Make It At Market (2023)

Clay jewellery artist Rachel from Birmingham and coppersmith and sculptor Roy from Wiltshire are both hoping that their passions can become profitable businesses. Cleaner Rachel has only been creating jewellery from clay for a couple of years to help with her anxiety. Former army man and IT worker Roy has recently given up his day job to commit to coppersmithing. Both makers are given two months to put their all into building their dream businesses. Can they make enough to prove to themselves that they can earn a living from their crafts?

Potter Emily from Staffordshire and upholsterer Hayley from Hampshire are both hoping Dom and his team of mentors can help them turn their talents into profitable businesses. Following a brain injury and further complications that left people services assistant Emily unable to work, she turned to pottery, which not only helped her out of a dark place, but also gave her hope of a new career. Upholsterer Hayley has to grow her business to support her family, as her husband needs to leave his plumbing job, which is making his bad back worse. Each maker is given eight weeks to put their mentors’ advice into practice. Can they use their creativity to build the business and lifestyles they’re hoping for?

Looking to change their lives today with the help of Dom and his team of mentors are former teacher and willow weaver Des and stained-glass artist Emily. Following an incident whilst teaching, Des had to take ill-health retirement, but he fortunately found a second career in willow weaving. Stained-glass artist Emily wants to help support her family as she returns to work after having children, but having never had any formal training, she feels like an impostor. Both makers are given eight weeks to follow their mentors’ advice, but can they make enough money from their new careers to help provide for their families?

Stepping into the beautiful gardens in Oxfordshire today are Jaycee from West Sussex and Tristan from Perthshire, both hoping to turn their love for their crafts into successful businesses. Ex-HR worker Jaycee made the brave decision to give up the day job to concentrate full time on her upcycling business and hopes that Dom and his team of mentors can help. For stone carver Tristan, it’s all about finding his confidence, as mentor Louis tries to convince him to get out there and really sell his pieces. Both makers are given eight weeks to put their mentors’ advice into practice. But can they make enough money to follow their dreams and turn their passions and skills into profits?

Mosaic artist Dionne from Bedfordshire and animal head embroiderer Alan from Derby are both hoping to make their dreams of a creative career come true. After 20 years of trying to earn a living from mosaics but having to rely on other work to help pay the bills, Dionne is more than ready to do whatever it takes to have a full-time art career. Losing his job a year ago gave Alan the opportunity to commit to the embroidery career he’d always wanted, and his sights are now set on making enough money so that he and his partner can afford their own home. Both of these talented makers are given two months to take on board all the advice they’re given from Dom and the team, but can they bring in enough cash from their customers to turn their passions into full-time professions?

Looking to change their lives with the help of Dom and his team of mentors are upholsterer Alison from Huddersfield and artistic blacksmith Jack from Edinburgh. Following redundancy, Alison seized the opportunity to return to upholstery, which she had last done at an evening course 23 years ago. Highly skilled blacksmith Jack is making ends meet doing architectural ironing work, but his passion lies in the artistic side of the industry. Each maker is given two months to give their creative careers their all, but will they earn enough cash from their crafts to prove they have profitable businesses?

Furniture maker Martin from Shropshire and stained-glass artist Charlotte from Bristol are both intent on making money from their creations. An accident at work meant a change of career and a chance for Martin to follow his heart into furniture making. He’s a highly skilled woodworker, but not so good when it comes to the sales and business side. Charlotte gave up her job to dedicate her time to building her stained-glass business. She’s got plenty of potential to develop her work, but finds pricing up her pieces difficult. Can they bring in the sales to prove they’ve got what it takes to make it in the creative world?

Today’s aspiring artisans are leather designer Jo from Essex and portrait artist Jill from Newbury. Jo’s dyslexia and dyscalculia have prevented her from finding the right career path, but everything finally clicked when she discovered leather work. Jill had to give up her dreams of being an artist at an early age but, after a 22-year career in nursing, the time is right. Both makers are given eight weeks to turn their new careers into successful businesses, but can they bring in the sales to prove they’ve got what it takes to make it in the creative world?

Metal artist Lindon from Essex and hand embroiderer Hannah from Staffordshire step into Dom’s gardens, hoping to turn their passion and skill into profitable businesses. It’s high stakes for welder and fabricator Lindon, who hopes to turn his skills from his day job into a full-time metal artwork business so he can support his young family. For membership officer Hannah, anxiety and a lack of confidence have often held her back. Finding hand embroidery has changed her life for the better, can mentor Tory help her find her market?

Pointillist artist Will can’t imagine a world without art, but he needs to find a way of making it pay. Mentor Claudia is impressed with his work but thinks he needs to work on creating a more distinctive style so that customers instantly recognise his pieces. Part-time physiotherapist and aspiring jeweller Ange dreams of making her craft pay, but mentor Rachel thinks she needs to improve the finish on some of her creations, as well as work on making more affordable designs.

Potter Emily is on a deadline. After giving up her day job, she needs her fledgling pottery business to pay the bills. Mentor Florian is concerned her work doesn’t have a consistent sense of style and thinks that’s the key to finding her market. Momoka has a passion for hand weaving and textiles, but she really needs to make her work pay to support her young family. Mentor Piyush worries that she’s focusing on the wrong markets and lacks the confidence to sell her pieces.

Leatherworker Dani from Preston and calligraphy artist Masooma from London are both hoping Dom and his team can help them turn their creative skills into successful businesses. Theatre worker Dani fell in love with leatherwork three years ago and is hoping to grow her fledgling business, but mentor Andy thinks she needs to celebrate the heritage of her material more and improve her techniques. Former finance worker Masooma moved to London from the Middle East two years ago and hopes for advice on reaching UK markets. However, mentor Claudia is worried that she’s not approaching the right locations or charging enough for her bigger pieces.

Blacksmith Andy from Glasgow and willow weaver Ciara from County Fermanagh are both hoping to turn their talents into successful businesses. As an Offshore engineer, Andy works on rotation, spending three weeks away and then three weeks at home. To allow him to fulfil his dream of forging a full-time career in blacksmithing and spend more time with his family, he needs to prove that he can earn enough from his pieces to quit his current job. Ciara has only been weaving willow baskets for two years, but mentor Eddie believes if she tweaks her techniques and takes on his challenge to speed up production, she could make enough money to achieve aspirations of helping to support her young family.

Textile artist Jennifer from Hampshire and stone carver Louise from Oxfordshire are hoping Dom and his team can help them turn their passions into profits. Jennifer is hoping to swap her job as a pharmacist for a new creative career, but she has a big decision to make about whether to become an artist or a print designer. Former key worker Louise returned to education two years ago in the hope of becoming a full-time stone carver. After honing her craft, she’s hoping it can now pay the bills.

Nineteen-year-old Harrison decided to follow his furniture-making dream after his father passed away two years ago. He has big ambitions, but will Dom and his mentor, Bruce Kenneth, be able to help him achieve them? By day, Rachel works in the world of corporate learning and development. But by night, she makes wearable cake shoes in the hope of doing it full time. She wants to show her daughters that you can achieve anything if you work hard enough, no matter how impossible it may seem.