Makers & Mystics

This LIVE Season Finale episode features the perspectives of diverse voices you’ve heard on the podcast; Amena Brown, Josh Garrels, Vesper Stamper, Cole NeSmith and CJ Casciotta. In today’s panel discussion, these five discuss the tension between the soul and the business of creativity. In the realm of art-making, there can seem to be a tension between our desire to create authentic works, works which remain true to the artist’s creative vision, while at the same time creating works which are either commercially viable or which resonate with the communities where we have influence. Join the Creative CollectiveSend us a textSupport the show

John O’ Donohue was a modern-day mystic, philosopher, theologian and poet. He spent his life along the West Coast of Ireland where the solitude and beauty of the land shaped him as an artist and thinker. Imagination As The Path of the Spirit John O’ Donohue Featured Music: Songs of WaterJoin The Makers and Mystics Creative Collective! Maker Tier Patrons can enjoy additional Patron-Only content, access to our Private Facebook group and weekly Interactive, Online Book Club. Send us a textSupport the show

Jason Burkey is a professional actor who has appeared on television shows such as The Walking Dead, Nashville, Being Mary Jane, The Resident and a score of other well-known programs. His movie credits include a lead role in the 2012 surprise hit, October Baby as well as Lady and The Tramp, I Can Only Imagine, Bigger and The Art of Self-Defense. Jason is also a founder of "Act For A Change," which is a local theatre non- profit that gathers Atlanta actors, writers and directors to perform one-act plays for local charities. In this episode, Stephen talks with Jason about what motivates him as an actor and what it means to live truthfully in an imaginative setting. Act For A Change OrganizationJason Burkey Support The PodcastJoin our Online Book Club! Send us a textSupport the show

Gerard Manley Hopkins was a Jesuit priest and English poet born July 28,1844. He is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era although during his lifetime, his poetry was never published. His approach to poetry was deeply enmeshed with his intimate and mystical spirituality. For Hopkins, who was an avid lover of nature, poetry was a means of accessing the Divine and of discovering God within nature.Join our Book Club. Send us a textSupport the show

CHARLIE PEACOCK is a Nashville-based, 4x Grammy Award-winning, composer, record producer and recording artist. His production credits include Chris Cornell, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Americana successes such as The Lone Bellow, Holly Williams and The Civil Wars. Charlie is considered one of Nashville's most prolific cultural influencers and has dedicated himself to championing the independent music scene which he has served for over 40 years. Alongside of his work in music production and songwriting, Charlie and his wife Andi co-founded Art House America in 1991, a non-profit created to inspire a seamless life of Christian discipleship and imaginative living. The Art House in Nashville is still actively serving their city’s art and entertainment community today.  More recently, Charlie and Andi have co-founded a blog called The Writer and the Husband which chronicles their thoughts on life, art, relationships and faith.  The Writer & the HusbandSupport The Podcast!Charlie PeacockMakers & Mystics website Send us a textSupport the show

James Hampton was an African American visionary and found object artist who built a 180 piece throne in preparation for the second coming of Christ and wrote and accompanying manuscript in untranslatable language. Support The Podcast!See James Hampton’s WorkSpiritual American Trash BookSend us a textSupport the show

Lanecia Rouse Tinsley is an abstract artist based in Houston, TX.  Her portfolio also includes a range of work in photography, painting, teaching, writing, and speaking. Lanecia creates out of a desire to make the invisible landscapes within and the human condition known; using texture, form + color to speak to life upon various surfaces in ways words cannot. In addition to her art, Lanecia works with projectCURATE as Co-Spiritual Director and Consultant for the Arts; and is Co-founder/Co-Creative Director of ImagiNoir Group, an international alliance and think-tank of black activists, artists, writers, scholars and educators. Lanecia is a graduate of Duke University Divinity School (MDiv) and a graduate of Wofford College with a BA in Sociology.In this episode, Stephen talks with Lanecia about her creative process and about art as healing and as a means of expressing the full range of our human experience. ***Patrons on the podcast can enjoy an additional interview with Lanecia about her inspiration in James Baldwin as well as a downloadable PDF of Baldwin’s essay on The Creative Process.  Connect with LaneciaThis episode is sponsored by: DITA 10 Duke Initiative in the Arts. Join Lanecia, Makers and Mystics podcast, Chris Wiman and many others at this event in Durham, NC. Sept 5-8, 2019.Music Provided by: Moda SpiraSupport The Podcast! Become a member of our creative collective.Send us a textSupport the show

Lilias Trotter was a British artist, writer and visionary. It has been said that through Lilias’s contact with art critic and social philosopher, John Ruskin, she had the opportunity to become one of England’s greatest and most famous artists of her day. Yet, for her own convictions, Lilias turned away from this opportunity and followed a path that assured her of obscurity and promised no certain success. Lilias lived forty years of her life among the Arabic people of North Africa and built significant friendships with Sufi mystics of the Sahara desert. Resources: Many Beautiful Things DocumentaryLilias Trotter LegacyA Passion For The Impossible BiographySend us a textSupport the show

Sleeping At Last is the moniker of Chicago-based singer-songwriter, producer and composer, Ryan O’Neal. Ryan’s music has been featured on popular television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and The Vampire Diaries and has appeared in Films such as The Fault In Our Stars and The Twilight Saga. Ryan has collaborated with numerous noteworthy songwriters such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Sarah Brightman, and many others. In this episode, Stephen talks with Ryan about his music composition, his Enneagram songs, and what motivates his creativity. Sleeping At Last Official WebsiteEnneagram Creativity with Sarah DuetSupport The Podcast!Send us a textSupport the show

Meister Eckhart was a late 13th and early 14th century philosopher, theologian and mystic born in central Germany. In 1326, he was accused of 150 accounts of heresy and went on to be tried before the Catholic Inquisition. Today, however, Meister Eckhart’s writings have influenced artists and spiritual seekers from most every tradition and walk of life. Articles and blogs mentioned in this episode:Every Painter Paints HimselfThe Eckhart SocietyJohn Cage on EckhartSupport The PodcastSend us a textSupport the show