Makers & Mystics

Jess Ray  is a singer-songwriter-and music producer from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her particular musical brand, has been  affectionately dubbed “friendly folk,” and is an enchanting blend of indie pop vibes and lyric-driven sensibility.  Jess’ decade-long musical journey has weaved in and out of Christian spaces, mainstream circles, from house concerts to historic venues like the Ryman Auditorium...

Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, learner, and author of the book, A Curious Faith . She writes for She Reads Truth, Christianity Today, and more, as well as her own site, Sayable.net . You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @lorewilbert. She lives in New York and has a husband named Nate, a puppy named Harper Nelle, and too many books to read in one lifetime. In this episode, I talk...

Cathy Loerzel is the Co-Founder of The Allender Center at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and co-author of Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Your True Calling with Dan Allender. She has spent the last 15 years developing a popular new coaching and therapeutic approach called Story Work that moves people through their past stories of heartache to heal and discover health...

This introduction to Season Ten of the Makers & Mystics Podcast offers a brief overview of themes we will discuss in our interviews, artist profiles and round-table discussions. The meta-narrative is “Restoring The Heart of The Artist.” Inside this are three distinct threads. Wounded Healers. In The Splice. Re-storying. Stay tuned and get ready to take the journey. It is time to leave the past...

Ryan Diaz  is a poet and writer from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and is currently completing a MA in Biblical Studies. His work has been featured in publications like  Ekstasis ,  Premier Christianity ,  Dappled Things , and  Busted Halo . In this bonus episode, Ryan and I talk about the relationship between poetry and prayer, cynicism and the sacramental imagina...

Portrait Artist, Hannah Rose Thomas has pioneered an incredible means of combining humanitarian work with paintings of refugee women she has encountered. Through her art, Hannah gives voice to the voiceless, lionizes the isolated and prescribes dignity to the persecuted and forcibly displaced. In this episode, Hannah and Stephen discuss her process of portrait painting and advocacy as well as the...

In this season finale episode, Stephen Roach shares on how the past two years have impacted artists personally, socially and creatively. Drawing from his own journey of faith and art, Stephen tells how spiritual practice, community and imagination have played a significant role in re-integrating fragmented parts of himself into a deeper, lasting wholeness. Become A Patron Brightbell Creative: Mean...

Laura Valentine is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for Numinous Flux Dance Company in Nashville, TN. The work she curates is sensory and riddled with humanity, telling stories thru the human form and searching for a shared inner movement between herself, those embodying the work, and those making sense of it. She has crafted and produced multiple full length productions over the past decad...

Pete Scazzero’ s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality has had a tremendous influence on our modern understanding of how emotional health intersects with contemplative spirituality. In this episode, our friend Luke Humbrecht talks with Pete about how the artist can live a more healthy emotional and spiritual life. Help us continue to produce these conversations on art and faith! For as little as 1...

Chris White is an award-winning filmmaker who has spent over a decade writing, directing, and producing a variety of feature length and short films. His most recent project is the music-centric, coming of age comedy Electric Jesus, which explores the world of a fictional 1980's Christian hair metal band called 316. The film follows the band's journey from playing Bible camp talent shows...

In this bonus episode, I speak with one of today’s favorite mental health advocates, Dani Parks .  Dani is a public speaker, author, minister and mentor of young adult girls. In our conversation, she shares her story about her struggles with depression, suicide attempts, and the mental suffering she endured for over ten years due to the incorrect treatment of her bipolar disorder.  Get Dani’s Jour...

In this episode, I talk with Author and Professor ,Mary McCampbell about her book, Imagining Our Neighbors As Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy. In our conversation, we discuss how narrative art serves as an invitation to awaken and expand our capacity for empathy. Buy Mary’s Book Support The Podcast! Your generosity enables this work to continue. Featured music by: Jessamyn Day Interlude music by...

Sho Baraka  is a globally recognized recording artist, performer, culture curator, activist, and writer. His work combines his artistic platform with his academic history to contribute a unique perspective, elevating the contemporary conversation on faith, art, and culture. In this episode I talk with Sho about his book, He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken Wo...

In this Round Table Discussion, I talk with visual artist and performance speaker, Scott Erickson along with trauma therapist, ritual-maker and NYC-based artist, Heather Stringer. In this round table, we talk candidly about disorientation and the process of re-orienting after two years of social and personal upheaval. Join the Creative Collective Official Website Follow Us on Instagram Send us Fan...

Joshua Luke Smith is a British rapper, poet, and producer with a dramatic, socially conscious style rooted in explorations of the Christian faith. He was born in London raised in Pakistan, and holds a degree in philosophy, which informs his music with a unique perspective on the world both from his education and experience.  In this episode, I talk with Joshua about his upbringing, his creative pr...

Naming The Animals is a new podcast by Makers and Mystics! This eight episode series follows a chapter by chapter discussion of Stephen Roach’s book Naming The Animals: An Invitation To Creativity. Each week, Stephen will be joined by Square Halo ’s Creative Director, Ned Bustard and a variety of biblical scholars, professional artists and creative thought leaders on topics such as inspiration, co...

William Day  is an American painter known for his large-scale compositions of colorful shapes and energetic marks. His process leads him to create paintings in series, each focusing on different nuances of the human experience. In this episode, Stephen talks with Will about his latest series titled Breakout which explores themes of reset and rebirth. This discussion includes topics such as: The im...

In this episode Stephen Roach talks with philosopher, James K.A. Smith about the role of imagination in "re-storying" the narratives we believe about ourselves and society. connect with James K.A. Smith Sponsor: Brightbell Creative : Meaningful Marketing For The Creative Artist Support The Podcast! Contributing as little as one to ten dollars a month makes a huge difference in our abilit...

Ryan Lott of the experimental, electronic trio talks with Stephen Roach about composing for the film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Son Lux Everything, Everywhere, All At Once Brightbell Creative: Creating Meaningful Marketing For the Creative Artist. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Sign Up for Our Newsletter! http://eepurl.com/g49Ks1 Connect with Makers & Mystics Website: https://make...

This Artist Profile explores the spiritual life of French Philosopher Simone Weil. Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective! We have some new stuff happening in the crew! Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist. Let us help you clarify the language your art speaks and connect your work with your audience. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Sign Up for Our Newslett...

In this third and final segment of The Artist Round Table on Mental Health, Stephen, John Mark and Vesper talk about neo-monasticism, the worship of youth culture, art as a means of therapy, and making sense of the darker parts of our existence with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Sponsor: Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist Join Our Creative Collective! Send us Fan Mai...

In this second segment of our 3 part conversation on mental health and the artist, my discussion with singer/songwriter John Mark McMillan and author/illustrator Vesper Stamper takes us to topics of art and identity, genius and madness and the dangers of isolation. Listen to the NPR talk about Kanye West and Mental Health Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for The Creative Artist Join Our C...

What does Kanye West, Thomas Edison and Psychologist Adam Grant have to do with Social Media, Depression, Suicide and the Pursuit of Calling? These are all discussed in this round table discussion on Mental Health and the Artist with John Mark McMillan, Vesper Stamper and Stephen Roach. This discussion begins with the question, "Can you separate the art from the artist.... and should you?&quo...

In this episode social worker Holly Oxhandler discusses chronic burnout, compassion fatigue and Holly’s latest book, The Soul Of The Helper: Seven Stages To Seeing The Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It In Others.  Holly Oxhandler The Soul of The Helper Book CXMH podcast Become a Patron of the Makers & Mystics Podcast Brightbell Creative: Meaningful Marketing for the Creative Artist Comp...

In this season opening episode, Stephen Roach returns to the podcast for this timely conversation with trauma therapist Dan Allender about creativity, the troubled nature of the artist and Dan’s latest book, Redeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Our True Calling. Connect with Dan Allender Join the Makers & Mystics Creative Collective! Instagram Music by Sean Williams Mentions In The...