Makers & Mystics

How does imagination shape not only our art but our spiritual formation? And what does it mean to hold space for play, growth, and even disappointment within our creative process? In this episode, Stephen Roach is joined by Jon Guerra   — a singer, songwriter, and film composer based in Austin, Texas, whose work is marked by its devotional nature and spiritual depth. Jon shares the inspiration beh...

In this concluding segment of our Artist Roundtable, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Donna Matthews continue their conversation on ecstatic experiences, flow states, and the artist’s impulse through a Christian lens. This episode explores ecstatic states in both Pentecostal and Orthodox traditions, highlighting the shared hunger for transcendent encounter across streams of faith. The discussion als...

In this Artist Roundtable, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Donna Matthews explore the concept of flow states, ecstatic experiences, and their intersections with art and faith. They discuss how creative processes can lead to profound spiritual encounters, the importance of vulnerability and surrender in accessing these states, and the role of discernment in navigating spiritual experiences.  This Tw...

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 wor...

Elizabeth Bowman is a self-taught impressionist painter based in Charlotte, NC. Her work is steeped in imaginative renderings of biblical stories and visual meditations on the life of faith. In this conversation, Elizabeth shares how motherhood and prayerfulness give shape to her art, the importance of rest and reflection, and how she finds creative flow amidst the demands of everyday life. http:/...

Barbara Hannigan is a world-renowned conductor, soprano, and performer whose work pushes the boundaries of classical and contemporary music. Known for her fearless interpretations and deeply expressive performances, Barbara has built a career that defies convention and celebrates the transformative power of sound. In this episode, Barbara and I discuss her recent album Electric Fields , which offe...

In this episode, Stephen Roach explores creative flow as a generative, life-giving way of being. He highlights the need for trust in the process and the vulnerability that comes with sharing one's art. Stephen encourages listeners to embrace rhythms of rest and rebirth and imitate the ocean.  Join the Makers and Mystics Creative Collective  Support the podcast with a one-time donation.  Send...

I would imagine most of us think of inspiration as a sudden flash of insight that hits us out of nowhere and compels us create. It’s not something we control. The wind blows where it wishes and we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes.  But what if inspiration were a discipline?  Brooklyn-based author and artist Carey Wallace has written an incredible book titled, The Discipline of Inspi...

Leah Song is a storyteller, song-catcher, musician, poet, and community builder. She’s best known as the front-woman of the beloved band Rising Appalachia , which she leads alongside her sister Chloe. As a solo artist, Leah draws from the rich traditions of Southern soul, the diasporic sounds of the Celtic Isles, and her deep studies of folk music from across the Americas. In this episode, Leah ta...

Flow begins with attentiveness. In this episode, Stephen Roach shares how tuning the room became a creative and spiritual practice. Welcome to Season 15 of Makers & Mystics . In this opening episode, host Stephen Roach invites listeners into the unfolding journey of Finding Flow —not just as a creative high, but as a sacred rhythm and intentional spiritual practice. Anchored in a story from hi...

Have you experienced those moments when the grind gives way to an effortless grace? When a poem or painting tells you what it wants to become, or when a melody sings itself into being?    This state of creative flow is one that artists and athletes, saints and mystics alike, each aspire to attain. It is a state where time bends low and reveals a slice of eternity. When our minds are absorbed, the...

In this final conversation of our BC25 introductions, Stephen Roach, Corey Frey, and Dr. Marie Teilhard discuss the complexities of art that challenge conventional boundaries.  They explore themes of heretical art, the distinction between shock art and risk art, and the importance of trust and exploration in the creative process.  **Trigger Warning: This episode deals with sensitive subject matter...

Amanda Cook is a writer/musician/lover of books whose music explores the intersections of faith/doubt, love/loss, hope/despair, and fun/notfun.  In this episode, Amanda talks with Stephen Roach about her latest EP Survey: Part 2 along with her thoughts on reconciling faith and art and the motivations behind her creative process.  This episode continues our introductions to the presenters who will...

What role does contemplative prayer have in healing the fractures of our modern culture and those of our own fragmented lives? And how can our spiritual and creative practices offer an antidote to the chaos of contemporary life? In today’s episode, we’re exploring these questions with best-selling author, counselor, and teacher John Eldredge .  Drawing insights from his latest book, Experience Jes...

Kendra Adachi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lazy Genius Way, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, and The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like A Lazy Genius. As an expert in compassionate time management, Kendra helps others stop doing it all for the sake of doing what matters. She Kendra hosts the nationally-ranked The Lazy Genius Podcast and lives in North Carolina with her husband and three kids....

"Technology does a really good job of floating us past all of these inconvenient blessings." - John Mark McMillan  Today on the show, singer-songwriter John Mark Mcmillan joins me to talk about his new music, technology's impact on the arts, confessing to an AI Jesus, and recovering a sense of meaning in our disenchanted world.  If you’ve listened to the Makers and Mystics podcast o...

This episode offers a preview of the types of panels we'll be hosting at The Breath and The Clay 2025. It includes a live conversation with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Victory Boyd, gospel recording artist Leeland Mooring, visual artist and curator Corey Frey, and podcast host Stephen Roach. This conversation was recorded live at the Resound Creative Arts event in Boulder, Colorado...

In this series of conversations, Makers and Mystics will highlight several of the presenters and themes for the BC25 creative arts gathering, March 21-23, in Winston Salem, NC.  Today’s guest is Theo-poet and mystic Dr. de’Angelo DIA.  The conversation explores the intersections of poetry, theology, and personal experience. DIA discusses how his early exposure to literature and comic book mytholog...

In the season 14 finale of Makers and Mystics , Stephen Roach reflects on the theme of reclaiming wonder . Drawing from personal stories, spiritual insights, and the wisdom shared by this season’s guests, Stephen examines how we can rediscover awe and beauty in our everyday lives, even in a world that often feels disconnected from the miraculous. Stephen closes the episode with a thought-provoking...

Myths and storytelling have been a part of human culture since ancient times. From the oral traditions of indigenous peoples to the epic tales of gods and heroes, stories have shaped our understanding of the world, our place in it, and our deepest desires. For artists, these narratives offer more than a glimpse into the past—they are a source of guidance, inspiration, and meaning.  In this final c...

The new year is a time of reflecting, looking back over the lengths I’ve come, evaluating what has transpired in my life and in my inner life, and then looking ahead, seeking clarity and direction for where I will place my time, resources and attention for the months to come.   I find that a large part of transitioning from one moment in time to another involves letting go of the past, often griev...

Wesley Vander Lugt  is a pastor, theologian, writer, and arts advocate. He teaches theology and directs the Leighton Ford Center for Theology, the Arts and Gospel Witness at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte North Carolina. Wes holds a PhD in Theology, Imagination and the Arts from the University of St Andrews, and his latest books are Beauty is Oxygen: Finding a Faith that Breathes...

The Breath and The Clay is returning to Winston Salem, NC!! Join us March 21-23rd, 2025, for our annual creative arts gathering! This event will feature musical performances, an immersive art gallery, keynote talks, various workshops, and community discussions. Participating artists include Sho Baraka, Kendra Adachi, John Mark McMillan, Molly Parden, Justin McRoberts, and many, many others. You ca...

Rob Bell is the New York Times Best-Selling author of fourteen books and plays, which have been translated into 25 languages. His visual art can be seen on Instagram @realrobbell. His band is HUMANS ON THE FLOOR, and his podcast is The RobCast.  Today on Makers and Mystics, Rob and I are talking about his Interplanetary tale of love, loss, and bread, his sci-fi fantasy novel  Where’d You Park Your...

Katherine May is an internationally renowned writer, podcaster and speaker whose work touches on nature, spirituality, slow living and neurodivergence. Her hybrid memoir Wintering was a global bestseller, adapted as BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and shortlisted for the Porchlight and Barnes & Noble Book of the Year. Her most recent title, Enchantment became an instant New York Times bestsell...