PODCAST

Makers & Mystics

Stephen Roach

Makers & Mystics is the podcast for the art-driven, spiritually adventurous seekers of truth and lovers of life.

arts visual arts

All Episodes

S15 E09: Ecstatic States and the Artistic Impulse P2

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/07/01

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 also hits on the need for a deeper theological framework around flow states, offering both spiritual

S15 E08: Ecstatic States and The Artistic Impulse

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/06/24

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 Two-Part conversation highlights the deep longing for human connection, speaking in tongues, and

S15 E07: Recasting The Familiar with Faith Bryant

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/06/10

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 world anew. My guest today is New York-based visual artist Faith Bryant. Faith's original style of

S15 E06: Sacred Impressions with Visual Artist...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/06/03

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://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics Music By: Some Were At Sea

S15 E05: A Resonance Across The Ages with Barbara...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/05/28

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 offers modern arrangements of centuries-old vocal music. At the heart of the album are the

S15 E04: Imitate The Ocean

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/05/20

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. Learn More about DITA 2025 with Rowan Williams, Malcolm Guite, and others.

S15E03: The Discipline of Inspiration

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/05/06

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 Inspiration. Here, she addresses this question and shines a new light on how we think about our

S1502: The Faraway Nearby with Leah Song of Rising...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/05/06

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 talks with Stephen Roach about her journey through music, exploring the intersections of various

S15E01: Tuning The Room with Stephen Roach

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/04/22

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 his experience as a touring musician, Stephen shares how he developed a pre-show ritual: using a sustained drone and improvised melody to “tune the room”—to draw the audience (and himself) into a space of collective attentiveness. It

Finding Flow | An Introduction to Season 15

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/04/17

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 world around us dissolves. Five minutes becomes five hours. Attentiveness and reverie are caught

BC25 | Risk Art vs. Shock Art

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/03/16

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 such as self-harm and cutting. Join The Breath and The Clay virtually or in person Connect

BC25 Presenter | Amanda Cook on Reconciling Art and...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/03/11

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 be with us at BC25. Resources: The Breath and The Clay (virtual & In person tix

BC25 Theme | The Integrating Center of All Things...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/03/04

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 Jesus. Really: Finding Refuge, Strength, and Wonder Through Everyday Encounters with God, John

PC Presenter | Kendra Adachi on The Art of...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/02/25

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. In this episode, Kendra shares about: * bringing our whole self to the table * viewing