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

The Breath and The Clay 2026

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/10/25

At The Breath & The Clay 2026, we are exploring what it means to make space—for rest, for renewal, for art, for one another, and for the Presence that meets us in the emptiness. Together, we will practice making room: for the unfinished, and the unfurnished, for the overlooked, for voices not our own. In this space, we will make art—our response to the silence that precedes creation, our offering to the mystery and miracle that ever calls us onward. Get Tickets

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S15 E15: Resistance and Flow (Season Finale)

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/09/23

In this season finale, Stephen Roach closes out our exploration of creative flow with a rich conversation with several artists from the Makers & Mystics Patreon community. Joining the discussion are artist and educator Angela Houk, writer and branding expert Steve Brock, and poet and visual artist Corey Frey. Together, the crew explores the interplay between resistance and flow—how creative blocks, limitations, and even frustrations can actually become the conditions that allow new work to

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S15 E14: Sound Symbols: Foley Art in Film with Ronnie...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/08/27

Behind the curtain of cinema lies a hidden language, spoken not in words, but in sound. In this episode of Makers and Mystics, Stephen Roach interviews Foley artist Ronnie Van Der Veer, exploring the intricate world of sound design in film. Ronnie shares his journey into Foley art, the importance of creating realistic sound effects, and the techniques he employs to enhance the cinematic experience. The conversation explores the creative process behind sound symbolism, and practical advice

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Artist Profile Series 39: Simeon Stylites the Elder

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/08/13

What does the life of a bizarre fifth-century monk have to offer our lives in the modern world today? This episode of the Makers and Mystics podcast explores the life and influence of Simeon Stylites, a Syrian Christian ascetic known for his extreme devotion and outlandish lifestyle of standing atop a pillar for 37 years. Stephen Roach highlights Simeon's early life, his ascetic practices, and the profound impact he had on society during his time. The discussion reveals how Simeon's

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S15 E12: Confessional Transcendence with Poet and...

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/08/04

Amy Leigh Wicks is a poet, actress, and educator from New York City. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and an MFA from The New School in New York. She recently served as Dean of Performing Arts at Bethel Conservatory of the Arts and is the author of The Dangerous Country of Love and Marriage (Auckland University Press, 2019) and Orange Juice and Rooftops (Eloquent Books, 2009). In this episode, Stephen Roach talks with Amy about the

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S15 E12: The Ghost Life with author Prasanta Verma

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/08/04

As artists, we live our lives between worlds, the one in which we imagine and the one in which we must survive. But what do we do when the life we imagine and the life we live are incongruent? Often our lives look much different on paper than they do in our dreams. Joining us for this conversation is author, speaker, and public health professional Prasanta Verma. Prasanta's first book, Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, was released in April 2024 and is a 2024 INDIES Foreword Book of the Year

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S15 E11: Urgency and Intimacy with Julian Davis Reid

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/07/15

“How do we hold both urgency and intimacy in our creative practices? How can an artist become a vessel of divine presence — not only in churches, but on club stages, in studios, and in everyday life?” In today’s episode, I’m joined by jazz and gospel pianist Julian Davis Reid — a Chicago-based artist-theologian whose work sits at the crossroads of sound, spirit, and scholarship. Julian is a founding member of the jazz-electronic fusion group The JuJu Exchange and the creator of Notes of Rest,

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S15 E10: The Art of Becoming with Jon Guerra

Makers & Mystics ·

2025/07/08

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 behind his latest record, Jesus, a deeply personal and contemplative album born from the tension

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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