Artists for Joy

In this episode of Artists for Joy, host Merideth Hite Estevez sits down with award-winning oboist, filmmaker, and neuroarts practitioner Darci Gamerl. Together, they explore what happens when you step off the traditional, high-pressure classical music path to forge a creative life aligned with your true calling. 

Darci shares her journey of co-founding the Bel Canto Duo with her husband David Downing, stepping into documentary filmmaking without formal training, and harnessing the healing power of neuroarts. Packed with wisdom on silencing your inner critic, honoring body cues, letting go of perfectionism, and embracing human connection, this conversation is an inspiring roadmap for any creative seeking more joy and impact in their work.

Links:

• Bel Canto Duo Website: belcantoduo.com
• Bel Canto Duo Album: Taking Flight
• Documentary Film: Taking Flight: The 8th Wonder of the World

Join the Artists for Joy Patreon Community: patreon.com/artistsforjoy

Kutter and Merideth explore what fear has to teach us about creative courage, plus the root of the word amateur (from the Latin for love) and why protecting spaces to create just for the joy of it—outside of commercial pressure—is essential for every artist.

They reflect on our shared experiences in the academic world, the current pivot point facing the humanities, and why learning deep thinking is a life-changing foundation for creative work.

Why algorithm-generated content falls flat compared to real human experience, and how live, in-person art anchors us in the truth of the incarnation.

Kutter shares how he became a "begrudging horror aficionado" and how facing horror—and the fears inside our own creative processes—can transform terror into wisdom.

beafraidbook.com

kuttercallaway.com/newsletter

Mattie’s (Kutter’s daughter) new release: https://open.spotify.com/track/1j5prwK2mjy3lhQnNpiCWp?si=8609b052cefd4799

Support the show on Patreon and become a joyster:  https://www.patreon.com/artistsforjoy

Read/Listen to Merideth’s latest essay: https://www.artsopendoor.com/

The long-awaited Season 6 finale of Artists for Joy! In this episode, I share my fall roundup of what’s bringing me joy this fall, from breaking made-up rules and hair product discoveries to daily writing practices and big news about the future of the podcast.

What’s Bringing Joy This Fall:

• Oribe Supershine Smoothing Wax Stick: A quick fix for calming flyaways on the go. Find it here: https://link.amazon/B00amokr0
• Just Ingredients Protein Powder: Simple ingredients that are gentle on the stomach. Check it out here: https://link.amazon/B01kyolzL
• The "Humanities" Practice: Cataloging daily moments that feel real, human, and alive. Read more on Substack next week! Subscribe here to read/listen: Art’s Open Door
• Joining the Shifting Culture Network: Artists for Joy is entering Season 7 as an interview-focused show exploring faith, creativity, and joy with guest artists.

Connect & Support:

• Listen to the Podcast: artistsforjoy.org/pod or wherever you get your pods!
• Join our Patreon Community: Support the show and join our next Joyster meet-up on November 6th ("Holiday Capacity Blueprint"): patreon.com/artistsforjoy
• Sponsor/Advertise: Interested in placing an ad on Season 7? Email [email protected] for rates and details.

Today on the podcast, a quick peek behind the door…

Art's Open Door, my new show, which launches tomorrow! To celebrate, I'm dropping a short sample of Episode 1 right here today. (I'm giving you about half of the full-length episode!)

 Take a listen to this short preview, and get ready for the full episode tomorrow.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Substack

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new vibes. Head over to artsopendoor.com to comment on the episode post on Friday.

More updates for the Artists for Joy schedule very soon, promise!

Well, hello friends! I'm back from a summer hiatus with our quarterly roundup episode. I'm reflecting on our whirlwind summer book tour, unexpected moments of joy, and the big and small things making my life richer right now.

For all the photos and links mentioned, plus a full read-along version of today's show, click here to read on Substack.

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Join our updated Patreon Community

• Join us live or watch the replay of the CRAFT Goals Workshop

• Listen to the Art's Open Door Podcast Trailer on Apple, Spotify, or Substack

• Read my book, Art Is How God Loves Us

I'd love to hear what's bringing you joy this season—come connect with me on Instagram @artistsforjoy or leave a comment on today's Substack post!

• Sarah's Website: Sarah E. Westfall
• Sarah's Book: The Way of Belonging
• Previous Conversation: Listen to our past episode, 178, Joy for the Long Haul
• Art Mentioned: Rust Red Hills by Georgia O'Keeffe
• Book Recommendation: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner
• Music Mentioned: Jon Batiste and Jess Ray (Album: Born Again; Song: "Place to Land")

Artist and writer Kristin Vanderlip joins me to explore the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and healing. Kristin shares her deeply personal journey of using journaling and oil pastels as tools for tending to the heavy, messy reality of loss, and why she believes the blank page can be a safe place to land when the world feels overwhelming.

We discuss the importance of "quiet community" in grief, the symbiotic relationship between her writing (prose) and painting (pastels), and the challenge of resisting the urge to produce for the sake of results. Kristin also shares a deeply meaningful work of art from her own family history—a watercolor painting by her great-grandfather—that serves as a "thin place" and a reminder that our creative work often has an impact we may never see.

Whether you are a multifaceted creative or simply navigating a season of "waves," this conversation is an invitation to listen to your spirit, honor your humanity, and find rest in the process.

Resources & Links: 

Painting: Ed Snow, 1974, Untitled watercolor: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C72JvbnSc2Y/ 

Books referenced: 

Listening to Your Life by Frederick Buechner 

Steal Like An Artist  by Austin Kleon 

Connect with Kristin Vanderlip: 

Website: kristinvanderlip.com 

Instagram: kristinvanderlip 

Substack: kristinvanderlip.substack.com

Virtual events and community for those interested in writing as a healing practice: penandmend.substack.com 

Fall Writing Retreat: https://kristinvanderlip.myflodesk.com/retreat

Join our Summer Check-in on Patreon

My friend Ryan Webb is not a full-time creator, but that doesn't mean he's not creative. Ryan is a full-time marketer, husband, and father. He shares his journey of spending ten years writing his debut novel Saving Will, which was born out of loss and a hyper-realistic dream, using the writing process as a decade-long space for therapy, healing, and spiritual reflection.

We discuss why you don't need to make 100% of your income from your art to call yourself an artist, how to weave creativity into a full life, the spiritual tension between human willpower and divine grace, and the beauty of finding "happy accidents" in both photography and life.

We also touch on the power of finding a support network, the necessity of giving yourself grace, and why we should never keep our creative pursuits a secret.

Listen to the end for an update from the final leg of the summer book tour!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZD-52HSA0J/?igsh=MTA5M2JtcWtxNTV1ZA==

Email: [email protected]

Maria Bowler—author, coach, and host of the Make Human podcast–is back for the third time! This time our conversation focuses on creativity, embodiment, and the sacred work of becoming more fully human. 

Maria shares her journey of launching a new medium, the transition from writing books to podcasting. She also reflects on the difference between creating from the mind and creating from a place of deeper presence, sharing how movement, conversation, and community have become essential parts of her creative practice.

Maria introduces a poem that met her during a season of heartbreak and spiritual upheaval. Christian Wiman's "And I Said to My Soul, Be Loud" became a companion that invited her beyond fear, control, and self-reliance into a deeper awareness of God's presence. 

Together we remember how works of art often find us exactly when we need them most, becoming unexpected gateways to healing, hope, and transformation.

Resources & Links:

• Podcast: Make Human

• Book: Making Time by Maria Bowler

• Poem: "And I Said to My Soul, Be Loud" by Christian Wiman

• Website: www.mariabowler.com

• Leave a review of Art Is How God Loves Us on Amazon and Goodreads

• Book Launch Events

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

Heather Lanier is a writer, poet, memoirist, speaker, and professor. She is also my friend! Heather returns to the podcast to discuss the profound connection between creativity and spirituality. 

From the meditative discipline of centering prayer to the "forgetting of self" that occurs in the flow state, Heather shares how writing can serve as both a craft and a spiritual practice. We explore the concept of "ultimate reality," the power of art as a spiritual "thin place," plus the intersection of motherhood, creative momentum, and the joys of the mundane.

Whether you're a writer, an artist, or simply someone longing to experience more wonder in everyday life, this conversation is an invitation to slow down and step through art's open door. 

Resources & Links

Music: "White Horses" by Darlingside
Art Exhibit: Selected History of the Space-Time Continuum by Rachel Sussman
Books:

• Art Is How God Loves Us by Merideth Hite Estevez 

• Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier

• Psalms of Unknowing by Heather Lanier 

• Beyond Anxiety by Martha Beck

• Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler

Connect with Heather Lanier:

• Instagram: heatherklanier

• Substack: The Slow Take

• Website: https://heatherlanierwriter.com

Upcoming Event:

Join Merideth and Heather for a live event in the Philadelphia area!

• Date: July 25th

• Location: Chadds Ford, PA

• Details: This is a free event featuring lively conversation and a musical salon exploring creativity as a spiritual practice. Join us as we explore creativity as a spiritual practice and discover how being present to beauty can ground, heal, and transform our everyday lives.  Please register here to attend. 

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor