BBC Make It At Market
Series 3 - Episode 11
First aired on
Tuesday 18th March, BBC1
and available on BBC iPlayer
Dominic Chinea
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My 'Make It At Market' Journey
Life-changing
2024 turned out to be quite a life-changing year for me, for various reasons, and it peaked when I was selected to appear on the award-winning BBC show ‘Make It At Market’. It has been a white-knuckle ride since then, with filming, making new sculptures, getting sales and commissions, getting my work in to more galleries and an actual sculpture park! I can hardly comprehend how fast things have progressed in such a short time.
Louis Francis
Jan Bruce
Fast-forward to March 2025, and at long last the programme has been released and I get to share my journey with a wider audience.
It’s no exaggeration to call the whole process ‘life-changing’.
The unexpected and huge added benefit is the overwhelmingly supportive community of lovely artists and craftspeople who I’ve shared the journey with. It feels like I have an extra family now!
I’m so incredibly grateful to the producers and my mentor Louis Francis, all of who have given me so much support and confidence to push forward and promote myself as an artist.
What led up to this?
I had been a sculptor from age 14 into my mid-20s, but gradually gave up when money pressures forced me into a ‘proper job’ as a product designer. After 13 years of that, I retrained as an electrician as part of a plan to move to the remote Scottish Highlands. Over the years the dreams and finances didn’t quite add up and I ended up moving to rural Herefordshire instead with my wife and children.
By mid-2023, I had hit a low point and was diagnosed with depression, which was a huge wake-up call for me to make some serious life changes. I took the decision to get creative again, and soon dredged-up old photos of my sculptures. The process re-awakened a sense of identity and purpose that I had lost sight of over the years: I was an artist!
In late-2023 I began uploading my past works to social media and starting to create new sculptures. The positive feedback spurred me onwards and I soon found myself working towards an exhibition – my first for over 30 years. A friend told me about a programme called Make It At Market that I ought to watch. After just one episode I was hooked – it was full of creative people working towards exactly what I wanted: Turning their passion and creativity into a job that would pay the bills.
In April 2024 I decided to apply to be on the programme, with not the slightest hope that I would get on, but it felt like such a natural and positive step towards my creative future, and by now I had got in to the habit of pushing past my ‘comfort zone’. A long and agonising month later, I was invited to a casting interview over Zoom. Another long and agonising month later, I was actually welcomed to the cast!
Two weeks later I was meeting up with the other makers and being filmed in Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire. The rest is all on telly!
Since filming for 'Make It At Market', I have been signed-up to the Park Gallery in Cheltenham, continued to make sales, carried out private commissions and now have exhibitions lined-up throughout the year, including at the Cotswold Sculpture Park and Wye Valley Sculpture Garden. I have also become a member of the Cotswold Sculptors Association, which enables me to network and exhibit with many other artists and really feel a part of the art world again!
There’s still a lot to do, but getting back into creativity has seen a huge improvement in my mental wellbeing, and I hope that my story will inspire others to go after their dreams too. It’s never too late!
I share my episode with one of my new friends Rukhsana who is an amazing textile upcycler and lovely person.
See our episode here
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About Make It At Market
Make It At Market is a captivating and heartwarming series that explores the journey of artisans and makers as they transform their hobbies into successful ventures, often transforming their lives in the process. With the guidance of industry experts, participants are challenged to innovate, create, and ultimately prove their market potential. Hosted by Dominic Chinea of 'The Repair Shop', who brings his expertise and enthusiasm for craftsmanship to the show, it aims to be both educational and inspiring for viewers.
The show was awarded 'Best Daytime Programme' at the 2025 Broadcast Awards.
Presenter: Dominic Chinea
Executive Producer: Andrew Snowball
Production Company: Flabbergast TV Ltd
