Stacie Woolsey: Creating her own masters course as ‘viable alternative’ to art & design eduction
By: Yanitsa Vladimirova
Tags: Alternative, Creative, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Education

This month’s feature shines a light on Stacie Woolsey: designer, creator of her own discipline in ‘Anthropological Futures’ — making herself the only graduate in this field, and a founder of M.Y.O.M.

The first time, I came across Stacie Woodly and her venture M.Y.O.M was when she was selected as one of the winners of this year’s DBACE Awards. The more I learned about her venture and journey the more similarities I found with my own experience going through UK’s higher education process. Recently, I had the pleasure to talk to her and find out details about her alternative approach to learning and education in general.

Back in 2017, Stacie had realised she didn’t fit into the commercial world and planned to apply for a Master of Arts (MA) degree course, but found the reality was she couldn’t afford it. Stacie said:

“I realised how much it’s going to cost and there is just a lot less government help for an MA. There’s no loans or bursaries. You’re kind of much more on your own and if you can’t afford it then you’re not going.”

Stacie was shocked at the inaccessibility of an art and design postgraduate degree, as the way the system was set up assumed a certain financial privilege in order to be able to afford it. So she took matters into her own hands and created an alternative master’s course, hoping to build her expertise in the arts and design world. Make Your Own Masters (MYOM) was born! Thinking of the traditional MA course and her own invention, she said: I feel like I’ve proven that this (MYOM) is a real viable alternative.”

Stacie outlined a proposal for her own masters, and approached practising designers she admires, asking them to set creative briefs on their own terms, for her to complete in the next 18 months.

“I think the response was better and quicker than I thought it would be. I think they wouldn’t care, and I’ve just done off carrying out without clue.”

This was the first time, she realised that she is onto something with everyone’s emails. “I think they’ve got it and I think they knew the value they may have,” said Stacie. So, encouraged by the positive responses, she started working on the creative briefs.

Kicking off her ‘studies’, Stacie asked different studios and spaces in London if she could borrow a desk to work. She ended up with a Residence in the basement of Somerset House at Marketversity, where she did all of the creative briefs work. Stacie ended up building a network of mentors from Markerversity and the wider creative community, who she could go to for help and validation of her work.

So, instead of having a full set of tutors I was borrowing a little bit of knowledge from a lot of people so I didn’t annoy that many people.

In the end, she had created a peer network for herself. At the beginning, Stacie was trying to replicate what she expected to have been thought at university. After a few months she realised she had earned an opportunity where she could do everything her way, and didn’t need to go via the conventional university route. Stacie reminisced: “I started not relying on this kind of institutional structure we always kind of know.”

Stacie wanted to learn and better understand the industry she was trying to break into. She wanted to specialise in a particular field with a portfolio that she’d be excited to share. But most importantly, she wanted to create opportunities for herself had she been in a traditional university MA program.

Stacie started her MYOM year in January 2018 and finished it in June 2019. It took her a little bit longer to find her own structure and rhythm as there was a lot of work; she thought she would never want to go through this again.

The reaction she got after her MYOM final show at Somerset House however, made her realise:

“I really felt like it was almost a different person from the beginning to the end — the amount of people I have met, the places I knew, the confidence I had and I felt I could deliver a self-directed programme for other students again.”

In October 2019, M.Y.O.M. opened applications for 10 spots in the programme, which started in January 2020, targeting only postgraduates or applicants with similar skill level. The big draw was that they will work on real life projects with the goal to further develop their skills and expertise in the creative field. Stacie shared:

“I think what is interesting is that part of sharing education does not exist really at that point, and this is quite desirable.”

With covid-19 restrictions enforced, Stacie and first cohort of learners are facing an unforeseen challenge: working remotely on collaborative projects and creating a community spirit amongst learners.

Stacie’s initial plan was to run the program as a remote course as she realised getting everyone in London will be a challenge. One of the downsides, she said, was that the group would not be able build a real community spirit and work collaboratively in once space. On top of that, covid-19 restrictions presented a unique set of challenges around the structure and productiveness the learners have. In Stacie’s own words:

“I think because this is so new and it’s such a new way of doing things, people always want to know what happens and how it goes and what they have to do. When you explain to them, they do nothing, and it doesn’t seem to work. That has been difficult!”

One of the biggest learnings on her journey so far is how she can think and approach everything differently. Stacie shared: “I think that was whether to make my master happen or not. It was a really valuable lesson for me. I think there were parts towards the end — It was always like learning the industry wasn’t as scary as I thought it was.”

What she wants to give the learners on the programme is more practical skills in terms of arming them and putting them in the best position to go out and carry on doing what they want to do creatively. “It doesn’t need to be easy but if I can be the one who is making it a bit easier and shout loud to make something change a little bit, then I will leave them with.

At the start of her journey, Stacie felt she didn’t know what she’s in for, but she was doing something right and appreciated the little wins every day. When the final exhibition show happened she opened it up for everyone to come and see.

Thinking of what motivated her to keep going, day in and day out, through adversity and the various challenges, she explained:

“Honestly, I genuinely thought nobody would care, and then I started getting press, which I had never thought would get. I think this puts me on such a pedestal, I would never thought in a million years I would get any of that. There was a point when I was asked to speak at the Dezeen day sitting alongside people who were educators being in education for decades and me, it was so out of my depth. It gives me nightmares when I am now thinking of that day, but I have done something right to be able to speak alongside these people and have a valid opinion. I knew I was brought as a complete alternative but I got points in that conversation that I have never dreamed that I would have had.”

When I asked Stacie what would be her top tips for future creative entrepreneurs attempting to start a business, she said: