Do Make

We are all makers. From brewing our morning coffee to folding a paper aeroplane, we find it satisfying to create something that didn’t exist before. And it isn’t just about the outcome. Making requires us to slow down and become absorbed in the process: an antidote to our fast-paced world.


James Otter is an award-winning wooden surfboard maker with a passion for craftsmanship — and the ocean. In Do Make, he invites us to rediscover the joy of making. By using our hands to transform natural materials into objects of beauty and utility, we reconnect with our creativity, our environment, and back to ourselves. Learn about:


• Preparation: what to make, where and how to get started

• Process: learn to trust it and let go of perfection

• Power: develop confidence in your natural skills and ability


With incredible photography, plenty of encouragement and even a ‘how to’ guide to make your own handplane to take bodysurfing, Do Make reminds us that nothing quite beats the feeling of having made something with our own hands. Isn’t it time to make your mark on the world?


James Otter is the founder of Otter Surfboards, where he designs and makes award-winning wooden surfboards that have been featured on television through Countryfile (BBC), Escape to the Country (BBC), Made in Britain (ITV) and How It’s Made (Discovery Channel), and in The Guardian, The Telegraph and GQ. As well as making wooden surfboards, he has led workshop courses for the past eight years, sharing his passion for making with others. James has taken to the stage to inspire others to follow their hearts, reconnect to their hands and deepen their connection to the natural world at events such as Tedx Brighton and the Global Wave Conference. He lives with his young family in Cornwall on a rugged stretch of coastline where the Atlantic meets the southern tip of the UK.