We Are Makers Podcast

We took at trip over to Belgium to the lovely town of Ghent to meet Winne in his workshop.

"People would describe me as a musician and an instrument maker. Both of these things go hand in hand, with one getting the upper hand over the other at times. Sometimes I switch more to performing and doing scoring jobs, and at other times I focus more on the making of the instruments. For me, it’s very hard to find the right words for exactly what I do. I just follow my feelings and my intuition. I think I’m a sound sculptor as well, in a way, both when I make the instruments and when I play them."

We Are Makers 
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Winne Clement
Insta: @mesmerizingsounds
Website: www.fujaraflutes.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@1fujara

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

If you would like to hear more podcasts, please subscribe and like this video!

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We took at trip over to Belgium to the lovely town of De Haan to meet Maximus in his workshop.

"You will find me today in a small workshop in De Haan, a village on Belgium’s coastline, which is where I was born and raised. My surroundings are my source of inspiration: away from man-made noise, you can hear the waves landing on the beach, or you can find yourself in the heart of a forest. My name is Maximus, and I am a sculptor.

The creation of wooden sculptures is the result of my many years of passion for wood. It started from a young age at school, where I learned the craft of general woodworking. Specialising in carpentry and furniture design, I wanted to elevate my potential with wood. After a year of historical furniture restoration and learning lathe work, I was eager to learn more about what was possible. Grateful to have such an amazing parent who supported my interest in wood, I sought and found my next big opportunity that would change my life and push my limits once more. I was accepted into Institut Saint-Luc Tournai, an art college in Tournai, Belgium."

We Are Makers 
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Maximus 
Insta: @maximus_sculptor
Website: https://maximus-sculptor.com/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

If you would like to hear more podcasts, please subscribe and like this video!

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took at trip to visit the lovely Zoe Wilson in her workshop in Houghton, Hampshire, England. 

"Continuing the tradition of skills passed from master to apprentice has shaped my career and is at the heart of my work. My stone carving is simple in its manufacture, using only a mallet and chisel, but born from a wealth of knowledge gleaned over the years from highly skilled craftspeople. I once read that craft is the “seemingly impossible skill of making something by hand. Perfectly.” This is precisely how I feel about carving. 

For me, craft is also about the personal relationship between the maker and the material. I feel a huge amount of respect for stone as a raw material and feel a responsibility to always strive to create pieces worthy of it. " - Extract from Edition four of We Are Makers - Zoe Wilson.

We Are Makers 
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Zoe Wilson Carving
Insta: @zoewilsoncarving
Website: https://zoewilsoncarving.com/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to meet Barney at Capreolus distillery at his childhood home where he works from today. 

"The Cotswolds have been a constant influence through my life. Growing up in this most idyllic region of England I was surrounded by flower rich grasslands, ancient woodlands scented with lily of the valley, historic orchards and the wildlife that inhabited them. A love of nature was a natural development and led to my former life as a photojournalist specialising in conservation stories - supplying non-profit media to over 118 countries – a perfect way to find, experience and capture these rare and precious moments. Finding fruit distilling came as a natural extension to this discipline." - Barney Wilczak

We Are Makers 
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Capreolus Distillery 
Insta: @capreolusdistil
Website: https://www.capreolusdistillery.co.uk/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to visit Michael who runs FIODH SCOTLAND in Glasgow, UK. Fiodh is a small start up based in Glasgow founded by design graduate Michael Youmans back in 2017. The original idea behind the business was to create a modern product inspired by Scotland he also had a keen interest in watches from his father. He came up with the concept of using wood from whisky casks to create a stylish authentically Scottish watch.

Find out his full story through this podcast!

We Are Makers
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

FIODH SCOTLAND
Insta: @fiodh_scotland
Website: https://www.fiodh.scot/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCBm...

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

If you would like to hear more podcasts, please subscribe and like this video!

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to visit Ross in his store who owns Finnieston Clothing in Glasgow, Scotland.

"At Finnieston Clothing, we offer functional lifestyle garments with a strong focus on quality and durability. Our home is Glasgow, a city whose shipbuilding yards were once revered the world over. Although all but a handful of yards are gone forever, the pride in the industry is still very much alive.
We aim to utilise our collections in telling the story of the industrial workforces of Glasgow’s past. Our articles each carry names and features that pay tribute to our home city and its heritage. Our outerwear garments are designed with a nod to workwear from the heyday of the City’s River, the Clyde. We seek to revive the ‘Clydebuilt’ hallmark of excellence."

Useful links:

We Are Makers
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Finnieston Clothing
Insta: @finniestonclothing
Website: https://finniestonclothing.com/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

If you would like to hear more podcasts, please subscribe and like this video!

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to visit Hollie Cooper who creates colourful, functional ceramics handmade in her workshop in Lancashire, UK, Jack and I had a long-form conversation about her work and what it's like to be a small business.

"I first fell in love with ceramics when I was introduced to small batch production methods such as the traditional techniques of wheel-throwing, mold-making and slip-casting. After graduating in 2019, I set up my studio with the intention of offering pottery workshops alongside creating my pieces."

Useful links:

We Are Makers
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Hollie Cooper
Insta: @holliecooperceramics
Website: hhttps://www.holliecooperceramics.co.uk/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to visit Jamie and Lucy who run Banton Frameworks to have a long-form conversation about their business and what it's like to be a small business. They handmake spectacles and sunglasses frames from their workshop by Banton Loch, just outside Kilsyth, near Glasgow.  

Extract from Edition Three, We Are Makers.

Why do what you do?

"It stems from Lucy’s project. Behind every business there’s some degree of a problem being solved – in Lucy’s case, a dissatisfaction with what was available from her optician at the time. Naively, we thought that we could do it better. We can now, but it took us almost a decade to get here. The result is better and, to us, much more personal to the wearer than mass manufactured frames made in their thousands.

Eyewear is almost like perfume or aftershave: apply the same perfume to 10 different people and it will smell 10 different ways. I think glasses are very much like that. Glasses are such a crucial implement – they help people see – but they are also a very personal and intimate item, as eyewear is a huge part of the wearer’s identity.

Glasses are quite simple objects – figures of eight with sticks on either side – but when you wear that frame for up to 16 hours a day, it represents you. I think it’s important to have eyewear that is made well. I don’t see it as any different to having a tailored suit, a smart pair of brogues or a nice handbag.

Frames can be very mass produced and almost loveless: you go into an optician and see rows on the wall and they’re basically just lens holders. Some manufacturers who we admire make very nice frames, but generally, mainstream optical brands lack the magic that we strive to produce.

So why do we do it? We do it because eyewear is a balance of fashion, identity and medical aid. We think that’s a pretty important range of roles for a single item." - Jamie Bartlett

This video podcast was filmed in Banton Frameworks workspace in Kilsyth, Glasgow.

Useful links:

We Are Makers
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Banton Frameworks
Insta: @bantonframeworks
Website: https://www.bantonframeworks.co.uk/

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

We took a trip to visit Stephen Cichocki at his workspace within the Sustainable Studios in Cardiff, Wales to have a long-form conversation about his business and what it's like to be a small business.

Thank you also to Stephen's wife Lisa for cooking us dinner that night - it was a lovely end to our day!

Stephen:

“All my life I have been a maker, from using glue and matchsticks when I was a kid to carving stone for my degree in sculpture.

I have always had a desire to make things with great value, that would be greatly appreciated and stand the test of time and would even one day become a family heirloom.

Everything is so cheaply produced these days that it takes the value out of things

Jewellery has always been produced to commemorate a moment; the reign of a new king or queen, coming of age, a marriage, anniversary or birthday, the piece is made to remember and to celebrate. That’s why I love getting to know my customers and hearing their stories, because you get to share their special moments with them and even be a little part of that."

This video podcast was filmed in Stephen's workspace with the Sustainable Studios: https://www.thesustainablestudio.com/

Useful links:

We Are Makers
Insta: @weare_makers
Website: https://wearemakers.shop/

Stephen Cichocki
Insta: @wooden.gold
Website: https://www.woodengold.co.uk

The discussions and opinions in the podcast are not necessarily the opinions of us (We Are Makers).

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)

Jack and I took a trip to visit Bert Jones at his home and workspace to have a long-form conversation about his business and what it's like to be a small business. 

Bert is currently a Doctoral Research Associate at Cardiff School of Art and Design, undertaking practice led PhD research that explores fine arts relationship with functional objects and pottery as a form of abstract sculpture.

He graduated from CSAD’s Artist Designer: Maker program in 2018 and from their Master of Research in Art & Design program in 2019. Making functional pots and one off artefacts remains at the centre of his practice and research.  He strives to be a better crafts-person and learn more about the art form that his life revolves around. 

This video podcast was filmed in his work shed that is attached to his home in Newport, Wales.

Like this podcast and want to watch it? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Or, Like to read? Discover our biannual publication that includes stories of makers worldwide! (We ship worldwide too!)