Makers & Mystics

S14 E14: Catharsis with Lacey Sturm Oct 30, 2024

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.

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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

S14 E13: Van Gogh Has A Broken Heart with Russ Ramsey Oct 23, 2024

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

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S14 E12: Sitting With The Muse featuring Nick Leng Oct 15, 2024

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:

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Watch Nick Leng's Insanely cool Beetle Bugs music video

S14 E11 LIVE: Embodied Faith and The Art of Edward Knippers Oct 09, 2024

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.

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S14 E10: Dreamscapes with visual artist Chalom Oct 03, 2024

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

Resources:

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S14 E09: The Poetic Eye with Stephen Roach Sep 25, 2024

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.

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S14 E08: Reclaiming Your Voice with author Shannon K. Evans Sep 18, 2024

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, finding wonder in the mundane, unconventional lifestyles of women mystics, the writer’s life

Resources:

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy exclusive interview segments at http://patreon.,com/makersandmystics

S14 E07: Nature As Metaphor with Enneagram Coach Stephanie Spencer Sep 11, 2024

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

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S14 E06: Learning To See with Paul J. Pastor Sep 04, 2024

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, Byung Chul Han

Music: Some Were At Sea

THE BREATH AND THE CLAY WRITER'S RETREAT Oct. 25-27 in Moravian Falls, NC. APPLY NOW.

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The Breath & The Clay Writer's Retreat Aug 29, 2024

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.

S14 E05: Postures of Attentiveness with Mary McCampbell and Joe Kickasola Aug 29, 2024

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.

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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

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S14 E04: Sacred Service Of The Actor with Cleo Rinkwest Aug 21, 2024

Cleo Rinkwest 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.

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Poema: An Online Course by Stephen Roach

S14 E03: How Do We Find Home? with Cody F. Miller Aug 13, 2024

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!

Makers and Mystics Live Events! Aug 12, 2024

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

S14 E02: The Gifted State with Donna Matthews Aug 07, 2024

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.

Da Vinci or Dionysus? A Meditation on The Olympic Opening Performance Aug 06, 2024

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.

S14 E01: An Introduction Jul 31, 2024

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.”

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POEMA: An Online Course with Stephen Roach Jul 23, 2024

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.

S14 Trailer: Reclaiming Wonder Jul 23, 2024

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.

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The Value of A Dream with Stephen Roach (Recorded Live in Urbana Illinois) Jul 16, 2024

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.

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S13 E13: Frameworks of Community with Conor Sweetman and Yi Ning Chiu Jul 02, 2024

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.

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Getting Reoriented: Life Update from Stephen Roach Jun 27, 2024

If you’re a regular listener to the podcast then you know that we haven’t produced our regular episodes for the past few weeks. And if you follow us on Instagram or get our email newsletters then you know the reason why.

On May 27th, my studio laptop was stolen.

In light of this event and feeling disoriented, I began to study the word 'orient.'

I discovered that ‘orient’ means to arrange something as to face east. The implication is to look in the direction of the sunrise. To be disoriented then means a time of darkness. And to be reoriented means looking past the darkness to a rising sun. ⁣ ⁣

This short update is an encouragement for anyone who has felt themselves disoriented or interrupted.

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S13 E12: Hospitality As Revolution with John Heers May 23, 2024

Hospitality is more than the generous treatment of guests or strangers, but is a way of peeling back the layers of separation and getting closer to the heart of a group or individual. In this way, hospitality is the heartbeat of community and true friendship.

The word hospitality comes from the Latin hospes, meaning "host", "guest", or "stranger". Hospes is formed from hostis, which means "stranger" or "enemy" (where we get terms like "hostile.”) So hospitality or coming to a shared table can be a place where strangers transform into friends and enemies can be re-humanized.

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.

S13 E11: A Brutal Love with Kimberly Phinney May 15, 2024

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.

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Music in this episode by Some Were At Sea

S13 E10: Comedy and Context with Andi Marie Tillman Apr 30, 2024

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.

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Andi’s advice to those who left the church

S13 E09: To Mend The World with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth Apr 24, 2024

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.

Music in this episode by Some Were At Sea

S13 E08: Come And Save Me with Danielson and Chris White Apr 18, 2024

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.

S13 E07: Mastery & The Flow State with composer Christen Lien Apr 09, 2024

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

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Mastery by Robert Greene (Referenced in the conversation.)

S13 E06: Creativity And Community Live at Square Halo Conference Mar 13, 2024

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.

S13 E05: Why Community Matters with Stephen Roach Mar 05, 2024

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.

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S13 E04: The Art of Lament with Amanda Held Opelt Feb 27, 2024

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.

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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!

Music in this episode by Some Were At Sea

REPLAY: An Ethos of Healing with Elephant Heart Feb 20, 2024

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.

S13 E03: The Social Instinct with Christa Hardin Feb 13, 2024

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.

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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

Music in this episode by Some Were At Sea

S13 E02: The Vocabulary of Encounter with Kaleb Moten Feb 06, 2024

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.

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S13 E01: An Introduction to Community and Culture with Stephen Roach Jan 30, 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

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Music by: Some Were At Sea

S13 Trailer: Community and Culture Jan 16, 2024

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.

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Bright Wings Poetry Contest Winner Jan 03, 2024

S12 Finale: Detachment and Desire with Stephen Roach Dec 19, 2023

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.

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S12 E15: Returning To Eden with Heather Hamilton Dec 12, 2023

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.

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S12 E14: Our Virtual Reflection with Sam Rad Dec 05, 2023

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.

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Bright Wings Poetry Contest 2023! Nov 21, 2023

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, 2023 Click here to learn more!

S12 E13: Healing Our Provisional Personalities with Jay Stringer Nov 21, 2023

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

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Art Submissions Now Open!

S12 Bonus: Artist's Roundtable: Live at Loom Nov 14, 2023

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.

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S12 Bonus: Abundance & Scarcity: Live at The Guild Nov 08, 2023

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

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S12 E12: Remixing The Grand Narrative with Tara Isabella Burton Oct 31, 2023

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.

Artist Profile Series 38: Hugo Ball featuring Jonathan Anderson Oct 24, 2023

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.

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The Breath & the Clay 2024: Let There Be Oct 18, 2023

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.

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S12 E11: Tell Me The Dream Again with Tasha Jun Oct 10, 2023

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.

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S12 E10: The Adjacent Possible with Joshua Heath Scott Oct 03, 2023

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

S12 E09: Heritage and Innovation with Qais Essar Sep 26, 2023

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.”

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Stephen’s Songs of Water music

S12 E08: Chasing Rabbits with S.D. Smith Sep 19, 2023

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.

S12 E07: Landscape of The Body with David Taylor Sep 13, 2023

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.

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S12 E06: Confronting The Empty Page with Andy Squyres Sep 05, 2023

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.

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S12 E05: Finding Your Place with Esau McCaulley Aug 29, 2023

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.

S12 E04: From Self, With Love | Lowland Hum Aug 23, 2023

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.

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S12 E03: Artist's Roundtable: Roots and Branches Aug 16, 2023

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.

S12 E02: A Social Imaginary with Karen Swallow Prior Aug 08, 2023

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

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Transcript

S12 E01: The Glorious Dark with Victory Aug 01, 2023

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.

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Unscripted Night: A Poem by Stephen Roach Aug 01, 2023

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

S12 Trailer: Art & Identity Jul 25, 2023

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

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S11 Summary: Custodians of Wonder Jul 18, 2023

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.

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July Book Club! The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin Jun 30, 2023

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

S11 Bonus: Artist's Roundtable P2: Ordinary & Existential Jun 13, 2023

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.

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S11 E15: Artist's Roundtable P1: Ordinary & Existential Jun 06, 2023

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.

S11 E14: Sacred Strides with Justin McRoberts May 30, 2023

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.

*Thank you for your support. The free book offer has ended but we’d still be grateful for a kind review!

Transcript

Artist Profile Series 37: L. Frank Baum May 25, 2023

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

S11 E13: Building Bridges with Katherine Paterson May 16, 2023

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

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This conversation was recorded at the Hope Words Writer’s Conference 2023.

S11 E12: The Personal and Universal with Aisha Badru May 09, 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.

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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.

REPLAY: Kimbra on Performance and Transcendence May 02, 2023

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.

S11 E11: The Curation of Desire with Luke Burgis Apr 25, 2023

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

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S11 E10: In The Moment with Julianna Barwick Apr 18, 2023

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.

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REPLAY: Jeremy Begbie on Transcendence In The Arts Apr 11, 2023

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.

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Listen to the full episode from Season 5

S11 E09: A Fundamental Antagonism with Peter Rollins Apr 04, 2023

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.

S11 E08: A Golden Thread with Bruce Herman Mar 28, 2023

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.

S11 E07: Redeeming Vision with Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt Mar 21, 2023

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.

S11 E06: Haunted By Eden with Father Christopher Foley Mar 14, 2023

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

S11 E05: Love & Unknowing with Brie Stoner Mar 07, 2023

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

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S11 E04: Dangerous with Hip-Hop Artist KB Feb 28, 2023

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.

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S11 Bonus: Artist's Round Table P2: Longing & Survival Feb 23, 2023

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.

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Listen to Paul’s Deep Talks Podcast

March Book Club: Faith, Hope & Carnage by Nick Cave & Sean O'Hagan Feb 23, 2023

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.

S11 E03: Artist's Roundtable P1: Longing & Survival Feb 21, 2023

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

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S11 E02: Embodiment & Transformation with Actor Wynn Everett Feb 14, 2023

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

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S11 E01: Strong Like Water with Aundi Kolber Feb 07, 2023

Aundi Kolberis a licensed professional counselor and author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer. She specializes in trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology.

In this episode Stephen talks with Aundi about her latest book Strong Like Water and how we can move through pain into the expansiveness of our 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.

S11: The Primer with Stephen Roach Feb 01, 2023

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.

Season 11 Trailer: Art & The Urge For Transcendence Jan 30, 2023

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.

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Bonus: Poetry Reading with Jeri Jones Sparks - Bright Wings Contest Winner Jan 24, 2023

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.

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Read Jeri’s Poem

Artist Profile Series 36: Ernest Shackleton Jan 11, 2023

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."

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Sponsored by Brightbell Creative: Designing Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist.

Bonus Interview: Half-Handed Cloud Jan 04, 2023

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.

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January Book Club: Yes To Life by Victor Frankl Jan 04, 2023

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.)

S10 E15: Restoring The Future (Season Finale) Dec 29, 2022

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.

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S10 Bonus: A Brief Word on Patronage Dec 27, 2022

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.

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Join The Creative Collective

S10 E14: On Duality & Union with Arthur Aghajanian Dec 20, 2022

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

Bright Wings 2022 Contest Winner Dec 20, 2022

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

S10 E13: Learning To Be with Juanita Rasmus Dec 13, 2022

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.

S10 E12.5: Artist's Roundtable P2: Re-Creation of Meaning (Fire Dragon Edition) Dec 09, 2022

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

S10 E12: Artist's Round Table P1: Re-Creation of Meaning Dec 06, 2022

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.

S10 E11: The Winding Path To Meaning with Josh Nadeau Nov 29, 2022

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.

S10 E10: Physical Poetry with Erika Lemay Nov 22, 2022

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.

S10 BONUS: Making Room In Advent with Bette Dickinson Nov 19, 2022

Bette Dickinson is a visual 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.

S10 E09: Subjects in Motion with Young Oceans Nov 15, 2022

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.

S10 BONUS: The Welcome Wagon Nov 12, 2022

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

S10 E08: Exit The Cave with Blaine Hogan Nov 08, 2022

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.

BRIGHT WINGS POETRY CONTEST Nov 01, 2022

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

S10 E07: Resiliency and The Arts with Michael Hayes Nov 01, 2022

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:

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S10 E06: The Poetics of Restoration with Malcolm Guite Oct 25, 2022

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!

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S10 E05: Let There Be Art with Rachel Marie Kang Oct 19, 2022

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.

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S10 E04: The Art of Receiving with Strahan Oct 11, 2022

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.

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S10 E03: Place To Land with Jess Ray Oct 04, 2022

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.

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S10E02: A Curious Faith with Lore Ferguson Wilbert Sep 27, 2022

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.

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Listen to our Artist Profile on Rilke (We mention this episode in our discussion.)

S10E01: What's Your Story? with Cathy Loerzel Sep 20, 2022

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

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MMS10: Introduction Sep 13, 2022

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!

BONUS EPISODE: Ryan Diaz on Poetry and Prayer Aug 15, 2022

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.

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BONUS EPISODE: Hannah Rose Thomas on Restoring Dignity Through Art Aug 09, 2022

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.

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S9 E16: Restoring The Heart of The Artist (Season Finale) Jul 28, 2022

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.

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S9 E15: Conversations with Space featuring Numinous Flux Jul 18, 2022

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!

S9 E14: The Emotionally Healthy Artist with Pete Scazzero Jul 12, 2022

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.

S9 E13: Electric Jesus with Chris White Jul 07, 2022

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

S9 BONUS: Creativity & Bipolar Disorder with Dani Parks Jul 02, 2022

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.

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S9 E12: How Art Shapes Empathy with Mary McCampbell Jun 28, 2022

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.

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Featured music by: Jessamyn Day

Interlude music by: Luke Vandergriff

S9 E11: Gold And Shadow with Sho Baraka Jun 21, 2022

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

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S9 E10: Roundtable 2: Part One with Scott Erickson and Heather Stringer Jun 14, 2022

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.

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S9 E09: Speaking Into The Chaos with Joshua Luke Smith Jun 07, 2022

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.

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Naming The Animals Podcast Trailer Jun 02, 2022

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

S9 E08: Reset and Rebirth with William Day May 31, 2022

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

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S9 E07: Habits of Perception with James K.A. Smith May 24, 2022

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

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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.

S9 E06: Composing Through The Multiverse with Son Lux May 17, 2022

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

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Thank You To Our Patrons May 13, 2022

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Artist Profile Series E35: Simone Weil May 10, 2022

This Artist Profile explores the spiritual life of French Philosopher Simone Weil.

Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective! We have some new stuff happening in the crew!

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S9 E05: Round Table Part Three: Mental Health and The Artist May 03, 2022

In this third and final segment of The Artist Round Table on Mental Health, Stephen, John Mark and Vesper talk about neo-monasticism, the worship of youth culture, art as a means of therapy, and making sense of the darker parts of our existence with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

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S9 E04: Round Table Part Two: Mental Health and the Artist Apr 26, 2022

In this second segment of our 3 part conversation on mental health and the artist, my discussion with singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan and author/illustrator Vesper Stamper takes us to topics of art and identity, genius and madness and the dangers of isolation.

Listen to the NPR talk about Kanye West and Mental Health

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S9 E03: Round Table Part One: Mental Health and The Artist Apr 19, 2022

What does Kanye West, Thomas Edison and Psychologist Adam Grant have to do with Social Media, Depression, Suicide and the Pursuit of Calling?

These are all discussed in this round table discussion on Mental Health and the Artist with John Mark McMillan, Vesper Stamper and Stephen Roach.

This discussion begins with the question, "Can you separate the art from the artist.... and should you?"

Listen to the NPR talk about Kanye West and Mental Health

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S9 E02: The Soul of The Helper with Holly Oxhandler Apr 12, 2022

In this episode social worker Holly Oxhandler discusses chronic burnout, compassion fatigue and Holly’s latest book, The Soul Of The Helper: Seven Stages To Seeing The Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It In Others.

Holly Oxhandler

The Soul of The Helper Book

CXMH podcast

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Composer Sean Williams

S9 E01: The Already and Not Yet with Dan Allender Apr 05, 2022

In this season opening episode, Stephen Roach returns to the podcast for this timely conversation with trauma therapist Dan Allender about creativity, the troubled nature of the artist and Dan’s latest book, Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Our True Calling.

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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

Update From Stephen Roach Apr 05, 2022

Porchlight Series 02: Singer/Songwriter Gabrielle Grace Mar 10, 2022

Gabrielle Grace is a singer-songwriter committed to telling stories. She believes that authenticity is one of the most important qualities when it comes to music.

Gabrielle was born & raised in a small town in southeast Texas before moving to Nashville TN. Her indie/pop-folk/acoustic sound developed as she made her way into the scene, playing show after show and growing as a touring musician.

In this episode, Gabrielle joins Porchlight facilitator, Justus Stout and concert host, Cary Brege for a conversation on house shows, community building through shared beauty and the transcendent power of intimate musical settings.

Gabrielle Grace

Porchlight Network

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Porchight Series 01: Singer/Songwriter Carly Taich Mar 01, 2022

In this episode, our friend and fellow arts advocate Justus Stout interviews songwriter Carly Taich and introduces Porchlight Art + Hospitality Network.

Carly Taich is a storyteller with the ability to lasso the darkest parts of the soul and deliver them with a smile. Her lyrics, often framed by swooning violins and barbershop harmonies, take us to another era, or dimension, where forgiveness is free and honesty, commonplace. There is a storybook mysticism to all Taich produces with one foot planted firmly in this reality. The paradox between the two worlds leaves listeners wondering if she is inviting them into a dream, or attempting to wake them up.

A multi-award winning songwriter, Taich has become a known name in her hometown of Asheville, NC and beyond. Her most recent EP It Tends to Glow, featured by NPR and American Songwriter, explores the many lenses through which one experiences Love. Blurt Magazine named her previous record, Reverie, “a start-to-finish, no-filler/all-killer gem—a veritable calling card to greatness if enough ears find it.”

Carly Taich

Porchlight Art + Hospitality

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Artist Profile Series 34: Emily Dickinson Jan 17, 2022

In this episode, guest-host and MM Collective facilitator, Corey Frey, gives an overview of the eccentric life and poetry of Emily Dickinson.

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Summer '21 Series E07: Author & Illustrator John Hendrix Sep 02, 2021

John Hendrix is a New York Times Bestselling illustrator and author of many children's books, including Shooting at the Stars, Drawing is Magic, John Brown: His Fight for Freedom, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus, The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler. His illustrations have appeared on book jackets, newspapers and magazines all over the country. John is a Professor of Art, teaching illustration at the Sam Fox School of Art and Design at Washington University in St. Louis. He is Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture, teaching with fellow professor D.B. Dowd.

In this final episode of the Summer ‘21 Series, guest-host Vesper Stamper talks with John about the creative process behind his work, the importance of authenticity and creating from a posture of sincerity.

John Hendrix Website

Vesper Stamper

mid-roll soundscape provided by Sean Williams

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Summer '21 Series E06: The Reaches with Silicone Boone Aug 24, 2021

Silicone Boone is an Ex-Amish artist from the hills of Kentucky. With minimal exposure to contemporary music throughout his childhood and teen years, his songwriting and music are refreshingly original. In 2019 he released “The Reaches,” a space opera of sorts, a concept album spanning big bang to universal death – a project he thinks of as a “love song to humanity.”

In this episode, guest-host John Mark McMillan talks with Silicone Boone about growing up Amish, the influence of Carl Sagan’s optimistic view of the future, the importance of murder ballads to American music and the deeper motivations behind his music.

Silicone Boone: Official Website

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Guest-host John Mark McMillan

Summer '21 Series E05: Vanessa Brantley Newton Aug 17, 2021

Vanessa Brantley Newton was born during the Civil Rights movement and attended school in Newark, New Jersey. She was part of a diverse, tight-knit community and learned the importance of acceptance and empowerment at early age.

As an illustrator, Vanessa includes children of all ethnic backgrounds in her stories and artwork. She wants all children to see their unique experiences reflected in the books they read, so they can feel the same sense of empowerment and recognition she experienced as a young reader.

Vanessa celebrates self-love and acceptance of all cultures through her work, and hopes to inspire young readers to find their own voices.

In this episode, guest-host Vesper Stamper talks with Vanessa about her background as an illustrator as well as topics such as synesthesia, prayer and the significance of our names.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Vanessa on diversity and race in our current cultural climate. Visit http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.

Connect with Vanessa

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Summer '21 Series E04: Roundtable Part 2: Memes, Propaganda & Art Aug 10, 2021

Have you ever wondered what distinguishes art from non-art? What are the distinctions and who gets to decide? What makes something a work of art? Is it the result of a conscious act? Does it require skill and originality?

What about memes and propaganda? Can these be considered works of art as well? These are some of the questions we discuss on today’s show.

This episode is Part Two of our round table discussions with author/illustrator Vesper Stamper, visual artist and designer Brandon Willett and guest host, singer/songwriter, John Mark McMillan.

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Summer '21 Series E03: Roundtable Part 1: Art & The Hustle Aug 03, 2021

Does commerce feed or take away from your artwork? Does getting paid to do it validate your work? How do you make the leap from hobby to vocation in your work and more importantly, should you?

These are among the questions our Summer Series round table guests songwriter, John Mark McMillan, author/illustrator, Vesper Stamper & visual artist Brandon Willett discuss in this episode.

Find out more about today’s guest hosts.

John Mark McMillan

Vesper Stamper

Brandon Willett

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Summer '21 Series E02: Artist Manager Jay King Jul 16, 2021

Jason “Jay” King is the founder and owner of World Citizen Media and a twenty-year veteran of the music industry. He manages Los Angeles based duo JOHNNYSWIM, Propaganda, and Pop writer/artist TRELLA. World Citizen’s core mission is to help BUILD, LAUNCH, and ACCELERATE meaningful projects, with strong foundations, that contribute good back into the world.

Jay’s background includes working with renowned artists including Platinum selling hip-hop group GRITS, 4th Avenue Jones, Hillsong United, Grammy award winner Israel Houghton, All Sons & Daughters, Fonzworth Bentley, Daniel Bashta, John Mark McMillan, Rhett Walker Band, and more. He has also worked along side brands such as Tumi Luggage, Macy’s, Fiat, General Motors, Southwest Airlines, St. Jude, and more in order to bring campaigns for his clients to life.

He held the title of VP of A&R positions for both Gotee Records (Universal Music Group) and Integrity Music (Sony BMG) before establishing World Citizen Media.

In this bonus episode, guest-host, JOHN MARK MCMILLAN, interviews Jay King about the role of artist management and navigating the “business” of art making.

Connect with John Mark McMillan

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Summer '21 Series E01: Calligrapher David Chang Jun 29, 2021

David Chang is an NYC based artist merging the traditions of Western calligraphy and Eastern philosophy that is shaped by immediacy of his urban environment. Chang’s art is a sustained exploration into the significance and meaning of words and texts as embodied through physical gestures. Centuries-old eastern techniques in calligraphy find new form in the western alphabet as the artist shapes his own hermeneutics of the hand. The artist's brushwork, vacillating between traditional scripts and contemporary abstraction, issues statements of personal, cultural, and spiritual awareness, while it also retains an autonomous formal beauty full of urgency and grace.

www.davidchangstudio.com

David Chang Instagram

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www.fourcorners.art

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Vesper’s Website

S8 E15: Moving Through Space with My Brightest Diamond Feb 12, 2021

Shara Nova is a classically trained vocalist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist. She records dazzling, shapeshifting music under the moniker My Brightest Diamond.

Her music resists the conventions of genre, blending elements of rock, art pop, and chamber music into a sound totally her own.

Over the span of her career, Shara has released multiple ground breaking albums, as well as composed a baroque chamber opera titled, "You Us We All.” She has recorded as a guest vocalist with notable artists such as David Byrne, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, and many others. Her extensive collaborations with visual artists include contributions to the works of Matthew Ritchie, Matthew Barney and more recently, performance artist and vocalist Helga Davis on a collaborative film project titled Ocean Body.

In today’s episode, I talk with Shara about her background as an artist and some of the motivations informing her work.

If you are a patron of the podcast you can enjoy an additional episode segment with Shara on her experience as a working artist navigating our current cultural landscape.

Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics or see the show notes of this episode to sign up as a patron today.

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My Brightest Diamond Official Website

Ocean Body

KIND

TAPP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gskvj9ofGxc

Tratar: https://lnk.to/TRY_Tratar_de_Transformar

S8 E14: On Significance & Contribution with Stephen Roach Feb 05, 2021

We may not care to be famous or even desire to make art as a full time vocation, but we each carry a need for our work to matter. We want to know that what means something to us may also mean something to others or that what we give our time, attention and resources to may serve to beautify or to better the lives of those around us.

In this episode, I discuss what it means to make a significant contribution through our creative work. I invite the listener to reframe the narratives we believe about ourselves and our art.

What if our art isn’t about us? What if we learned to care less about what we have to lose and more about what we have to give?

In my work as a creative coach, I’ve encountered many artists who trip over concerns about self-promotion or what others may think about their intentions. But what if rather than being concerned over self-promotion or of having selfish motivations, we were more concerned over the loss of not offering the world our creative gifts?

This episode explores these concerns and offers a new way of seeing our relationship to our art.

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Music in this episode provide by Glassea and C’est Lis

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S8 E13: Storytelling In Color with Temi Coker Jan 29, 2021

Temi Coker is a Multidisciplinary artist based in Dallas, Texas. He creates visually compelling artwork for campaigns, products, activations & more.

Temi’s use of vibrant colors and textures come from his upbringing in Nigeria as well as his love for the colors, patterns and storytelling of the African Diaspora. He has worked with clients such as: Adobe, HBO, Apple, and Facebook.

In today’s episode, Temi and I discuss color as a means of storytelling along with themes such as the business side of art-making, how to avoid burnout and the challenges of overcoming people pleasing to follow a sense of calling.

Temi Coker

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Music by: Layirid Music

Songs of Water

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S8 E12: The Aesthetic Universe with J.F. Martel Jan 15, 2021

J.F. Martel is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and podcaster. He has directed a number of French and English documentaries for Canadian television as well as created several dramatic short films. His writing has appeared on Reality Sandwich, The Finch, Metapsychosis, and in anthologies published by Tarcher-Penguin, North Atlantic Books, and Intellect Books.

His book Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice was published in 2015 by Evolver Editions;

The back cover tells us the book is an essential reading for visual artists, musicians, writers, actors, dancers, filmmakers, poets, anyone who has ever been deeply moved by a work of art.

I’ve read the book and I have to agree, J.F.’s ideas about art as an inborn human phenomenon that precedes the formation of culture resonates with own thoughts on creativity as an inherent part of our spiritual and human experience.

In this episode, I speak with J.F. about many of the concepts in his book including his thoughts on viewing the universe primarily as an aesthetic universe.

J.F. Martel

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S8 E11: Parables And The Surplus Of Meaning Jan 08, 2021

Amy-Jill Levine (“AJ”) is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt. Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus and Short Stories by Jesus; four children’s books (with Sandy Sasso); The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III); and The Jewish Annotated New Testament (co-edited with Marc Brettler).

In 2020 she published The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently (with Marc Brettler); and Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven.

She is the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute. AJ describes herself as an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue and a Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches New Testament in a Christian divinity school in the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

In this episode, I talk with AJ about how we interpret Jesus’s parables and why having a clear contextual understanding of Jesus’s stories is important both spiritually and creatively.

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

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S8 E10: 2020 In The Rearview Dec 30, 2020

In this episode, I share highlights from some of my favorite conversations from the year. Highlights include my interviews with Kimbra, Elephant Heart, Padraig O’ Tuama, John Eldredge and others.

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Tickets to BC21

S8 E09: Armature and Astonishment with Sarah Hempel Irani Dec 11, 2020

Sarah Hempel Irani has been sculpting expressive figures in clay and stone for nearly twenty years. Originally from Michigan, she moved to Maryland to apprentice with Jay Hall Carpenter, former Artist-in-Residence at the Washington National Cathedral.
Sarah has contributed sculptures to national shows and received several notable awards, including the Maryland Arts Council Individual Artist Award in 2009.
Currently Sarah is sculpting a seven-and-a-half-foot statue of renowned fashion designer, Claire McCardell, to be cast in bronze and installed in McCardell's hometown of Frederick, Maryland.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Sarah about her creative process as a sculptor, how technique and spontaneity work together and how practices such as centering prayer leads to unexpected astonishment in her art making.

Connect with Sarah Hempel Irani

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Featured Music: Songs of Water

S8 E08: On Belonging and Becoming with Stephen Roach Dec 04, 2020

One of the growing problems of our society that started long before but has been agitated by the COVID-19 pandemic is isolationism or the sense of loneliness and lack of meaningful social connections. Too much isolationism leads to individuals feeling a decreasing sense of responsibility or belonging to a group or a family. Therefore everything from littering to mass shootings could be rooted in the spiritual deficiency of belonging.

In this episode, Stephen shares on the artist's need to belong and the gift of creating a safe space to be in process.

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Official Website

S8 E07: Unearth The Flowers with Thea Matthews Nov 20, 2020

Thea Matthews is a San Francisco born poet, orator and activist whose work centers on the complexities of humanity, grief, and resiliency. In this episode, Stephen Roach to talks with Thea about her debut poetry collection published by Red Light Lit titled, Unearth [The Flowers] and about her journey of finding healing and resiliency through poetry.

Thea's empowering poems provide a path to healing and illustrate how survivors can find a safe place within themselves to reclaim their own identity and sexuality.

Her book has been described as an electrifying letter to family, country, and self, Unearth [The Flowers] is relentless in its journey through stages of grief and healing while celebrating life.

Thea Matthews

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Artist Profile Series 33: Julian of Norwich Nov 11, 2020

Julian of Norwich was a Medieval English mystic born around year 1342 and who died around year 1420. Much of Julian’s life remains unknown to us but what we do know of Julian comes from biographical passages in her book Revelations of Divine Love. This book, now considered a classic of contemplative literature, is the first known book to have been written in the English language by a woman.

The book recounts a series of mystical visions where she witnesses spiritual realities in beautiful and sometimes terrifying encounters.

Her visions, sometimes contrary to Church teaching, occurred at a time when the Church’s word and God’s word were taken as synonymous. To contradict the Church’s doctrine was seen as an offense toward God. Furthermore, to write and teach authoritatively as a woman was highly frowned upon, even dangerous during her time.

Although there is not a wealth of information about the life of Julian of Norwich, understanding the culture and circumstance in which she lived reveals the revolutionary nature of her writing and highlights why this Medieval mystic’s experience is pertinent for us today.

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Another great podcast about Julian of Norwich

Music for this episode is provided by Glassea and C’est Lis

S8 E06: Rivers & Robots: On Context & Creativity Oct 30, 2020

Rivers & Robots is an independent band from Manchester, UK whose sound explores acoustic and electronic elements beneath layers of devotional lyrics and worship themed motifs.

In this episode, Stephen talks with founding members Jonathan Ogden and Nathan Stirling about the creative exploration within their music and how context influences the art we make.

Rivers & Robots

Set Sail (Rivers & Robots Non-Profit Arts Organization)

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Episode Sponsor: 611 Network

S8 E05: Disenchantment & The Reemergence of Wonder with Stephen Roach Oct 23, 2020

In this live, keynote talk, Makers & Mystics host, Stephen Roach shares with The Well Collab in Frederick, Maryland. This talk discusses what sociologist, Max Weber coined as “disenchantment” and the human need for reverence.

What does it mean to sit with the mystery and what is the artist’s role in bringing “re-enchantment” to a world devoid of ecstatic experience? Listen to this keynote for insights into these questions.

The Well Collaborative

The Metaphysics of Dirt & Breath - episode mentioned in the keynote talk.

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S8 E04: TImelessness And Tradition with Juuri Oct 16, 2020

JUURI is a Tokyo-born muralist currently working from Oklahoma City. Her vibrant, figure-driven work fuses traditional Japanese imagery with modern, pop motifs.

Juuri’s large scale murals frequently serve in city-wide revitalization efforts and can be seen in cities across America and overseas in Israel. Her realistic watercolor faces surrounded by cultural elements, patterns or flora contain deep, personal symbolism and often represent a tenacious attitude of defiance in the face of defeat.

Her bold imagery, set upon canvases of brick buildings and urban landscapes is themed with messages of unexpected courage, hope and beauty.

“In a world full of chaos”, Juuri says, her art “is a way to find home." For her, home is a timeless place unaffected by current events, trends, and noise.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Juuri about her background as a muralist working within varied geographical locations and what it means to step beyond tradition into a sense of timelessness within her art.

https://www.juuriart.com

http://www.songsofwater.com

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Official Website

S8 E03: Exploring The Strange World of Art History with Jennifer Dasal Oct 09, 2020

Jennifer Dasal is the curator of modern and contemporary art at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she is the host of the independent podcast ArtCurious, which she started in 2016 and was named one of the best podcasts by O, The Oprah Magazine and PC Magazine.

Jennifer’s book ARTCURIOUS: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History takes a colorful look at the world of art history, and reveals some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Jennifer about some of the stories found in her book and why she feels that art history is important for modern creators to explore.

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!

S8 E02: Pádraig Ó Tuama Oct 02, 2020

Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish poet and theologian whose work centers around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. His poetry and prose has been published widely across Ireland, the US and the UK. For Ó Tuama, religion, conflict, power and poetry all circle around language, that original sacrament. In the context of public theology, he takes the received form of biblical texts and explores the civic and artistic dynamics of language, narrative and impact in these stories.

Pádraig is a voice for LGBT inclusion and for the value of arts in public life. He presents Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios, a podcast that explores a single poem in each episode.

In this episode, Padraig and I share a conversation on his background as a poet, theologian and how the arts and language play a central role in reconciliation and conflict resolution.

Padraig’s work in language and conflict resolution is a vital contribution to finding a way forward through our current cultural moment.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy the full, unedited interview at: http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

Connect with Padraig

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Music in this episode by VNE

S8 E01: Hosea: A Modern Adaptation with Ryan Dobson & Michael Gungor Sep 23, 2020

This Season Premiere Episode features a conversation with writer and director, Ryan Daniel Dobson of the feature film HOSEA, along with the film’s music composer, Michael Gungor of Gungor music and The Liturgists podcast.

After studying theology in college, Ryan turned his attention to the entertainment industry with a focus on marrying theological and philosophical concepts to powerful visual storytelling.

The feature film HOSEA follows this trajectory with a modern adaptation of the biblical narrative by the same name. The film takes place in the southern landscape of Oklahoma and follows the story of a young girl by the name of Cate and her childhood friend Henry. Cate’s story is one of substance abuse, mental illness, prostitution and the search for self-worth and acceptance.

In this episode, I talk with Ryan and Michael about the film, their creative collaboration and why it is important to reconsider familiar spiritual narratives apart from inherited cultural interpretations.

Learn more about the Hosea Film

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Bright Wings Poetry with Khalisa Rae Sep 16, 2020

Visit Khalisa Rae’s Website

Visit Co-host, Ashley Blake’s Website

Read the Winning Poems

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Season Interlude with Stephen Roach Sep 10, 2020

The three strands of art, faith and culture encompass the ethos of Makers & Mystics and provide the guidelines for our topics and discussions. We believe that the path of the maker and the path of the mystic are one and the same. The creative life is inherently spiritual and healthy spirituality will always be expressed through creativity.

Makers & Mystics is committed to asking the questions, honoring the mysteries and leaving room for our listeners to wrestle with what answers resonate in your own creative space. We are called to be the architects of hope and counter the harshness of life with the opposite spirit, in beauty and creativity. So let poetry be our protest. Let generosity, humility and kindness lead the revolution. This is who we are and this is what this podcast is committed to advocate.

Listen to this short, season interlude from Stephen Roach as we prepare to go into Season 8 of the podcast!

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S7 E15: An Ethos of Healing with Elephant Heart Aug 28, 2020

Elephant Heart is the husband and wife musical collaborative of Jason and Victoria Evigan. Jason Evigan is an award-winning producer and songwriter responsible for some of today’s biggest hits from artists such as Maroon 5, Madonna, Ellie Goulding, and Rufus Du Sol. Victoria Evigan is a musician, visual artist, set designer and stylist known for using make up, hair, environments, and fashion to create contemporary expressions of the Elephant Heart ethos. Victoria is also the principal operator of Picture This, Elephant Heart’s not for profit organization.

Patrons of the podcast can listen to additional interview segments with Jason and Victoria about Picture This, making their own instruments and Jason’s work as a music producer.

In this season finale episode, Stephen talks with Jason and Victoria from their home studio in Los Angeles, California about the spiritual dynamics and creative processes within their music.

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.

Artist Profile Series 32: Marcel Duchamp Aug 16, 2020

Marcel Duchamp was a visual artist, writer and avid chess player born July 28, 1887 near Blainville, France. His works are characterized by irony, movement and the dissolution of pre-conceived notions about art. Duchamp was an artist who defied categorization. He sent shock waves through the art world with the premiere of his line of found, manufactured objects called Readymades.

In this episode, Stephen shares a brief glimpse into the life of this eccentric artist as well as a spiritual interpretation of Readymades and Duchamp’s piece, Fountain.

http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

S7 E14: The Path Became A Ghost with A Boy & His Kite Aug 07, 2020

A Boy & His Kite is the music project by Colorado singer-songwriter and producer, Dave Wilton. In this episode, Stephen talks with Dave about the silence of God, expressing joy and grief through art, and the creative process behind his latest release, The Path Became A Ghost.

A Boy & His Kite

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**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.

S7 E13: The Art of Flow with Ben Chung Jul 31, 2020

Ben Chung is a freestyle dancer, choreographer and one of the co-founders of the Kinjaz American dance crew in Los Angeles, California. He is a former member of the famous Jabbawockeez male dance troupe and is the winner of the first season of America's Best Dance Crew. In this episode Stephen talks with Ben about his creative process, collaboration and the art of finding flow.

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!

S7 E12: Pillars Of The Earth with Turtledoves Jul 17, 2020

Turtledoves is the musical project of husband and wife duo, Ashley and Alex McGrath. Their inventive sound explores the balance between lo-fi electronics and acoustic instruments to create harmonically rich soundscapes, labyrinthine melodies, ambient textures, and layered vocals.

Turtledoves exist in the liminal spaces – as their biography tells us, they are messengers between the seen and the unseen - ambassadors to the now from the not quite yet.

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ashley and Alex for a conversation about their creative collaboration as husband and wife and about their new EP, “ Pillars of The Earth.”

Turtledoves

Watch the video for Soft Speaker

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Artist Profile Series 31: Howard Thurman Jul 10, 2020

Howard Washington Thurman was a poet, mystic, philosopher and spiritual activist. He authored more than twenty books in his lifetime and played a leading role in The Civil Rights Movement where he served as a spiritual mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Learn More About Howard Thurman

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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)

S7 E11: Art As Incarnation Live in Denver, Colorado Jul 02, 2020

This episode is our third release from the Makers and Mystics LIVE series. This conversation comes to you from Denver, Colorado and highlights our panel discussion on Art As Incarnation. You’ll hear from a diverse panel of voices including Master Penman, Jake Weidmann, Graphic Novelist, R. Alan Brooks and Printmaker, Kim Morski.

This live event was hosted by QRZ Denver and The Gallery at FDC. Additional contributing artists include Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement, Composer Matthew Langford and Visual Artist, Jeremy Grant of The Remnants Film Project. Music in this episode is provided by Adam Anglin.

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.

S7 E10: The 27 Club: On Greatness & The Pursuit of Fame Jun 26, 2020

The 27 Club is a cultural phenomenon that recognized how a large number of famous artists, actors and musicians all died at the age of 27. Although there is no scientific evidence to back up the connections, the tendency to rise to fame and die young is baked into the tropes of Western culture. In this live keynote talk, given at The Breath & the Clay 2020, Stephen Roach invites listeners to go beyond a pursuit of fame into the pursuit of greatness.

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Bonus Episode: Spoken Word Artist La'Tasha Strother Jun 12, 2020

This bonus Episode features a live performance and interview with spoken word artist La’Tasha Strother. La’Tasha threads her relationship with God throughout her life and work and creates poignant imagery about her life experiences. The poem performed in this episode is titled Love Is Not Blind and was performed live at our Art As Healing Podcast in Charlottesville Virginia.

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Connect with La’Tasha

Supporting Black Artists Jun 08, 2020

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⁣

S7 E09: Art As Healing Live At The Farmhouse Jun 05, 2020

This episode is our second release from the Makers and Mystics LIVE series. This conversation comes to you from Charlottesville, Virginia and highlights excerpts from our discussion on Art As Healing. You’ll hear from a diverse panel of voices including Farm House community founder, Lauren Stonestreet, Philosopher, Bernard Hankins, Pastor and songwriter, Brendan Jamieson, Neuroscientist and Jazz musician, Nadine Michel and Doctor of Osteopathy, Dr. David MacDonald.

In light of recent events, I felt this conversation on Art As Healing was timely and offers creative insights on navigating through difficult times and how art contributes to Healing for individuals and to society.

I’ve said often that the artist is an architect of hope and a voice of reconciliation for a divided world. I think you’ll find the perspectives in this conversation to be helpful in finding our way forward and understanding the vital role of art as an agent of healing.
*Patrons of the podcast have access to the full conversation which includes a spoken word performance by poet Latasha Strother and Nadine Michel’s story of traveling to Haiti, the country her parents immigrated from.

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

Artist Profile Series 30: Vàclav Havel May 30, 2020

Vàclav Havel was a Czech playwright, political dissident, and consistent moral voice on human rights who went on to be elected President of the newly democratic Czech Republic. His life is a shining example of what artists can achieve when they have a robust sense of the time in which they have been placed in the world. Guest host Vesper Stamper talks about Havel’s life, work and spiritual perspective.

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.

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.

S7 E08: Sacred Pathways with Gary Thomas May 20, 2020

When it comes to spiritual formation, our individual temperament plays a large role in how we connect to God, one another and the world around us. There is not a one size fits all for how we approach the spiritual life. In fact, the same systems that bring us clarity and definition can also leave us frustrated or feeling confined to search for God in a manner contrary to our natural temperament.

Best-selling author and speaker, Gary Thomas insists that it’s better to discover the path God designed you to take–a path marked by growth and fulfillment, based on your unique temperament. In this conversation, Gary and I discuss his nine Sacred Pathways, where he strips away the frustration of a one-size-fits-all spirituality and guides you toward a style of relating to God that frees you to be you.

For the artist or the creative, understanding our unique make up and how we most easily connect with God enables us to live and create from a deeper authenticity. Instead of fostering a compulsion to imitate or conform to an exterior, homogenized form of faith, discovering the beauty of God’s unique path for our lives opens the way for greater possibility in our creative work.

Gary Thomas

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Official Website

Artist Profile Series 29: Leonardo Da Vinci May 08, 2020

Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist, scientist and inventor. His capacity to metaphorically dream while awake, through the use of his imagination, enabled him to perceive the natural world as a playground for investigation, exploration, discovery and invention. This mentality would lead him to creative innovations in various fields of study including painting, architecture, mathematics, engineering, anatomy, botany, cartography. and much more.

Today, Leonardo da Vinci is historically recognized as a genius, who played an influential role in the Renaissance period through the use of his creativity to impact culture.

This artist profile is guest-hosted by Morgan Ruth Chin-Yee, a creative, art educator, and member of the Breath and the Clay team. Visit her website, MRCY, and follow her on Instagram @morgan.ruth.

Connect with our guest host Morgan Ruth Chin-Yee

Music in this episode by Glassea

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S7 E07: The Interior Life of The Artist with Kimbra May 01, 2020

Kimbra Lee Johnson is a singer, songwriter, producer + musician from New Zealand, now based in New York City. Her award-winning, debut album Vows was released in 2011. In 2012, she appeared on Gotye’s multi-platinum single, Somebody I Used To Know.

Kimbra’s music pushes the boundaries of genre and style juxtaposing pop sensibilities with influences in Jazz, R & B, and electronic music. Lyrically, Kimbra expresses the deeper longings of the human heart. Her poetic verses draw from personal experience, imaginative religious imagery and reveal a depth of honesty, vulnerability and reflection.

In this episode, I talk with Kimbra about her creative process and the deeper experiences of the artist’s life.

Kimbra Official

Visit Kimbra’s Patreon!

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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

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S7 E06: The Discipline of Inspiration with Carey Wallace Apr 24, 2020

Carey Wallace is the author of Stories of the Saints, The Blind Contessa’s New Machine, The Ghost in the Glass House, Choose, New Thing, and the forthcoming Discipline of Inspiration. Her work has appeared in Time, the Awl, The New Decameron, and Detroit’s Metro Times. She has spoken to students at Princeton, Yale, Julliard, Pratt, Emory’s Candler School of Theology, and the Festival of Faith and Writing, and taught at The Glen Workshop. She has released a dozen records with her brother as The Wallace Bros., and shown her fine artwork in Detroit and Brooklyn. She is the founder of the Working Artist’s Initiative, which helps emerging artists establish strong creative habits, and the Hillbilly Underground, which draws nationally-recognized filmmakers, writers, fine artists, and musicians to rural Michigan each summer. She lives and works in Brooklyn with her poorly-behaved Appenzeller, Bandit.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Carey LIVE in New York City (recorded October 2019) about the nature, the origins and the discipline of inspiration.

Carey Wallace

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S7 E05: Wellness & The Life of The Artist with Cynthia Newland Apr 15, 2020

Cynthia Newland is an artist, educator, speaker and wellness consultant. She is the founder of Alible3 – Nourishing the Body, Soul and Spirit, providing educational resources and equipping tools for holistic health. With her work in the area of wellness, she partners with the Health Made Simple community. Cynthia is the founding Director of Feet Speak Dance, a dance company whose mission aims to use dance to teach, inspire and bring a rich art filled experience to all whom they encounter.

In this episode, Cynthia talks with Stephen about the importance of physical nourishment, nutrition and general health in the life of the artist.

Cynthia Newland

Music By: Cest’ Lis

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S7 E04: The Artist As Protest Against Despair with Stephen Roach Apr 07, 2020

Social distancing can feel a bit destabilizing. All of our habits and routines and normal ways of functioning are suspended and we have to adopt new daily rhythms, ways of doing life and finding work. For the artist, this can lead to questions about the validity of our work and where art-making and creativity belong in a time of global crisis. But it is vital for our own mental and emotional health that we are formed by a clear narrative and see the true place of art as a needed response.
Making art during times of crisis positions the artist to become a protest against despair. The artist pushes against losing our identity and our humanity in the face of war, disease or whatever opposition stands against living an unimpeded, beautiful life.

In this episode, Stephen shares about the role of perception, the mischief of God, and the need for art in our current climate of isolation and uncertainty.

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Music in this episode by:

Songs of Water

C’est Lis

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S7 E03: Ritual Making & Performance Art with Heather Stringer Mar 27, 2020

Heather Stringer is a therapist, artist, and ritual maker. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle, WA and a Fellow with the Allender Center. She completed her M.A. in Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology and the Externship Program at The Allender Center. Heather has a practice of creating narrative informed trauma therapy as well as creating rituals for people marking a significant event in their life.

Heather believes that when we are intentional about engaging the particularities of our bodies, memories, and stories, an opening for healing and change are possible.

In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Heather about her niche of combining ritual making with performance art in ways that foster healing and inspire a more creative approach to everyday life.

Connect with Heather Stringer

End Bumper by Aaron Strumpel

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The Breath & the Clay: Communion (Online Gathering) Mar 19, 2020

We are calling all creative arts communities, individuals, seekers, believers, skeptics, doubters, craftsmen and bakers, tongue talkers and Quakers, anyone who needs community in the midst of quarantine. Come hang with us this Friday night at 7 pm Eastern time.
The communion time will be hosted by our Makers and Mystics creative collective along with Justin McRoberts and members of The Breath and the Clay community. Normally, this would be a patron-only event platform but this Friday we are opening it up to everyone!
When the world says “don’t gather,” I don’t know, maybe it’s the punk rock left in me from my "angsty" teenage years but I say, let’s outsmart the system and move, not in rebellion, but in the opposite spirit. Communion.
Follow the link button to sign up today and join us Friday night.

Sign Up for the Online Communion!

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Music By C’est Lis

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Artist Profile Series 28: Vincent Van Gogh Mar 13, 2020

Vincent van Gogh was a leading postimpressionist painter of the late nineteenth century, known for his thick, swirling brushstrokes and radical use of color. Before he was an artist, though, he was a pastor to a village of destitute coal miners in Belgium, an experience that shaped him deeply. Vincent was full of compassion and wonder, anguish and hope. “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing” was one of his personal mottoes. His art—whether of sunflowers for his friend Paul Gauguin, a peasant family sitting down for dinner, or a starry sky outside his asylum window—highlights the numinous in the day-to-day.

This artist profile is guest-hosted by Victoria Emily Jones, a writer on Christianity and the arts. Visit her blog, Art & Theology, and follow her on Twitter @artandtheology or Instagram @art_and_theology.

Follow Makers & Mystics on Instagram @makersandmysticshOfficial Website for Makers and Mystics

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S7 E02: One Percent For Artists with Erik Lokkesmoe Mar 06, 2020

In this episode, Stephen talks with Producer of Marketing and Distribution for Aspiration Entertainment, Erik Lokkesmoe. The two discuss Erik's vision for individuals, families and churches who want to support artists and the arts. Erik's charge to "democratize patronage" and create local communities of patrons is an important idea for our time. “I encourage everyone to listen to this discussion then pass it along to the leaders, patrons and arts advocates in your life.” - Stephen Roach

One Percent For Artists

Erik Lokkesmoe

Music Provided by: The Golden Age

Support Nashville’s Restoration!

Listen to Our Previous Interview with Erik from Season 2.

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S7 E01: Peopled With Dreams with John Mark McMillan Feb 27, 2020

In this Season opening episode, Stephen talks with singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan about the creative process behind his new album Peopled With Dreams

John Mark McMillan

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.

S6 E15: A Benevolent Detachment with John Eldredge Feb 19, 2020

John Eldredge is a New York Times bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. His latest book, Get Your Life Back, examines the breakneck pace at which we force our souls to exist—a pace that far exceeds God’s original design. In his book, John argues that a constant absorption of others’ worries through social media, paired with our own burdens and stresses, has left people overwhelmed and weary. In this season-finale episode, Stephen talks with John about the simple, yet profound spiritual disciplines that can heal our souls and nourish the creative spirit inside of us.

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.

S6 E14: The Art of Memoir with Cinelle Barnes Feb 12, 2020

Cinelle Barnes is a memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of a forthcoming anthology of essays about the American South (Hub City Press, 2020).

In this episode, Stephen talks with Cinelle about memoir as an agent of healing and how her process of writing helped navigate the difficulties of childhood trauma.

**Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Cinelle outlining practical steps of memoir writing for any of you writers out there who are interested in learning what it takes to get your story from the pen to the page.

Cinelle Barnes

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**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.

Artist Profile Series 27: Salvador Dali Jan 31, 2020

Salvador Dali remains one of the most complex and controversial figures within art history. His artistic mediums range from film-making, design, clothing and jewelry making, writing, even what he called an “erotic cookbook” which featured enticing recipes such as Thousand Year Old Eggs and Toffee with Pine Cones. Over the course of his lifelong career as an artist, he collaborated with other well-known figures such as Alfred Hitchcock, Alice Cooper and Walt Disney.

The common thread linking all of his artistic creations is the surreal and dream-like imagery that bends our perception of reality and presents the world through a lens of absurd, avant-garde and sometimes disturbing distortions. His paintings depict melting clocks, larger than life horses with exaggerated, giraffe-like legs, contorted faces hovering over vast, deserted landscapes, and daisies bursting out of cracked eggs.

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Music in this episode by: C’est Lis

Art As Healing: Live in Charlottesville, VA Jan 22, 2020

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

S6 E13: The Poetic Encounter with Tinasha LaRayé Jan 15, 2020

Tinasha LaRayé is a poet, actress, and filmmaker who has an intense passion to see nations transformed through storytelling. As a spoken word artist, she incorporates her theatrical world of acting to elevate poetry from the page to an encounter. From working with inner city kids, to young women, to budding creatives, she loves empowering individuals to move in their God-given voice, purpose, and power. Tinasha also desires to see the wound of racism healed in the United States and uses her creativity and teachings to equip this generation to walk out healing, justice, and unity. She currently serves as a pastor in Creative Arts at Bethel Church in Redding.

In today’s episode Stephen talks with Tinasha about her work as a poet and actress standing at the intersections of spiritual encounter and social justice. The two also talk about her film, Hope Song which explores the historical experience of Black people in America, and paints a poetic and prophetic vision for racial healing.

Connect with Tinasha

WATCH: Hope Song Film

Director's website

http://www.mvmntcollab.com

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S6 E12: A Walk Through Digital Babylon Jan 08, 2020

David Kinnaman is president of Barna Group, a leading research company based in Atlanta, Georgia. David’s work as a researcher and as a “professional listener” has led him and his team to interview nearly 1.5 million individuals since he began working for Barna in 1995.

In this episode, Stephen is joined by Storybrand consultant and pastor, Luke Humbrecht of Boulder, Colorado. Stephen and Luke talk with David about his latest book, Faith For Exiles and the importance of cultivating healthy habits of attentiveness in a distracted age.

Faith For Exiles Book

**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

Top 12 Episodes of 2019 Dec 21, 2019

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.

S6 Bonus Episode: Sneak Peak Into The Breath and the Clay 2020 Dec 20, 2019

In this bonus episode, Stephen highlights several of the presenters for the 2020 The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering, who have appeared on the podcast. Listen in for conversation segments with Jeremy Cowart, Lanecia Rouse Tinsely, Matthew Perryman Jones and Lauren Midgley.

OPENING MUSIC BY: C’est Lis

CLOSING MUSIC BY: https://www.ianrandallthornton.com/Ian Randall Thornton

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Artist Profile Series 26: Aimee Semple McPherson Dec 14, 2019

Aimee Semple McPherson was a celebrity personality and pioneering religious figure active during the 1920’s and 30’s. She is perhaps most remembered for her larger than life theatrical presentations of the gospel and for establishing one of the world’s first recognized mega churches. At the height of her fame, Aimee’s services filled 5300 seats three times every Sunday. She appointed two massive choirs and a fifty-piece orchestra to perform musical compositions and sacred operas which she composed. In her services, Aimee preached what she called “illustrated sermons,” accompanied by elaborate set designs and costumes created by Hollywood designers and performed by professional actors.

Sister Aimee by Daniel Mark Epstein

Join Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

**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.

S6 E11: Signposts with Matthew Perryman Jones Dec 07, 2019

Matthew Perryman Jones is performing songwriter by trade, though at heart, he is actually a seeker. With each entry into his discography, his musical and moral compass points toward an artistic horizon he has yet to explore. Sometimes, he turns his gaze to examine his own inner world. Other times, he looks to the inspirations found in the letters Vincent Van Gogh penned to his brother Theo, or in the idea of duende as proffered byFederico García Lorca, and in the poetic verses of Sufi poets Hafiz and Rumi.

In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Matthew about the inspirations behind his songs, the nuances within his art and the signposts along the way which give meaning and direction to his creative path.

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

**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.

S6 E10: Sole to Soul with John Fluevog Nov 28, 2019

John Fluevog is a celebrated Canadian shoe designer known for his witty and unconventional style. Colourful, Art Deco-inspired and inscribed with uplifting messages, his distinctive footwear has graced dance floors and boardrooms alike and are worn by everyone from Alice Cooper to Lady Gaga to nurses, teachers, lawyers, bikers, baristas and someone down your street.

Today, John Fluevog owns 27 stores across North America, Australia and Europe. He lives in Vancouver, sketches new designs every day and he knows he's weird.

In this episode, Stephen travels to Tribeca, New York City to talk with John about his fifty-year legacy of shoemaking and the inspirations behind his work.

John Fluevog - https://www.fluevog.com/

Join Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

Music in this episode is provided by: Cindertalk

http://www.cindertalk.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.

Artist Profile Series 25: William Blake Nov 22, 2019

William Blake was an English poet, printmaker and painter born November 28, 1757 in London, England. Today, he is considered one of the most important figures in English poetry and art, although during his lifetime, his work remained largely overlooked. His writings were spiritually and politically lethal and publishers shunned his works for fear of being accused of inciting insurrection.

Contemporary poet and musician, Patti Smith heralded William Blake as the spiritual ancestor of generations of poets. William Blake fueled the creative fires of Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, John Lennon, Bono and Jim Morrison who named the Doors after Blake’s verse, “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.”

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S6 E9: On Curiosity and Play with Ashley Mary Nov 14, 2019

Ashley Mary is a Minnesota-based muralist and abstract artist whose paintings tap into concepts of youth and playfulness and curiosity through the use of thick textures, vibrant colors, and organic and familiar shapes.

Her process is influenced heavily by her collage work, patterns, vintage ephemera, and her background in graphic design. Ashley’s work pays attention to the unintentional and leaves space to be surprised.

Her murals and product designs can be seen nationwide in large scale collaborations with brands such as Google, Starbucks, and Anthropologie.

Outside of her work as an artist, Ashley is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Curiosity Studios. A creative learning space for those stuck and blocked.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Ashley on book recommendations for sparking curiosity.

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.

S6 E8: Art As Empathy with Jeremy Cowart Nov 08, 2019

Jeremy Cowart is an award-winning photographer, artist, and entrepreneur whose mission in life is to "explore the intersection of creativity and empathy." He was named the “Most Influential Photographer on the Internet” by Huffington Post, Forbes and Yahoo in 2014. Jeremy has published four books including his latest release titled I’m possible: Jumping into fear and discovering a life of purpose.

His latest endeavor is The Purpose Hotel, a planned global for-profit hotel chain designed to fuel the work of not-for-profit organizations. He’s also the founder of a global photography movement, called Help-Portrait, which connects photographers, hairstylists and makeup artists all around the world with people in need to take their picture, print their picture and then deliver it—free of charge.

In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Jeremy about his work as a photographer and visual artist and how empathy and hope inform the art he makes.

Jeremy Cowart

The Purpose Hotel

Help Portrait

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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.

S6 E7: Rhythms of Renewal with Rebekah Lyons Oct 31, 2019

Rebekah Lyons is a national speaker and bestselling author of You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are and Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning. Rebekah has been described as an old soul with a contemporary, honest voice, revealing her own battles to overcome anxiety and depression— Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, Huffington Post, Publisher’s Weekly, and more.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Rebekah about her latest book titled, Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose. Through transparent personal stories and in-depth research, Rhythms of Renewal invites the reader to establish daily habits of creating and sustaining emotional, relational and spiritual health. Rhythms of Renewal offers four mindful rhythms of rest, restore, connect and create.

Many artists and creatives wrestle with stress and anxiety in their personal lives and in the creative processes. The wisdom Rebekah lives on the pages of her book offers not only a sense of hope but a practical pathway to get there.

Rebekah Lyons

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Your generosity makes these conversatsions possible. Thank you!

S6 E6: Adorning The Dark with Andrew Peterson Oct 24, 2019

Andrew Petersonis an award-winning singer-songwriter and author. The second book in his Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten won the Christy Award for Young Adult Fiction, and the fourth, The Warden and the Wolf King won World Magazine’s Children’s Book of the Year in 2015.
In 2008, Andrew founded a creative arts community called The Rabbit Room, which led to a yearly conference, countless concerts and symposiums, and Rabbit Room Press, which has published thirty books to date.
In this episode, Stephen sits down with Andrew to talk about his latest book, Adorning The Dark which is a collection of personal stories from his journey through the intersections of songwriting, storytelling, and vocation, along with offering a nuts-and-bolts exploration of the great mystery of creativity.

Adorning The Dark Book

Andrew Peterson

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S6 E5: Moving Through The World with Propaganda Oct 16, 2019

The artist known as Propaganda, is a Los Angeles based poet, political activist, academic & emcee. His body of work challenges listeners with difficult and sometimes controversial topics such as systemic injustice and racism. With musical roots ranging from aggressive battle raps to smooth introspective rhythms, Propaganda’s music crosses cultural spectrums while his deep lyrical prowess appeals to both the heart and intellect alike.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Propaganda about the motivations behind his poetry, music and social conscience.

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Propaganda

Artist Profile Series 24: Flannery O' Connor Oct 11, 2019

Flannery O’ Connor was a Southern, fiction writer and essayist born March 25th 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. She was a devout Roman Catholic with a penchant for satire, dark humor and wild, religious imagination. Today, O’Connor is considered to be one of America’s greatest fiction writers and an apologist for the Catholic faith.

Her stories are far from what you might imagine coming from a Southern Christian writer in the 1950’s. They are full of shocking scenes of violence, depravity and shady, sometimes comic Christian characters such as a bible salesman who steals a prosthetic leg or a pseudo-prophet who steals mummified dwarfs. Her character’s twisted views of reality warps the basic tenets of the faith they profess. Their situations often end in bloodshed.

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Music in this episode by Songs of Water

S6 E4: The Artist In The Modern World with Lewis Hyde Oct 03, 2019

Lewis Hyde is a scholar, essayist, translator, cultural critic and writer whose scholarly work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity, and property. His book, THE GIFT: Creativity and the Artist in the modern world is now considered a classic. Written over twenty-five years ago, this book is even more necessary today than when it first appeared. The Gift brilliantly orchestrates a defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Lewis Hyde about his books The Gift, Trickster Makes This World and how the artist makes his way through today’s world.

If you’d like to go deeper into the conversation, we have a short interview segment with Lewis Hyde for our patrons on his most recent book, A Primer for forgetting: Getting Past The Past

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.

Bright Wings Poetry: A Reading Sep 27, 2019

Nadine Ellsworth-Moran is the winner of our first annual Bright Wings poetry contest. Nadine is a Georgia resident where she works in full-time ministry while pursuing her love of writing. Her essays and poems have appeared in Interpretation, The Presbyterian Outlook, Structo, Kakalak, and Saint Katherine Review, among others.

In this episode, Stephen is joined by contest panel judge and poet, Amy Orazio and features a reading of Nadine’s winning poem by the author.

Topics in this episode include resilience, tenacity and constructive ways of handling rejections.

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.

S6 E3: Slow Art with Makoto Fujimura Sep 20, 2019

Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist, author and speaker whose process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.”

In a culture driven by speed and instant gratification, the idea of slow art runs counter to our normal modes of living.

Mako’s approach to art challenges our relationship to time and invites us into a more reflective approach to life, creating and viewing art.

In this episode Stephen speaks with Mako as he worked in his Princeton New Jersey studio. The two discuss his process of art-making, culture care and the importance of slowing down not only in art but in our relationships and in life.

Music for this episode is provided by jazz artist, Alfred Sergel four with compositions from his latest release, Sleepless Journey.

Patrons access additional interview segments with Mako on the importance of mentoring emerging artists, beauty, a glimpse into his daily practices and advice for artists of faith working in the world of art.

Makoto Fujimura Official Website

Support The Podcast and get additional interview segments with Mako and other guests!

Featured Music: Alfred Sergel IV

Artist Profile Series 23: Teresa of Avila Sep 13, 2019

Teresa of Avila was a Spanish, Carmelite nun born on March 28th, 1515. She was an avid writer, social reformer and mystic known for her wit, charm and intense spiritual ecstasies. In this Artist Profile, Stephen Roach offers a glimpse into the life of this eccentric and accessible mystic whose life remains applicable for us today.

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!

S6 E2: Wonder & Light with Lauren Midgley Sep 04, 2019

Lauren Midgley is a conceptual fine art photographer based in Oklahoma. Her photography stretches beyond the historical use of the camera and invites the viewer into a world of surrealism and visual storytelling. In a world saturated with digital imagery, Lauren employs illustrative, advanced digital manipulation to paint virtual narratives that speak to the heart of our collective human experience.

In this episode, Stephen and Lauren discuss her aims and motivations as an artist as well as the inception behind several specific portraits. To make it easier to you to follow along (with the visual nature of our discussion), we have posted the images mentioned in this episode on Instagram @makersandmystics.

Join the Creative Collective

Connect with Lauren Midgley

Sponsor Link: Ekstasis Magazine

Music in this episode:

Paper Lights

C’est Lis

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Artist Profile Series 22: Andy Warhol Aug 28, 2019

Pop Artist and cultural icon, Andy Warhol started his career as a commercial artist working as a successful illustrator for magazines and advertising agencies but eventually made the leap to become an independent, exhibiting artist in New York City. Andy’s unique style of portraying screen-printed images of his lifelong obsession with celebrities and mundane objects propelled him into the spotlight as a leading voice of the Pop-Art movement.

What isn’t widely recognized about Andy’s life was his secretive devotion to the Catholic faith. Underneath his silver wigs and flamboyant costumes was a man who regularly attended mass, served at a homeless shelter and financed his nephew’s study for the priesthood. How these two irreconcilable personas found home in this one man’s life is a question both interested religious figures and art critics alike have been asking.

In this Artist Profile, Stephen takes a brief look into the religious life of this enigmatic and complex artist’s hidden life.

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Music By: Apache Tomcat

S6 E1: Chrysaline with Josh Garrels Aug 21, 2019

In this opening episode, Stephen Roach talks with singer-songwriter Josh Garrels about his latest release, Chrysaline. The two discuss the personally transformative experiences that informed the making of these songs and how collaboration and environment impacted Josh’s creative process. Josh shares openly about his experience of personal frustration that led him to place his music on the altar.

*Be sure to listen to the end as Josh addresses the latest trend of what feels like a mass exodus from the faith by so many people in our generation.

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.

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Season 6: A Look Ahead Aug 20, 2019

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

S5 E15: The Soul vs. the Business of Creativity *Live Jul 31, 2019

This LIVE Season Finale episode features the perspectives of diverse voices you’ve heard on the podcast; Amena Brown, Josh Garrels, Vesper Stamper, Cole NeSmith and CJ Casciotta. In today’s panel discussion, these five discuss the tension between the soul and the business of creativity.

In the realm of art-making, there can seem to be a tension between our desire to create authentic works, works which remain true to the artist’s creative vision, while at the same time creating works which are either commercially viable or which resonate with the communities where we have influence.

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Artist Profile Series 21: John O' Donohue Jul 23, 2019

John O’ Donohue was a modern-day mystic, philosopher, theologian and poet. He spent his life along the West Coast of Ireland where the solitude and beauty of the land shaped him as an artist and thinker.

Imagination As The Path of the Spirit

John O’ Donohue

Featured Music: Songs of Water

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.

S5 E14: Acting As Truth Telling with Jason Burkey Jul 17, 2019

Jason Burkey is a professional actor who has appeared on television shows such as The Walking Dead, Nashville, Being Mary Jane, The Resident and a score of other well-known programs. His movie credits include a lead role in the 2012 surprise hit, October Baby as well as Lady and The Tramp, I Can Only Imagine, Bigger and The Art of Self-Defense.

Jason is also a founder of "Act For A Change," which is a local theatre non- profit that gathers Atlanta actors, writers and directors to perform one-act plays for local charities.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Jason about what motivates him as an actor and what it means to live truthfully in an imaginative setting.

Act For A Change Organization

Jason Burkey

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Artist Profile Series 20: Gerard Manley Hopkins Jul 11, 2019

Gerard Manley Hopkins was a Jesuit priest and English poet born July 28,1844. He is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era although during his lifetime, his poetry was never published. His approach to poetry was deeply enmeshed with his intimate and mystical spirituality. For Hopkins, who was an avid lover of nature, poetry was a means of accessing the Divine and of discovering God within nature.

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S5 E13: Love Through The Lens of Song with Charlie Peacock Jul 03, 2019

CHARLIE PEACOCK is a Nashville-based, 4x Grammy Award-winning, composer, record producer and recording artist. His production credits include Chris Cornell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Americana successes such as The Lone Bellow, Holly Williams and The Civil Wars.

Charlie is considered one of Nashville's most prolific cultural influencers and has dedicated himself to championing the independent music scene which he has served for over 40 years.

Alongside of his work in music production and songwriting, Charlie and his wife Andi co-founded Art House America in 1991, a non-profit created to inspire a seamless life of Christian discipleship and imaginative living. The Art House in Nashville is still actively serving their city’s art and entertainment community today.

More recently, Charlie and Andi have co-founded a blog called The Writer and the Husband which chronicles their thoughts on life, art, relationships and faith.

The Writer & the Husband

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Charlie Peacock

Makers & Mystics website

Artist Profile Series 19: James Hampton Jun 26, 2019

James Hampton was an African American visionary and found object artist who built a 180 piece throne in preparation for the second coming of Christ and wrote and accompanying manuscript in untranslatable language.

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See James Hampton’s Work

Spiritual American Trash Book

S5 E12: Impermanence with Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Jun 19, 2019

Lanecia Rouse Tinsley is an abstract artist based in Houston, TX. Her portfolio also includes a range of work in photography, painting, teaching, writing, and speaking.

Lanecia creates out of a desire to make the invisible landscapes within and the human condition known; using texture, form + color to speak to life upon various surfaces in ways words cannot.

In addition to her art, Lanecia works with projectCURATE as Co-Spiritual Director and Consultant for the Arts; and is Co-founder/Co-Creative Director of ImagiNoir Group, an international alliance and think-tank of black activists, artists, writers, scholars and educators.
Lanecia is a graduate of Duke University Divinity School (MDiv) and a graduate of Wofford College with a BA in Sociology.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Lanecia about her creative process and about art as healing and as a means of expressing the full range of our human experience.

***Patrons on the podcast can enjoy an additional interview with Lanecia about her inspiration in James Baldwin as well as a downloadable PDF of Baldwin’s essay on The Creative Process.

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.

Artist Profile Series 18: Lilias Trotter Jun 12, 2019

Lilias Trotter was a British artist, writer and visionary. It has been said that through Lilias’s contact with art critic and social philosopher, John Ruskin, she had the opportunity to become one of England’s greatest and most famous artists of her day. Yet, for her own convictions, Lilias turned away from this opportunity and followed a path that assured her of obscurity and promised no certain success.

Lilias lived forty years of her life among the Arabic people of North Africa and built significant friendships with Sufi mystics of the Sahara desert.

Resources:

Many Beautiful Things Documentary

Lilias Trotter Legacy

A Passion For The Impossible Biography

S5 E11: Sleeping At Last Jun 05, 2019

Sleeping At Last is the moniker of Chicago-based singer-songwriter, producer and composer, Ryan O’Neal. Ryan’s music has been featured on popular television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and The Vampire Diaries and has appeared in Films such as The Fault In Our Stars and The Twilight Saga.

Ryan has collaborated with numerous noteworthy songwriters such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Sarah Brightman, and many others.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Ryan about his music composition, his Enneagram songs, and what motivates his creativity.

Sleeping At Last Official Website

Enneagram Creativity with Sarah Duet

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Artist Profile Series 17: Meister Eckhart May 29, 2019

Meister Eckhart was a late 13th and early 14th century philosopher, theologian and mystic born in central Germany. In 1326, he was accused of 150 accounts of heresy and went on to be tried before the Catholic Inquisition. Today, however, Meister Eckhart’s writings have influenced artists and spiritual seekers from most every tradition and walk of life.

Articles and blogs mentioned in this episode:

Every Painter Paints Himself

The Eckhart Society

John Cage on Eckhart

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S5 E10: My Midsummer Morning with Alastair Humphreys May 21, 2019

Alastair Humphreys has been on expeditions all around the world, traveling through over 80 countries by bicycle, boat and on foot. He was named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year for 2012.

He has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara desert and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole.

More recently, Alastair followed in the footsteps of one of his own heroes, an Englishman named Laurie Lee who walked across Spain in 1935 earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Alastair about his adventures, his fears and motivations behind his lifestyle of risk and his latest book My Midsummer Morning.

Connect with Alastair Humphreys

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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

Bonus Episode: Martin Smith May 17, 2019

Earlier this year, I traveled to the beautiful country of England. While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet with singer/songwriter Martin Smith in his hometown of Brighton. We shared a breakfast together and afterwards I asked if he would be willing to answer a few questions I could share with our listeners. Martin was gracious and obliged, so I quickly pulled out my cell phone and captured our conversation.

**Disclaimer: Because the conversation was recorded on my iPhone, the production is a bit raw. But I felt the conversation was inspiring enough to share with you anyway.

http://www.martinsmithmusic.com

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S5 E9: Art & The Transcendence of God with Jeremy Begbie May 08, 2019

Jeremy Begbie is Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Professor in Theology at Duke Divinity School. He is also Senior Member at Wolfson College, Cambridge, and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge. He is Founding Director of Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts, one of the main aims of which is to foster theological-artistic links between Duke and Cambridge.

In this episode, Stephen joins Dr. Begbie at Duke Divinity School to talk with him about music, art and the transcendence of God.

This episode is sponsored by:

Artist Profile Series 16: Notre Dame May 01, 2019

This artist profile episode is about the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral and how writer Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame inspired a generation to restore this historical landmark.

The human heart longs for restoration and it is the artist who embodies this longing through artistic works and creative acts. We long to preserve and sustain beauty because in beauty’s longevity is tied our own hope that there is something more enduring than the ephemeral passing of our own bodies and physical structures. Places of beauty and historical landmarks become symbols of a deeper human impulse and reveal our longing for the eternal.

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S5 E8: Quench with Poet Amy Orazio Apr 24, 2019

Amy Orazio is a poet, teacher and writer from the Pacific Northwest. She received her MFA in Creative Writing at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles California. Her work has appeared in publications such as Bitterzoet, Gap Tooth, Pidgeonholes, Synasesthesia, and The Curator magazine. Amy’s latest collection of poems, titled Quench, is a meditation on exile and coming home.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Amy about sitting with mystery and overcoming the need for resolve in her poetry.

This episode features musical interludes by Colorado-based recording artist VNE.
Patrons of the podcast can join us for an additional interview segment with Amy as we talk on Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver and the influence of nature within her writings.

Connect with Amy Orazio

Featured Music: VNE

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Mentions in this episode: Thomas Merton, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry,

S5 E7: Keep Going with Austin Kleon Apr 10, 2019

Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and The Steal Like an Artist Journal: A Notebook for Creative Kleptomaniacs. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS NewsHour, and in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

The New Yorker said his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everybody else is declaring it dead.” He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and the Economist.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Austin about his thoughts on creativity, originality and his brand new, follow up release titled Keep Going, Ten Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad.

**Patrons of the podcast can access an additional interview segment with Austin on Creativity as subtraction and how the deconstruction process of his blackout poetry creates a new art form.

Join Our Creative Collective today!

Connect with Austin Kleon

Join The Makers and Mystics Collective

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Visit our website

Lorien Academy of the Arts

Artist Profile Series 15: Corita Kent Apr 05, 2019

Sister Corita Kent was an artist, printmaker, educator and an advocate for social justice. She broke through religious norms in the art world of her day by incorporating popular song lyrics, advertising images and slogans into her work. Her pop-art style is reminiscent of the works of graphic artist, Andy Warhol. When Corita viewed Andy’s artwork in the Los Angeles Ferus Gallery, in 1962 she soon began producing her own pop-culture inspired prints.

Connect with Corita’s work

Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective

Aaron Strumpel’s Music

S5 E6: The Language of Movement with Kelly Archer Mar 29, 2019

Kelly Archer is the founder and artistic director of the Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement. The vision and mission of Chadash is to cultivate renewal, reparation, and restoration in a broken world. Combining dance with film, poetry, multi-media, visual art and spoken word performances, Chadash Dance tells stories in an effort to honestly acknowledge the world as it is, but then seeks to engage in the conversation about what the world can be.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Kelly about the language of movement and what it means to “stand in the ashes of the barn burned down and point to the moon. One half in suffering and one half in hope.”

Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement

Songs of Water

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Join The Creative Collective

Artist Profile Series 14: Rainer Maria Rilke Mar 20, 2019

Rainer Maria Rilke was a Prague-born poet and novelist. His verses embody the human heart’s yearning to commune with God in an age of disbelief. His transcendent themes are deeply existential and contemplative in nature.

Research by Morgan Chin Yee

Music By Aaron Strumpel

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S5 E5: The Creative Environment with Graham Cooke Mar 13, 2019

Graham Cooke is an internationally recognized author, public speaker and strategist. He is known for a radical faith and friendship with God.

Graham's books have helped organizations and individuals overcome negative, limited thinking and transition toward a higher level of corporate and spiritual life.

An integral part of Graham's work involves producing resources for helping the poor and for eradicating human trafficking through supporting the organization, NOT FOR SALE.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Graham about cultivating environments to serve his creative and spiritual disciplines.

*Patrons can enjoy additional interview segments on how to deal with rejection and establishing healthy rhythms.

Graham Cooke

Music By: Aaron Strumpel

NOT FOR SALE

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Artist Profile Series 13: Teilhard de Chardin Mar 06, 2019

Teilhard de Chardin was a French Catholic priest, philosopher, paleontologist, geologist and World War I veteran who earned the Legion of Honor citation. He wrote extensively on science, on his scientific discoveries, and on his most intimate thoughts of Christ as the consummate culmination of spiritual and material realities.

Marie Teilhard

This episode features music by:

Aaron Strumpel

S5 E4: The Lost Art of Found Objects with Lonnie Holley Feb 28, 2019

Lonnie Holley is an African American artist who has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music, born out of struggle, hardship, but perhaps more importantly, out of furious curiosity and biological necessity, manifests itself in drawing, painting, narrative sculpture, photography, performance, and sound.

Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the oldest tradition of African American sculpture. Objects, already imbued with cultural and artistic metaphor, are combined into narrative sculptures that commemorate places, people, and events.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Lonnie and manager, Matt Arnett live from the Elsewhere Living Art Museum.

Become A Patron

Lonnie Holley

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

Artist Profile Series Episode 12: Georg Hegel Feb 20, 2019

Guest host Marie Teilhard of Kilns College explores the spiritual and artistic views of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

Marie Teilhard

Download Our Free E-Book: Five Creativity Killers

Music By: Aaron Strumpel

S5 E3: Return To Wonder with Harris III Feb 13, 2019

Harris “The Third” is an award-winning illusionist and communicator. In recent years his career has grown to become one of America’s most sought-out speakers, storytellers, creative consultants and event curators.

In 2015, Harris founded the Istoria Collective, a production company that creates meaningful and transformative experiences for people and brands through events, films, and digital media.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Harris about his work as an Illusionist and what it means to create moments of wonder that inspire and move people to a place of transformation.

Connect with Harris

Join our Creative Collective

S5 E2: The Symbolic World with Jonathan Pageau Jan 29, 2019

Jonathan Pageau is a professional artist, writer and public speaker. He delivers several lectures every year in Universities, conferences and other venues around North America. He speaks on art, but mostly on the symbolic structures that underlie our experience of the world.

Through his YouTube channel and podcast, The Symbolic World, he also furthers the conversation on symbolism, meaning and patterns in everything from movies, to icons, to social trends.

As an artist, Jonathan is one of the only professional icon carvers in North America, taking on institutional and personal art commissions from all over the world. You can view his works in his carving website.

Jonathan is the editor and a contributor for the Orthodox Arts Journal which looks at the revival and significance of liturgical art today. He also gives weeklong carving classes with Hexaemeron School of Liturgical Arts , which are credited by Pontifex University.

www.pageaucarvings.com

www.orthodoxartsjournal.org

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S5 E1: Moving Through Space with Natalie Shaw Jan 15, 2019

Natalie Shaw is a Chicago native who holds a studio fine art degree and is a graduate of Yale University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Shasta College. In 2016, she was selected for the Barbara Jane Carr Scholarship for excellence in the visual arts. Natalie has recently joined the artistic community in Austin, TX and has been selected for the Open 30 Juried Exhibit at the Martha Fenstermaker Gallery.

Natalie’s work is informed by a sense of air and space, and how we as humans move through it. She describes it as a push and pull, an up and then letting go, a play with gravity.

In this episode Stephen talks with Natalie about her work as a contemporary abstract artist and dives into what motivates her creative explorations.

Natalie Shaw

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FYR FYTR

S4 E15: Season Finale! The Missing Connection Between Faith & Art Dec 13, 2018

This episode is an Official Highjack!! StoryBrand Guide Luke Humbrecht turns the mic around and interviews our host, Stephen Roach. In this season finale episode Luke and Stephen discuss why the conversation of faith and art is important for our cultural moment and how you can be involved in the discussions. Stephen shares from history and personal stories on what compels him to host these conversations.

Music for this episode provided by:

Songs of Water

Fyr Fytr

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Get Tickets to The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering

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Artist Profile Series 11: Eriugena Dec 05, 2018

John Scotus Eriugena was an Irish theologian, philosopher, and poet. This artist profile is guest hosted by spiritual director, Sarah DeShields.

GET TICKETS to The Breath & the Clay

Join The Makers & Mystics creative collective

S4 E14: Re:Piano with Chad Lawson Nov 28, 2018

Pianist and composer Chad Lawson is a Classical musician whose career has visited byways of various musical genres, including Jazz, Latin, Film scores and Experimental music.

Chad’s compositions have been featured in countless films and television shows such as The Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries and the Award-winning podcast, Lore.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Chad about his background as a musician, what motivates his work and how his journey has led him to the poetic and meditative feel of his current musical expressions.

Chad Lawson

Join The Makers and Mystics Collective

The Breath & the Clay 2019 Nov 26, 2018

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.***

Artist Profile Series 10: Madame Jeanne Guyon Nov 21, 2018

Madame Jeanne Guyon was a controversial French mystic who wrote poems and spiritual writings on experiential forms of prayer.

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S4 E13: The Nero Monologues with Sarah Toth Nov 15, 2018

Sarah Toth is a performer and writer who uses singing, spoken word, and improvisation within opera to courageously tell stories of truth, vision, and possibility. Through collaborations in music-based theater, Sarah seeks to bring healing, inspire dreams, and empower people to walk boldly forward in their own personal story.

In this episode Stephen talks with Sarah about her opera The Nero Monologues and her involvement in creating new and experimental music-based theater.

Visit Sarah Toth

Support The Podcast!

Featured Music: Daniel Birch

Lobo Loco

S4 E12: God and Hamilton with Kevin Cloud Nov 01, 2018

The Broadway musical Hamilton is a popular musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is inspired by the life of the American founding father, Alexander Hamilton. Since its debut in February of 2015, the show has been widely received as a groundbreaking work of art. Its cultural and creative impact has continued to grow and inspire its audiences from London to New York and cities across America.

One audience member on whom the show left a lasting mark is author and pastor Kevin Cloud from Kansas City, Missouri. Kevin sees Hamilton as a “modern-day parable” that carries a depth of spiritual and transformative power.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Kevin about his perspectives on this Broadway musical and how the art form of theater has the ability to access the deeper parts of the human heart.

Become a member of the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective

Visit Kevin Cloud’s website

Artist Profile Series 09: Wassily Kandinsky Oct 25, 2018

Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky is considered by many to be the father of abstract art. In this episode Stephen takes a look into the life and art of Wassily Kandinsky, particularly his interest in the relationship between sound and color.

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S4 E11: Onward Like A Storm with Liz Vice Oct 18, 2018

Liz Vice is a singer/songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. She is best known for her Gospel, Soul and R&B roots. On her latest album titled, “Save Me,” Liz breaks the mold of any one particular genre and explores a wide range of musical territory.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Liz about her creative process and the vulnerability within her songs and personal story of overcoming fear.

Liz Vice website

Join The Makers & Mystics Creative Collective

Artist Profile Series 08: The Story of Cooper's Well Oct 13, 2018

In 1837, Reverend Preston Cooper began to have a series of dreams where an angel appeared to him saying, "Dig Cooper, dig."

Featured Music: Abstract In The Sky

Join the Makers & Mystics Collective

S4 E10: Nico Cox on The Art of Keeping Time Oct 05, 2018

Nico Cox is an Antiquarian Horologist, which is a technical term for a clock and watchmaker who specializes in the conservation and restoration of antique automata and mechanical musical objects. Her workshop, Memoria Technica is located in Seattle, Washington where she teaches, creates and brings mechanical music, singing birds and complex clocks back to life again.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Nico about the magic of horology and the critical thinking involved in her unique art of restoration.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview with Nico on “The Church’s bizarre use of automata during Middle Ages” at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

Featured Music in this episode: Unwed Sailor

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.”

Artist Profile Series 07: Sadhu Sundar Singh Sep 26, 2018

Sadhu Sundar Singh was a Christian mystic from the region of Punjab. His life was characterized by elaborate visions, long journeys and parables and stories inspired by the life of Jesus.

Support The Podcast

Music: Christopher Hale

S4 E9: Get Weird with CJ Casciotta Sep 20, 2018

CJ Casciotta is a writer and communicator who is passionate about helping organizations and individuals discover their inherent uniqueness. In his debut book, Get Weird, CJ asks the question, What if the outrageous, imaginative, crazy ideas that live inside your wildest dreams are actually there on purpose, divinely preinstalled to help others?

He says, Knowing what makes you weird is the best thing you can offer your art, your business, your friends, your family, and yourself. It's the essence of creativity, the stuff of movements, and the hope for humanity. It's time to quit painting by numbers, conforming to patterns, and checking off boxes. It's time to GET WEIRD.

In this episode CJ and Stephen discuss the ideas he presents in his book and unpack what it means to live fully and truly as that unique version of ourselves we were designed to be.

CJ Casciotta

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Artist Profile Series 06: Hildegard von Bingen Sep 12, 2018

Hildegard von Bingen was a German Benedictine abbess. She was a writer, composer, philosopher, playwright and visionary.

Guest host: Vesper Stamper

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S4 E8: Art As Cultural Transformation with Cole NeSmith Sep 05, 2018

Cole NeSmith is the founder and Executive Director of the Creative City Project and producer of IMMERSE, an annual performing and interactive arts event in the heart of Downtown Orlando. Cole started the award-winning Creative City Project in 2012 to cultivate creative community locally and to help shape the global perception of Orlando as a place known for creativity and innovation. In this episode, Stephen talks with Cole about the role of the arts in cultural transformation.

Creative City Project

Cole NeSmith

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Music Provided By: Fascinating Earthbound Objects

Artist Profile Series 05: Man of Visions Howard Finster Aug 29, 2018

Howard Finster was a folk artist and backwoods preacher from rural Georgia. He was known for his elaborate visions and the creation of his own Paradise Gardens. During the eighties, Howard's collaboration with the bands R.E.M. and Talking Heads catapulted him onto a global platform for his art and message.

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

S4 E7: Film As Visual Haiku with Ben Stamper Aug 22, 2018

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

Artist Profile Series 04: Nikolai Berdyaev Aug 15, 2018

Music provided by:

Ketsa

Songs of Water

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S4 E6: On The Art of Food with Julia Frey (Vikalinka) Aug 09, 2018

Julia Frey is a London based food writer, photographer and blogger. After moving from Canada to the UK seven years ago with her husband and children, she was homesick and between jobs. In order to occupy herself and have a creative outlet, she started an online recipe journal called Vikalinka.

A few years later the online journal turned into a full-time job and allowed Julia to transition from teaching English to working for herself as a food writer and photographer.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Julia about her inspirations, the art of food and how creativity extends beyond the fine arts into every aspect of life.

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.

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

S4 E5: A Theology of Art with David Taylor Jul 27, 2018

David Taylor is a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. His work centers on revitalizing the church through the creative arts. He has written and edited several books including his most recent, The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation and the Liturgical Arts.

In 2016, David produced a short film on the psalms with Bono and Eugene Peterson. He has lectured widely on the arts in both academic and popular settings, in the United States and abroad.

In this episode, Stephen talks with David about his work with Bono and Eugene Peterson as well as his perspective on the relationship between artists and the church.

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

Artist Profile Series 03: Oswald Chambers Jul 18, 2018

Most people know Oswald Chambers as the author of the famous devotional, My Utmost For His Highest, but few people know Oswald was a passionate artist who longed to see the arts become a vibrant expression of faith.

Featured Music in this episode:

Daniel Birch

Your Friendly Neighborhood

A Boy & His Kite

Join The Creative Collective

S4 E4: Ring Of Fire with Moda Spira Jul 11, 2018

Latifah Alattas is a singer/songwriter, producer, recording engineer and performer. Her project Moda Spira is a musical exploration of emotional honesty, characterized by intimate vocals and cinematic overtones.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Latifah about her upcoming album, her creative process and an in-depth look into her experience of journeying through grief.

Latifah has her own, companion podcast to the album which gives a song by song look into the themes and making of her record. You can listen and subscribe here.

Here is a link to Latifah's kickstarter campaign to support the making of her album.

Support Latifah’s Kickstarter!

Moda Spira website

Moda Spira Podcast

Join The Makers & Mystics Collective

S4 E3: Evergreen with Audrey Assad Jun 27, 2018

Audrey Assad is a singer/songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee who has written and recorded ten albums to date, including her recent release, Evergreen. In this episode, Stephen talks with Audrey about the gut-wrenching deconstruction of her faith and the fertile ground of re-birth which fuels the concept behind Evergreen.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview with Audrey at Patreon.com/makersandmystics.

Audrey Assad

Support the Podcast

makersandmystics.com

Mentioned in this episode:
Amy Jill Levine

Artist Profile Series 02: Dorothy Sayers Jun 20, 2018

A brief introduction to the detective novelist and theologian, Dorothy Sayers.

Join the Collective

Soundscape by The Aurora Principle

S4 E2: The Space Between with Erik Lokkesmoe Jun 13, 2018

Erik Lokkesmoe is the owner of Aspiration Entertainment, a Nashville-based company that produces, markets and distributes “screen forward” entertainment for aspirational audiences. He is an executive producer of the 2015 New York Times Critics Pick film LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT, starring Ewan McGregor.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Erik about his work in the film industry and what Erik terms as "the middle place," where artists with a faith background engage the general market with creativity and conviction.

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

Artist Profile Series 01: Hans Rookmaaker Jun 08, 2018

Hans Rookmaaker was a Dutch Scholar and art professor. He is most known for his book “Modern Art and the Death of Culture.” In this episode, Stephen discusses Rookmaaker’s views on art as an act of faith versus art as religious propaganda.

Join The Creative Collective

Music by Cambo

S4 E1: How To Fix A Broken Record with Amena Brown May 29, 2018

Amena Brown is a poet, speaker, author and event host. Named one of Rejuvenate Magazine's Top 40 under 40 Changemakers, Amena is the author of five spoken word albums and two non-fiction books: Breaking Old Rhythms and her latest release How to Fix a Broken Record.

In this season premiere episode, Stephen talks to Amena about success and failure, the effects of social media on artists and how vinyl records became one of her entry points to relationship with God.

Patrons can listen to an additional interview with Amena Brown on money management here.

Amenabrown.com

Additional Interview with Amena on The Artist and Money Management

Connect with Amena

Become a patron of the podcast

Makers and Mystics website

S3 E15: Season Finale! On Emotional Health with Jonathan & Melissa Helser May 03, 2018

http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

http://www.jonathanhelser.com

Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring

PURCHASE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

S3 E14: On Honesty, Propaganda & Risk Averse Art Apr 19, 2018

Become A Patron

Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring

S3 E13: Living As Custodians Of Fascination Apr 05, 2018

http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

S3 E12: What The Night Sings with Vesper Stamper Mar 21, 2018

Connect with Vesper

Buy The Book

Join The Makers & Mystics Collective

Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring

S3 E 11: A Legacy of Authenticity with Mighty Mykell Mar 08, 2018

Connect with Mighty Mykell

Join the Makers & Mystics Collective

Tickets to The Breath & the Clay

Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring

S3 E10: Welcome Home: Re-storying The Narratives We Live By with Joel McKerrow Feb 21, 2018

Connect with Joel McKerrow

Additional Discussion on Patreon

Tickets to The Breath & the Clay

Sponsor Link: Matt Tommey Mentoring

S 3 E9: On The Relationship Between Art & Faith with Stephen Roach Feb 07, 2018

Tickets To The Breath & The Clay

Become A Patron of The Podcast

S3 E8: A Creative Liturgy of Everyday Life with Emily Freeman Jan 25, 2018

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.

S3 E7: Cosmos In The Chaos with Abstract Artist Ty Nathan Clark Jan 11, 2018

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

S3 E6: The Year In Review Dec 29, 2017

Tickets to The Breath & the Clay - March 23-25 2018

Bonus Episode with Maker Coffee: The Caffeinated Session Dec 21, 2017

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

S3 E5: The Inverted Kingdom with Actress Anna McGahan Dec 14, 2017

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

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S 3 E 4: Honesty In Artistry with Josh Riebock Nov 29, 2017

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.

S3 E3: A Journey To The Heart with Ken Helser Nov 08, 2017

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

S3 E2: Urban Monks & Part-Time Hermits Oct 25, 2017

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.

Season Premiere! S3 E1: Around The Table with Jason Upton Oct 11, 2017

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 Interlude: What's Coming Ahead Oct 02, 2017

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!!!

S2 E15: Speaking In Tongues: A Secular View of Pentecost Sep 13, 2017

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!

S2 E14: The Art of Noise: On Performance Art & The Gospel Aug 25, 2017

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.

S2 E13: Naming The Animals Aug 08, 2017

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.

Season 2 Episode 12: On Process and Productivity with Matt Tommey Jul 19, 2017

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".

S2 E11: On Vocation and Calling with Josh Garrels Part 2 Jun 21, 2017

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.

Season 2 E10: On Vocation and Calling with Josh Garrels Part 1 Jun 14, 2017

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.

Season 2 E9: An Ethos Of Amazement. Keynote with Sean Feucht May 30, 2017

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.

Season 2 E 8: The Holy Spirit & The Art Of Becoming Human May 16, 2017

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.

Season 2 E 7: #poetryismyprotest Apr 25, 2017

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

Season 2 E 6: A Renaissance Of Hope With Ray Hughes Apr 04, 2017

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.

Season 2 E 5: Beauty Will Save The World Part 2 Mar 23, 2017

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.

Season 2 E4: Beauty Will Save The World Part 1 - An Interview with Brian Zahnd Mar 13, 2017

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.

Season 2 E3: Cultivating A Lifestyle of Creativity With Bright Ideas Creative Collective Mar 01, 2017

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.

Season 2 Episode 2: All Things Sacred: A Conversation w/ John Mark McMillan Feb 16, 2017

A candid conversation with John Mark McMillan

Season 2 E1: The Nearness Of You Is My Only Good - An Interview with Dave Wilton Jan 10, 2017

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.

S1 E15: Finding True North: On Shock Value vs. Risk Value with Marie Teilhard Nov 26, 2016

Marie Teilhard is a concept photographer, literary artist, and public speaker. She holds a M.A. in Public Policy & Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Chicago. She has also earned a Graduate Certificate in Science - Faith Apologetics from Hope International University.

In this Episode, Stephen and Marie discuss Surrealism, the artist Bjork and the use of unconventional symbols within Christian art. Marie gives a fabulous discourse on the difference between shock value and risk value.

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S1 E14: Chaos & Familiarity with Artist Linnea Spransy Oct 04, 2016

Linnea Spransy is a visual artist based in Los Angeles, California. Since graduating from Yale University in 2001 with an MFA in painting, her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Internationally. Linnea maps out her compositions using intricate systems to explore the relationships between limitation and freedom. Her drawings and paintings coalesce a voracious interest in science, philosophy and theology.

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S1 E13: Liminal Spaces with Sarah Deshields of Broadcast Safe Sep 07, 2016

In this episode, Stephen converses with Scottish artist Sarah Deshields of the band Broadcast Safe. Sarah is a photographer, a visual artist, singer/songwriter and co-founder of the Elysian Arts Collective in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephen and Sarah discuss contemplation, her band's new album and and what it means to be a working artist, wife and mother.

Sarah DeShields

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S1 E12: Create vs. Copy with Ken Wytsma Jul 28, 2016

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Ken Wytsma

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