Be. Make. Do.

"...When I saw adults for the first time on stage, saying lines, being other people, showing their emotions, having cathartic experiences, I was like, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life!" - Tami Dixon In this episode of the Be. Make. Do. podcast, Tami Dixon, an actor, playwright, and co-artistic director of Bricolage Theater Company , discusses with Lisa her journey as an artist. Sh...

Having a clear understanding of your motivations for creating allows you to stay focused and not get sidetracked by chasing success or fame. In this episode of the Be. Make. Do. podcast, Lisa and Dan discuss The Storyteller Archetype focusing on why artists create and how understanding motivations can lead to fulfilling careers and a strong sense of identity and purpose. The Maker, The Mystic, The...

In this episode, Lisa talks with Erik Løkkesmoe, former VP Outback Presents, in Nashville, TN. They ponder artistic motivations, isolation, common grace, and the Imaginative Visionary Archetype. Erik shares from his years of experience working in the arts and entertainment industry from LA to Nashville. "...We think we're bigger than we are. We think we have a greater influence. And it's helpful...

Why do you create? If you're unsure about that, how can you define fulfillment and success for yourself as a creative? Let alone chart a path to get there? Knowing your strengths, gifts and motivations can help you uncover the essence of what drives your creative process. This season on the Be. Make. Do. Podcast, we'll be discovering Your Artist Spiritual Archetype. Are you The Maker, The Mystic,...

Artists and creatives share many things in common, but we’re not interchangeable. We each have unique gifts and challenges. Knowing your strengths, gifts and motivations can help you develop spiritual and artistic practices that work for you and help you become who we were created to be, make what we were created to make, and do what we were created to do. This season on the Be. Make. Do. Podcast,...

"I think [leadership] is about influence and the moving of people in a direction, and that's exactly what art does." Artist and pastor, Joey Tomassoni of Annapolis, MD joins Lisa in this final conversation in the Wise-Hearted Ones series to talk about artists as leaders in and outside of churches, learning to see and the power of beauty. You can see Joey Tomassoni's artwork here: joeytomassoni.com...

"All the creativity, energy, goodness, and joy is there if we just stop trying so hard to be self-sufficient." -Mandy Smith, Pastor, artist and author of the new book: Confessions of an Amateur Saint. In this episode, Mandy Smith talks with Lisa and Dan about balancing creativity and leadership, the importance of vulnerability and reliance on God, and the need for authenticity and transparency in...

"I feel like Christians should be the most creative and should have the most profound understanding of the complexity of the human condition." The "P" word (prophetic) gets thrown around in this episode of the Be. Make. Do. Podcast.  Mary McCampell, author of Imagining our Neighbors as Ourselves, joins Dan and Lisa for a  conversation on the impact of creative work in shaping our lives a...

Defining success in creative industries can be challenging. Not to mention marketing, sales, and networking. In this episode, Veronica Scarpellino, founder of Goldfinch Leadership talks with Lisa and Dan about how artists can repurpose their creative strengths as tools to take the stress out of doing the business of art. Join the conversation at www.soulmakers.org/bemakedo or on one of our socials...

“I think it's important we be free. Because…when we make our art we are leaving evidence in our time of a living God.” -Karen Swenholt, Sculptor. In this episode, we breakdown not only why it’s essential to be free of condemnation but how! Karen Swenholt joins Lisa and Dan for an illuminating conversation on what it takes to get free and make what you were created to make. In what ways do you need...

In this special episode from the vault, Lisa shares an intimate reflection on George Michael's prophetic song, Praying for Time. Originally recorded 6 years ago (before there even was a Be. Make. Do podcast!), it's shocking to hear how timely and relevant this episode still is. Listen in on the very first time Lisa ever outlined her thoughts on prophetic critics and imaginative visionaries. All in...

For so long art created by Christians has been limited to art for use in church. But have we as believers, especially in the West, undermined God’s true plan and responsibility for artists by keeping the scope of their creativity too narrow? In this final episode of Wise-Hearted Ones series, Lisa dives into what is the “ministry of imagination” and how we as artists can be encouraged that God has...

The construction of golden calf is one of the most commonly known Exodus stories. Though God had delivered them Egypt, hunger, and thirst, the Israelites chose to place their trust in an idol of their own haphazard making. It’s no accident that this story is told between the calling of the Wise-Hearted Ones and the execution of their work. How does art rooted in idolatry differ from God’s design?...

Wise-Hearted Ones: 3 Frameworks to Survive and Thrive As An Artist Creatives talk a lot about artistic craft, but what about soul craft? How is our work connected to the larger rhythms of our spiritual lives? As we see in the Exodus story of the Wise-Hearted Ones, God bestows not only creative knowledge and skill, but frameworks of support to sustain both work and spirit. What are these frameworks...

Wise-Hearted Ones: Shedding the False Dichotomy with Marlita Hill As Christian artists, it’s easy to see our artistic practices as separate from our personal faith. How can we begin to integrate our mediums with our ministry? Are these parts of ourselves so separate after all? Joining Lisa this week is Marlita Hill , a choreographer, multi-published author, and 20+ year educator who serves an inte...

An Artist Ordained with Lisa Smith What if HOW we create is just as important as WHAT we create due to this divine call? Artists selected by God have a high calling — one that requires everything be surrendered to the Maker. Continuing the Wise-Hearted Ones series, Lisa Smith dives into the artistic giftings God gave to master artisans when he ordained them to create the Tabernacle. Take time to c...

Wise-Hearted Ones: Called By Name. Called By Heart. with Lisa Smith What does “wise-hearted” even mean? In this episode, podcast host Lisa Smith unravels a story of divine, artistic collaboration. An unlikely group of craftsmen, wandering the arid desert, are called by name, by God, to build Him a dwelling place called the Tabernacle. The Exodus account details how God specifically calls artists t...

Gathering & Community For Artists with Stephen Roach of Makers & Mystics In a special conversation, host Lisa Smith sits down with Stephen Roach, founder of The Breath and The Clay creative arts organization and host of the Makers & Mystics podcast. As a poet, musician, and self-proclaimed “creative instigator,” Stephen takes Lisa through the concept of what it means for artists to be...

Wise-Hearted Ones: Building a Purposeful World Through Art with Dr. Elise Edwards "The arts are essential; they transform us, allowing access to superpowers we can't reach through linear processes or rational thinking. It's part of God's design for what it means to be human." In this episode, Lisa and her guest, Christian Ethicist and architect, Dr. Elise Edwards , delve into the profound impact a...

Wise-Hearted Ones: Why Your Art Matters with Deborah Sokolove Within the strokes of art, we find whispers of the divine, a symphony of colors echoing the call of the soul. In this episode, Lisa Smith, the creative mind behind Convergence Art Initiative, orchestrates a captivating dialogue with her mentor and artistic luminary, Deborah Sokolove, about why art matters As the conversation weaves thro...

Wise-Hearted Ones: A Story in a Story with Jennifer Allen Craft An often overlooked section of Exodus has more to teach us about God’s design than we may have ever realized . This is the story of the Wise-Hearted ones, the ones who were called by name and by heart to construct the Tabernacle. Author of “Placemaking and the Arts: Cultivating the Christian Life” and Point University Professor Jennif...

Why Does it Matter that You Make Art? Join us for our newest season of Be. Make. Do. as we explore The Wise-Hearted Ones in the book of Exodus. This time, artists are called by name, filled with the spirit, and charged to lead God's people in an art project of magnificent scope. Discover the original call of the artist and reconsider your creative gifting in light of the wise-hearted ones. This is...

How in the world do I find the time and energy to do what I love? Contribute something positive to the world? Make a living AND be fulfilled as a person and an artist?  As creative people, the possibilities really are endless. But if you're smart (and you want to survive), you'll find a method to evaluate your priorities. So you can discern for yourself when to say "yes," and when to say "no....

"The most creative people in the world should be those that are empowered by a Spirit beyond our understanding. And yet, the least creativity, the least “good reframing,” is happening by followers of Jesus." In this episode, Lisa dives deep with Mark Nelson of 100 Movements Publishing, and co- author of the book, Reframation: Seeing God, People, and Mission through Re-enchanted Frames. Mark sounds...

What if being an artist of faith is more about WHO YOU ARE and HOW you create than WHAT you make? Too many Christians in the arts are living in a no-win situation. They’re serious about their work, committed in their faith – but feeling disjointed and disconnected.  In part three of this series, we’ll consider how to integrate the many pieces of you through the three-fold way of calling. And...