Maker Ranch

The client is always right? Not in my experience. After decades of architecture commissions, custom furniture builds, and running design projects with six-figure fees, here's how I actually manage client expectations — setting professional boundaries, pricing for uncertainty, handling indecisive clients, and knowing when you're a commodity vs. a creative they specifically want. I cover how...

"Less is more." "Good design is invisible." "As little design as possible." You've heard these design rules your whole life — but what if they were never true? In this episode we trace where "less is more" actually came from (Mies van der Rohe and the Industrial Revolution), why advice that made sense in the 1920s slowly turned our homes, furniture, and products into the same beige, gray, mass-pro...

A concrete pendant lamp made from a 2-liter soda bottle and $2 of concrete helped lead to one of my biggest commissions ever, a series of carved wooden benches for the Dataland Museum in LA. The people behind it had been following my DIY projects since they were in architecture school, 9 years before they ever had a reason to hire me. In this episode of Maker Ranch, I break down "escalation v...

Growing my business made me less money. Here's what I learned about scaling a small creative business. Episode 17! This week we're tackling a topic that came out of a conversation with my friend James Hughes, who's launching his own architecture firm, so I wanted to share some hard-earned lessons about business growth, scaling, and hiring for anyone starting or running a small creative...

Episode 16! We are so happy with how the show is going, and feel more drawn to discuss topics surrounding creative business! This week:How much of your creative work actually feels creative? Ben breaks down the real difference between tasks that require genuine creativity and the supporting work: emails, invoices, sanding, social media, research, that keeps a creative business running but doesn&#3...

Thank you for sticking with us to episode 15! We are getting straight into the meat of the conversation faster, so for anyone listening to just the audio version you won’t have to wait through any demos which will be near the end of the episode going forward! This week we are breaking down business mistakes that creatives make. Business and creativity are two totally different muscles, so as you t...

Everyone is different, but today we are exploring HOW to learn HOW to make things. I break this down into "feel" "motivation" and "escalation". I am teaching a hands on building workshop at the Hotel RESET on August 4th through the 10th! They are free if you are staying at the hotel for two nights. This will be a week of hands on workshops, exhibitions, and panel disc...

Episode 13! We love how the show is growing and progressing and the community being built. Thank you all for the feedback and participation! Today we are discussing if Creatives and Designers are being forced to use A.I.? I think yes. Not necessarily for its generative capabilities, but in more invisible ways. A.I. is like plastic in that it is integrated into every part of life, it is difficult t...

I get questions like this a lot: How do I turn my craft into a business? How do I build a brand around my handmade things? How do I find an audience? How do I improve my content creation? How do I build a client base? Today we are breaking these questions down and giving actionable advice so that you can hopefully model and adapt that advice and find success. Thank you Konstantinos for the questio...

Thank you for tuning in! Today we are answering a question I get the most: Do you have advice for a young creative at the start of their journey? I am going to be exploring not just how to start but how to design a career that is sustainable. We received great feedback from the Overrated/Underrated segment so we are continuing. Cold plunges, cryptocurrency, patents, tri-tip, sketching, excavators,...

Episode 10! We are super happy with how the series is going, and are excited for what's to come! Today we dive into to the topic of how much solitude is good for a creative, and when to collaborate, and keep people in your life and part of your process. We also have added new segment called Overrated Underrated, and are having fun with it. Pinterest? Zoning Laws? Crocs? Walk-in Closets? Owning...

We're back! We took a week off to strategize and game-plan the series moving forward, (and do a little traveling), but this week we are tackling the question "Is DIY'ing still affordable given how expensive everything has become?" Spoiler alert: it depends largely on context and goals! We are also taking a look at progress on my submission to an L.A. based museum. It's 400 lb...

This week we take a look at the walnut stump, which I have begun carving. We then get the angle grinder and move over to carving rocks for a beginner friendly project. The question we tackle this week is "Does too much screen time hurt creativity?" Thank you for tuning in! Share with a friend who you think may be into this format! DIY and Build videos are on Ben's main channel HomeMa...

Welcome back to Maker Ranch 2.0! This week we are answering audience questions! Who buys a $6000 table? How do you know when something is good enough? How do you practically use A.I.? When everything is so expensive, what affordable luxuries are left? Then we go deep into what my design process is. We also look at Ryobi's new foam cutter, and wonder what could be made from such unique shapes....

Hi! This week I am using a new method, suggested by your comments, for separating wood dust from steel dust - BLOW TORCHES. Two of them. I will be experimenting with adding steel dust into concrete to see how it rusts! Also, I completed my first iteration of the phone bricking device, let me know if it is a product you would be interested in having! Then we move into fabrication of a sled made of...

Episode 5! We are having a blast making this content and are receiving great feedback! Thank you everyone for the positive comments! Today we answer the question "Do I consider myself an artist?" I am also using Lego to design and build an object to BRICK my phone and create a layer of friction to encourage better habits around screen time while working. Continue to leave questions, we a...

Did you miss us? We've heard from so many people over the past couple of years how much they would love to see the Modern Maker Podcast return... well, it's happening, with a few twists! Mike Montgomery from Modern Builds and I had a blast catching up, and we had a lot to talk about. In this episode we also test collecting iron filings with powerful magnets to possibly incorporate into con...

On this week's episode I am sharing my thoughts on whether it is cheaper/better to build a home from scratch or buy one. Also, progress update on the MOOSE ANTLER chair! My sister Jesse and I are tackling cutting boards; refinishing them, and sharing my general thoughts on building and maintaining them. Jesse and I discuss the 700 lb walnut stump we dug up from the backyard of our childhood ho...

Maker Ranch Ep 02Week 2! This week we discuss creativity, and if it is a skill that can be cultivated. We also discuss new alternative building materials, like Superwood and Polycarbonate, and if any of them are practical or interesting to use. I show my new DIY weight bench with powder coated weights. I take a look at cheap building materials like Douglas fir, and how I have been able to make a s...

Maker Ranch Ep 01I am back! It’s been a long couple of years working on the hotel but that is done and I am getting back to my old ways in my new house, Maker Ranch 2.0. This show will be a weekly hang where I show what I am working on and chat with Shane about what’s on my mind. We want your questions and topics so let us know in the comments. We are experimenting with formats but are committed t...

This is the first episode in a series where I discuss my personal favorite designers. What is so unique and unusual about Enzo Mari is that his work is not incredibly remarkable or clever. What influenced me so greatly was his career as a whole and the ideals that drove his publishing methods. When I learned about Enzo Mari as an undergrad I was astonished by how basic his work was. It was his bro...

What was it like being Home Schooled? In this episode Ben talks about his experiences as a home schooled kid from kindergarten to 11th grade. Ben talks about the challenges home schooled kids face when trying to get into college and socializing with peers.

This week Ben discusses what he has learned from his experience attending Architecture School and if it is worth it these days. With such a complex question, context matters. Ben also discusses the topics of artificial intelligence, the architecture job market, developing technical acumen, design software, as well as how to adapt and apply the skills one learns in university to other interests and...