Problem-solving, long-term projects and a life-changing encounter with Alys Tomlinson

Bonnie Smith Whitehouse believes that making things can be an act of everyday rebellion, and a regular creative practice can change our inner and outer worlds. In this episode, she explains how mistakes can lead to opportunities, trying to be perfect is a lost cause and paying attention to what brings us joy is the key to happiness. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other week, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest. For more stories, ideas and practical wisdom for building, and sustaining, a creative practice, sign up to the We Need to Make Things newsletter via Substack.

When his dream job as picture editor of The Times turned into a nightmare, Paul Sanders turned to photography to help him heal and find a way back to himself. In this episode Paul urges us to forget about being famous, praise our peers and fully accept that we are enough. (He also explains why leaving a job with a six-figure salary was one of the best decisions he ever made.) Content warning: This episode includes discussion of a mental health crisis, which some listeners may find distressing. Thanks for listening! This is the final episode of season three of We Need to Make Things. To find out when season four starts, please subscribe or hit ‘follow’.

Having spent 12 years as a comedian, David duChemin uses his knowledge of improvisation, messy beginnings and creative angst to make photographs that connect with people in a deeply human way.   In this episode, David urges us to reject perfection, start ugly and treat our lives as our greatest art. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things are posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit ‘follow’ to hear the latest.

Heidi Zuckerman believes that art saves lives and has the power to make the world a better place, which is why she’s on a mission to remove as many barriers to creativity as she can.  In this episode, Heidi shares her five-step morning routine, her advice on dropping into the flow state and her belief that art should be a basic human right, not a privilege.   Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

A 1980s bleach advert led to an unexpected career start for Bill Ward, but what he learnt in the advertising office has shaped and influenced his journey as a multi-award-winning actor and photographer.    In this episode, Bill describes what his background in advertising and acting bring to his photography, the importance of safe spaces for ideas, how he deals with rejection and why staying open is the best way to receive fresh insights. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

Cig Harvey’s work is devoted to the topic of what it is to feel. From capturing moments that make her gasp to embracing the collision of senses, she explores what it is to be human via large-scale colour photography and written vignettes.   In this episode, Cig shares her thoughts on the value of art, the secret language of flowers, the importance of the journey over the destination, and the need to wake up every day and seek something beautiful.   Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

A mix of creative instinct and tenacity has enabled award-winning photographer Alys Tomlinson to create a number of celebrated long-term photography projects and, more recently, to co-direct an award-winning documentary film, Mother Vera.      In this episode, Alys shares why creative problem-solving is at the heart of her work, how it feels to hand a project over to an audience, and the extraordinary meeting with a nun from Belarus that reshaped her life and career. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

When photographer and travel journalist Suzy Bennett walked into a Victorian forge to commission a curtain rail, she was bewitched by the sights and sounds she found there. The experience caused a career change that led Suzy to reduce her worldwide travel and pick up stories closer to home in Devon.   In this episode she looks at what lies behind our compulsion to make things, how craft can benefit mental health and the importance of celebrating traditional techniques and practical earthy people.     Suzy’s book, Artisans of Dartmoor, is out now. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

Zelda Cheatle is a curator, consultant and lecturer whose passion for photography remains undimmed despite more then 40 years in the industry. In 2024 she was named a ‘Woman of Influence’ by the Association of Photographers.  In this episode Zelda shares the mistakes people make when approaching galleries, what happens when museums run out of storage and describes the day she used a water pistol to secure a show, among many other things. Zelda is part of the team behind the reinvention of PhotoMonth, a festival for all parts of London with an ‘E’ in the postcode, which runs throughout October. Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.

Artist and photographer Philippa Stanton is a synaesthete who believes that connecting with our senses can unlock new levels of creativity. She’s also a super fan of the humble telephone kiosk, and sometimes wonders if her house might have once been a brothel. In this episode she shares tips for embracing procrastination, staying sane (and successful) on Instagram and treating life as a creative act. An exhibition of Philippa’s abstract and multi-media telephone kiosk work will be on display at The Regency Townhouse in Brighton from 23-28 September 2025.    Thanks for listening! New episodes of We Need to Make Things will be posted every other Tuesday, so make sure you subscribe or hit follow to hear the latest.