269 episodes

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

Makers & Mystics Stephen Roach

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 351 Ratings

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

    S13 E06: Creativity and Community Live at Square Halo Conference

    S13 E06: Creativity and Community Live at Square Halo Conference

    I recently traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where I participated in the 2024 Square Halo Conference: Return To Narnia: Creativity, Collaboration and Community.

    As part of the event, I hosted a live podcast recording on the topic of creativity and community.  Joining me for this conversation is graphic designer, children’s book illustrator, author, and printmaker, Ned Bustard. Ned is the creative director at Square Halo Books and co-author of my book Naming The Animals. 

    Joining us alongside of Ned, is author and community leader, Brian Brown. Brian is the founder and director of the Anselm Society, a Colorado-based organization dedicated to a renaissance of the Christian imagination. 

    In our conversation, we address the questions, why does community matter to the artist and what are its challenges? How can we foster healthier relationships between artists and communities of faith and how can we move beyond the impact of social disruption into new experiences of communal life.  

    Patrons of the podcast can enjoy my live discussion from Square Halo on The Mischief of God In Art—Exploring Subversive Themes in Scripture and Creative Practice:

    Visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more. 

    • 42 min
    S13 E05: Why Community Matters

    S13 E05: Why Community Matters

    This week's episode is a collaboration with the Be. Make. Do. Podcast!

    We are flipping the mic around for this one and inviting fellow podcaster, Lisa Smith to ask MM host, Stephen Roach a few questions about the importance of community in the life of the artist and why gathering together now is such an important part of our creative work and the process of healing from social isolation.

    You can learn more about Lisa’s community of artists at soulmakers.org or see the show notes of this episode.

    In just a few weeks Lisa and several of the artists from her community will be joining us at The Breath and The Clay creative arts gathering to host a workshop on Curating Wholeness: Building A purposeful world through Art.

    • 34 min
    S13 E04: The Art of Lament with Amanda Held Opelt

    S13 E04: The Art of Lament with Amanda Held Opelt

    Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds.

    In today’s episode Amanda discusses the art of lament and how deep-rooted communal practices of shared grief can help us heal and grow through the difficult experiences of our lives.  

    Drawing from her book Holy Unhappiness: God, Grief and the Myth of the Blessed Life, Amanda shares her journey of grappling with experiences of disillusionment when life with God didn’t feel the way she expected it to feel.  

    • 47 min
    REPLAY: An Ethos of Healing with Elephant Heart

    REPLAY: An Ethos of Healing with Elephant Heart

    As we prepare for The Breath & The Clay creative arts gathering, I’m going to be highlighting several of the speakers and performers who’ll be joining us at the event. 

    For today’s episode I reached into the archives and pulled a segment of my conversation with BC24 headliners, Elephant Heart. 

    Elephant Heart is the Los Angeles-based electronic duo Jason and Victoria Evigan.  Elephant Heart’s music Is Rooted in their shared passion for international travels, world beats and global cultures Elephant Heart creates genre-bending music that pulls multicultural influences from far and wide.

    This segment of Season 7’s conversation carries a meaningful contribution to our current season’s theme of community and culture. 

    In this clip, Victoria and Jason share about the healing power of music and its ability to bring people together, the beauty of cultural diversity as well as a candid look into Victoria’s own process of moving past fear into the fullness of her creative expression.  

    • 10 min
    S13 E03: The Social Instinct with Christa Hardin

    S13 E03: The Social Instinct with Christa Hardin

    Relationships form the heartbeat of community life. The way we interact, the way we understand one another and hold space for the differences between us determines the quality and depth of our societies.

    Our guest today is relationship expert and author Christa Hardin. Christa is host of the popular Enneagram and Marriage podcast. She has been working with and researching marriage for two decades, providing hope for couples who are struggling to find their light, love, and mission together in any season of relationship.

    In this conversation, Christa unpacks some of the ways she has helped couples foster a deeper understanding of one another through utilizing the Enneagram and her years of research and practice. She shares about our social instinct and how we can move toward finding common ground with those who may see life a bit differently than ourselves. Christa offers ways to cultivate health in our most intimate relationships and how these same dynamics can translate to a larger, cultural level.

    • 38 min
    S13 E02: The Vocabulary of Encounter with Kaleb Moten

    S13 E02: The Vocabulary of Encounter with Kaleb Moten

    Kaleb Moten is a singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, and musician, dedicated to revealing beauty and meaning, and liberating other artists to do the same.

    Kaleb has released four studio albums to date and is currently producing two more. In addition to his solo work, Kaleb also works as a music producer, with credits for artists such as Victory Boyd and Abbie Gamboa.

    In this episode, Kaleb shares one of the foundational encounters that shaped him as an experimental, musician, as well as his journey of developing a vocabulary to encapsulate some of the deeper experiences of his music and life.

    In keeping with this season’s theme of community and culture, Kaleb shares about the impact of leaning into particular expressions of art not only as an individual but what happens when an entire movement of people collectively express the same heart.

    Kaleb will be joining us along with Victory Boyd at The Breath and the Clay creative arts event, March 22-24, 2024.

    • 37 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
351 Ratings

351 Ratings

ktmom99 ,

The best- beautiful, inspiring and uplifting every time

I discovered this podcast about a year ago and have almost made it through every episode in every season! Such a great podcast with wisdom, inspiration, encouragement and beauty in every episode! Great stories and guests and Stephen’s words are so profound- this podcast is for artists, makers, (even if your art is simply creating a joyful, beautiful, and meaningful life) and all who are interested in the ultimate issues of life, eternity and faith and how they are related to art and beauty.

s rochelle ,

Favorite!

Makers and Mystics is a treasure! It’s got such rich and varied content, including inspiring interviews with musicians and writers and artists and thinkers of all kinds. It never fails to inspire me with thoughts on art, literature, beauty, and the value of art in our lives. Quite simply, it returns me to a place where I can see the world with wonder again. And that is priceless. No matter how busy my life gets, I always make time for this podcast. Thank you, Stephen Roach!

new_eyes ,

A Must for Every Artist of Faith

I have truly enjoyed every episode of this podcast. It grounds me, challenges me and draws me closer to my purpose. Thanks to Stephen and team for each well thought out interview and theme. I’ve been loving the theme of transcendence! It’s perfect for the season I’m in. God bless you all and keep making!

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