Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson Podcast By Robin Johnson cover art

Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

Yours For The Making with Robin Johnson

By: Robin Johnson
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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 shows such as 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.Copyright 2026 Robin Johnson Art Biographies & Memoirs Social Sciences
Episodes
  • How Robin Johnson Built a Joinery Business After Failure and Rebuilt for Growth

    How Robin Johnson Built a Joinery Business After Failure and Rebuilt for Growth
    Apr 8 2026

    Robin Johnson reflects on one year of Yours for the Making and the journey behind building his business, Johnson Bespoke.

    Starting in his father’s workshop, Robin developed a hands on approach to making from an early age. He went on to study surf science, where he learned critical thinking, before working at Quiksilver and gaining insight into retail and customer behaviour. After a period in teaching design and technology, he made the decision to leave and start his own business.

    In this episode, Robin shares the reality of building a creative business from scratch. He talks through early struggles with pricing, inconsistent work, and poor financial management. He explains how losing a major project during COVID forced a reset, and how focusing on joinery and controlling costs allowed the business to recover and grow.

    He also reflects on hiring key people, building a skilled team, and setting a clear direction for the company. This is a direct account of building a business through mistakes, pressure, and long term thinking.

    Key Topics Covered

    • One year of podcasting and lessons from creative guests
    • Early exposure to making and learning through experimentation
    • Studying surf science and developing critical thinking
    • Working at Quicksilver and understanding retail behaviour
    • Teaching design and technology and working in private education
    • Starting Johnson Bespoke and early business challenges
    • Financial mistakes and lessons from COVID disruption
    • Why focusing on joinery improved profitability
    • Hiring key people and building a strong team
    • Scaling a creative business and working with global designers
    • Long term ambition to build a leading joinery company
    • Personal growth through podcasting and reflection

    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 One year of podcasting and purpose of the solo episode

    01:14 Early making experiences and learning through experimentation

    03:25 Studying surf science and developing critical thinking

    07:16 Teaching design and technology and working in schools

    12:04 Starting Johnson Bespoke and early struggles

    15:15 Taking on major projects and facing COVID disruption

    19:04 Financial mistakes and learning to manage numbers

    21:41 Hiring Richard Muddyman and scaling the business

    26:35 Building high end joinery and working with designers

    31:42 Podcast growth and building a personal brand

    36:12 Advice to his 18 year old self and mindset
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    45 mins
  • 100 Million Streams and Counting: Soul Singer Sam Wills on Music, Identity and Building a Career as an Independent Artist

    100 Million Streams and Counting: Soul Singer Sam Wills on Music, Identity and Building a Career as an Independent Artist
    Apr 1 2026
    Robin Johnson sits down with Sam Wills, a soulful vocalist and independent artist from Hastings whose song Traingazing recently hit 100 million streams. Sam grew up in Surrey, moved to Hastings at 13, and cut his teeth playing covers in local pubs and restaurants before developing one of the most distinctive falsettos in British soul music. In this episode, Sam talks honestly about what it takes to build a music career from the ground up without a major label: the four years it took to make his album Breathe, the battle with imposter syndrome, the grind of social media, the reality of streaming income, and what it means to hear your song played by DJ Jazzy Jeff in Ibiza. He also shares the story of building a cabin in the woods by hand using pallet wood, why he started making fruit wine, and what he is planning for album number three. This is a conversation about creativity, obsession, staying independent and finding your own path as an artist.Key Topics Covered:How growing up in Hastings and its live music scene shaped Sam's confidence and stage craftSam's first gig at Pissarros playing Arctic Monkeys covers and the years of pub and restaurant performances that followedReaching 100 million streams on Train Gazing and how that milestone sits alongside imposter syndromeWhat Sam's musical style actually sounds like: soulful harmonies, folk, hip-hop, R&B and jazz influencesThe four years it took to make the album Breathe and the emotional stagnation that inspired itWhy the album tells a cohesive story from start to finish and how listeners have connected with itBeing independent: label services deals, creative control, forming your own team and staying out of the major label systemThe reality of social media for independent musicians: 80% of working time, perfectionism, and the fear of being left behindEnjoying 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 Robin introduces Sam Wills and the context of a Hastings music scene that gave him the space to develop01:03 Sam moved to Hastings at 13 and within months was playing his first gig at Pissarros doing Arctic Monkeys and Craig David covers03:13 Why Hastings is genuinely unique for live music: any night of the week, any part of the Old Town, there is always music somewhere04:51 Traingazing hits 100 million streams and Sam reflects on what that number actually means05:21 Why numbers do not define success but do help when imposter syndrome and self-doubt creep in07:40 Sam describes his musical style: soulful at its core, drifting between folk, hip-hop, R&B and jazz11:13 Why Breathe took nearly four years to make and how a period of stagnation became its emotional foundation14:27 Why being a musician now means being a marketer, content creator and social media strategist as much as a songwriter21:51 Sam's musical influences: D'Angelo, Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake and Chet Baker23:34 How a single connection in Hamburg led to a festival show in Taiwan and the discovery of a strong listening base across Southeast Asia25:27 Using Spotify and Apple artist dashboards to track listeners by location and how Sam plans to tour East and Southeast Asia27:44 The economics of streaming: a fraction of a penny per play and what 100 million streams would have been worth in the CD era32:46 The British soul community: Jordan Rakei, Tom Misch, Olivia Dean and why artists competing for the same ears often make each other stronger40:59 How Sam started building a cabin in the woods from pallet wood while making Breathe and why the physical project kept him sane54:32 On the danger of chasing the next thing versus appreciating the journey and taking stock of progress58:08 Why making an album requires obsession, belief and the willingness to keep pushing a boulder uphill1:03:29 Advice for anyone wanting to start a music career: invest in self marketing, absorb the music you love, replicate to learn, get obsessed and keep making
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Green Oak Timber Framing: Building Structures That Last 300 Years with Frontier Oak

    Green Oak Timber Framing: Building Structures That Last 300 Years with Frontier Oak
    Mar 25 2026
    Robin Johnson sits down with Christopher Kentish and Oliver Reimann, the co-founders of Frontier Oak, a bespoke green oak timber framing company based in Sussex. Chris came to the craft after a career in film production, introduced to it through his father-in-law's green oak company. Ollie, who studied advertising and marketing and met Chris at the age of 13, joined him in 2018 after working in production and photography. Together they have built Frontier Oak from the ground up, taking on everything from residential extensions, orangeries, and garden rooms to three-bay garages and contemporary pottery studios. Their ethos is straightforward: 100% bespoke, fully handcrafted, and managed end-to-end from groundworks to final finish. In this episode they talk honestly about what it takes to run a small craft business, why they refuse CNC machines, how they handle green oak's unique challenges, what the future of timber framing looks like, and why they are planning to take on apprentices to keep the craft alive.Key Topics CoveredWhat green oak timber framing actually involves and why it has been done the same way for hundreds of yearsHow Chris and Ollie each found their way into the trade from completely unrelated careersThe bread and butter of Frontier Oak's work: residential extensions, orangeries, garden rooms and standalone buildingsWhy green oak clients are a different type of customer and what drives them to choose timber over brick and mortarThe environmental case for green oak construction and the barriers to using fully sustainable building materialsThe technical challenge of working with green oak: movement, tolerances, pre-fitting frames and getting them to site fastHow CAD design fits into a traditional craft workflow without compromising the handmade approachPlans for oak framing workshops and apprenticeships, and the responsibility of passing the craft to the next generationThe unwritten rules around apprentices in traditional trades like thatching and farrieryEnjoying 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 Robin introduces Chris and Ollie and frames green oak framing as the craft every woodworker imagines00:31 Chris fell into oak framing after film production, starting with two weeks helping his father-in-law01:24 Ollie and Chris met at 13, both ended up in production and photography before Ollie joined the tools in 201808:25 The bread and butter of Frontier Oak: extensions, conservatories, garden rooms, garages and orangeries11:53 The stigma around timber-framed buildings in the UK mortgage market and the environmental case for greener building materials21:38 Modern volume house building versus Frontier Oak's ethos: quality over quantity on structures built to last centuries31:59 Why Frontier Oak will not use CNC machines and why handcrafted frames are the whole point35:20 How they manage green oak movement: pre-fitting every frame in the workshop before getting it to site fast41:44 The honest reality of running a small business: admin, late nights and the gap between production time and everything else50:33 Why managing all subcontractors from groundworks to plastering is their biggest challenge and their biggest selling point57:11 The best part of the job: watching clients see their frame go up for the first time1:07:14 Why passing the craft on is a real responsibility and their plans to take on an apprentice next year1:11:15 Advice to their 18-year-old selves: use your 20s to try things rather than committing too early to the wrong path
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    1 hr and 19 mins
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