We are calling all creative arts communities, individuals, seekers, believers, skeptics, doubters, craftsmen and bakers, tongue talkers and Quakers, anyone who needs community in the midst of quarantine. Come hang with us this Friday night at 7 pm Eastern time. The communion time will be hosted by our Makers and Mystics creative collective along with Justin McRoberts and members of The Breath and the Clay community. Normally, this would be a patron-only event platform but this Friday we are open...
Mar 19, 2020•5 min
Vincent van Gogh was a leading postimpressionist painter of the late nineteenth century, known for his thick, swirling brushstrokes and radical use of color. Before he was an artist, though, he was a pastor to a village of destitute coal miners in Belgium, an experience that shaped him deeply. Vincent was full of compassion and wonder, anguish and hope. “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing” was one of his personal mottoes. His art—whether of sunflowers for his friend Paul Gauguin, a peasant family si...
Mar 13, 2020•19 min•Season 7Ep. 28
In this episode, Stephen talks with Producer of Marketing and Distribution for Aspiration Entertainment, Erik Lokkesmoe. The two discuss Erik's vision for individuals, families and churches who want to support artists and the arts. Erik's charge to "democratize patronage" and create local communities of patrons is an important idea for our time. “I encourage everyone to listen to this discussion then pass it along to the leaders, patrons and arts advocates in your life.” - Stephen Roach One Perc...
Mar 06, 2020•37 min•Season 7Ep. 2
In this Season opening episode, Stephen talks with singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan about the creative process behind his new album Peopled With Dreams John Mark McMillan If you’ve been inspired by the Makers & Mystics podcast please consider joining our tribe of monthly supporters. For the cost of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with us in creating and sustaining a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support reall...
Feb 27, 2020•35 min•Season 7Ep. 1
John Eldredge is a New York Times bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. His latest book, Get Your Life Back, examines the breakneck pace at which we force our souls to exist—a pace that far exceeds God’s original design. In his book, John argues that a constant absorption of others’ worries through social media, paired with our own burdens and stresses, has left people overwhelmed and weary. In this season-finale episode, Stephen talks with John about the simple, yet profound spiritual...
Feb 19, 2020•28 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Cinelle Barnes is a memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of a forthcoming anthology of essays about the American South (Hub City Press, 2020). In this episode, Stephen talks with Cinelle about memoir as an agent of healing and how her process of writing helped navigate the difficulties of childhood trauma. ** Patrons of the podcas t can enjoy an ad...
Feb 12, 2020•27 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Salvador Dali remains one of the most complex and controversial figures within art history. His artistic mediums range from film-making, design, clothing and jewelry making, writing, even what he called an “erotic cookbook” which featured enticing recipes such as Thousand Year Old Eggs and Toffee with Pine Cones. Over the course of his lifelong career as an artist, he collaborated with other well-known figures such as Alfred Hitchcock, Alice Cooper and Walt Disney. The common thread linking all ...
Jan 31, 2020•17 min•Season 6Ep. 27
Tinasha LaRayé is a poet, actress, and filmmaker who has an intense passion to see nations transformed through storytelling. As a spoken word artist, she incorporates her theatrical world of acting to elevate poetry from the page to an encounter. From working with inner city kids, to young women, to budding creatives, she loves empowering individuals to move in their God-given voice, purpose, and power. Tinasha also desires to see the wound of racism healed in the United States and uses her crea...
Jan 15, 2020•35 min•Season 6Ep. 13
David Kinnaman is president of Barna Group, a leading research company based in Atlanta, Georgia. David’s work as a researcher and as a “professional listener” has led him and his team to interview nearly 1.5 million individuals since he began working for Barna in 1995. In this episode, Stephen is joined by Storybrand consultant and pastor, Luke Humbrecht of Boulder, Colorado. Stephen and Luke talk with David about his latest book, Faith For Exiles and the importance of cultivating healthy habit...
Jan 08, 2020•40 min•Season 6Ep. 12
In this bonus episode, Stephen highlights several of the presenters for the 2020 The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering, who have appeared on the podcast. Listen in for conversation segments with Jeremy Cowart, Lanecia Rouse Tinsely, Matthew Perryman Jones and Lauren Midgley. OPENING MUSIC BY: C’est Lis CLOSING MUSIC BY: https://www.ianrandallthornton.com/ Ian Randall Thornton Join our Creative Collective Support The Podcast!...
Dec 20, 2019•19 min
Aimee Semple McPherson was a celebrity personality and pioneering religious figure active during the 1920’s and 30’s. She is perhaps most remembered for her larger than life theatrical presentations of the gospel and for establishing one of the world’s first recognized mega churches. At the height of her fame, Aimee’s services filled 5300 seats three times every Sunday. She appointed two massive choirs and a fifty-piece orchestra to perform musical compositions and sacred operas which she compos...
Dec 14, 2019•17 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Matthew Perryman Jones is performing songwriter by trade, though at heart, he is actually a seeker. With each entry into his discography, his musical and moral compass points toward an artistic horizon he has yet to explore. Sometimes, he turns his gaze to examine his own inner world. Other times, he looks to the inspirations found in the letters Vincent Van Gogh penned to his brother Theo, or in the idea of duende as proffered by Federico García Lorca, and in the poetic verses of Sufi poets Haf...
Dec 07, 2019•30 min•Season 6Ep. 11
John Fluevog is a celebrated Canadian shoe designer known for his witty and unconventional style. Colourful, Art Deco-inspired and inscribed with uplifting messages, his distinctive footwear has graced dance floors and boardrooms alike and are worn by everyone from Alice Cooper to Lady Gaga to nurses, teachers, lawyers, bikers, baristas and someone down your street. Today, John Fluevog owns 27 stores across North America, Australia and Europe. He lives in Vancouver, sketches new designs every da...
Nov 28, 2019•25 min•Season 6Ep. 10
William Blake was an English poet, printmaker and painter born November 28, 1757 in London, England. Today, he is considered one of the most important figures in English poetry and art, although during his lifetime, his work remained largely overlooked. His writings were spiritually and politically lethal and publishers shunned his works for fear of being accused of inciting insurrection. Contemporary poet and musician, Patti Smith heralded William Blake as the spiritual ancestor of generations ...
Nov 22, 2019•13 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Ashley Mary is a Minnesota-based muralist and abstract artist whose paintings tap into concepts of youth and playfulness and curiosity through the use of thick textures, vibrant colors, and organic and familiar shapes. Her process is influenced heavily by her collage work, patterns, vintage ephemera, and her background in graphic design. Ashley’s work pays attention to the unintentional and leaves space to be surprised. Her murals and product designs can be seen nationwide in large scale collabo...
Nov 14, 2019•30 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Jeremy Cowart is an award-winning photographer, artist, and entrepreneur whose mission in life is to "explore the intersection of creativity and empathy." He was named the “Most Influential Photographer on the Internet” by Huffington Post, Forbes and Yahoo in 2014. Jeremy has published four books including his latest release titled I’m possible: Jumping into fear and discovering a life of purpose . His latest endeavor is The Purpose Hotel, a planned global for-profit hotel chain designed to fuel...
Nov 08, 2019•27 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Rebekah Lyons is a national speaker and bestselling author of You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are and Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning . Rebekah has been described as an old soul with a contemporary, honest voice, revealing her own battles to overcome anxiety and depression— Her work has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN, Huffington Post , Publisher’s Weekly , and more. In this episode, Stephen talks with Rebekah about her latest book titled, Rhythms of ...
Oct 31, 2019•28 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Andrew Peterson is an award-winning singer-songwriter and author. The second book in his Wingfeather Saga, North! Or Be Eaten won the Christy Award for Young Adult Fiction, and the fourth, The Warden and the Wolf King won World Magazine ’s Children’s Book of the Year in 2015. In 2008, Andrew founded a creative arts community called The Rabbit Room, which led to a yearly conference, countless concerts and symposiums, and Rabbit Room Press, which has published thirty books to date. In this episode...
Oct 24, 2019•34 min•Season 6Ep. 6
The artist known as Propaganda, is a Los Angeles based poet, political activist, academic & emcee. His body of work challenges listeners with difficult and sometimes controversial topics such as systemic injustice and racism. With musical roots ranging from aggressive battle raps to smooth introspective rhythms, Propaganda’s music crosses cultural spectrums while his deep lyrical prowess appeals to both the heart and intellect alike. In this episode, Stephen talks with Propaganda about the m...
Oct 16, 2019•33 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Flannery O’ Connor was a Southern, fiction writer and essayist born March 25th 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. She was a devout Roman Catholic with a penchant for satire, dark humor and wild, religious imagination. Today, O’Connor is considered to be one of America’s greatest fiction writers and an apologist for the Catholic faith. Her stories are far from what you might imagine coming from a Southern Christian writer in the 1950’s. They are full of shocking scenes of violence, depravity and shady, s...
Oct 11, 2019•10 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Lewis Hyde is a scholar, essayist, translator, cultural critic and writer whose scholarly work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity, and property. His book, THE GIFT: Creativity and the Artist in the modern world is now considered a classic. Written over twenty-five years ago, this book is even more necessary today than when it first appeared. The Gift brilliantly orchestrates a defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and o...
Oct 03, 2019•35 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Nadine Ellsworth-Moran is the winner of our first annual Bright Wings poetry contest. Nadine is a Georgia resident where she works in full-time ministry while pursuing her love of writing. Her essays and poems have appeared in Interpretation , The Presbyterian Outlook, Structo, Kakalak , and Saint Katherine Review , among others. In this episode, Stephen is joined by contest panel judge and poet, Amy Orazio and features a reading of Nadine’s winning poem by the author. Topics in this episode inc...
Sep 27, 2019•18 min
Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist, author and speaker whose process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.” In a culture driven by speed and instant gratification, the idea of slow art runs counter to our normal modes of living. Mako’s approach to art challenges our relationship to time and invites us into a more reflective approach to life, creating and viewing art. In this episo...
Sep 20, 2019•33 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Teresa of Avila was a Spanish, Carmelite nun born on March 28th, 1515. She was an avid writer, social reformer and mystic known for her wit, charm and intense spiritual ecstasies. In this Artist Profile, Stephen Roach offers a glimpse into the life of this eccentric and accessible mystic whose life remains applicable for us today. Join the Creative Collective and get additional content, access to our private online group, participate in live discussions and help the production of these conversat...
Sep 13, 2019•13 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Lauren Midgley is a conceptual fine art photographer based in Oklahoma. Her photography stretches beyond the historical use of the camera and invites the viewer into a world of surrealism and visual storytelling. In a world saturated with digital imagery, Lauren employs illustrative, advanced digital manipulation to paint virtual narratives that speak to the heart of our collective human experience. In this episode, Stephen and Lauren discuss her aims and motivations as an artist as well as the ...
Sep 04, 2019•25 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Pop Artist and cultural icon, Andy Warhol started his career as a commercial artist working as a successful illustrator for magazines and advertising agencies but eventually made the leap to become an independent, exhibiting artist in New York City. Andy’s unique style of portraying screen-printed images of his lifelong obsession with celebrities and mundane objects propelled him into the spotlight as a leading voice of the Pop-Art movement. What isn’t widely recognized about Andy’s life was his...
Aug 28, 2019•12 min•Season 6Ep. 22
In this opening episode, Stephen Roach talks with singer-songwriter Josh Garrels about his latest release, Chrysaline. The two discuss the personally transformative experiences that informed the making of these songs and how collaboration and environment impacted Josh’s creative process. Josh shares openly about his experience of personal frustration that led him to place his music on the altar. *Be sure to listen to the end as Josh addresses the latest trend of what feels like a mass exodus fro...
Aug 21, 2019•28 min•Season 6Ep. 1
This LIVE Season Finale episode features the perspectives of diverse voices you’ve heard on the podcast; Amena Brown, Josh Garrels, Vesper Stamper, Cole NeSmith and CJ Casciotta. In today’s panel discussion, these five discuss the tension between the soul and the business of creativity. In the realm of art-making, there can seem to be a tension between our desire to create authentic works, works which remain true to the artist’s creative vision, while at the same time creating works which are ei...
Jul 31, 2019•43 min•Season 5Ep. 15
John O’ Donohue was a modern-day mystic, philosopher, theologian and poet. He spent his life along the West Coast of Ireland where the solitude and beauty of the land shaped him as an artist and thinker. Imagination As The Path of the Spirit John O’ Donohue Featured Music: Songs of Water Join The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective ! Maker Tier Patrons can enjoy additional Patron-Only content, access to our Private Facebook group and weekly Interactive, Online Book Club....
Jul 23, 2019•11 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Jason Burkey is a professional actor who has appeared on television shows such as The Walking Dead, Nashville, Being Mary Jane, The Resident and a score of other well-known programs. His movie credits include a lead role in the 2012 surprise hit, October Baby as well as Lady and The Tramp, I Can Only Imagine, Bigger and The Art of Self-Defense. Jason is also a founder of " Act For A Change ," which is a local theatre non- profit that gathers Atlanta actors, writers and directors to perform one-a...
Jul 17, 2019•30 min•Season 5Ep. 14
