Makers & Mystics

Vincent van Gogh was a leading postimpressionist painter of the late nineteenth century, known for his thick, swirling brushstrokes and radical use of color. Before he was an artist, though, he was a pastor to a village of destitute coal miners in Belgium, an experience that shaped him deeply. Vincent was full of compassion and wonder, anguish and hope. “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing” was one of his personal mottoes. His art—whether of sunflowers for his friend Paul Gauguin, a peasant family sitting down for dinner, or a starry sky outside his asylum window—highlights the numinous in the day-to-day.This artist profile is guest-hosted by Victoria Emily Jones, a writer on Christianity and the arts. Visit her blog, Art & Theology, and follow her on Twitter @artandtheology or Instagram @art_and_theology.Follow Makers & Mystics on Instagram @makersandmysticshOfficial Website for Makers and MysticsJoin Our Creative Collective! Get additional interviews and content, participate in our online book club and private Facebook group, get discounted tickets to our live events and private creative coaching sessions from Stephen Roach. Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Producer of Marketing and Distribution for Aspiration Entertainment, Erik Lokkesmoe. The two discuss Erik's vision for individuals, families and churches who want to support artists and the arts. Erik's charge to "democratize patronage" and create local communities of patrons is an important idea for our time. “I encourage everyone to listen to this discussion then pass it along to the leaders, patrons and arts advocates in your life.” - Stephen Roach One Percent For ArtistsErik LokkesmoeMusic Provided by: The Golden AgeSupport Nashville’s Restoration!Listen to Our Previous Interview with Erik from Season 2.Become a Patron!Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

In this Season opening episode, Stephen talks with singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan about the creative process behind his new album Peopled With Dreams John Mark McMillanIf you’ve been inspired by the Makers & Mystics podcast please consider joining our tribe of monthly supporters. For the cost of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with us in creating and sustaining a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

John Eldredge is a New York Times bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. His latest book, Get Your Life Back, examines the breakneck pace at which we force our souls to exist—a pace that far exceeds God’s original design. In his book, John argues that a constant absorption of others’ worries through social media, paired with our own burdens and stresses, has left people overwhelmed and weary. In this season-finale episode, Stephen talks with John about the simple, yet profound spiritual disciplines that can heal our souls and nourish the creative spirit inside of us. Connect with John EldredgeIf you’ve been inspired by the Makers & Mystics podcast please consider joining our tribe of monthly supporters. For the cost of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with us in creating and sustaining a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference.Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Cinelle Barnes is a memoirist, essayist, and educator from Manila, Philippines, and is the author of MONSOON MANSION: A MEMOIR (Little A, 2018) and MALAYA: ESSAYS ON FREEDOM (Little A, 2019), and the editor of a forthcoming anthology of essays about the American South (Hub City Press, 2020).In this episode, Stephen talks with Cinelle about memoir as an agent of healing and how her process of writing helped navigate the difficulties of childhood trauma.**Patrons of the podcast can enjoy an additional interview segment with Cinelle outlining practical steps of memoir writing for any of you writers out there who are interested in learning what it takes to get your story from the pen to the page.Cinelle BarnesJoin The Creative Collective**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.Support The PodcastCreative Coaching with Stephen Roach Music in this episode provided by:A Boy and His KiteSongs of WaterEpisode Sponsor: 611 NetworkThis episode of Makers & Mystics is sponsored by our friends in the 611 Network. 611 is a global network of Holy Spirit led abolitionists committed to seeking the spiritual and physical freedom of those enslaved by human trafficking. Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Salvador Dali remains one of the most complex and controversial figures within art history. His artistic mediums range from film-making, design, clothing and jewelry making, writing, even what he called an “erotic cookbook” which featured enticing recipes such as Thousand Year Old Eggs and Toffee with Pine Cones.  Over the course of his lifelong career as an artist, he collaborated with other well-known figures such as Alfred Hitchcock, Alice Cooper and Walt Disney. The common thread linking all of his artistic creations is the surreal and dream-like imagery that bends our perception of reality and presents the world through a lens of absurd, avant-garde and sometimes disturbing distortions. His paintings depict melting clocks, larger than life horses with exaggerated, giraffe-like legs, contorted faces hovering over vast, deserted landscapes, and daisies bursting out of cracked eggs.Become a Patron of the Podcast!Music in this episode by: C’est LisSend us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Tinasha LaRayé is a poet, actress, and filmmaker who has an intense passion to see nations transformed through storytelling. As a spoken word artist, she incorporates her theatrical world of acting to elevate poetry from the page to an encounter. From working with inner city kids, to young women, to budding creatives, she loves empowering individuals to move in their God-given voice, purpose, and power. Tinasha also desires to see the wound of racism healed in the United States and uses her creativity and teachings to equip this generation to walk out healing, justice, and unity. She currently serves as a pastor in Creative Arts at Bethel Church in Redding. In today’s episode Stephen talks with Tinasha about her work as a poet and actress standing at the intersections of spiritual encounter and social justice. The two also talk about her film, Hope Song which explores the historical experience of Black people in America, and paints a poetic and prophetic vision for racial healing. Connect with Tinasha WATCH: Hope Song Film Director's websitehttp://www.mvmntcollab.comBecome a monthly Patron of Makers and MysticsSend us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

David Kinnaman is president of Barna Group, a leading research company based in Atlanta, Georgia. David’s work as a researcher and as a “professional listener” has led him and his team to interview nearly 1.5 million individuals since he began working for Barna in 1995. In this episode, Stephen is joined by Storybrand consultant and pastor, Luke Humbrecht of Boulder, Colorado. Stephen and Luke talk with David about his latest book, Faith For Exiles and the importance of cultivating healthy habits of attentiveness in a distracted age. Faith For Exiles Book**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.Join Our Creative Collective hereSend us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

In this bonus episode, Stephen highlights several of the presenters for the 2020 The Breath & the Clay creative arts gathering, who have appeared on the podcast. Listen in for conversation segments with Jeremy Cowart, Lanecia Rouse Tinsely, Matthew Perryman Jones and Lauren Midgley. OPENING MUSIC BY: C’est LisCLOSING MUSIC BY: https://www.ianrandallthornton.com/Ian Randall ThorntonJoin our Creative CollectiveSupport The Podcast!Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.

Aimee Semple McPherson was a celebrity personality and pioneering religious figure active during the 1920’s and 30’s.  She is perhaps most remembered for her larger than life theatrical presentations of the gospel and for establishing one of the world’s first recognized mega churches. At the height of her fame, Aimee’s services filled 5300 seats three times every Sunday. She appointed two massive choirs and a fifty-piece orchestra to perform musical compositions and sacred operas which she composed. In her services, Aimee preached what she called “illustrated sermons,” accompanied by elaborate set designs and costumes created by Hollywood designers and performed by professional actors. Sister Aimee by Daniel Mark EpsteinJoin Our Creative Collective - http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics**Since 2016, Makers and Mystics has produced over 100 free episodes of inspiring conversations and keynote talks that fuel the creative spirit.Because I treat every episode of this show as an individual work of art, it takes me around twenty hours or more per week to research, record and produce each episode. This is a joyful labor of love I hope to continue for years to come. I believe in the mission of Makers and Mystics to create and sustain a greater understanding of the relationship between art, faith and culture. Your support really makes a difference. If you find any inspiration and resonance in what I do, please consider becoming a monthly Patron with a recurring donation of your choosing. From the price of a cup of coffee to a date night at the movies, you can partner with me in building creative culture and changing the understanding of why art matters to the life of the spirit.Music in this episode used with permission by Songs of Water , C’est Lis and Daniel Birch.Send us a textSupport the show Get Tickets to The Breath and The Clay 2026 featuring Malcolm Guite, Jon Guerra, and Jonathan Pageau! March 20-22 in Winston-Salem, NC.