (produced by Angelina Jolie). He earned a Canadian Screen Award for “Best Original Song” for his piece, The Crown Sleeps.
In this episode, Qais shares his deep connections to this ancient instrument and how the rebab has become an extension of his own voice.
Following our theme of Art & Identity, this conversation offers a beautiful perspective on how culture, tradition and innovation shape the people we become.
Hear Qais Essar’s latest release “My Whole Heart.”
Join the Makers & Mystics creative Collective
Stephen’s Songs of Water music
In today’s episode we’re going to hear from a young adult fiction writer whose creative work is fueled by the inspiration of family and who gains tremendous creative energy both from his children and by writing for children.
Our guest is S.D. Smith, author of The Green Ember Series, a bestselling middle-grade adventure saga. The Green Ember has reached hundreds of thousands of readers and spent time as the number one bestselling audiobook in the world on Audible. Smith’s stories are captivating readers across the globe who are hungry for “new stories with an old soul.” Enthusiastic families can’t get enough of these tales.
In our conversation, S.D. (Sam) shares why family and community are important to him as a writer.
This conversation continues the season 12 theme of Art & Identity, offering a meditation on how family and community shape the people we become and the art we make.
We will be talking in greater detail about this relationship between art and family in the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective. If you’d love to go deeper with us in these conversations, I want to invite you to visit
Patreon and sign up today.
And since this episode features the work of a children’s book writer, it seems appropriate to tell you here that starting the first Wednesday in October, our collective will begin reading through The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Today on the podcast, we are continuing our discussion of art and identity by taking a look at the vital role of our relationship to our bodies.
Why is it important that we honor and understand our bodies? Why is having a right relationship to our bodies imperative to the quest of art and knowing our true selves?
Joining us for this discussion is Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, David O. Taylor.
David Taylor has long been a voice and an advocate for the arts within academia and faith contexts.
In 2016, he produced a short film on the Psalms with Bono and Eugene Peterson. His previous books include: Open and Unafraid: The Psalms As A Guide to Life, and Glimpses of The New Creation: Worship and The Formative Power of The Arts.
In this episode David discusses his latest book, A Body of Praise: The Role of Our Physical Bodies in Worship.
Support The Podcast. Join The Creative Collective
Andy Squyres is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the mountains of Northern California but after moving east in the late 1990’s, he’s spent the last few decades carving songs out of the foothills of his North Carolina home.
Andy is Heavily influenced by the poetics of Leonard Cohen and the lyrical tradition of artists like Bob Dylan and The National. His passion for words convey a raw and unmatched honesty that bring listeners face to face with overlooked parts of our own humanity and weave together a tapestry of heartbreak and hope.
In this episode, Andy and Stephen talk backstage at the Loom creative arts gathering about Andy's creative process, confronting the empty page and what it takes to build a sustainable lifestyle of making music and making a living.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Andy of the making of his latest release Death Defying Joy which you’re hearing throughout this episode.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
We have a special event coming up many of you have been asking about. Be the first to know. Click here.
When we think of identity, we often point to our distinguishing characteristics and individual preferences. But what about our sense of place? How does place impact the people we become and the art we make?
In today’s episode, award-winning author and professor Esau McCaulley talks with me about the impact of place on his life and how growing up in a poverty-stricken Alabama town informs the writing of his upcoming memoir, How Far To The Promised Land.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Professor McCaulley on finding your voice as an artist.
Lowland Hum is the musical work of husband and wife duo Daniel and Lauren Goans of Charlottesville, Virginia. Their indie-folk sound is characterized by winsome haronies, poetic songwriting and raw, authentic craftsmanship.
The band has spent the past eleven years touring the nation and sharing stages with artists just as Josh Ritter, Oh Hellos and Penny and Sparrow.
Today on the podcast, Daniel and Lauren talk with Stephen Roach about their collaborative process, how changing seasons impact the creative process and our sense of self.
LIsten on Spotify
Listen on Apple
Join Us on Patreon!
Artistic expression and the creative process profoundly shape our sense of self, culture, and belonging. In our first roundtable of season 12, author Rachel Kang, visual artist Corey Frey and podcast host Stephen Roach to explore the transformative relationship between between art and identity.
Drawing from their own unique journeys with the written word and visual art, we discuss how these forms become powerful conduits for personal and collective narratives.
Rachel Kang is an author, poet and founder of The Fallow House online creative community. A mixed woman of African American, Native American (Ramapough Lenape Nation), Irish, and Dutch descent, she is a graduate of Alliance College with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Creative Writing and a minor in Bible.
You may recall our previous episode with Rachel on her book, Let There Be Art.
Corey Frey s a visual artist, poet and musician. He and his wife Christy are the founders of The Well Collaborative, a community in Frederick Maryland, dedicated to wonder, hospitality and creativity. Corey works as the Exhibitions Manager at The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick’s downtown area. He is also the co-hosts of the Makers and Mystics podcast’s creative collective book clubs.
Join us as we explore the intricate tapestry of human identity and gain fresh insights into understanding the transformative relationship between art and identity.
What role does the imagination play in shaping the identity of a culture?
Our collective imagination provides metaphors, stories and symbols that bind people groups together and create a common understanding of the world.
But what happens when those metaphors no longer carry the same meanings? Or even worse, when those stories and metaphors no longer create unity but bring division and harm?
Professor and writer Karen Swallow Prior addresses these concerns in her book The Evangelical Imagination.
She tells us, contemporary American evangelicalism is suffering from an identity crisis - and a lot of bad press.
In this episode, Karen discusses what Charles Taylor called ‘A social imaginary’ and how artists and creatives can respond to the evangelical crisis of identity and bring healing to our cultural fractures.
Hear an additional interview segment with Karen on Julian of Norwich
Join our creative collective
Karen’s Website
Follow us on Instagram
Victory Boyd is a Grammy award winning singer/songwriter from Detroit Michigan. She is one of nine siblings who got her start singing in the Boys & Girls Choir of Detroit, founded by her father, John Boyd.
Victory made her first solo recording on Jay Z’s Roc Nation label and went on to collaborate with Kanye West for his 2019 album Jesus is King.
Her most recent album, Glory Hour is an inspirational 18-track collection marking her first gospel album.
In this episode, Victory shares about her upbringing in a vibrant musical family, the discipline of spontaneity, along with the deep spiritual roots that inform her work as an artist.
Speaking to our season theme of Art & Identity, Victory shares about the journey of finding her identity rooted in inheritance rather than in striving after acceptance.
Join Our Creative Collective and take a deeper dive into the themes and conversations on the podcast.
Victory’s Website
Follow us on Instagram
Official Website
Not only are we artists, but we are art
sculpted of love,
and brought forth to reflect, to resound, to embody
the beauty that bore the world.
with roots, dug deep in solitude enmeshed within the web of all that we see,
and all that is seen,
we become the blood and flesh of dreams.
composed of light and shadow of stillness and motion
Flung forward from the womb of life like the Stardust we are,
and we are the resonance of unscripted night
lost between laughter, and lament
of eternal gain
of time spent
the self we see
the self we dream
the self You imagined us to be
Like our art, our sense of identity is never static. It is ever changing, ever evolving, ever growing and ever becoming. Our identity is composed of the heritage we are given, the relationships we foster, the places we live, our beliefs, interests and experiences. Our sense of identity is reflected back to us through the mirroring lens of what we behold.
On one level, you could say identity is a library of memories and desires that form the narrative arc of our lives. But what are roots of identity? What is the soil from which it grows? Is there something deeper that constitutes a pure and unchanging self? One perhaps that has existed from eternity. And who are we apart from these outer layers that clothe the naked soul and form our personalities?
For the maker our creative works are intimately woven into the fabric of our being and for the mystic, the core of our identity is rooted in the unchanging love of God.
What then is the relationship between our art and our sense of self? How does our art-making shape our sense of self? Does our well being depend upon the success or public reception of our creations? Does the praise or indifference of an audience determine our self worth?
For the artist of faith, what is the proper way to understand this relationship between our art and our identity? Is our art separate from our core, spiritual identity? Or is our art as an overflow of who we are, budding forth but attached like a flowering stem?
These are among the questions we will be exploring in Season 12 of the podcast.
We’ll be hearing from well-known artists and musicians, theologians, and creative thinkers from a wide variety of disciplines. Be sure to subscribe and follow along to be a part of the conversations.
Series Starts Tuesday August 1st
Join The Creative Collective
In this short summary, Makers & Mystics host, Stephen Roach shares his closing thoughts on our Season 11 theme of Art and The Urge for Transcendence.
"Wonder is the poetry of God." he says. And as devoted artists of faith, it is our invitation to be the "custodians of wonder" re-introducing the world to awe and reverence.
Music for this episode is provided by Glassea.
Support the podcast
Join the creative collective
It's time for the Makers & Mystics Summer Book Club to begin! And we couldn't be more thrilled about the book we will be reading together.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Starting Wednesday night, July 5th, at 8 pm Eastern time, we will spend an hour each week discussing the topics of this book and how each plays out in our own creative practices.
We will cover topics such as:
Mindsets Habits Collaboration Experimentation
SIGN UP FOR THE BOOK CLUB!
This Book Club will be led by the Makers & Mystics podcast host, Stephen Roach (that's me) and our Art Collective Leader, Corey Frey.
We would love to have you join in! This one is reserved for the Maker tier of Patrons, however, if you'd like to join and can't swing the ten bucks, send me a message and I'll sneak you in the back door.
See you soon!
Stephen
In this concluding segment of our artist's roundtable on the Ordinary and Existential, Strahan, Josh, Ashley and Stephen explore the similarities and contrast between the glory of transfiguration and the humility of washing the disciples feet. Though different in expression, both acts hold a beautiful depiction of art and the urge for transcendence.
Support the Podcast with a one time donation
Become a Monthly Patron
What does transcendence look like for a “post-psychedelic” artist and seeker? How does the notion of transcendence differ for the Jesus follower? Is there a difference between “manufactured” transcendence and one brought about by genuine spiritual encounter?
This Roundtable discussion brings together Canadian author, printmaker and clothing designer, Josh Nadeau, New Zealand folk musician, author and spiritual director Strahan Coleman, Mid-Western artist and writer Ashley Lande and Makers & Mystics host Stephen Roach to explore these questions.
Listen to an early release of Part 2 on our Patreon.
The pace of our modern culture doesn’t always accommodate the need for balance between work and rest. We praise the hustle and scorn the burnout the hustle produces and yet we rarely make room for reflection and rejuvenation.
Author and creative coach Justin McRoberts tackles this issue head on in his new book sacred strides: the journey to belovedness in work and rest.
In this episode, Justin discusses the importance, specifically for working artists to develop a rhythm between work and rest and how to cultivate healthy patterns of practicing meaningful rest.
If you’re a patron of the podcast you can hear an additional clip from this conversation on what the hustle tells us about the things we build and how that impacts our relationship to our art.
*If you’d like to receive a free copy of Justin’s book, here’s the plan:
-
Subscribe to the Makers & Mystics podcast and leave a kind review on Apple Podcasts.
-
screenshot your review and email it to: info@makersandmystics.com
-
Put “Sacred Strides Book” in the email header
-
Be sure to include your mailing address in the email.
We will send you a copy of the book!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum, has been heralded as “The Great American Fairy Tale.” Generations of both young and old alike have been fascinated by this whimsical tale since the early 1900’s.
When the book was first published, it became an immediate bestseller and was translated into multiple languages as well as adapted to Broadway musicals and several silent films. Frank Baum had reimagined the traditional fairytale and created a story so universal, it caught on like wildfire, and still today, over 120 years later, new adaptations continue to emerge.
Today’s artist profile gives a small glimpse into the life of the man who brought this story to life and calls listeners to consider the sometimes fraught relationship between artists and the church as seen in Frank's own spiritual journey.
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective and help us continue to be an advocate for the relationship between art and faith.
Music in this episode by: Glassea
There is a relationship between grief and transcendence that may not be immediately recognizable. But it’s one often expressed within art and in particular, children’s literature.
Whether it’s Lewis’s wardrobe to Narnia, Dorothy’s house transported by cyclone to Oz or a bridge to Terabithia built across a chasm of loss.
Grief has a way of transporting us to a fantastical world of imagination where we can more easily grapple with the difficulties of loss and even find closure to the trauma that sent us looking for relief.
In this episode, Makers & Mystics host Stephen Roach talks with children's book author Katherine Paterson about the motivations behind her writing and why she feels it is important to create a safe space through art and literature for young adults to work through difficult emotions and experiences.
Katherine Paterson is the author of more than 40 books, including 18 novels for children and young people. She has twice won the Newbery Medal, for Bridge to Terabithia in 1978 and Jacob Have I Loved in 1981.
Katherine Paterson’s Website
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Make a one time donation to support our work of advocating for the arts.
This conversation was recorded at the Hope Words Writer’s Conference 2023.
Aisha Badru is a singer/songwriter based in New York. The magic of her music lies in distilling an often-tangled human experience into simple truths, quieting the inner cacophony of emotions to pave a path toward healing.
To date, her soulful music boasts over 135 million streams, critical praise from the likes of NPR Music, Okayplayer, and is featured in commercial work for brands such as Volkswagen.
In this episode, Aisha discusses how the personal stories of heartbreak and healing often found in her lyrics move beyond individual experience and lend themselves to a broader even universal connection with listeners.
Support The Podcast.
Mentions:
Read about my encounter with the word Sisu
In our conversation I referenced our episode with Brie Stoner on the beauty and terror of reaching into the unknown. Listen to this episode here.
As we approach the final episodes of our discussion on Art & The Urge for Transcendence, I want to call our attention back to a segment from S7 E7 with the incredible musician, songwriter, producer and fellow podcaster, Kimbra.
I have highlighted two questions from our original conversation today which speaks directly into this season’s theme and adds a unique perspective on transcendence; the experience of the performing artist.
In this REPLAY episode, Kimbra brings her magic to the topic of how transcendence informs and transforms her work as a performer and the impact it has on her audience.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy the transcript of this episode on our Patreon.
You can listen to the full interview with Kimbra from S7 here.
Luke Burgis is an author , creative thinker and entrepreneur. He has founded and led multiple companies. He's currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, where he also teaches business and develops new education initiatives. He's the founder and director of Fourth Wall Ventures, an incubator for people and companies that contribute to the formation of a healthy human ecology. He graduated from NYU Stern School of Business and later from a pontifical university in Rome, where he studied theology.
In this episode, Luke talks with host Stephen Roach about the memetic nature of desire and how cultural influences shape the things we yearn for.
Purchase Luke’s Book
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Support The Podcast
Julianna Barwick is a Los Angeles based composer, vocalist, and producer who makes deep, reflective compositions rooted in the human voice.
Over the years she has made six critically acclaimed records as well as contributed her sound to the world of film scoring.
Her self-released debut “Sanguine” came out in 2007, followed by "Florine" in 2009, and “The Magic Place” in 2011.
In 2013, she released "Nepenthe," an album which marked Barwick’s first steps into collaborating, working with producer and film composer Alex Somers in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Her 2020 release "Healing Is A Miracle," features notable artists Jónsi (Sigur Rós), and earned Pitchfork's coveted 'Best New Music'.
In todays episode Juliana talks with Stephen Roach about her experience growing up in Louisiana, singing in choirs and the development of her experimental soundscapes.
Join The Creative Collective and Gain access to additional interview segments.
Jeremy Begbie is a Scottish theologian, author and musician. We interviewed Jeremy in Season 5 of the podcast on his book Redeeming Transcendence In The Arts.. In this bonus REPLAY episode, we are revisiting a segment from this conversation which ties in perfectly to the theme of Season 11.
Join Our Creative Collective!
Listen to the full episode from Season 5
Peter Rollins is an author, philosopher, storyteller, producer and public speaker. Peter gained his higher education from Queens University, Belfast where he earned degrees (with distinction) in Scholastic Philosophy (BA Hons), Political Theory and Social Criticism (MA) and Post-Structural thought (PhD). He's the author of numerous books, including Insurrection, The Idolatry of God, and The Divine Magician.
In today’s episode, Peter talks with Makers & Mystics host Stephen Roach about the unexpected relationship between loss and transcendence or what Peter terms as a “fundamental antagonism at the heart of reality.”
Music Provide by: Thousand Dollar Movie
Books mentioned:
What Is Sex - Alenka Zupančič
Capitalism and Desire, Enjoying What You Don’t Have - Todd McGowan
Embracing the Void Richard Boothby
Philosophers sited:
Emmanuel Levinas
John MacMurray
George Hegel
Psychoanalysts:
Jacques Lacan
Sigmund Freud
Wilfred Bion
Mystics:
Meister Eckhart
Hildegard Von Bingen
Patron Exclusive: Peter Rollins on Art & The Urge for Transcendence
Your support means everything to us. Thank you.
Bruce Herman is a contemporary artist, writer, and speaker. His art has been shown in more than 150 exhibitions — nationally in many US cities, including New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston — and internationally in England, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Canada, and Israel.
Bruce taught at Gordon College for nearly four decades, and is the founding chair of the Art Department there. He held the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts for more than fifteen years, and continues to curate exhibitions and manage the College art collection.
In this episode Bruce talks with me about his current inspirations and the winding spiritual pilgrimage woven throughout his 51 years working as a master artist.
Continuing our season theme of art and the urge for transcendence, Bruce shares his early experiences of psychedelics and the transformation that led him from Eastern mysticism to become a follower of Jesus.
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective. Get access to exclusive interviews, book clubs and online community hangouts.
Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt is Assistant Professor of Art and Art History at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Her research and writing consider representations of race and gender in 19th and 20th century art and visual culture, but she is most passionate about equipping laypeople to engage generatively with the images they already see.
In this episode, Dr. Weichbrodt and I discuss her book, Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking at and Learning from Art, which at the time of this recording was just released from Baker Academic.
In our conversation, we talk about how we might engage with art that makes us uncomfortable, challenges us or takes us outside our familiar ways of seeing.
One of the chapters in Redeeming Vision is titled Wondering at God’s Transcendence. Of Course, given our theme for the season, I couldn’t resist spending some time unpacking this chapter specifically.
You can visit our instagram @makersandmystics to see images of the paintings we discuss in this episode.
Support The Podcast. Feel Good About Life.
Father Christopher Foley is the priest at Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Kernersville, NC where he has been serving for 17 years. Fr. Christopher is a convert to the Orthodox faith from an Evangelical background. While studying missiology and art history in college, he became interested in Eastern Orthodoxy and went on to receive a Master of Divinity degree at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in NY.
In addition to his duties as a parish priest, Fr. Christopher has been active in writing and recording music with his band, Luxury, for over 30 years. The documentary Parallel Love tells the story of the band and how three of its members each became Orthodox priests.
In this episode Fr. Christopher discusses art in sacred contexts, the tension between embracing tradition and the artist’s aversion to being labeled. Stephen and Fr. Christopher talk about what it means to be haunted by Eden and how the longing for transcendence stays with us even for those who have deconstructed their faith.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment on idols and icons.
Watch the documentary: Parallel Love
Fr. Christopher’s interview with Jonathan Pageau
Brie Stoner is a bilingual indie rock musician and songwriter, creative thinker and podcaster.
She co-hosted Richard Rohr’s “Another Name for Every Thing” podcast before launching her own podcast titled “Unknowing”, which explores the unexpected path of creative possibility with guest artists, authors, and activists.
Brie studied at the Chicago Theological Seminary and served as program designer at the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In this episode, Brie brings a thoughtful perspective on art and the urge for transcendence. She talks with Stephen about embodiment, being grounded and the somatic connections of our deeper, spiritual yearnings.
Brie’s Upcoming Tour Dates
Support The Podcast
Kevin "KB" Burgess is a Dove-Award winning rapper, speaker and podcaster with four full-length albums to his name.
In this episode, KB talks to me about the importance of staying rooted in truth as an antidote to living the status quo.
His book Dangerous Jesus much like his music, presents a disruptive, subversive, system threatening portrait of jesus that counters the Christianity of the land and our own tendency toward complacency.
Be sure to listen to the end of this episode to hear KB share his perspective on our theme of art and the urge for transcendence.
Follow Makers and Mystics on Instagram
Join Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
This is Part 2 of our Roundtable discussion on Art & The Urge For Transcendence, featuring cultural theologian, author, and fellow podcaster Paul Anleitner (Deep Talks Podcast,) Chicago pastor, Ted Kim and singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan.
Join the Creative Collective
Listen to Paul’s Deep Talks Podcast
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective for our March Patron-Only Book Club! Each Wednesday night starting March 8th at 8pm Eastern Time we will read and discuss Nick Cave’s book, Faith, Hope & Carnage.If you are not currently a patron, you can sign up here to join in the Book Club.
This Roundtable discussion on Art & The Urge For Transcendence, features cultural theologian, author, and fellow podcaster Paul Anleitner (Deep Talks Podcast,) Chicago pastor, Ted Kim and singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan.
In this loose discussion, the conversation meanders its way to the subject of longing and survival and how these sometimes competing drives can lead us to the doorway of transcendence.
Check Out Paul’s Deep Talks Podcast
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Wynn Everett is an American actor based in Atlanta Georgia. She has acted in films such as Justin Timberlake’s Palmer, HBO’s Doom Patrol, Marvel’s Agent Carter as well as familiar Television shows - Modern Family, The Walking Dead and will appear in the upcoming season of Sweet Magnolia’s.
In this episode, Wynn and Stephen discuss the contrast between performing and transforming, discovering transcendence within the ordinary and what it is like for an actor to take on the emotions of another.
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective and gain access to exclusive interview segments with Wynn and other guests of the podcast.
Participate in our next book club starting March 8 with a discussion of Nick Cave’s Faith Hope and Carnage.
Episode Sponsor: Hope Words Writer’s Conference
Follow us on Instagram @makersandmystics
Aundi Kolberis a licensed professional counselor and author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain.
In this episode Stephen Roach talks with Aundi about her latest book Strong Like Water and how we can move through pain into the expansiveness of our true selves. Aundi shares about the importance of feeling safe in our bodies that we might experience those deeper yearnings for transcendence, beauty, and wonder.
Music for this episode is provided by Nashville singer/songwriter Lynn Marie. Patrons of the podcast can listen to a special Meet The Artist interview with Lynn on our Patreon.
Episode Sponsor: Hope Words Writer’s Conference
Use this link with the code “MANDMHW10” to receive a special Makers and Mystics listener discount.
In this Season Opening Primer, Makers & Mystics host Stephen Roach sets the stage for the season’s conversations on Art & The Urge For Transcendence.
You can download a transcript of this episode here
Music provided by Some Were At Sea.
The human heart is designed to be astonished. We carry within us, an innate yearning for wonder, for awe, for reverence. This deep-rooted urge to reach beyond ourselves, to be immersed in that which is greater than our own limitation, greater than our own materiality is where the spiritual and the creative impulses overlap.
What does it mean to carry within us, such deep longings for something beyond ourselves and how can the arts act as both a catalyst and the overflow of these yearnings?
I invite you to follow along over these next few months as we hear from artists, musicians, therapists, and theologians. We’re going to take a deep dive into this subject. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and get ready to gain a deeper understanding on how art and the urge for transcendence can transform your own creative work.
SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE
SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY
Jeri Jones Sparks is a Tamil Indian-Australian poet and writer living on Wangal Country.
She is the winner of the third annual Bright Wings Poetry Contest hosted in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine.
She works as the Outreach Pastor at St James Anglican Church in the Inner West of Sydney.
In this bonus episode, Jeri shares her winning poem, January Born.
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Read Jeri’s Poem
Ernest Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish, polar explorer born February 15th 1874 and died on January 5th, 1922. Although Shackleton is arguably neither artist nor mystic, the key events of his life carry both a beautiful tale of artistic level devotion and deep mystical encounter.
In this artist profile, host Stephen Roach details a mystical encounter that transpired in Shackleton's life during his most horrific struggle to survive in the famous arctic shipwreck of the Endurance.
Patrons of the podcast can download a written transcript of this episode along with a Patron-Only segment called, "The Shadow Side of Our Heroes."
Join our Mailing List for updates and opportunities!
Sponsored by Brightbell Creative: Designing Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist.
Asthmatic Kitty recording artist John Ringhofer is the man behind Half-Handed Cloud. His music is a quirky combination of tape manipulation, electronic and folk soundscapes. He has collaborated with artists Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Smith of The Danielson Family and John Van Deusen. In this bonus episode, Stephen Roach talks with John about the creative process of his latest album, Flutterama.
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective!
Our January #bookclub features a 4-week discussion on Victor Frankl’s book, 𝙔𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙤 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙄𝙣 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. If you aren’t familiar with Frankl’s life or his writings, I highly recommend you participate with us. You won’t walk away unchanged! If anyone has the authority and experience to speak on finding hope and greater meaning in the midst of adversity, it is neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl. His work has impacted millions of people and we are going to start off the year diving into his book 𝙔𝙚𝙨 𝙏𝙤 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙄𝙣 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. Book Club starts next Wednesday January 11th at 8 pm Eastern time. You can join in from this link. (available to all Maker tier patrons; like 2 cups of coffee to join in.)
When we think about restoration, we typically refer to restoring something that once was but no longer is. We mean bringing something back to its original condition that was either altered or strayed from the intended design. But restoration doesn’t necessarily mean going back to something that once was. We can ‘restore the future’ as well.
In this season finale episode, Makers and Mystics host, Stephen Roach discusses what it means to restore the future, what it means for artists to become wounded healers, bridge builders and those who re-story the narratives of our lives to reflect original design.
Support The Podcast
Join The Creative Collective
Patronage has long been a vital part of enabling artists to create their work. I think of historical examples like Lorenzo de’ Medici who funded artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo. I think of Peggy Guggenheim whose patronage gave us Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
In this brief bonus episode, I share with you how you can help Makers & Mystics continue our work of fostering conversations on art, faith and culture.
Support The Podcast
Join The Creative Collective
Arthur Aghajanian is a Christian contemplative, essayist, and educator. His work explores visual culture through a spiritual lens. His essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including Ekstasis, Radix, Saint Austin Review, The Curator, and many others. He holds an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design.
In this episode, I talk with Arthur about his spiritual background, the nature of non-dualistic thinking and the concept of art set free from the ego.
If you’ve followed the podcast this season, you’ll recall that woven throughout our conversations has been the underlying theme of restoration for the heart of the artist. As we approach the final episodes of this discussion, I wanted to revisit our theme in a more direct way. So I asked Arthur to speak into each thread of restoration, wounded healers, existing in the splice and re-storying the narratives we believe.
Your support of the podcast enables us to continue producing these vital conversations on art, faith and culture. Please consider joining today and lend your support to this work.
Music Provided by: Some Were At Sea
We’re excited to announce the winner of our third annual Bright Wings poetry contest in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine!The submissions this year were incredible. This made the process for our judges challenging but nonetheless, we chose our winners. You can see the winning post announcement here.On behalf of Makers & Mystics and Ekstasis Magazine, I want to say thank you to every poet who entered the contest. Your work is important. We believe in you and we want to encourage you to never give up on your work.What’s Next?We will be recording our episode with the winners of the podcast which will air in January.Be sure to follow us on Instagram and sign our email list for updates and opportunities.Thanks again everyone!Stephen Roach
Juanita Campbell Rasmus is a speaker, writer, spiritual director, and contemplative teacher. She is the co-pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston which she founded with her husband, Rudy in 1992.
In this episode, Juanita shares with me how a major depressive episode became the catalyst for personal renewal. Following our season ten theme of restoration for the heart of the artist, Juanita’s story and her accompanying book Learning To Be: Finding Your Center After The Bottom Falls Out offers a glimpse of hope for the artist to find renewal no matter how dark the night.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Juanita on the key spiritual practices that helped her return to her center and discover new ways of being.
This episode is Part 2 of the Re-Creation of Meaning Roundtable (The Fire Dragon Edition) featuring John Mark McMillan, Stephen Roach, Vesper Stamper and Brandon Willett.
In this part of the discussion, we talk through:
-
self absorption vs. self awareness
-
the role of the audience in the artist's creative process.
-
meekness and confidence
-
Fire Dragons and Jackalopes
-
How the intimate reflects the infinite
This Roundtable is the world's first podcast ever to discuss Taylor Swift, Radiohead, Beck, Nick Cave, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Vernon, Jay Z, Kanye, Rick Rubin, Adele, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Johnny Cash, Slayer, James Taylor, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Fire Dragons, Comic Books, David Brooks... All in one episode. Enjoy..
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective. Your support enables us to continue leading the way in these conversations on art, faith and culture.
Buy Vesper’s New Book! It’s Incredible.
See Brandon’s amazing visual art
Hear John Mark McMillan’s music
John Mark McMillan
What does Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Radiohead, Beck, Nick Cave, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko have to do with singer/songwriter, John Mark McMillan, art-instigator, Stephen Roach, author/illustrator, Vesper Stamper & visual artist/designer, Brandon Willett? You’ll find out in this Artist’s Round Table.
My guests and I discuss the “Re-creation of Meaning” and what it is like for the artist as he/she gets older, experiences change and seeks to re-invent themselves.
Such re-invention is a vital part of restoring the heart of the artist. Listen in to Part One of this Roundtable discussion and learn why.
*Patrons of the podcast can listen to an early release version of Part Two of this discussion, “Fire Dragons and Jackalopes” on our Patreon.
Josh Nadeau is a print maker, writer and clothing designer living in Western Canada.
His Instagram account, Sword and Pencil, features a library of images and musings about goodness, truth and beauty.
His work, both in word and in image, aims to offer solutions to disenchantment and acts as an antidote to Christian culture’s rampant mediocrity.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Josh about the role of suffering in spiritual and creative development, the winding path to meaning and the need to cultivate virtue in our everyday lives.
- Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Josh on Waiting Well & The Temptation of Idolatry.
Music in this episode is provided by Sean Williams.
Canadian-born Erika Lemay has become a beautifully disruptive icon in the world of live performance, using her body in ways that defy both gravity and human possibilities. Her journey has taken her from her first ballet class at the age of four to worldwide success and accolades.
As the creator of Physical Poetry, Erika believes that ‘Poetry doesn’t have to be expressed with words’. Her TV performances have been seen by more than 400 million viewers worldwide, and her talent has been featured in international media, including Vanity Fair, Glamour Magazine, Hello Magazine, Le Figaro and La Repubblica. She has performed extensively as a soloist guest star with Cirque du Soleil whilst developing the unique artistic language for which she is famous today.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Erika about the importance of discipline, developing a moral compass, dealing with the imposter syndrome and stories from her book Almost Perfect: The Life Guide To Creating Your Success Story Through Passion and Fearlessness.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Erika including her thoughts on how to handle the down times after a heightened creative experience.*
Support The Podcast. Get Exclusive Content.
Episode Sponsor: Brightbell Creative. Meaningful Marketing for the Creative Artist.
Bette Dickinson is a prophetic artist, writer, and speaker who invites audiences to connect with God through visual parables of the spiritual journey. Through creative communication, she helps her audience awaken to the beauty of God and His Kingdom and see more clearly the eternal realm in the heart and in the world. Through her work, Dickinson helps her audience connect the inner life of spiritual formation with the outer life of mission.
Bette earned her Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Pastoral Studies, is ordained in the Reformed Church in America, and serves with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Spiritual Formation.
In this special bonus episode, Bette shares about her new book, Making Rood in Advent: 25 Devotions for a Season of Wonder (IVP, 2022).
Bette will be hosting an online “Visio Divina” with the Makers & Mystics collective on Sunday, November 27th at 8 pm EST. Register to attend here.
Music in this episode is provided by: Caroline Cobb.
If you'd like a deeper experience with this Advent meditation, Bette is offering an audio guided Visio Divina practice of one of the paintings from her book.
Text "WONDER" to 55444 and follow the prompts. You can get the image of the painting and audio guide in your inbox.
YOUNG OCEANS is a neo-alternative worship project that evolved from a gathering of musicians, re-imagining hymns in a New York City apartment.
Untethered from the expectations of a traditional congregational format, these artful re-renderings gave birth to a sound that is at once familiar and refreshingly innovative. The musical ethos of Young Oceans emerged as more a companion to reflective prayer and meditation than to a typical church experience.
In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Young Oceans founder and songwriter, Eric Marshall about his latest project, Subjects In Motion. This full-length album features an all-star line up of artists such as Amanda Cook, Josh Garrels, Molly Pardon, Liz Vice, John Mark Pantana and many others, each singing new versions of previously released Young Ocean Songs.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy further discussions with Young Oceans on motivations in art making, radical individualism and collaboration.
SUBMIT YOUR POEMS to The Bright Wings Poetry Contest (Deadline November 25th 2022)
Support The Podcast!Join our Creative Collective on Patreon.
Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist.
The Welcome Wagon is a musical duo comprised of married couple, Vito and Monique Aiuto. heir musical style is steeped in sacred song traditions presented with minimalist Alt-Folk sensibilities.
Their musical journey began with Asthmatic Kitty Records in 2008 with the debut album, Welcome To The Welcome Wagon produced by Sufjan Stevens.
In this bonus, album drop episode, Vito and Monique share with me about the creative process behind the making of their latest release, Esther.
*Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with The Welcome Wagon on balancing art and family.
See Monique’s Art.
Music Video For Matthew 7:7
Blaine hogan is a writer, film and creative director and actor. He is the former creative director for Willow Creek Community Church and is currently a full-time filmmaker living in Atlanta, Georgia.
His recent memoir titled Exit The Cave: Embracing A Life of Courage, Creativity and Radical Imagination is a brutally honest recounting of his struggle with addiction and the unexpected gift of hitting rock bottom.
In this episode, Blaine and I talk about his background as an actor, the relationship between creativity and his journey of recovery and the ongoing process of finding wholeness.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy additional interview segments.
Submit your poems to the BRIGHT WINGS poetry contest for a chance to appear on the Makers & Mystics podcast and publication in Ekstasis Magazine.
We’re excited to open submissions to our third annual Bright Wings poetry contest in partnership with Ekstasis Magazine!
Our panel judges for this year’s contest are:
Rachel Marie Kang
Ryan Diaz
Paul J. Pastor
Deadline for Entry: November, 25th, 2022
Entry Fee: $20 for up to three poems
Winner will receive a $500 honorarium, read the winning poem on an episode of the Makers & Mystics podcast and have the poem featured in an issue of Ekstasis Magazine.
Second and third prize winners will be featured on Makers & Mystics and Ekstasis Instagram stories and newsletter.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER
Michael Hayes is the founder and director of Umoja Health, Wellness, and Justice Collective. He is a visionary agent of change who has found powerful ways to infuse the art of storytelling and the science of resilience into opportunities for healing and recovery.
He is the author of the HOPE module (Healing Our Past/Personal Experiences,) a Certified Peer Support Specialist, a Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitator and a Reconnect for Resilience Skills Educator.
Michael is also the founder of the Urban Arts Institute and continues to provide opportunities for healing and growth in the arts.
In this episode Michael and I discuss resiliency and the role of the arts in healing from past traumas as well as our collaborative work with the Institution of Regenerative Design and Innovation’s Seed Project.
Submissions to the Bright Wings Poetry Contest are now open until November 25th. Winner receives a cash prize plus publication in Ekstasis magazine and opportunity to read the winning poem on an episode of Makers and Mystics.
To learn more about and follow the progress of the NC Solutions Tour's SEED projects please visit IRDI’s Patreon here:
Please consider supporting the campaign here:
Join our Creative Collective
Malcolm Guite is an English poet, academic and priest in the Church of England. He is a fellow of Girton College in the University of Cambridge and has published widely in the field of theology and literature.
His research interests include the intersection of religion and the arts and the examination of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
In this episode Malcolm and I discuss what I’ve termed as the poetics of restoration and how poetry and literature hold keys to understanding and even bridging the gaps between tradition and originality.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy three additional interview segments with Malcolm, one on the moral imagination (which members of our creative collective will recall from discussions in our last book club.) also Malcolm’s thoughts on imagination as empathy, and practices to can we establish to achieve longevity for the artist and writer.
Bright Wings Poetry Contest!
Support The Podcast. Get The Exclusive Content.
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist
Rachel Marie Kang is a New York native, born and raised just outside New York City. She is an author, poet and founder of The Fallow House online creative community. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and (in)courage.
A mixed woman of African American, Native American (Ramapough Lenape Nation), Irish, and Dutch descent, she is a graduate of Alliance College with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Creative Writing and a minor in Bible.
In this episode, Rachel and I discuss her book, Let There Be Art: The Pleasure and Purpose of Unleashing the Creativity Within You.
In keeping our season ten theme of Restoration for the heart of the artist, Rachel and I discuss what it is like to create in the space between life and death, joy and grief and how creativity can serve as a bridge between the two poles.
Support The Podcast! Thank you!
Connect with Rachel
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For the Creative Artist.
Strahan is a writer, award-winning folk musician and spiritual director from Aotearoa, New Zealand. He founded Commoners Communion in 2017 to explore what it means to become a deeply prayerful people in our times. Since then, he has written three prayer books offering poetic prayers, contemplations and reflections to help readers deepen their communion with God.
Today, Strahan runs spiritual retreats, Online Prayer Schools and is currently working on his first non-fiction book titled, 'Beholding: Deepening Our Experience in God' which invites the reader to give up consumer Christianity for a more beautiful life of seeing and being seen by God. (‘Beholding’ releases early 2023 with David C Cook publishing.)
In this episode, Stephen talks with Strahan about contemplative practice, abiding in the space between polarities and finding opportunities for beauty throughout prolonged seasons of suffering.
*Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional conversation with Strahan on the relationship between the contemplative and the charismatic.
Sponsor: Brightbell Creative - Creating Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist.
Jess Ray is a singer-songwriter-and music producer from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her particular musical brand, has been affectionately dubbed “friendly folk,” and is an enchanting blend of indie pop vibes and lyric-driven sensibility.
Jess’ decade-long musical journey has weaved in and out of Christian spaces, mainstream circles, from house concerts to historic venues like the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN and from solo shows to sharing the stage with her heroes.
Her music, much like herself, occupies two worlds effortlessly. Intensely spiritual yet deeply real, her songs soar with joy and hope without ignoring the reality of our human struggle.
In this episode I talk with Jess about her new album born again and the creative process behind the songs.
In keeping with season ten’s theme of restoration for the heart of the artist, Jess and I discuss also how her experience with deconstruction and the prospect of reconstruction impacted her songwriting and how she found “a place to land” even amidst the tensions of unresolve.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy and unedited version of this conversation at patreon.com/makersandmystics
Wonder film co.
Support The Podcast! Receive exclusive content and access to our online community events.
Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, learner, and author of the book, A Curious Faith. She writes for She Reads Truth, Christianity Today, and more, as well as her own site, Sayable.net. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @lorewilbert. She lives in New York and has a husband named Nate, a puppy named Harper Nelle, and too many books to read in one lifetime.
In this episode, I talk with Lore about the importance of asking the hard questions and the necessity of cultivating a curious heart in both the creative space and in the spiritual.
Support The Podcast (We can’t do this without you!) Join our creative collective and gain access to tons of extra content and other inspiring curiosities.
Listen to our Artist Profile on Rilke (We mention this episode in our discussion.)
Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, learner, and author of the book, A Curious Faith. She writes for She Reads Truth, Christianity Today, and more, as well as her own site, Sayable.net. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @lorewilbert. She lives in New York and has a husband named Nate, a puppy named Harper Nelle, and too many books to read in one lifetime.
In this episode, I talk with Lore about the importance of asking the hard questions and the necessity of cultivating a curious heart in both the creative space and in the spiritual.
Support The Podcast (We can’t do this without you!) Join our creative collective and gain access to tons of extra content and other inspiring curiosities.
Listen to our Artist Profile on Rilke (We mention this episode in our discussion.)
Cathy Loerzel is the Co-Founder of The Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and co-author of Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Your True Calling with Dan Allender. She has spent the last 15 years developing a popular new coaching and therapeutic approach called Story Work that moves people through their past stories of heartache to heal and discover healthier ways of being in the world.
In this season opening episode, Stephen talks with Cathy about what it means to listen to your story and how artists and creatives can move toward a much healthier mode of living and creating in the world.
Music in this episode: Glassea
Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist.
Join The Creative Collective:
Cathy Loerzel is the Co-Founder of The Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and co-author of Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Your True Calling with Dan Allender. She has spent the last 15 years developing a popular new coaching and therapeutic approach called Story Work that moves people through their past stories of heartache to heal and discover healthier ways of being in the world.
In this season opening episode, Stephen talks with Cathy about what it means to listen to your story and how artists and creatives can move toward a much healthier mode of living and creating in the world.
Music in this episode: Glassea
Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist.
Join The Creative Collective:
This introduction to Season Ten of the Makers & Mystics Podcast offers a brief overview of themes we will discuss in our interviews, artist profiles and round-table discussions.
The meta-narrative is “Restoring The Heart of The Artist.” Inside this are three distinct threads.
Wounded Healers.
In The Splice.
Re-storying.
Stay tuned and get ready to take the journey. It is time to leave the past behind and lean into the soon discovered!
This introduction to Season Ten of the Makers & Mystics Podcast offers a brief overview of themes we will discuss in our interviews, artist profiles and round-table discussions.
The meta-narrative is “Restoring The Heart of The Artist.” Inside this are three distinct threads.
Wounded Healers.
In The Splice.
Re-storying.
Stay tuned and get ready to take the journey. It is time to leave the past behind and lean into the soon discovered!
Ryan Diaz is a poet and writer from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and is currently completing a MA in Biblical Studies. His work has been featured in publications like Ekstasis, Premier Christianity, Dappled Things, and Busted Halo.
In this bonus episode, Ryan and I talk about the relationship between poetry and prayer, cynicism and the sacramental imagination. Patrons of the podcast can enjoy additional conversation segments featuring four book recommendations for poets as well as a recitation of Ryan’s poem For Those Wandering Along The Way.
Purchase Ryan’s latest book of poems, Skipping Stones.
Become a Patron
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For the Creative Artist.
Portrait Artist, Hannah Rose Thomas has pioneered an incredible means of combining humanitarian work with paintings of refugee women she has encountered.
Through her art, Hannah gives voice to the voiceless, lionizes the isolated and prescribes dignity to the persecuted and forcibly displaced.
In this episode, Hannah and Stephen discuss her process of portrait painting and advocacy as well as the impact her paintings have upon Western viewers and the women who have undergone intense trauma.
Visit Hannah’s Website
Become a Patron and Listen to the additional segment
Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist
In this season finale episode, Stephen Roach shares on how the past two years have impacted artists personally, socially and creatively. Drawing from his own journey of faith and art, Stephen tells how spiritual practice, community and imagination have played a significant role in re-integrating fragmented parts of himself into a deeper, lasting wholeness.
Become A Patron
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist
Laura Valentine is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for Numinous Flux Dance Company in Nashville, TN. The work she curates is sensory and riddled with humanity, telling stories thru the human form and searching for a shared inner movement between herself, those embodying the work, and those making sense of it. She has crafted and produced multiple full length productions over the past decade, exploring birth, loss and everything plot-worthy in between. A Numinous piece can take years to unveil and unravel, and the time invested with the human’s involved is a big part of the Numinous process. The relationships move the work where they will.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Laura about what it means to be a contemplative dance company, the deeper motivations behind her creative work and what it means for a dancer to have conversations with space.
Support the Podcast! Support the arts!
Pete Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality has had a tremendous influence on our modern understanding of how emotional health intersects with contemplative spirituality.
In this episode, our friend Luke Humbrecht talks with Pete about how the artist can live a more healthy emotional and spiritual life.
Help us continue to produce these conversations on art and faith! For as little as 10. a month you can be a part of encouraging artists of faith across the globe.
Chris White is an award-winning filmmaker who has spent over a decade writing, directing, and producing a variety of feature length and short films. His most recent project is the music-centric, coming of age comedy Electric Jesus, which explores the world of a fictional 1980's Christian hair metal band called 316.
The film follows the band's journey from playing Bible camp talent shows to larger rock venues and gives an amusing look at youth culture during the time when heavy metal music was bathed in controversy.
The film stars Brian Baumgartner (better known as Kevin from The Office), also Judd Nelson (from The Breakfast Club), and newcomers Shannon Hutchinson (Assassinaut) and Andrew Eakle (Creepshow, The Glorias).
In addition to writing and directing Electric Jesus, Chris White also co-wrote original songs for the film, collaborating with composer/indie rock legend Daniel Smith of the Danielson Family.
In this episode, I talk with Chris about the making of the film, the art of satire and why thinking about humor as a spiritual practice is not funny.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy additional segments of this conversation at: http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
In this bonus episode, I speak with one of today’s favorite mental health advocates, Dani Parks. Dani is a public speaker, author, minister and mentor of young adult girls.
In our conversation, she shares her story about her struggles with depression, suicide attempts, and the mental suffering she endured for over ten years due to the incorrect treatment of her bipolar disorder.
Get Dani’s Journal
In this episode, I talk with Author and Professor ,Mary McCampbell about her book, Imagining Our Neighbors As Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy. In our conversation, we discuss how narrative art serves as an invitation to awaken and expand our capacity for empathy.
Buy Mary’s Book
Support The Podcast! Your generosity enables this work to continue.
Featured music by: Jessamyn Day
Interlude music by: Luke Vandergriff
Sho Baraka is a globally recognized recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. His work combines his artistic platform with his academic history to contribute a unique perspective, elevating the contemporary conversation on faith, art, and culture.
In this episode I talk with Sho about his book, He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken World
We discuss how art and imagination address the issues we face in today’s society in ways other forms of communication cannot.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Sho Baraka as well as other guests of the podcast
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist
In this Round Table Discussion, I talk with visual artist and performance speaker, Scott Erickson along with trauma therapist, ritual-maker and NYC-based artist, Heather Stringer. In this round table, we talk candidly about disorientation and the process of re-orienting after two years of social and personal upheaval.
Join the Creative Collective
Official Website
Follow Us on Instagram
Joshua Luke Smith is a British rapper, poet, and producer with a dramatic, socially conscious style rooted in explorations of the Christian faith. He was born in London raised in Pakistan, and holds a degree in philosophy, which informs his music with a unique perspective on the world both from his education and experience.
In this episode, I talk with Joshua about his upbringing, his creative process as well as well as philosophy and overcoming addiction.
Get Joshua’s new book Something You Once Knew
Join The Creative Collective to access additional patron only interview segments in our creative collective.
SIGN UP FOR OUR SUMMER BOOK CLUB
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful marketing for the creative artist.
Naming The Animals is a new podcast by Makers and Mystics! This eight episode series follows a chapter by chapter discussion of Stephen Roach’s book Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity.
Each week, Stephen will be joined by Square Halo’s Creative Director, Ned Bustard and a variety of biblical scholars, professional artists and creative thought leaders on topics such as inspiration, contemplation and beauty.
This podcast is an accompaniment to the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective Book Club, running June 8th - July 27th, 2022.
To join the Book Club, sign up for the Maker tier of patronage at Patreon.com/makersandmystics
William Day is an American painter known for his large-scale compositions of colorful shapes and energetic marks. His process leads him to create paintings in series, each focusing on different nuances of the human experience.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Will about his latest series titled Breakout which explores themes of reset and rebirth. This discussion includes topics such as: The impact of isolation, How to handle negative critique and living beyond fear.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy additional interview segments with Will at patreon.com/makersandmystics
Brightbell Creative: Offering meaningful marketing for the creative artist.
In this episode Stephen Roach talks with philosopher, James K.A. Smith about the role of imagination in "re-storying" the narratives we believe about ourselves and society.
connect with James K.A. Smith
Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist
Support The Podcast! Contributing as little as one to ten dollars a month makes a huge difference in our ability to produce quality content and lift a voice of encouragement to artists and creatives around the world. Patrons receive access to additional interview segments, online book clubs and discussions on art and the spiritual life.
Ryan Lott of the experimental, electronic trio talks with Stephen Roach about composing for the film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
Son Lux
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
Brightbell Creative: Creating Meaningful Marketing For the Creative Artist.
Join The Creative Collective for additional content, regular book clubs, online community and events.
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective! We have some new stuff happening in the crew!
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist. Let us help you clarify the language your art speaks and connect your work with your audience.
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist
Join Our Creative Collective!
Listen to the NPR talk about Kanye West and Mental Health
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist
Join Our Creative Collective!
Listen to the NPR talk about Kanye West and Mental Health
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist
Join Our Creative Collective!
Holly Oxhandler
The Soul of The Helper Book
CXMH podcast
Become a Patron of the Makers & Mystics Podcast
Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for the Creative Artist
Composer Sean Williams
Connect with Dan Allender
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective!
SIgn Up for the Return of the Prodigal Son Book Club!
Music by Sean Williams
Mentions In The Episode: Picasso, Shegal, Trauma, Therapy.
The World Needs Your Art! We Provide Meaningful Marketing Strategies for the Creative Artist with Stephen Roach
Sign up for the book club here.
The World Needs Your Art. Meaningful Marketing for the creative artist. Brightbell Creative.
Carly Taich
Porchlight Art + Hospitality
Become a Patron of the Podcast! Join our exclusive book clubs, community discussions and receive patron only content!
John Hendrix Website
Vesper Stamper
mid-roll soundscape provided by Sean Williams
Join our Creative Collective!
Silicone Boone: Official Website
Sign up for our September book club featuring Art & Faith by Makoto Fujimura.
Follow Makers & Mystics on Instagram!
Visit our website for over 200 artist conversations and episodes.
Guest-host John Mark McMillan
Connect with Vanessa
Website
Connect with Vesper
Become a Patron of the Podcast! Support the production of these conversations.
Find out more about today’s guest hosts.
John Mark McMillan
Vesper Stamper
Brandon Willett
Become a patron of the podcast. Support the work of exploring art, faith and culture. Patrons of the podcast receive exclusive patron-only content and resources.
Connect with John Mark McMillan
Support the podcast! Become a patron and access exclusive content!
www.davidchangstudio.com
David Chang Instagram
And online framed prints can be purchased here:
www.fourcorners.art
Become a patron of the podcast!
Vesper’s Website
GET TICKETS
The Breath & The Clay Official Website
Music in this episode:
Glassea
Hannah Miller
Rivers & Robots
Become a Patron
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
My Brightest Diamond Official Website
Ocean Body
KIND
TAPP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gskvj9ofGxc
Tratar:https://lnk.to/TRY_Tratar_de_Transformar
ORDER STEPHEN’S NEW BOOK: NAMING THE ANIMALS
JOIN OUR CREATIVE COLLECTIVE
Music in this episode provide by Glassea and C’est Lis
Support The Podcast. Become a monthly Patron
Temi Coker
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Music by: Layirid Music
Songs of Water
Support The Podcast
J.F. Martel
Become a Patron to unlock an additional interview segment with J.F. Martel on “Where Ideas Come From”
Connect with Amy
Join our Creative Collective and gain access to additional content - including our question to AJ Levine “What would you say to encourage artists who are interested in scripture as a source of inspiration for their art?”
Music in this episode by C’est Lis
Leave us a review on iTunes! This will help others find us.
Follow us on Instagram
Join our creative collective!
Another great podcast about Julian of Norwich
Music for this episode is provided by Glassea and C’est Lis
Rivers & Robots
Set Sail (Rivers & Robots Non-Profit Arts Organization)
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Episode Sponsor: 611 Network
The Well Collaborative
The Metaphysics of Dirt & Breath - episode mentioned in the keynote talk.
Join our creative collective
https://www.juuriart.com
http://www.songsofwater.com
Join The Creative Collective
Follow us on Instagram to see more of Juuri’s art!
Official Website
Your generosity enables us to continue our work of advocating for the arts and being a voice of hope to our generation. These podcasts are 100% patron funded and independently produced. Please consider becoming a regular patron today!
Connect with Jennifer’s Podcast and get her book!
Connect with Padraig
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective!
Music in this episode by VNE
Learn more about the Hosea Film
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Apply to attend The Breath & the Clay writer’s Retreat
Visit Khalisa Rae’s Website
Visit Co-host, Ashley Blake’s Website
Read the Winning Poems
Become a Patron of the Podcast, join our creative collective and enable us to continue lifting up the voices of makers and mystics across the globe.
Connect with Elephant Heart
Picture This is Elephant Heart’s not for profit organization.
Check out Elephant Heart’s music videos we discuss in this episode.
Become a Patron and Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective for additional content, book club and connect with Makers & Mystics artists from around the world.
A Boy & His Kite
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective. Gain Access to our monthly book club, private group and additional content.
**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 150 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Your support really makes a difference. If you find inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing.
Connect with Ben Chung
Episode Sponsor: Move True Dance
This episode is brought to you by Move True, a network of support for dance artists. Join Move True for a free online summit where dance-industry experts discuss how to advance further in your craft than ever before, despite a global pandemic. More at Movetruedance.com
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective and gain access to our regular online book clubs, additional interview segments, (including a segment with Ben Chung on staying the course as a professional artist in the midst of a pandemic) and our private Facebook group for Patrons.
CALLING ALL POETS! Submit to The Bright Wings Poetry contest for a chance to win $500. and appear on the Makers & Mystics podcast!
Turtledoves
Watch the video for Soft Speaker
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Learn More About Howard Thurman
Follow Makers & Mystics on Instagram
Support the Podcast! Become a Monthly Patron and help us continue creating quality content on art, faith and culture.
Music for this episode was provided by:
LAE (end track)
SEAN WILLIAMS (opening and middle track)
Connect with our hosts:
QRZ Denver
The Gallery at FDC
Connect with our panel guests:
R. Alan Brooks
Jake Weidmann
Kim Morski
Music in this episode is provided by Adam Anglin.
Connect with the contributing artists of the live event:
Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement
The Remnants Film Project
Support the production of these podcasts by joining us on Patreon! Your generosity makes these conversations possible. Please consider becomes a monthly Patron and enjoy additional content, regular online book clubs and one on one creative coaching by Stephen Roach.
Register to watch Come & See: An online collection of workshops, performances and keynotes hosted by The Breath & The Clay creative arts movement. Presenters include: Brian Zahnd, Scott Erickson, Will Reagan, Jeremy Cowart, Propaganda, John Mark McMillan, Justin McRoberts, Mighty Mykell, Stephen Roach, Lanecia Rouse Tinsely and many, many others.
Download Stephen’s FREE E-Book “Five Creativity Killers”
Become a Patron!
Become a Patron of the Podcast
Connect with La’Tasha
Register for The Breath & the Clay Online: Come and See This online event features a series of workshops, keynote talks, performances and interactive discussions on how the way we see impacts the art we make and the lives we live. Join Stephen Roach, John Mark McMillan, Scott Erickson, Jeremy Cowart, Lanecia Rouse Tinsley, Brian Zahnd and many more. This is a “pay what you want” event.
In solidarity with our black friends and community members, we wanted to highlight several of our episodes featuring incredible black artists whom have appeared on the Makers and Mystics podcast. Click the links below to listen to these conversations! Liz Vice - S4 E11: Onward Like A Storm Lanecia Rouse Tinsley - S5 E12: Impermanence Tinasha LaRaye - S6 E13: The Poetic Encounter Lonnie Holley S5 E4: The Lost Art if Found Objects Propaganda - S6 E5: Moving Through This World Mighty Mykell - S3 E11: A Legacy of Authenticity Bernard Hankins - S7 E9: The Art of Healing Marie Teilhard - S1 E15: Finding True North
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective and support the making of these conversations on art, faith and culture.
Connect with The Farm House community
Brendan Jamieson — http://allsoulscville.com/
Connect with Dr. MacDonald
Nadine Michel on Instagram @nadineonthejazz
Register for Come & See: The Breath & the Clay online event June 17-20th featuring online workshops, keynote talks and interactive discussions.
Read Havel’s collected plays here, and his book on freedom of conscience here. Follow Vesper on Instagram @vesperillustration, or subscribe to her podcast on recovering artistic thinking, Vesperisms: The Art of Thinking for Yourself.
Sign Up for Come & See: An Online Experience with The Breath & the Clay creative arts community June 17-20th. Join us for a series of workshops, keynote talks, interactive discussions and performances.
Become a Patron! Help us further these conversations on art and faith by supporting us monthly. As little as $1. a month goes a long way to helping us continue these conversations and investing in the community of artists and truth seekers.
Our June, Patron-Only Book Club features discussions on Beauty Will Save The World with a special appearance from the author himself, Brian Zahnd.
Gary Thomas
Join Our Creative Collective!
Your monthly support makes these conversations possible. Thank you for investing in building bridges between art, faith and culture.
Follow us on Instagram
Official Website
Connect with our guest host Morgan Ruth Chin-Yee
Music in this episode by Glassea
Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective.
Kimbra Official
Visit Kimbra’s Patreon!
Join Our Creative Collective and receive additional interview segments with our guests, regular book discussions and access to our private, online creative group.
This episode is Sponsored by: Rogue Blue Media
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’ll Take Your There: Pop Music & The Urge for Transcendence by Bill Friskics-Warren
Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila, Frederick Buechner
Thank you for listening! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @makersandmystics
Leave us a kind review on iTunes!
Carey Wallace
Become a Patron! Your monthly contribution gives you access to additional Patron-Only content, membership to our creative collective and regular book discussions on books and topic related to the podcast.
Join us Friday, April 10th for Communion
Become A Monthly Patron
Music in this episode by:
Songs of Water
C’est Lis
Follow us Instagram
Connect with Heather Stringer
End Bumper by Aaron Strumpel
Starting April first, the Makers & Mystics creative collective will be reading and discussing the book Art & Fear by David Bayles. Become a monthly patron and join the discussion!
Join the Collective!
Friday, March 27th. Join us online for communion and creative discussion! 7 pm Eastern time zone.
Sign Up for the Online Communion!
Become A monthly Patron!
Music By C’est Lis
Follow Us on Instagram
Follow The Breath & the Clay
Follow Makers & Mystics on Instagram @makersandmysticshOfficial Website for Makers and Mystics
Join Our Creative Collective! Get additional interviews and content, participate in our online book club and private Facebook group, get discounted tickets to our live events and private creative coaching sessions from Stephen Roach.
One Percent For Artists
Erik Lokkesmoe
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
Music Provided by: The Golden Age
Support Nashville’s Restoration!
Listen to Our Previous Interview with Erik from Season 2.
Become a Patron!
John Mark McMillan
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay! March 20-22nd in Winston Salem, NC. Join John Mark McMillan, Will Reagan, the Makers & Mystics podcast and SO many others!
If you’ve been inspired by the Makers & Mystics podcast please consider joining our tribe of monthly supporters. For the cost of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with us in creating and sustaining a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.
Connect with John Eldredge
If you’ve been inspired by the Makers & Mystics podcast please consider joining our tribe of monthly supporters. For the cost of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with us in creating and sustaining a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY CREATIVE ARTS GATHERING. MARCH 20-22nd in Winston-Salem, NC.
Cinelle Barnes
Get tickets to The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts Gathering -
Join The Creative Collective
**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
Support The Podcast
Creative Coaching with Stephen Roach
Music in this episode provided by:
A Boy and His Kite
Songs of Water
Episode Sponsor: 611 Network
This episode of Makers & Mystics is sponsored by our friends in the 611 Network. 611 is a global network of Holy Spirit led abolitionists committed to seeking the spiritual and physical freedom of those enslaved by human trafficking.
Become a Patron of the Podcast!
Music in this episode by: C’est Lis
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay creative Arts Gathering March 20-22,2020 in Winston-Salem, NC featuring Stephen Roach, John Mark McMillan, Scott Erickson, Will Reagan, Lanecia Rouse Tinsley, Jeremy Cowart and so many others!
In 2019, I took the Makers and Mystics podcast on the road and partnered with creative communities around the country. Together, we facilitated conversations on subjects that were close to the heart of each community and featured hand-picked, local performers and influencers from each city.
The production of this series is raw and remains largely unedited much like the conversations themselves. The length of these episodes will extend beyond our usual thirty-minute format and will highlight the work of community leaders as well as panel discussions.
I’m excited to share this series with our larger community via our Patreon page and open the door for everyone to join the discussions.
Our first conversation takes place in Charlottesville, Virginia on the two-year anniversary of the Charlottesville riots. The subject is appropriately titled, art as healing. My guests include community founder, Lauren Stonestreet, Spoken-Word Artist, La'Tasha Strother, Philosopher, Bernard Hankins, Pastor, Brendan Jamison, Neuroscientist and Jazz musician, Nadine Michel and Doctor of Osteopathy, Dr. David McDonald.
This video was produced by: Micah Lindstrom
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE
Connect with Tinasha
WATCH: Hope Song Film
Director's website
http://www.mvmntcollab.com
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY
Become a monthly Patron of Makers and Mystics
Faith For Exiles Book
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
Join Our Creative Collective here
2019 has been an incredible year for the Makers and Mystics podcast and for The Breath & the Clay creative community. The conversations and live events we have hosted have been some of the most creative and insightful ones to date.
Take a look at our top 12 podcast episodes of 2019 and reflect back on these brilliant conversations as we prepare to move into 2020.
Our top choices of the year are:
Sleeping At Last: Songs for The Enneagram
Josh Garrels: Chrysaline
Amy Orazio: Quench
Austin Kleon: Keep Going
Jeremy Begbie: Art & the Transcendence of God
Mako Fujumira: Slow Art
Lonnie Holley: The Lost Art of Found Objects
Andrew Peterson: Adorning The Dark
Propaganda: Moving Through The World
Lanecia Rouse Tinsley: Impermanence
Lauren Midgley: Wonder & Light
Jeremy Cowart: Art As Empathy
Thank you so much to our Patrons and friends who made these conversations possible! If you are not currently supporting the podcast, please consider joining our creative collective at this link and help promote these conversations on creativity and the spiritual life.
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay 2020
DISCOUNT CODE: “liveinthemystery”
OPENING MUSIC BY: C’est Lis
CLOSING MUSIC BY: https://www.ianrandallthornton.com/Ian Randall Thornton
Join our Creative Collective
Support The Podcast!
**We are going to take a few weeks off from releasing episodes to spend time with our families and will resume Season 6 on January 8th, 2020. But before we take our break, we want to say thank you to everyone who has been listening to the show, supporting the podcast and participating in our yearly The Breath and the Clay creative arts gatherings. We are grateful for your participation in this growing creative community and we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you! We look forward to what is ahead for us in 2020.
Sister Aimee by Daniel Mark Epstein
Join Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Get tickets to The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts Gathering -
http://www.thebc2020.com
**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
Music in this episode used with permission by Songs of Water , C’est Lis and Daniel Birch.
Learn more about Matthew Perryman Jones -
https://www.mpjmusic.com/
Special Thanks to Luke Skaggs, Ann Marie Mueller and Liza Kawaller for their help on this episode!
Here is a link to The Trimble House where we recorded this episode.
https://www.avvay.com/nashville/space/3982/venue/creative-space/trimble-house
Join Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Get tickets to The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts Gathering -
http://www.thebc2020.com
**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
John Fluevog - https://www.fluevog.com/
Join Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
Tickets to The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts Gathering
Music in this episode is provided by: Cindertalk
http://www.cindertalk.com
http://www.thebc2020.com
Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode.This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY 2020
JOIN OUR CREATIVE COLLECTIVE
Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode.
This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.
If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.
Ashley’s Instagram
Ashley’s Official Site
Curiosity Studios
Become a Patron: Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.
Because I treat every episode as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode.
This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference!
If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with Makers & Mystics to develop a greater cultural understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit and why artists are called to be "Architects of Hope" for our generation.
Jeremy Cowart
The Purpose Hotel
Help Portrait
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay 2020
Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Our collective is currently reading is The Artisan Soul by Erwin McManus. Patrons can join Stephen Roach and other participants online each Wednesday night in November for a community discussion.
Makers and Mystics official website
Please consider supporting Makers and Mystics podcast. Your generosity enables these conversations to happen. For as little as one dollar per month, you can gain access to additional content and help bring these conversations to the world.
The Breath & the Clay 2020
Rebekah Lyons
Join Our Creative Collective!
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay Creative Arts Gathering March 20-22, 2020 featuring Jeremy Cowart, Scott Erickson, Stephen Roach, Will Reagan of United Pursuit and many others.
SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Your generosity makes these conversatsions possible. Thank you!
Adorning The Dark Book
Andrew Peterson
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY 2020
Support The Podcast!
Join our creative collective for additional content, access to our private creative collective and live interactions with the Makers and Mystics online community!
Support The Podcast. Keep These Conversations alive!
Propaganda
The Breath & the Clay 2020 (coming soon)
Join Our Creative Collective!
Music in this episode by Songs of Water
The Breath & the Clay creative art gathering will be held in Winston Salem, NC on March20-22, 2020. Sign our mailing list at http://www.makersandmystics.com for updates!
Lewis Hyde
If you have been inspired by this or other conversations on the Makers and Mystics podcast, please consider supporting us on Patreon. We have lots of additional content and a thriving creative collective where we share ideas, regular, live interactions and works in progress.
Read Nadine Ellsworth-Moran’s winning poem
Read Hanna Watson and Kristina Erny’s winning poems
See our list of Runner Up poets
Did you know your support of the Makers and Mystics podcast not only enables us to produce these weekly episodes but also invests in a generation of emerging artists?
Your support of this podcast tangibly brings positive change to the world.
Please consider becoming a patron today. For as little as $1 per month you contribute to creating a culture of beauty, wonder and truth.
Thank you!
Makoto Fujimura Official Website
Support The Podcast and get additional interview segments with Mako and other guests!
Featured Music: Alfred Sergel IV
Join the Creative Collective and get additional content, access to our private online group, participate in live discussions and help the production of these conversations!
Join the Creative Collective
Connect with Lauren Midgley
Sponsor Link: Ekstasis Magazine
Music in this episode:
Paper Lights
C’est Lis
CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING LIVE EVENTS
Follow us on Instagram!
Josh Garrels Official website
Patron Only Interview segment with Josh about the deeply personal encounter with God that led him to name the album Chrysaline.
Join our creative collective!
Upcoming Makers and Mystics LIVE events!
Hello beautiful friends! Season Six is about to kick off this week! We just finished edits for the opening episode. You are going to love it!
Before we launch this first episode, I wanted to let you know about a few things coming down the pike.
First, we are hosting several Makers & Mystics live events in select cities across the U.S. We will be in Phoenix, Denver, New York City, Frederick, Maryland and Durham, NC. Tickets for these events can be found here.
***Denver and Phoenix events have calls for artists to submit works for our gallery.
We will be adding excerpts from these live events to our roster of episodes. So cool! We just hosted a live recording in Charlottesville with The Farmhouse Community on "Art As Healing." It was an incredible time. Can't wait to share the audio!
The winners of our first annual Bright Wings poetry contest are listed here. The Grand Prize winner will be featured on the podcast coming up in Season Six to share her poem!
News for the 2020 Breath & Clay event will be coming very soon as well!
HINT: We are going to have some special ticket offers to our patrons only before the tickets go live.
Our Book Club will resume this fall as well. Details to come on that.
What an incredible summer it has been! I've enjoyed getting to know many of you and interacting with you. I look forward to continuing to build our creative community.
talk soon!
Stephen
Imagination As The Path of the Spirit
John O’ Donohue
Featured Music: Songs of Water
Makers and Mystics LIVE EVENTS
Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective! Maker Tier Patrons can enjoy additional Patron-Only content, access to our Private Facebook group and weekly Interactive, Online Book Club.
Act For A Change Organization
Jason Burkey
Support The Podcast
Join our Online Book Club!
Submit your poems to The Bright Wings Poetry Contest!
Grand Prize is $500. plus a scholarship to The 2020 The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering and read your poem on an episode of Makers & Mystics! Deadline July 31st 2019.
Join our Book Club. We are currently reading Walking On Water by Madeleine L’ Engle.
The Writer & the Husband
Support The Podcast!
Charlie Peacock
Bright Wings Poetry Contest - submit three poems with the chance to win $500. and opportunity to read your poems on the Makers and Mystics podcast.
Makers & Mystics website
Support The Podcast!
See James Hampton’s Work
Spiritual American Trash Book
Connect with Lanecia
This episode is sponsored by: DITA 10 Duke Initiative in the Arts. Join Lanecia, Makers and Mystics podcast, Chris Wiman and many others at this event in Durham, NC. Sept 5-8, 2019.
Music Provided by: Moda Spira
Support The Podcast! Become a member of our creative collective.
Resources:
Many Beautiful Things Documentary
Lilias Trotter Legacy
A Passion For The Impossible Biography
Music in this episode by: Songs of Water
Sleeping At Last Official Website
FREE E-Book Five Creativity Killers
Enneagram Creativity with Sarah Duet
Support The Podcast!
Articles and blogs mentioned in this episode:
Every Painter Paints Himself
The Eckhart Society
John Cage on Eckhart
Support The Podcast
Connect with Alastair Humphreys
Support The Podcast
Buy Alastair’s Book
Music from this episode:
Glassea
Daniel Birch
Aaron Strumpel
Sponsor Link: Hope Writers
Have you ever thought about writing a book?
My friends at hopewriters.com have put together a short 30-second quiz to help you figure out your next step when it comes to your writing.
Just click here to take the quiz: https://www.hopewriters.com/a/14858/VsKLDQaf
Connect with Amy Orazio
Featured Music: VNE
Support The Podcast!
Mentions in this episode: Thomas Merton, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry,
Connect with Austin Kleon
Join The Makers and Mystics Collective
Support The Podcast!
Visit our website
Lorien Academy of the Arts
Connect with Corita’s work
Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Aaron Strumpel’s Music
Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement
Songs of Water
Support The Podcast!
Join The Creative Collective
Graham Cooke
FREE E-Book 5 Creativity Killers
Music By: Aaron Strumpel
NOT FOR SALE
Support The Podcast!
Kilns College
Marie Teilhard
Free E-Book by Stephen Roach
This episode features music by:
Aaron Strumpel
Become A Patron
Download Our Free E-Book: Creativity Killers
Lonnie Holley
Tickets To The Breath & the Clay (March 22 2019)
Mentioned in this episode:
Elsewhere Living Art Museum
Gee’s Bend Quilt Makers
Sundance Film Fest: I Snuck Off The Slave Ship
Sponsor Link:
Kilns College
Tickets to the March 22-24 The Breath & the Clay gathering
Kilns College
Marie Teilhard
Download Our Free E-Book: Five Creativity Killers
Music By: Aaron Strumpel
Connect with Harris
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE E-BOOK
Join our Creative Collective
Get Tickets to The Breath and the Clay
www.pageaucarvings.com
www.orthodoxartsjournal.org
Support The Podcast!
FREE DOWNLOAD!
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
GET STEPHEN’S FREE E-BOOK
Natalie Shaw
Support the podcast
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay gathering
FYR FYTR
Music for this episode provided by:
Songs of Water
Fyr Fytr
Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering
Support The Podcast!
Connect with Sarah DeShields
GET TICKETS to The Breath & the Clay
Join The Makers & Mystics creative collective
Chad Lawson
Join The Makers and Mystics Collective
Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
Sponsor: Kilns College
The Breath & the Clay is a creative arts gathering hosted by Stephen Roach of the Makers & Mystics Podcast. This weekend event explores the intersections of art, faith & culture in a communal setting.
The event includes performances, a curated art gallery and keynote talks from various creative voices from the Makers & Mystics podcast.
Join us March 22-24th 2019 in Winston-Salem, NC for a weekend connecting with other artists from around the world on this journey of art and faith.
Tickets and details here.
Early Bird Prices until December 31st
Student Discounts and Group Rates Available.
Get tickets to The Breath & the Clay Creative Arts Event March 22-24 2019 featuring Stephen Roach, Josh Garrels, Molly Skaggs and others
Support the Podcast
Visit Sarah Toth
Support The Podcast!
Sponsor: Kilns College
Featured Music: Daniel Birch
Lobo Loco
GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH & THE CLAY
featuring Josh Garrels, Stephen Roach, Amena Brown, Emily Freeman and more!
Become a member of the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective
Visit Kevin Cloud’s website
Visit Sponsors Kiln’s College
Get Tickets to the 2019 The Breath and the Clay creative arts gathering
Liz Vice website
Learn More about Kilns College.
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
GET TICKETS for The Breath & the Clay
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay 2019
Featured Music: Abstract In The Sky
Join the Makers & Mystics Collective
Featured Music: Unwed Sailor
Visit Nico’s Shop
Support The Podcast
Listen to the bonus interview with Nico on “The Church’s bizarre use of automata during the Middle Ages.”
Creative City Project
Cole NeSmith
Support The Podcast
Music Provided By: Fascinating Earthbound Objects
Music Provided by: Seamonster
Introductory Audio Clips by Calvin Burgamy & Kenny Gray
Support Makers & Mystics Podcast!
Visit Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens
Soundscapes by Ben Stamper
Watch Ben’s Film: Begotten
Watch Ben’s Visual Haiku
Book Discussed: The Poetics of Space
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective
GRISHA (trailer)
The Deep Place
Ben Stamper Vimeo Page
Follow Julia's Food and Travel writing here.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview here.
Music for this episode is provided by Benjamin James. You can follow Benjamin James on Spotify and The Music Bed.
Support Makers & Mystics!
Works and Artists mentioned in this episode:
Elizabeth Gilbert
Gustav Klimt
Sponsor: Red River Turning Company
Featured Music: Sister Sinjin
Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective!
David Taylor’s Blog
The Theater of God’s Glory (book)
Phaedra Taylor Artist Website
Bono and Eugene Peterson: The Psalms
Featured Music in this episode:
Daniel Birch
Your Friendly Neighborhood
A Boy & His Kite
Join The Creative Collective
Support Latifah’s Kickstarter!
Moda Spira website
Moda Spira Podcast
Join The Makers & Mystics Collective
Audrey Assad
Support the Podcast
makersandmystics.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Amy Jill Levine
Erik Lokkesmoe
Aspiration Entertainment
Mr. Rogers Documentary
Last Days In The Desert film
FEATURED MUSIC:
The Gray Havens
All The Bright Lights
Siddhartha
*Support The Podcast
Additional Interview with Amena on The Artist and Money Management
Connect with Amena
Become a patron of the podcast
Makers and Mystics website
http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
http://www.jonathanhelser.com
Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring
PURCHASE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
Connect with Vesper
Buy The Book
Join The Makers & Mystics Collective
Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring
Connect with Mighty Mykell
Join the Makers & Mystics Collective
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring
Connect with Joel McKerrow
Additional Discussion on Patreon
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay
Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring
You can connect with Emily Freeman's blog, podcast and writings at:
emilypfreeman.com
Featured music in this episode is provided by Songs of Water.
This episode is sponsored by Matt Tommey Mentoring.
Tickets to The Breath and the Clay creative arts gathering March 22-24 2019
Patrons of this podcast can visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics for an additional interview with Emily on her journey into writing for additional Patron only content and discount registration to the Breath and the Clay.
Patrons of this podcast can visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics for an additional interview with Ty on his work in the making of this film and further discussions of his creative process.
Featured Music:
Longlake
The Slow
Tickets to The Breath & the Clay March 22-25th 2018
Cosmos In The Chaos Spotify Playlist
Become a Makers & Mystics patron and receive discounted tickets to The Breath & the Clay and a free canister of Maker coffee shipped to your home!
Get tickets to The Breath & the Clay. **Early Registration ends December 31st, 2017!
Connect with Maker Coffee.
Listen to the Makers & Mystics Spotify playlist!
Featured Music in this episode is provided by Chris Miller's music group FYR FYTR
You can follow Anna on Instagram or her blog at: A Forbidden Room
Featured Music in this episode is provided by:
Tina Boonstra
Listen on Spotify
and
Your Friendly Neighborhood
Listen on Bandcamp
Josh Riebock is the best-selling author of the memoir, Heroes and Monsters and My Generation. He is host of the popular podcast, The Marrow, and a sought-after storyteller and poet at venues around the country for his captivating artistry and honesty.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Josh about cultivating honesty within artistry and how beauty and terror sometimes appear inextricably linked. Tom Waits, Nirvana, Charles Bukowski, William Shakespeare, Stranger Things and the love and violence within scripture are among the topics of their discussion.
Ken Helser is a visual artist, storyteller, musician and founder of the 52-acre retreat center, A Place For The Heart in Sophia, North Carolina. For the past 30 years, Ken has mentored students from across the world, teaching them to hear and journal the voice of God through writing. Currently, Ken partners with his son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan David and Melissa Helser at their 18 Inch Journey School.
In this episode, Ken talks with Stephen about the core motives of the heart and how to navigate the deeper concerns facing many artists today. Ken shares from his own journey through rejection, imitation and the discovery of how "the key to discipline is desire."
Featured Music by Cageless Birds
Tickets to The Breath & The Clay creative arts gathering
Christine Valters Paintner is a spiritual director and Benedictine Oblate living in Galway, Ireland. She authored the book, "The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom." The book is a 12-week journey exploring the interplay between contemplation and creativity. In this episode, Stephen talks with Christine about her thoughts on humility, radical generosity and what it means to be an urban monk and a part-time hermit.
Featured Music by Latifah Alattas of Moda Spira. Visit http://www.makersandmystics.com for additional content by Moda Spira.
Tickets to The Breath & The Clay creative arts conference are now on sale at: http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com
Thanks to our Patrons for making this episode possible and to Communion Life Apparel. Apparel worn for change. http://www.communionlife.com/
Season 3 of Makers & Mystics opens Tuesday, October 10th! But, before we get started, I wanted to take a moment and share the dates for the next The Breath & The Clay creative arts gathering! Many of the guests who will be appearing in Season 3 of our podcast will be those coming to this next gathering. This season interlude also reveals who my first guest will be and gives a brief outline of what our new Patreon page is all about.
If you would like to support the ongoing creation of these podcasts, you can contribute here.
A special thanks goes out to our first supporters, Beth Herndon, Elisa Cox, Eloise Corlett and Dionne White. Thanks so much for your contributions!!!
Paul Benney is a London based visual artist who has worked in both the U.K. and in the U.S. He is represented in public collections world wide including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Australia, The National Portrait Gallery, and The Royal Collection.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Paul about his painting Speaking in Tongues, which is now on exhibit in Venice, Italy. Paul describes his secularist approach to the Pentecost story and tells how his exploration of the human spirit led him to a modern interpretation of the biblical narrative.
The Speaking In Tongues exhibition is accompanied by a "holophonic" sound installation of recorded narratives from each of the painting's subjects. You can hear each person depicted tell a personal, transformative story as you view the painting. See the video on http://www.makersandmystics.com
This episode concludes season two of the Makers & Mystics podcast! Please visit our Patreon page and consider partnering with us the production of these conversations. Thank you so much for listening!
The Clang Quartet is an improvisational percussion/performance-art show, based metaphorically on the life of Jesus Christ. In this episode, Stephen talks with Clang Quartet founder, Scotty Irving about performance art as a vehicle of the gospel. The two discuss the need for resilience and tenacity in presenting uncommon or abstract forms of art. Scotty tells about his electrified crutch and the meaning behind the sound collages of his "harsh noise" genre of art.
From the creation narratives in Genesis to our present day, creativity remains a vital part of the human experience. Understanding and embracing the role of the arts within the church, however, has followed a jagged course and often expelled creative expressions from community life.
Drawing from the writings of Barbara Ehrenreich, Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, and author L. Frank Baum, Stephen Roach gives a brief, historical overview of the struggle for creative liberty within communities of faith.
In this keynote talk, Stephen Roach proposes that creativity is our birthright and partnering with God in the creative process is essential to fulfilling His original design for humanity. Stephen encourages that we are in the midst of a creative awakening and calls the church to break free from religious oppression into the creative liberty of sons and daughters.
Matt Tommey is a woven sculpture artist living in Asheville, North Carolina. Matt has authored several books including "Unlocking The Heart of The Artist" and "Crafting Your Brand: Simple Strategies for Cultivating a Successful Creative Career". In this episode, Matt and Stephen discuss Matt's process of utilizing natural materials for his sculptural works. The two talk through differentiations between process and product and how artists can move from concepts and ideas to a lifestyle of creative expression. *This episode features music by Zach Winters from the album "To Have You Around".
This episode is Part 2 of a conversation with Josh Garrels. In this episode, Stephen Roach discusses Josh's honest lyricism, how our families and cultural environments inform the art we make.
Josh Garrels is a Portland, Oregon-based singer/songwriter who combines elements of hip-hop, world music and folk in his songwriting. His lyrics are characterized by a raw honesty in exploring themes of faith, hope and compassion.
In this episode, Josh discusses his background in music and the pathway which led him to a vocation as a professional, independent musician. Josh talks with Stephen about balancing family life and touring as well as how the choices of our personal lives inform the art we create. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
In this keynote, worship leader and founder of the Burn 24/7 prayer movement, Sean Feucht challenges artists to live and create from an "ethos of amazement." Drawing from his work among refugees in Iraq, Sean calls upon artists to have imaginations which will "challenge the dominant reality" and offer hope instead of despair. This keynote was given at the 2017 The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts gathering in Winston-Salem, NC.
Art is often viewed as being inherently spiritual. But what does it mean to describe an experience of art or beauty as "spiritual"? Is there a relationship between the spiritual experience a person has in the presence of a work of art and the Holy Spirit of Christian faith? In this episode, Stephen interviews theologian and author Steven Guthrie about these ideas as examined in Dr. Guthrie's book, Creator Spirit: The Holy Spirit & The Art Of Becoming Human.
In the month of February 2017, Stephen Roach composed and posted a new poem each day of the month. These poems were written in response to the "artless and often contemptible mood" found within social media. Stephen set out to offer "choreography instead of industry", beauty instead of hostility and to place "a carnation in the barrels of loaded guns". In observance of National Poetry Month, Stephen shares several of his poems from this collection of writings featuring music by Timbre, Songs of Water, Loudharp and Brandon Willet. #poetryismyprotest Joining Stephen in this episode is artist, Melina Daniels of Overflow Studios in Boone, NC. Melina shares a story of how she and her husband Jacob responded to the 2016 Charlotte protests surrounding the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by setting up an outdoor art studio in the midst of the uprising. Poetry is a vehicle of transcendence and social change. It is both protest and praise, a means of lifting the spirit and calling for action. In this episode, Stephen turns to the “ancient and analog” art of poetry as a means of response to the current challenges of our day. **Special thanks goes out to Timbre, Loudharp, Songs of Water, and Brandon Willet for providing musical landscapes accompanying the poetry of this episode. Also, a special thanks to Elisa Cox, Eloise Corlett, Catherine Mi-Sook Roemer and Sarah Roach for voiceover contributions. You can purchase a copy of Stephen's February poems at: stephenroach.org
In this keynote, poet and storyteller Ray Hughes calls artists and creatives to dive deep into the fathomless depths of God's presence as the source of hope and creative expression.
This episode concludes Stephen Roach's discussion with author and pastor Brian Zahnd about the importance of beauty within our presentation of the Christian faith. The two discuss the need to "push back against the sterility of a utilitarian, modern age that understands why we build a parking garage but doesn't understand why we build a gothic cathedral." In everything from our worship, to the art we make to the way we live our lives amidst a secularized culture, beauty is the often overlooked, yet powerful component of sharing the reality of the gospel.
The loss of beauty as a principal value has been disastrous for Western culture and especially for the church. In this episode, author Brian Zahnd discusses the importance of returning to a Christian aesthetic and presenting the gospel as a beautiful alternative to the commercialism of society.
Emily Lewin and Sarah Bryan are two "twenty-something", independent artists with a passion for seeing people live out the creative lives we are designed to live. In 2012, they started their own creative collective called Bright Ideas where they host workshops and offer creative consultations designed to draw out the creative nature inside everyone from accountants to stay at home moms to the professional artist. In this episode, Stephen discusses their work and accompanying book as well as their upcoming involvement with The Breath & The Clay.
In this episode, Stephen interviews Colorado artist Dave Wilton of the group Loudharp. Dave is a producer, recording artist, engineer and writes under the name A Boy and His Kite. His music has appeared in feature films such as The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and the upcoming independent film, The Remnant.