Makers & Mystics

Lewis Hyde is a scholar, essayist, translator, cultural critic and writer whose scholarly work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity, and property. His book, THE GIFT: Creativity and the Artist in the modern world is now considered a classic. Written over twenty-five years ago, this book is even more necessary today than when it first appeared. The Gift brilliantly orchestrates a defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities. In this episode, Stephen talks with Lewis Hyde about his books The Gift, Trickster Makes This World and how the artist makes his way through today’s world. If you’d like to go deeper into the conversation, we have a short interview segment with Lewis Hyde for our patrons describing his most recent book, A Primer for forgetting: Getting Past The Past

Nadine Ellsworth-Moran is the winner of our first annual Bright Wings poetry contest. Nadine is a Georgia resident where she works in full-time ministry while pursuing her love of writing. Her essays and poems have appeared in Interpretation, The Presbyterian Outlook, Structo, Kakalak, and Saint Katherine Review, among others. In this episode, Stephen is joined by contest panel judge and poet, Amy Orazio and features a reading of Nadine’s winning poem by the author. Topics in this episode include resilience, tenacity and constructive ways of handling rejections. Read Nadine Ellsworth-Moran’s winning poem here. See all contest winners and runner ups here.

Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist, author and speaker whose process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.” In a culture driven by speed and instant gratification, the idea of slow art runs counter to our normal modes of living. Mako’s approach to art challenges our relationship to time and invites us into a more reflective approach to life, creating and viewing art. In this episode Stephen speaks with Mako as he worked in his Princeton New Jersey studio. The two discuss his process of art-making, culture care and the importance of slowing down not only in art but in our relationships and in life. Music for this episode is provided by jazz artist, Alfred Sergel four with compositions from his latest release, Sleepless Journey. You can find links to today’s artist as well as additional segments with Mako on the importance of mentoring emerging artists, a glimpse into his daily practices and advice for artists of faith working in the world of art in the show notes of this episode.

Teresa of Avila was a Spanish, Carmelite nun born on March 28th, 1515. She was an avid writer, social reformer and mystic known for her wit, charm and intense spiritual ecstasies. In this Artist Profile, Stephen Roach offers a glimpse into the life of this eccentric and accessible mystic whose life remains applicable for us today.

Lauren Midgley is a conceptual fine art photographer based in Oklahoma. Her photography stretches beyond the historical use of the camera and invites the viewer into a world of surrealism and visual storytelling. In a world saturated with digital imagery, Lauren employs illustrative, advanced digital manipulation to paint virtual narratives that speak to the heart of our collective human experience.  In this episode, Stephen and Lauren discuss her aims and motivations as an artist as well as the inception behind several specific portraits. To make it easier to you to follow along (with the visual nature of our discussion), we have posted the images mentioned in this episode at makersandmystics.com and on Instagram @makersandmystics.

Pop Artist and cultural icon, Andy Warhol started his career as a commercial artist working as a successful illustrator for magazines and advertising agencies but eventually made the leap to become an independent, exhibiting artist in New York City. Andy’s unique style of portraying screen-printed images of his lifelong obsession with celebrities and mundane objects propelled him into the spotlight as a leading voice of the Pop-Art movement. What isn’t widely recognized about Andy’s life was his secretive devotion to the Catholic faith. Underneath his silver wigs and flamboyant costumes was a man who regularly attended mass, served at a homeless shelter and financed his nephew’s study for the priesthood. How these two irreconcilable personas found home in this one man’s life is a question both interested religious figures and art critics alike have been asking. In this Artist Profile, Stephen takes a brief look into the religious life of this enigmatic and complex artist’s hidden life.

In this opening episode, Stephen talks with singer-songwriter Josh Garrels about his latest release, Chrysaline. The two discuss the personally transformative experiences that informed the making of these songs and how collaboration and environment impacted Josh’s creative process. Josh shares openly about his experience of personal frustration that led him to place his music on the altar. *Be sure to listen to the end as Josh addresses the latest trend of what feels like a mass exodus from the faith by so many people in our generation.  “This may be one of the more timely and important conversations we have had on the podcast. I look forward to discussing this further with our creative collective over the next few weeks.” – Stephen

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.    

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.