Monique Lucas is the founder and presenter of The New Makers TV, a YouTube series dedicated to telling the stories of British makers, craftspeople and independent creative businesses. After working across interiors, homeware, textiles and content, Monique created The New Makers to give craftspeople a platform to show how their work is actually made and why it matters.

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson and Monique explore the changing world of British craft, the realities of running a maker led business and the growing desire for handmade products as AI and mass production accelerate. Monique shares why understanding materials and production can help people make more intentional purchasing decisions, while the conversation tackles greenwashing, sustainability, social media, influencer culture and the pressure on makers to become content creators.

Monique also reveals how The New Makers grew from fewer than 100 views per episode to one video reaching 54,000 views, and why patience, conviction and enjoying the creative process matter when building an audience online.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Why Monique Lucas created The New Makers TV to champion British makers and craftspeople

✦ The renewed interest in handmade products and endangered British crafts

✦ Why makers are expected to create, photograph, film and market their own work

✦ Understanding the true value and price of handmade products

✦ Greenwashing, sustainable materials and intentional consumption

✦ How social media can help independent makers build viable businesses

✦ The dangers of comparison, influencer culture and chasing algorithms

✦ Growing a YouTube series from fewer than 100 views to 54,000 views

Watch The Makers TV here:

https://www.youtube.com/@thenewmakerstv

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.

Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:

0:00 Introducing Monique Lucas and The New Makers TV

01:59 Why Monique created a platform for British makers

03:26 Building and self funding a YouTube series

04:40 How childhood shaped Monique’s connection to home and design

08:42 The growing pressure on makers to become content creators

10:49 Capturing the real stories and processes behind handmade work

14:20 Why AI could drive people back towards traditional craft

18:09 Why handmade products cost more and understanding their true value

23:40 Greenwashing and the problem with sustainability labels

29:07 Why creative careers rarely follow a straight path

34:27 The creative careers young people rarely hear about

37:15 How social media can turn craft into a viable career

41:40 The problems with influencer culture and unrealistic lifestyles

48:24 Escaping comparison and the pressure of the algorithm

51:59 How The New Makers grew from 100 views to 54,000 views

Interior designer Christian Bense joins Robin Johnson to explore how thoughtful interior design balances architecture, art, history and the personality of the people who live there. Christian shares his journey from South Africa to London, launching Christian Bense Interior Studio shortly before Covid and building a practice recognised by House & Garden. He explains why his studio avoids a fixed house style, how contemporary and traditional interiors can coexist, and why art, proportion, composition and architectural detail matter more than following trends.

The conversation also explores designing period properties, creating interiors with longevity, managing residential projects from concept to completion and building a creative business without losing involvement in the work. Christian discusses plans for a furniture collection centred on timeless staple pieces, the thinking behind his interior design platform The Basic Principle, and the lessons learned from 14 years in the industry.

Key Topics Covered

✦ Christian Bense’s journey from South Africa to becoming a London interior designer

✦ Building Christian Bense Interior Studio and gaining industry recognition

✦ Why the studio deliberately avoids a signature house style

✦ Combining traditional architecture with contemporary interior design

✦ Using art to create personal, characterful and layered homes

✦ Restoring character and respecting the history of period properties

✦ Designing timeless furniture instead of following interior trends

✦ Building a creative career while learning to enjoy the process

Check out Christian Bense Studio via:

https://www.christianbense.com/

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.

Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:

00:00 Christian Bense’s 14 year journey in interior design

03:40 Leaving business studies to pursue interior design

06:15 The Somerset project that changed his approach to design

08:15 Why Christian Bense Studio has no house style

11:20 Designing homes around art and personal taste

14:20 How clients develop their own art collections

18:50 Why Christian wants to keep his studio relatively small

21:20 The level of involvement clients can expect

23:30 Why clients should question familiar contractor relationships

25:15 Why Christian prefers independent architects and interior designers

29:40 Why bespoke design requires more time and a different pricing model

33:25 Respecting the history of period and listed properties

41:45 Christian’s plans for timeless furniture and interior products

45:45 The Basic Principle and explaining why good interior design works

49:25 The advice Christian would give his 18 year old self

Robin Johnson sits down with woodwork artist Olly Fathers to explore how traditional marquetry, wood veneer and painstaking hand cutting become contemporary geometric art. Olly shares his path from studying fine art and working as an art technician to developing a full time studio practice with his wife, Emma. He explains how years spent installing major artworks, experimenting with woodworking and making art alongside freelance jobs shaped the artist he is today.

The conversation goes deep into Olly's creative process, including his use of bog oak dating to around 2500 BC, traditional marquetry techniques, geometric patterns, optical illusion, natural wood grain and heat shading. He reveals the extraordinary planning behind A Drop in Time, including 452 individually cut sections and an approach that turned the remaining veneer into additional artworks with almost zero waste.

Olly also opens up about pricing art, imposter syndrome, the risks of becoming fashionable too quickly and why he prefers a slow, steady creative career. He and Robin discuss the realities behind the art world, selling directly to collectors, working with galleries and interior designers, balancing creativity with business and why continually pushing into creative discomfort keeps the work developing.

Key Topics Covered

✦ How Olly Fathers developed his distinctive wood veneer and marquetry practice

✦ Moving from fine art and art installation into a full time creative career

✦ Creating geometric art through grain, colour, movement and optical illusion

✦ Making A Drop in Time from 4500 year old bog oak and 452 hand cut sections

✦ Turning veneer offcuts into new artworks and reducing material waste

✦ Pricing artwork, imposter syndrome and the business realities facing artists

✦ Why creative discomfort, experimentation and patience drive better work

✦ Selling art through collectors, consultants, galleries, interior designers and social media

Check out Olly’s Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ollyfathers/?hl=en

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.

Check out Yours For The Making in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuzYPW_uJfM2B1XXRuZLUg

Key Moments:

00:00 Discovering Olly Fathers and his unusual approach to wood veneer art

04:21 Studying fine art and finding a love for making

07:33 Installing Picasso and Monet and learning inside the art world

09:34 Turning a one bedroom flat into a creative studio during Covid

13:09 What art school fails to teach about making a living as an artist

15:25 Pricing artwork, imposter syndrome and valuing creative work

17:17 How sudden success and inflated prices can damage an artist's career

20:06 Bauhaus, minimal art and the influences behind Olly's geometric work

23:03 Months of planning behind A Drop in Time

24:34 Creating art from bog oak dating to around 2500 BC

25:45 Hand cutting 452 individual veneer sections

26:53 How precision cutting created additional artworks with almost zero waste

30:41 Using traditional heat shading to transform wood veneer

44:32 Selling art directly through Instagram, collectors and consultants

52:43 The 4500 year story behind A Drop in Time