This fall we have several opportunities to gather together, get inspired and build community.  I'd love to see you at one or all of these happenings!  Just click the links below to find out the specific event details.

If you’d like to stay in the know on our regular happenings and inspirations, sign up for our bi-weekly email list here.  

The Embodied Faith symposium - Sept.21-22 Charlotte NC

Resound Creative Arts Conference - Sept 27=28, Boulder, CO

Karios Arts Event - Oct. 11-12, Charleston, SC

The Breath and The Clay Writer’s Retreat - Oct. 25-27, Moravian Falls, NC

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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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.

You can contribute to the cause here.

You can become a monthly patron here.

In this episode, I talk with Author and Professor ,Mary McCampbell about her book, Imagining Our Neighbors As Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy. In our conversation, we discuss how narrative art serves as an invitation to awaken and expand our capacity for empathy.

Buy Mary’s Book

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Featured music by: Jessamyn Day

Interlude music by: Luke Vandergriff

Sho Baraka is a globally recognized recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. His work combines his artistic platform with his academic history to contribute a unique perspective, elevating the contemporary conversation on faith, art, and culture.

In this episode I talk with Sho about his book, He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken World

We discuss how art and imagination address the issues we face in today’s society in ways other forms of communication cannot.

 Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Sho Baraka as well as other guests of the podcast

Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist

In this Round Table Discussion, I talk with visual artist and performance speaker, Scott Erickson along with trauma therapist, ritual-maker and NYC-based artist, Heather Stringer. In this round table, we talk candidly about disorientation and the process of re-orienting after two years of social and personal upheaval.

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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

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Brightbell Creative: Meaningful marketing for the creative artist.

Naming The Animals is a new podcast by Makers and Mystics! This eight episode series follows a chapter by chapter discussion of Stephen Roach’s book Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity.

Each week, Stephen will be joined by Square Halo’s Creative Director, Ned Bustard and a variety of biblical scholars, professional artists and creative thought leaders on topics such as inspiration, contemplation and beauty.

This podcast is an accompaniment to the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective Book Club, running June 8th - July 27th, 2022.

To join the Book Club, sign up for the Maker tier of patronage at Patreon.com/makersandmystics

William Day is an American painter known for his large-scale compositions of colorful shapes and energetic marks. His process leads him to create paintings in series, each focusing on different nuances of the human experience.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Will about his latest series titled Breakout which explores themes of reset and rebirth. This discussion includes topics such as: The impact of isolation, How to handle negative critique and living beyond fear.

 Patrons of the podcast can enjoy additional interview segments with Will at patreon.com/makersandmystics

Brightbell Creative: Offering meaningful marketing for the creative artist.

In this episode Stephen Roach talks with philosopher, James K.A. Smith about the role of imagination in "re-storying" the narratives we believe about ourselves and society.

connect with James K.A. Smith

Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist

Support The Podcast! Contributing as little as one to ten dollars a month makes a huge difference in our ability to produce quality content and lift a voice of encouragement to artists and creatives around the world. Patrons receive access to additional interview segments, online book clubs and discussions on art and the spiritual life.

Ryan Lott of the experimental, electronic trio talks with Stephen Roach about composing for the film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.

Son Lux

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

Brightbell Creative: Creating Meaningful Marketing For the Creative Artist.

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!

Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist. Let us help you clarify the language your art speaks and connect your work with your audience.

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.

Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist

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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.

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

Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist

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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

Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist

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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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Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for the Creative Artist

Composer Sean Williams

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.

Connect with Dan Allender

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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

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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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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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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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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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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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.

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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

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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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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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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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

And online framed prints can be purchased here:

www.fourcorners.art

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Vesper’s Website

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

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.

ORDER STEPHEN’S NEW BOOK: NAMING THE ANIMALS

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

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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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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

Become a Patron to unlock an additional interview segment with J.F. Martel on “Where Ideas Come From”

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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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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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

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

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

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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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

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

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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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

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!

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

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Music in this episode by VNE

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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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

Visit Khalisa Rae’s Website

Visit Co-host, Ashley Blake’s Website

Read the Winning Poems

Become a Patron of the Podcast, join our creative collective and enable us to continue lifting up the voices of makers and mystics across the globe.

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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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.