276: Through Art's Open Door: Maria Bowler

Maria Bowler—author, coach, and host of the Make Human podcast–is back for the third time! This time our conversation focuses on creativity, embodiment, and the sacred work of becoming more fully human. 

Maria shares her journey of launching a new medium, the transition from writing books to podcasting. She also reflects on the difference between creating from the mind and creating from a place of deeper presence, sharing how movement, conversation, and community have become essential parts of her creative practice.

Maria introduces a poem that met her during a season of heartbreak and spiritual upheaval. Christian Wiman's "And I Said to My Soul, Be Loud" became a companion that invited her beyond fear, control, and self-reliance into a deeper awareness of God's presence. 

Together we remember how works of art often find us exactly when we need them most, becoming unexpected gateways to healing, hope, and transformation.

Resources & Links:

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

275: Through Art's Open Door: Heather Lanier

Heather Lanier is a writer, poet, memoirist, speaker, and professor. She is also my friend! Heather returns to the podcast to discuss the profound connection between creativity and spirituality. 

From the meditative discipline of centering prayer to the "forgetting of self" that occurs in the flow state, Heather shares how writing can serve as both a craft and a spiritual practice. We explore the concept of "ultimate reality," the power of art as a spiritual "thin place," plus the intersection of motherhood, creative momentum, and the joys of the mundane.

Whether you're a writer, an artist, or simply someone longing to experience more wonder in everyday life, this conversation is an invitation to slow down and step through art's open door. 

Resources & Links

Music: "White Horses" by Darlingside
Art Exhibit: Selected History of the Space-Time Continuum by Rachel Sussman
Books:

Connect with Heather Lanier:

Upcoming Event:

Join Merideth and Heather for a live event in the Philadelphia area!

  • Date: July 25th

  • Location: Chadds Ford, PA

  • Details: This is a free event featuring lively conversation and a musical salon exploring creativity as a spiritual practice. Join us as we explore creativity as a spiritual practice and discover how being present to beauty can ground, heal, and transform our everyday lives.  Please register here to attend. 

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor 

274: Through Art's Open Door: Don Pape

Literary agent Don Pape joins me for a conversation about a lifetime in the publishing industry, the sacred work of shaping stories, and how creativity shows up in both the books we write and the ordinary rhythms of our everyday lives.

Don shares what it really looks like to walk alongside an author as they steward their message from a rough draft to a published work. We explore the tension between the "striving" of the industry and the "stewarding" of a creative calling, and why art is ultimately an invitation to see God’s love in the world around us.

Don also shares a deeply personal “thin place” experience: simple pieces of artwork made by his granddaughters—pieces that have become a doorway into prayer, presence, and love. Whether you’re an aspiring author or simply someone looking to reconnect with the joy of creating, this conversation is an invitation to trust the process.

Resources & Links

I would love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. You can share them by submitting to our guest post series via the link above. 

273: Bonus: A Launch-Day Reading from "Art Is How God Loves Us"

It’s officially launch day!

Art Is How God Loves Us: The Sacred Beauty of Created Things is finally out in the world today. To celebrate this milestone with you, I wanted to skip the usual book-launch chatter and invite you straight into the heart of the book itself.

In this special bonus episode, I’m reading an excerpt from the introduction. 

Whether you consider yourself an artist or simply someone trying to keep a tender heart in a heavy world, this episode is an invitation to stop striving, open the door, and listen to the spiritual song all created things are singing.

Thank you for being on this journey with me. Art Is How God Loves Us is available wherever books are sold today!

Links 

272: Through Art's Open Door: Lisa Kloskin

Lisa Kloskin is the Editorial Director at Broadleaf Books and the editor of Art Is How God Loves Us. Lisa joined me for a delightful conversation about the sacred work of editing. She shares how walking alongside authors through the creative process has become a form of accompaniment, listening, and care. 

We explore the vulnerability of writing, collaboration, the art of shaping a book, and the stories that have the power to transform us. Through Art’s Open Door, Lisa shares a novel that has profoundly shaped her faith and imagination: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

This one is for the writer of the book lover!

Resources & Links: 

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor 

271: Through Art's Open Door: David Gungor

This week on the podcast, musician, songwriter, producer, and pastor David Gungor joins me for a conversation about creativity, spirituality, and the surprising relationship between craftsmanship and inspiration. Known for his work with The Brilliance and The Good Shepherd Music Collective, David reflects on art as a path of transformation, the role of play in the creative life, and why some of our most meaningful work emerges through community.

 Through Art's Open Door, David shares Leonard Cohen's song "Suzanne," a work that continues to shape his understanding of beauty, patience, and the spiritual life. We explore what it means to slow down, embrace mystery, and trust that creativity is born not from necessity, but from love.

 If you've ever wrestled with perfectionism, burnout, or the tension between making art and enjoying it, this conversation offers a refreshing invitation to rediscover wonder, play, and the mercy that meets us exactly as we are.

 I also give you an update from the tour, so listen to the end!

 Resources & Links

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

270: Through Art's Open Door: Mara Eller


Writer, editor, book coach, and podcast host Mara Eller joins me to explore the spiritual dimensions of writing, self-reflection, and creative partnership. 

As the developmental editor who walked alongside me through the drafting of Art Is How God Loves Us, Mara offers a unique perspective on the ways creativity can become a gateway to deeper self-knowledge, connection, and encounter with the divine. We discuss the trust between writer and editor, the importance of spaciousness in the creative process, and how writing can help us uncover what Thomas Merton called the "true self."

Through Art's Open Door, Mara brings Denise Levertov's poem To Live in the Mercy of God. Through imagery of towering forests and a waterfall crashing endlessly against stone, the poem offers a striking vision of divine love as an overwhelming force of mercy that continues to pour itself out despite our resistance. The poem invites us into awe, reminding us that the spiritual life is not always comfortable, but it is always held within a love larger than ourselves.

If you're feeling spiritually dry or creatively stuck, Mara offers two simple invitations: spend time noticing something beautiful in nature, and revisit a song that mattered deeply to you when you were younger. Through attention, memory, and reflection, these small practices can help us reconnect with beauty, integrate our stories, and step once again through art's open door.

Resources & Links

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor 

267: What's bringing me joy this spring

Life is moving fast! Today we are slowing down for our quarterly check-in on the big and small things saving our creative lives right now. From medical advocacy and fitness apps to custom book merch and the magic of a 3:00 PM dinner routine, we’re celebrating the "professional confetti explosion" season in full force.

The "OMG It's Happening" Meme

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Follow Aileen Weber on Instagram: @Aileen.Webber

Join the Vitality Coaching App ("Buns to Sun"): Sign Up Here(Tell her Merideth sent you!)

Favorite Protein Powder #1 (mix with coffee): Ancient Nutrition Collagen (Vanilla)

Favorite Protein Powder #2 (for smoothies and drinking plain mixed with water): Ballerina Farm Farmer Protein

Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle Perfume: Nordstrom link

Aerin Fragrance Discovery Set: Estée Lauder

The "Art is How God Loves Us" Book Launch Hub:
    *   See all Summer 2026 Tour Stops & RSVP: artistsforjoy.org/launch
    *   Reserve Your Custom Launch Mug (4 Glaze Options!): Fill Out the Waitlist Form Here
    *   Check out our wonderful partners: Black Oak Arts Pottery & The Inspired Foundry

Join the Joysters on Patreon!
This podcast is 100% listener-supported. Become a paid supporter to get access to hours of creative recovery content and join our next Monthly Meetup on **June 12th at 12:00 PM EST** as we talk about "The Courage to be Known."
👉 patreon.com/artistsforjoy

Amazon links are affiliate and allow me to receive a small commission!

269: Through Art's Open Door: Jennafer Newberry Peery

In the first installment of Through Art’s Open Door,  I chatted with Broadway actress Jennafer Newberry Peery, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. 

Jennafer shares what it's really like to perform in one of the most beloved musicals in the world while balancing family life, motherhood, and the demands of eight-show weeks. We explore art as a spiritual practice, the courage it takes to remain tender in a world that rewards efficiency, and why changing our minds may be one of the bravest acts of justice available to us.

Jennafer reflects on the works of art that have become thin places in her own life–from film and poetry to sunsets, theater, and holding her daughter in her arms.

Whether you're an artist, a parent, a person of faith, or simply someone longing to reconnect with wonder, this conversation offers an invitation to notice the beauty that is already speaking to you.

Works of Art Mentioned

Resources & Links

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

268: Fear to focus

In this episode, I share a personal look at the "gremlins of self-doubt" that arrive during a book launch. Inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, let's discusses how to treat fear as a passenger rather than the driver, using a "Fear to Focus" framework to turn anxieties into actionable truths.

Links:

266: Throwback: Write a new story

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing a story about a "no" that truly leveled me. As I head into the studio this Monday to record the audiobook for my new book, Art Is How God Loves Us, I couldn’t help but think back to the moment I found out I wouldn’t be narrating my first one. I was sitting in a middle seat on a cross-country flight when the email arrived, and I spent the rest of the trip quietly crying.

I’m replaying this episode now because it's a powerful reminder that no feeling is final. We often interlace our identity with our creative output, making rejection feel like a verdict on our very selves. Through the story of my friend Ian’s "failed" rockstar dreams and the incredible resilience of the migrating salmon, I explore how we can sit with our tender disappointments without letting them keep us stuck. Whether you’re nursing a fresh wound or an old one, I hope this encourages you to keep swimming toward the open waters of your next chapter.

Listen in to hear my thoughts on why we aren't "tortured" but simply "tender and trying," plus a listener question about whether finding your artistic "style" actually matters.

Original show notes:

This week's episode explores the challenge of persevering through creative disappointment. We meet Ian, a musician whose band falls apart, and learn the tool that is helping Merideth cope with a recent and painful rejection. Listen for encouragement to embrace your sensitivity and vulnerability and to find ways to move beyond disappointment to create with more joy and freedom.

Read last week's podcast on Substack

Submit a question or comment to Merideth:

via IG

via email: hello@artistsforjoy.org

via phone: 302-415-3407

Support us on Patreon

Join the next “The Artist’s Way” Creative Cluster

Leave a review on Apple Podcast

Learn how to leave a review

265: 7 Types of Rest

In the middle of a busy season—like, say, launching a new book—it is so easy to view time as a resource to be earned rather than an experience to be felt. In this episode, I explore the "Workaholic Quiz" from Week 10 of The Artist's Way and ask: Is your busyness fueled by joy, or is it a shield against the vulnerability of being still?

Using Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s “7 Types of Rest” and the design concept of White Space, we discuss how rest isn't a reward for finishing your work—it’s the fuel that makes the work possible.

264: How Beauty Saves Us with Winfield Bevins

Today on the podcast, Merideth chats with Winfield Bevins—author, artist, and founder of Creo Arts—to talk about his latest book, How Beauty Will Save the World.

In a world that feels loud, fast, and fractured, Winfield invites us back to something slower and truer: beauty. Not the surface-level kind, but the kind that heals and reconnects us to God, ourselves, and each other.

Links:

*Read more about Winfield Bevins
*Get How Beauty Will Save the World
*Learn more about Creo Arts
*Follow Winfield on Instagram

*Become a Joyster (Paid Supporter) on Patreon: Get access to hours of creative discovery and recovery content

*Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

*Tell me what you think of this episode via IG @artistsforjoy or via email hello@artistsforjoy.org

*Pre-order Art Is How God Loves Us and read the latest sample chapter on Substack now!

263: Holding Hope in a Heavy World with Shannan Martin

This week, I’m joined by Shannan Martin to talk about her new book, Counterweights and how we can hold hope when life feels unbearably heavy.

Counterweights aren’t about denying pain or replacing grief with surface-level happiness. It’s a way of naming what steadies us: the ordinary, specific things that help us stay upright. We cannot counter what we won’t weigh.

In our conversation, we talk about the evolving creative life, the grief and celebration of finishing a book, and how the practice of counterweights helps artists stay soft and grounded when everything feels like too much.

  • Why more time and space don’t necessarily make creativity easier

  • The every-hour crisis of writing a book and learning to surrender it imperfectly

  • How introverts can build a real, local community by simply noticing who’s nearby

Shannon shares how working in a community kitchen, watching the sky, and paying attention to the particulars of her own neighborhood all become spiritual practices. These are reminders that we don’t have to choose between being honest about what’s hard and delighting in what’s good.

Links:

Get Counterweights

Sign up for Shannan’s Substack, The Soup 

Our Enneagram 8 episode featuring Shannan

Download the Curtain Call Questions 

262: Big Toe Ego

We all grapple with that hyper-sensitive, judgmental part of ourselves, the ego, which is an integral—yet often painful—aspect of being an artist. This week on the podcast, I've found a new, surprisingly visceral metaphor and a spiritual practice that is helping me embrace less defensiveness and find a much deeper resonance.

Links:

261: Maker vs. Manager

Have you ever felt like your creative self (your inner Maker) and your get-it-done, logistical self (your inner Manager) are constantly battling it out? We all need both of these energies to create a sustainable, joyful life—but getting them to play nicely together is the real trick.

In this episode, I dive deep into the Maker vs. Manager dynamic, including my own recent creative block, and share four practical ways to finally get them working in sync. Learn how to reorient your inner Manager to become an enthusiastic Artist Manager—someone who is dedicated to creating the perfect conditions for your inner artist to thrive.

Links

260: What's bringing me joy this winter

This week we are diving into my quarterly practice of naming what’s bringing me joy this season. It's a fun, unscripted (!) episode full of big and small things that are truly "saving my life right now." 

 Links:

PS: I definitely got the numbering wrong on the episode (told you it was unscripted!) So please feel free to ignore that!

259: Why art matters in tough times

Are you struggling to focus and create when the world feels chaotic? This week: a much-needed pep talk. Four vital reasons why making art is not a luxury, but an essential act of perseverance, resilience, and hope.

Links:

Beauty will save the world: Substack Essay

Burnout Book

Burnout Podcast Episode

Become a Joyster and join February 13th’s Filling the Well Workshop

Join The Artist’s Way Creative Cluster

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

258: A Litany for Trying

We're back with our first new episode of 2026! I'm sharing a pep talk for anyone (including myself!) who is stepping into the new year with trepidation. This episode is especially for you if you're in the process of submitting your work to be judged or critiqued. Inspired by the "whiplash" I felt after submitting a major grant application this week, I encourage you to shift your focus from the outcome (the product) to the sheer effort and the vulnerable act of trying.

Links and Calls to Action Mentioned:

257: Throwback: Harmony vs. Hustle

Links:

Join our Word-of-the-year Art Party (or watch the replay!)

Join the next Artist's Way Creative Cluster

Pre-order Art Is How God Loves Us

Original show notes: 

Any other artists out there tired of thinking/talking/obsessing about marketing? This week, Merideth shares the first of a three-part series based on her words of the year. The first word—anti-hustle—calls her to a simpler, quieter, more harmonious way of life. She also answers a question about morning pages, all to the beautiful music of Debussy, Beethoven, and Brahms performed by Marnie Laird of Brooklyn Classical. 

Leave us a question via email

Join the FREE Artist’s Way Creative Cluster

Podcast Transcript