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. 

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Connect with Corey Frey

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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 available.)

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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 highlights several themes that align with those of our upcoming Breath and Clay creative arts gathering. He shares insights on what it means to live in the hour of fragmentation and how we can reconnect to the integrating center of all things. 

Resources: 

Makers and Mystics Creative Collective

The Breath and The Clay event! March 21-23rd in Winston Salem, NC. Use the code DREAM25 for a discount on registration! 

Credits:
Episode Sponsor:  Be. Make. Do. Podcast.
Music: Some Were At Sea
Produced by Stephen Roach and Brightbell Creative

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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 our life as a painting, not a puzzle 
• moving past binary perceptions of art and time 

Kendra will share a keynote talk and join us for a discussion panel on reconciling art and family at The Breath and The Clay creative arts gathering, March 21-23, 2025, in Winston Salem, NC. 

Links/Resources: 

Connect with Kendra

Learn more about The Breath and The Clay event

Credits:
Episode Sponsor: MM Creative Collective
Music: Some Were At Sea
Produced by: Stephen Roach 

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"Technology does a really good job of floating us past all of these inconvenient blessings." - John Mark McMillan 

Today on the show, singer-songwriter John Mark Mcmillan joins me to talk about his new music, technology's impact on the arts, confessing to an AI Jesus, and recovering a sense of meaning in our disenchanted world. 

If you’ve listened to the Makers and Mystics podcast or have been to any of our Breath and Clay events, then you’ll know that John Mark is no stranger to our community. He’s been a part of the Breath and Clay and Makers and Mystics world since the beginning. We love keeping up with his creative work and appreciate his voice to this community. 

John Mark will be bringing his full band to perform some of the new songs for the first time ever in public at The Breath and The Clay March 21-23, 2025. 

Topics:

The Impact of Technology on The Arts

AI Jesus

How we experience music together

Links/Resources: 

Connect with John Mark

Book Mention: I'll Take You There: Pop Music and The Urge for Transcendence by Bill Friskics-Warren

AI Jesus Article

Kosuke Koyama Book

The Breath and The Clay 

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This episode offers a preview of the types of panels we'll be hosting at The Breath and The Clay 2025. It includes a live conversation with Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Victory Boyd, gospel recording artist Leeland Mooring, visual artist and curator Corey Frey, and podcast host Stephen Roach.

This conversation was recorded live at the Resound Creative Arts event in Boulder, Colorado.

Reserve Your Spot at The Breath and The Clay March 21-23 in Winston Salem, NC.

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In this series of conversations, Makers and Mystics will highlight several of the presenters and themes for the BC25 creative arts gathering, March 21-23, in Winston Salem, NC. 

Today’s guest is Theo-poet and mystic Dr. de’Angelo DIA.  The conversation explores the intersections of poetry, theology, and personal experience. DIA discusses how his early exposure to literature and comic book mythology shaped his understanding of sacredness and black charismatic spirituality. Stephen Roach highlights BC25 themes of fragmentation and wholeness, the search for the divine in secular spaces, and the influence of neo-Appalachian art on DIA’s work.

Learn more about Dr. de’Angelo DIA

Get Tickets to BC25

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In the season 14 finale of Makers and Mystics, Stephen Roach reflects on the theme of reclaiming wonder. Drawing from personal stories, spiritual insights, and the wisdom shared by this season’s guests, Stephen examines how we can rediscover awe and beauty in our everyday lives, even in a world that often feels disconnected from the miraculous.

Stephen closes the episode with a thought-provoking insight: Wonder is not just an experience; it’s an invitation. It’s the residue of the divine, a call to transformation, and a reminder that we are made for more than survival. When we open ourselves to wonder, we become what we behold and begin to see the possibility for beauty and meaning in every corner of life.

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Myths and storytelling have been a part of human culture since ancient times. From the oral traditions of indigenous peoples to the epic tales of gods and heroes, stories have shaped our understanding of the world, our place in it, and our deepest desires.

For artists, these narratives offer more than a glimpse into the past—they are a source of guidance, inspiration, and meaning. 

In this final conversation of our ‘Reclaiming Wonder’ series, I am joined by renowned storyteller, mythologist and Christian thinker Martin Shaw.

In our conversation, Martin and I discuss the profound relationship between storytelling and the arts. Martin shares the importance of allowing stories to remain wild, to breathe, and not become domesticated by rushing to interpretation. We discuss the concept of being 'wedded to the wild' and the role of artists in re-wilding faith.

You can learn more about Martin’s work here

You can explore our library of over 300 episodes with artists, mystics, theologians, and creative thinkers at http://www.makersandmystics.com

Thank you to everyone who has followed along in this series of conversations. I’d love to hear from you. Which conversations inspired you most? Which ones did you wrestle with or skip over? Send me a line, and if you want to go deeper into these conversations, please consider joining our creative collective at http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics

We’d love to have you with us. 

I hope to meet you all at The Breath and The Clay event March 21-23, in Winston Salem, NC.

When you see me, come say hi. You’ll be in good company with other artists and creative seekers such as John Mark McMillan, Amanda Cook, Sho Baraka, Joshua Luke Smith, Kendra Apache, Elissa Weichbrodt and many others. 

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The new year is a time of reflecting, looking back over the lengths I’ve come, evaluating what has transpired in my life and in my inner life, and then looking ahead, seeking clarity and direction for where I will place my time, resources and attention for the months to come.  

I find that a large part of transitioning from one moment in time to another involves letting go of the past, often grieving our losses, and making peace with the life we have rather than pining after the life we thought we would have or wanted to have. Then, through the mystery of the process, finding wonder even in grief, and in the midst of ordinary life. 

My guest today is someone who has seen grief and loss in her own life and who also helps others on their journey through grief. She is one who has learned to recognize wonder in the most unexpected places, like grief and in letting go of the past. Her journey has led her through many different faith practices as well as her creative life has taken on many shapes and forms.  

Today, I’m speaking with Award-winning author, contemporary translator of sacred literature, international speaker, and world-renowned teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog, Mirabai Starr. 

This conversation was recorded earlier in 2024, but I think as we move into this new year, the conversation offers a timely invitation to find beauty even amidst our losses and to hold space for the every day to become a place of spiritual and creative transformation.  

Much of our conversation centers on grief as an unexpected doorway to wonder. Mirabai shares about her most recent book, Ordinary Mysticism, which Ann Lamont calls a gorgeous, transformative, welcoming book for anyone who longs to feel more present, more alive, more joyful, and aware of the holiness of daily life.

Patrons of the podcast can enjoy a longer unedited version of this conversation which includes several additional stories of my own and several from Mirabai.  Visit Patreon.com/makersandmystics to learn more.

GET TICKETS TO THE BREATH AND THE CLAY MARCH 21-23 2025.  

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