Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

Potter Lulu Jacobs joins Robin Johnson to discuss leaving a career in branding and marketing to pursue pottery full time. Lulu shares how a short course at Turning Earth turned into a full creative obsession, leading her to build a pottery business from a garden studio while raising a young family. The conversation explores the emotional highs and crushing failures of ceramics, the reality of selling handmade pottery, the pressure of social media, and the challenge of balancing creative freedom with commercial work. Lulu also talks openly about working with difficult black clay, building an audience online without becoming fake, and why bravery matters more than confidence when building a creative career.
Key Topics Covered
Leaving marketing to pursue pottery full time
Learning ceramics through Turning Earth
Building a pottery studio at home
Why social media feels uncomfortable for makers
Authenticity and community on Instagram
The challenge of working with black clay
Glaze chemistry and kiln failures
Selling handmade pottery profitably
Restaurant commissions and wholesale pottery
The impact of The Great Pottery Throw Down
Functional pottery versus art pottery
Creative risk taking and overcoming fear
Pottery as escapism and meditation
Imposter syndrome in creative industries

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Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Leaving branding and discovering pottery
01:27 The Turning Earth course that changed everything
02:40 Learning pottery privately through failure
03:58 Building an authentic pottery audience online
05:57 The nightmare and beauty of black clay
10:50 Growing up around pottery studios and kilns
15:18 Why pottery feels addictive
18:30 Opening the kiln at midnight
20:35 The financial reality of handmade pottery
23:35 Landing a first restaurant commission
26:58 The impact of The Great Pottery Throw Down
35:15 Pottery as escapism and meditation
42:24 Creative freedom versus commercial work
46:56 Florian Gadsby and the pottery creator economy
49:07 Pottery content creators and social media culture
58:32 Advice to her 18 year old self

Helen Welch, founder of the London School of Furniture Making, joins Robin Johnson for a direct conversation about teaching craftsmanship, surviving as a maker, and why furniture making still attracts people desperate to work with their hands instead of staring at screens all day. Helen reflects on leaving school early, training as a carpenter and joiner in 1980s London, and eventually building a furniture school that now teaches joinery, steam bending, furniture design, carving, and specialist woodworking skills in Camden.
The conversation explores the reality of making a living in furniture making, the financial barriers facing young makers, the decline in apprenticeships, and why business knowledge matters just as much as craftsmanship. Helen also shares her thoughts on resin tables, Nakashima furniture, teaching for over 30 years, and why many people entering woodworking today are searching for something more meaningful than office work and finance careers.
Key Topics Covered
Why Helen left furniture making for teaching
Building the London School of Furniture Making from evening classes
Apprenticeships in carpentry and joinery during the 1980s
Why furniture making businesses struggle financially
The rise of finance workers entering woodworking
Steam bending, Kumiko, carving, and specialist furniture courses
Why resin river tables became so popular
George Nakashima and authentic furniture design
The challenge of making affordable solid wood furniture
Why many people use woodworking to escape screen based work
How apprenticeships have changed in Britain
The importance of business knowledge for makers
Why passion matters in craftsmanship
Balancing teaching, creativity, and family life

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.

Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Key Moments:
00:00 Helen Welch on building the London School of Furniture Making
02:03 From carpentry apprentice to furniture teacher
05:31 Why making furniture for clients stopped being enjoyable
08:47 The courses taught at the furniture school
10:41 George Nakashima and the problem with resin tables
18:41 Why people are turning to woodworking again
20:18 Finance workers learning furniture making
23:42 Bringing specialist carving and Kumiko instructors into the school
30:11 The reality of earning a living as a furniture maker
33:38 Why furniture making is financially difficult
39:28 Why makers must understand business
40:26 Former students now running successful workshops
42:31 Expanding into a larger workshop in Camden
45:51 Why apprenticeships are no longer long enough
50:10 How great apprentices learn faster than everyone else
55:19 Advice Helen would give her 18 year old self

Robin Johnson sits down with furniture maker and designer Simon Thomas Pirie to discuss the reality of building a long term creative business in Britain. Simon shares his journey from studying fine art and discovering woodworking through Hook Park, to running a respected bespoke furniture workshop in Dorset for nearly three decades. The conversation explores furniture design, apprenticeships, CNC technology, kitchens, direct client work, workshop culture, scaling a creative business, and the pressure of balancing craftsmanship with commercial survival. Simon also reflects on leadership, hiring the right people, working with architects and interior designers, and why British furniture making struggles without proper industrial support.
Key Topics Covered
Building a bespoke furniture business from scratch
Hook Park and the influence of John Makepeace
Fine art, furniture design, and creative career paths
The reality of running a small workshop business
Why direct client relationships matter
Kitchens versus freestanding furniture projects
CNC machines and modern furniture production
Hiring apprentices and training young makers
Workshop culture and team dynamics
Expanding into larger workshop spaces
British furniture making versus European manufacturing
Creative burnout and staying inspired after 30 years
Garden bench production and Chelsea Flower Show
Working with architects and interior designers
Legacy, craftsmanship, and long term creative work

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Growing up around woodworking
01:41 Discovering furniture making
02:48 Learning at Hook Park
05:20 Teaching furniture design
08:25 Starting the workshop
10:14 The struggle of solo makers
11:30 Kitchens and commercial projects
16:30 Design influences and style
21:50 Expanding the workshop
26:36 CNC technology and production
31:42 Workshop culture and apprentices
50:45 Problems with creative education
58:59 Becoming a furniture maker
01:02:57 Bespoke furniture versus products
01:08:03 Recycled timber projects
01:09:02 Advice to his younger self

Robin Johnson sits down with sisters Clara and Rose Prince to discuss studying furniture making and textile design, navigating creative careers, and building a future in craft. Clara studies furniture making at West Dean College while Rose focuses on weaving and textiles at Chelsea College. They speak openly about the realities of creative education, student debt, apprenticeships, networking, exhibitions, and the pressure of entering industries where practical skills matter more than academic status. The conversation also explores collaboration, British manufacturing, women in craft industries, and why hands on work still matters in a digital world.

Key Topics Covered:
Studying furniture making at West Dean College
Learning weaving and textile design at Chelsea College
Women entering male dominated craft industries
Networking and building industry relationships through exhibitions
Starting a creative career after university
The reality of running a craft business
Creative collaboration between furniture and textiles
The financial pressure of university and student debt
Why apprenticeships deserve more attention
British manufacturing and sustainable production
Using textiles to support dementia care and cognitive health
Balancing creative ambition with practical industry experience

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction to Clara and Rose Prince
00:43 Growing up in a creative and hands on family
02:22 Women entering furniture making and textile design
04:48 Supporting each other through creative education
05:53 Exhibitions and presenting work publicly
07:56 How university prepares students for industry
09:32 Plans after graduation and gaining industry experience
12:19 Collaboration ideas and future business ambitions
17:52 Balancing business goals with personal ambitions
21:43 Family influence and inherited craftsmanship
22:54 The cost of university and creative education
23:10 Apprenticeships versus university pathways
26:31 Textiles, dementia care, and cognitive health
29:23 British manufacturing and preserving craft industries
46:48 Advice to their younger selves

Robin Johnson speaks with Oliver Chalk, a self taught wood turner who rebuilt his career during the pandemic by following curiosity rather than a fixed plan. Starting with climbing holds and basic tools, Oliver moved into large scale sculptural woodwork, developing his own techniques through repetition and failure. He explains why surface, texture, and emotional response drive his work, how investing in the right tools changed his trajectory, and why process matters more than outcome when building a creative career.

Key Topics Covered
Learning wood turning without formal training
Building skill through experimentation and repetition
Importance of investing in professional tools and maintaining them
Developing a recognisable style through surface and texture
Working with large scale timber and physical challenges
Using natural materials for sustainability and longevity
Creative philosophy focused on process and self expression
Balancing risk, safety, and creativity in the workshop
Why failure drives progress and skill development

Enjoying the show?
Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world.
Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.
Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms.
Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction to Oliver Chalk and his wood turning work
00:46 Pandemic career shift and early experimentation
02:11 Learning wood turning through trial and error
06:57 Discovering surface texture and creative direction
09:30 Investing in tools and committing to the craft
10:10 Working with large scale timber and safety awareness
18:09 Moving from turning to sculptural carving techniques
22:49 Creative philosophy and finding purpose through making
29:21 Creativity as problem solving and pushing limits
34:23 Process over product and emotional connection to work
39:27 Exhibitions, galleries, and building a career
53:27 Advice on failure and continuous improvement