On our Australia trip we took a bus to Braidwood to visit Lea Durie, who we featured in Ed.9 of our We Are Makers Magazine. It's always great to connect with someone who you've spoke to so much online and over email to then meet in person. We are so thankful for these experiences and connections we get to have through our mission. From Lea's early experiments with clay in fifth grade to her current life as a full-time ceramicist in Braidwood, Southern New South Wales, her journey is one of continuous discovery and dedication. Initially trained as a landscape architect, her love for pottery was rekindled through a night class during a lonely stint in Melbourne. This reawakening led her back to clay after various life detours, including a significant career shift and raising a family. Her professional turning point came with a visual arts degree focused on ceramics and a transformative mentorship that guided her into taking her craft from a passionate hobby to a serious business. We hope you enjoy this incredible chat we had with Lea in her home studio! WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: @www.wearemakers.shop Mud Dept (Lea Durie) Insta: @mud.dept Website: https://muddept.com

On our Australian journey, we visited Doug and Danika in Albury, NSW, whose story graced the cover of our seventh edition of We Are Makers. Meeting them and their family was a highlight of our trip.

Danika and Doug met while studying design at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney in 2005. Their passion for letterpress began in the UK, where they started collecting wood type blocks from charming markets. Back in Australia in 2011, they won a fierce eBay auction for a 1920s Chandler & Price letterpress named 'Wendy', previously housed in a soon-to-be-demolished hospital.

With little experience but plenty of enthusiasm, they learned the art of letterpress from Des, a former printer and mentor who taught at a printing museum in Sydney. Des, who once taught letterpress through a rigorous five-year apprenticeship, generously shared his weekends to help them master the craft.

WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: @www.wearemakers.shop D&D Letterpress Insta: @ddletterpress Website: @https://ddletterpress.com.au

On our trip to Australia, we took a flight to Adelaide to meet Heath who was featured in our 2nd Edition of We Are Makers. We were so excited to finally meet and to hear how business has been since March 2021. Timberwolf Design was initiated part-time by its founder Heath Polkinghorne in a modest garden shed (3m x 2m) back in 2015. Recognizing the need for more space to grow, Heath constructed a larger shed (10m x 5m) in 2017 to transition into furniture making full-time. Within two years, the his business had expanded beyond the confines of the home workshop, prompting a move to a 400m2 warehouse in Henley Beach in 2019. The journey from a backyard shed to a full-scale workshop with employees has been immensely challenging yet rewarding. Despite the difficulties, the experience of working independently and running a business remains unparalleled, though it comes with its set of challenges. In our conversation we talk about these challenges and the how his business has grown since we last spoke in 2021. WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: @www.wearemakers.shop Timberwolf Design Insta: @timberwolf_design Website: www.timberwolfdesignsa.com

Our Australia trip continued through Geelong and Ashmore, stumbling across Ashmore Arts. We have 3 cracking podcasts to bring you from here. The third of those is Eli Beke who is the maker behind 'Wedge & Edge" Join us on this episode as we find out the journey of Eli Beke, a self-taught craftsman whose style is influenced by Swedish and Japanese carved household objects. Beke combines wood carving, modern metal fabrication, and timber joinery techniques to create objects that are not only beautiful but also functional. Drawing on his background as an electrical engineer, Beke brings a practical perspective to his craft, enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of each piece. His extensive travels by bicycle across Asia in his 20s have also left a profound impact on his work, enriching his designs with a blend of cultural influences and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: www.wearemakers.shop Eli Beke Insta: @wedge_edge Website: www.wedgeandedge.com/about ____________________________________________________ Recorded on: Nomono Insta: @nomonosound Website: https://nomono.co/WAM

Our Australia trip continued through Geelong and Ashmore, stumbling across Ashmore Arts. We have 3 cracking podcasts to bring you from here. The second of those is Chela Edmunds who is the maker behind 'Takeawei' - hand crafted ceramic lighting, tableware and art objects for home. Chela studied textile design in Melbourne in the early 2000s and after graduation set her sights on working in New York. After much determination and many job interviews, she landed a Manhattan job and designed for big names like Vera Wang and DKNY for five years. After meeting a potter in Brooklyn, she fell in love with ceramics and soon after moved back to Melbourne and started Takeawei. Here we share her journey with you! WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: www.wearemakers.shop Chela Edmunds Insta: @takeawei Website: https://takeawei.com ____________________________________________________ Recorded on: Nomono Insta: @nomonosound Website: https://nomono.co/WAM

we bring you the 4th of our 10 or so Australia podcasts. We sat down with Jess and Krys (and Quincey) of Wootten. Cord Wainers, Bootmakers, and leather craftspeople this tight nt family unit re kindled Jess's Father trade and have built it into the premier boot maker in Australia. Supplying around 400 pairs of boots a year from their small shop with a small tight night team including them and just a couple more they have undertook a huge task for all the right reasons. Check out their story! Enjoy! WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: https://wearemakers.shop Wootten Insta: @wootten Website: https://wootten.com.au ___________________________________________________________________________ Recorded on: Nomono Insta: @nomonosound Website: https://nomono.co/WAM

Our Australia trip continued through Geelong and Ashmore. Stumbling across Ashmore Arts. We have 3 cracking podcasts to bring you from here. The first of those David Graham artistic blacksmith. This was an unexpected find, but when you see a big workshop in the distance with a 500 weight power hammer and a 60s/70s bush body sat outside you know someone interesting is inside that shop. Kate and I couldn't not go investigate. Here is our conversation with David who carved out an hour in his busy schedule to talk us through his work as a blacksmith and how a roadside stop following his nose when he was a young man put him on this journey. WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: https://wearemakers.shop David Graham Insta: @David_garaham_sculptor Website: https://www.simplyforged.com.au ___________________________________________________________________________ Recorded on: Nomono Insta: @nomonosound Website: https://nomono.co/WAM

Bryan Cush is a repeat offender here at We Are Makers. First featured in Edition One of our print magazine. Then the first of our instagram lives when we were piloting the idea for a podcast. So when Kate and I found out he had, just weeks prior to our visit, moved to the city of Ballarat we knew we had to visit. Bryan has never stayed in one spot to long, until settling in Australia to finish his studies in architecture. Growing frustrated at sinking his time and energy into projects that would never see the light of day or be cut back due to budgets Brian sought new direction for his skills and took on the challenge to of opening the sawdust bureau his own design and make furniture brand. WANT TO SUPPORT THIS PODCAST? Head over to https://www.wearemakers.shop and pick up a copy of our printed publication. Filled cover to cover with amazing makers from Around the world. We Are Makers Insta: @weare_makers Website: https://wearemakers.shop Bryan Cush Insta: @sawdustbureau Website: https://www.sawdustbureau.com ___________________________________________________________________________ Recorded on: Nomono Insta: @nomonosound Website: https://nomono.co/WAM