Makers & Mystics

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...

Luke Burgis is an author , creative thinker and entrepreneur. He has founded and led multiple companies. He's currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship at the Catholic University of America, where he also teaches business and develops new education initiatives. He's the founder and director of Fourth Wall Ventures, a...

Julianna Barwick is a Los Angeles based composer, vocalist, and producer who makes deep, reflective compositions rooted in the human voice.  Over the years she has made six critically acclaimed records as well as contributed her sound to the world of film scoring.    Her self-released debut “Sanguine” came out in 2007, followed by "Florine" in 2009, and “The Magic Place” in 2011.  In 201...

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. Join Our Creative Collective! Instagram Listen to the full episode from Season 5 Send us Fan Mail Support t...

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...

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...

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...

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 Theolo...

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 a...

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 th...