I would imagine most of us think of inspiration as a sudden flash of insight that hits us out of nowhere and compels us create. It’s not something we control. The wind blows where it wishes and we don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. But what if inspiration were a discipline? Brooklyn-based author and artist Carey Wallace has written an incredible book titled, The Discipline of Inspiration. Here, she addresses this question and shines a new light on how we think about our relationship to the things that move us. Poet and songwriter Patti Smith writes that "This book articulates... the beautiful compexity of what drives us to create and what we encounter when we do."In keeping with our season theme of finding flow, consider how nurturing our inspirations prepare us for those beautiful moments of creative transport. We’ll be talking more about this in the Makers and Mystics creative collective. Music by: Some Were At SeaSend us a textJohn Mark McMillan Tour Dates Support the show
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S15E02 | The Faraway Nearby with Leah Song of Rising Appalachia
Leah Song is a storyteller, song-catcher, musician, poet, and community builder. She’s best known as the front-woman of the beloved band Rising Appalachia, which she leads alongside her sister Chloe.As a solo artist, Leah draws from the rich traditions of Southern soul, the diasporic sounds of the Celtic Isles, and her deep studies of folk music from across the Americas.In this episode, Leah talks with Stephen Roach about her journey through music, exploring the intersections of various cultural traditions and how the pace of our lives impacts creative flow. Resources: Join the Makers and Mystics Creative CollectiveSupport The Podcast with a one-time donationPatreon: Patreon.com/makersandmysticsSend us a textSupport the show
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S15E01: Tuning The Room with Stephen Roach
Flow begins with attentiveness. In this episode, Stephen Roach shares how tuning the room became a creative and spiritual practice.Welcome to Season 15 of Makers & Mystics. In this opening episode, host Stephen Roach invites listeners into the unfolding journey of Finding Flow—not just as a creative high, but as a sacred rhythm and intentional spiritual practice.Anchored in a story from his experience as a touring musician, Stephen shares how he developed a pre-show ritual: using a sustained drone and improvised melody to “tune the room”—to draw the audience (and himself) into a space of collective attentiveness. It became more than a musical practice; it became a way of entering flow, of opening space for something beyond performance to emerge.In this episode, Stephen explores:What it means to prepare a space for creativityHow flow requires attentiveness and surrenderThe parallels between creative flow and spiritual presenceWhy the environment we create—internally and externally—matters to our artWhether you’re a musician, painter, poet, or simply someone longing to move through the world with greater presence, this episode will help you begin to tune your own room—and step into your creative flow.Featured Music: Songs of WaterJoin the Creative Collective: PatreonSupport the Podcast with a one-time donation: SupportFollow Us on Instagram: @makersandmysticsFive Creativity Killers Book: Get the book mentioned in this episode. Send us a textSupport the show
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Finding Flow | An Introduction to Season 15
Have you experienced those moments when the grind gives way to an effortless grace? When a poem or painting tells you what it wants to become, or when a melody sings itself into being? This state of creative flow is one that artists and athletes, saints and mystics alike, each aspire to attain. It is a state where time bends low and reveals a slice of eternity. When our minds are absorbed, the world around us dissolves. Five minutes becomes five hours. Attentiveness and reverie are caught in a kiss that transcends technical ability and becomes magic.In flow, we become the act we give our hands to accomplish. The painter becomes the painting. The dancer becomes the dance. We enter into something greater than ourselves, a move of the Spirit that is ever in flux and available to us all. This season on Makers and Mystics, we’re going to explore how to find flow,Not just as a creative high—But as a practice.A rhythm.A spiritual discipline And a way of life.We’re going to talk about what keeps us from entering it, and why it matters—not just for our art, but for our own development and well-being.You’ll hear from painters, poets, musicians, and makers of all kinds - each sharing stories of what enables them to find flow and the challenges that have kept them from it. You’ll hear from theologians and thinkers who see creativity as a sacred conversation.We’re going to talk about the discipline behind flow, the resistance that rises against it, and the mysterious grace that shows up when we least expect it.So if you’ve struggled to find flow —Or if you’ve ever wondered how to maintain your creative inspiration —Or if you’re simply longing to move through the world more awake and more alive…This season is for you.Send us a textSupport the show
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BC25 | Risk Art vs. Shock Art
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. Join The Breath and The Clay virtually or in person Connect with Dr. TeilhardConnect with Corey FreySpecial Thanks to our patrons and friends who help us keep this train running. If you've been inspired by the Makers and Mystics podcast and would like to show the love, you can give a one-time donation here or become a monthly patron here. Send us a textSupport the show
New Zealand