Five questions with We Are Makers

Building a business for the long term takes a lot of thoughtfulness and intention. It’s a marathon filled with twists and turns. The world of independent publishing provides many unique opportunities as well as incredible challenges. Kate and Jack Lennie have built the We Are Makers media company into a beautiful blend of digital and print content that amplifies and celebrates the beauty of artisan craftsmanship. I am delighted to have them join us this month 

Please share the story of how We are Makers started? Why was it important to focus on artisans?

We Are Makers started from personal experience. I (Kate) took the road of self-employment straight out of university, having studied product design with Jack. I always loved to design, but I wanted to bring my ideas to life in 3D. You’d often find Jack and I in the university workshop, turning our sketches into models. If we were lucky enough to afford it - or be given the chance - we’d build them with proper materials instead of just cardboard and blue foam!

Jack and I met in our early days at university and grew together, each bringing different strengths. Jack is the engineer, the problem-solver, while I focus on aesthetics and design. Together, we’ve always made a good team.

In our third year, we had the opportunity to study in Norway for six months, which was a game-changer. Norway’s craft culture was inspiring, and their university facilities were next level - glass workshops, blacksmithing, woodworking… you name it, they had it. We were in our element. That experience solidified my desire to make. I set my sights on working for myself, rather than chasing a job.

Meanwhile, Jack’s final-year project was an incredible open-source motorcycle kit - allowing people to frame or re-frame new or used engines. It won the overall award at the UK’s biggest student design show and caught the attention of a film special effects supervisor. A decade later, Jack is still working in film alongside WAM.

For me, I pursued furniture making - specifically for children - running my own business for three years. But living in rural Scotland, with high material costs and an under appreciation for handmade work, it was tough to sustain. At the same time, Jack had moved to England for work, and we spent much of our 20s apart. He could see firsthand how hard it was (and still is) to run a small business and be paid fairly for your craft.

Eventually, I moved south and worked for a furniture company in London before dipping into Jack’s film industry for a while. Later, I took over Jack’s leather working side business - let’s just say I’ve turned my hand to a few crafts! But through it all, I kept seeing the same struggle: incredible makers undervalued, underappreciated, and barely scraping by.

I knew I had to do something about it. We Are Makers is the platform I would have loved when I was a maker. It’s something that’s desperately needed.

And because we like to go against the grain, we chose a magazine as our medium, taking a huge financial risk to make it happen. In fact, part of our house deposit went towards the first print run… and I’d do it all over again.

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