Makers & Mystics

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 inn...

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...

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, w...

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 inv...

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...

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 m...

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 Benazi...

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 t...

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 Theolog...

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 un...

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 writ...

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 a...

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...

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?  Pr...

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 inspira...

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...

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. Suppo...

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:  Mind...

In this concluding segment of our artist's roundtable on the Ordinary and Existential, Strahan, Josh, Ashley and Stephen explore the similarities and contrast between the glory of transfiguration and the humility of washing the disciples feet. Though different in expression, both acts hold a beautiful depiction of art and the urge for transcendence. Support the Podcast with a one time donatio...

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...

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 dis...

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...

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...

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 Volk...

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...