Makers & Mystics – Details, episodes & analysis

In this season finale, Stephen Roach closes out our exploration of creative flow with a rich conversation with several artists from the Makers & Mystics Patreon community. Joining the discussion are artist and educator Angela Houk, writer and branding expert Steve Brock, and poet and visual artist Corey Frey.

Together, the crew explores the interplay between resistance and flow—how creative blocks, limitations, and even frustrations can actually become the conditions that allow new work to emerge and personal character to develop. As Wendell Berry reminds us, “the impeded stream is the one that sings.”

This episode examines:

• Why resistance can be a gift in the creative process.
• How Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow connects to happiness and fulfillment.
• The balance between focus and receptivity in both art and relationships.
• How preparation, practice, and openness set the stage for flow.
• The “radical middle” where challenge and skill converge
• Connecting the experience of flow to the Holy Spirit

This is a thoughtful, inspiring conversation on navigating resistance, finding flow, and staying open to the creativity that emerges when we least expect it.

Connect with the guests:

Angela Houk

Steve Brock

Corey Frey

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If you’d like to go deeper in these conversations and be part of the Makers & Mystics creative collective, consider joining us on Patreon. You’ll gain access to monthly online gatherings, bonus content, creative prompts, and a vibrant community of artists pursuing faith and imagination together.

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JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

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Overfamiliarization can blind us from recognizing the beauty and power of certain truths. When we think we have heard the story before or believe we already know what a particular truth has to offer, we lose the curiosity that opens us to deeper revelation. The work of the artist is to disrupt that familiarity, make the known strange again, and the familiar unfamiliar again, so that we see the world anew. 

My guest today is New York-based visual artist Faith Bryant. Faith's original style of oil painting recasts the gospel story through the lens of surrealism and deep color theory. Her work explores the complexities of Christian faith, personal identity, and the journey of healing. Through her layered compositions and hidden imagery, Faith invites viewers to take a second look at the truths we thought we understood.

Connect with Faith on Instagram @edenesq_

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Join the Makers and Mystics creative collective 

Join Stephen Roach, Tanner Olson, Sarah Westfall, and many other presenters at the Cultivate Online Retreat. June 20-22. Details and registration here. 

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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

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JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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.

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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.

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
• Give a one-time donation https://buy.stripe.com/9AQeYj7431fD12waEO
• Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective https://www.patreon.com/c/makersandmystics

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.

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
• Give a one-time donation https://buy.stripe.com/9AQeYj7431fD12waEO
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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

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
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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

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Support the show

JOIN US FOR BOOK CLUB! Every Tuesday at 8 pm EST in June 2026, we will be reading James's book online in our Patreon community! We'd love to have you with us. Visit patreon.com/makersandmystics to RSVP. 

• Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1
• Give a one-time donation https://buy.stripe.com/9AQeYj7431fD12waEO
• Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective https://www.patreon.com/c/makersandmystics