Having hosted over 10,000+ students at their Central London studio in Borough, Make Your Own's (or M.Y.O) mission has always been to help adults tap into their creative side. Founded in 2017 by couple Sam and Diana (pictured above), they offer workshops in everything from ceramic painting, calligraphy, handmade pottery, watercolour painting, lino printing, and embroidery to name a few! With no experience required for their classes, M.Y.O aim to offer a fun environment to explore new creative outlets, with a big part of this being their BYOB policy for all their adult classes!
We spoke to Hannah, Creativity and Partnerships Manager at M.Y.O, all about how they got started, their workshops, and how their workshops are bringing joy to Obby students.
(Author's Note: Hannah's answers have been edited for length and clarity)
Book with M.Y.O on ObbyWhat inspired the idea for M.Y.O?
The founders of M.Y.O, Sam and Diana, were inspired to start their range of creative workshops when they went to an art class one evening on a whim. They fell in love with the act of doing something mindful and realised that there weren't many outlets for adults to get creative. That set them on a path to try to help 1 million adults tap into their creativity. Five years on, they've sparked tens of thousands of people's creativity through classes such as pottery, watercolour and lino printing.
All the classes we teach are for people who don't necessarily do anything creative and are complete beginners. It's a brilliant feeling when someone comes into our studio feeling stressed and leaves the class smiling and happy having to accomplished something. We have a brilliant team of hosts who love teaching the classes now and every year we add new workshops to our roster. We love working on new ideas so guests can come back again and try their hand at something new!
How does everyone at M.Y.O maintain their creative inspiration, especially when it's something you're all doing full-time? And how do you pass that inspiration onto your students?
More often that not, we're blown away by the creativity of our guests at M.Y.O and that's what inspires us to continue to teach the classes. We're also driven by past guests suggesting new ideas and workshops. We have an amazing studio which holds multiple possibilities to get creative. It's about allowing people to express themselves in any form they choose, encouraging them to step out of their comfort and try something new.
What encouraged M.Y.O to join Obby as a teacher? And how are we helping you grow?
Obby has been a fantastic channel for finding new guests, especially hen and birthday parties. Often now, people don't want to go clubbing or out drinking for a special occasion. Although we are BYOB and food, we allow people to come together in an intimate setting, have a good laugh and come away with a creation to remind them of that day. I think often people will go to Obby because they are looking to be inspired for a special occasion and we're lucky that people find M.Y.O and want to share that time with us.
You mentioned before the benefits of creativity on improving your students' mood, do you feel getting creative helps people with their overall wellbeing and mental health?
As mentioned in my previous answer, we really do see a change in people's attitudes and behaviour after a class. Focussing on something creative, supping on a cup of tea whilst listening to some cheesy tunes allows our guests to escape from the daily grind. For corporate companies, we're seeing a shift in behaviour where managers are realising the importance of play and creativity to help the productivity and mental health of their team. Nothing bonds a team better than getting messy with clay or collectively creating a vision board from old magazines!
What has been your favourite student interaction since you’ve started with M.Y.O?
The look on people's faces when they pick up their pottery creations is really lovely. When you can tell that they are super chuffed and proud of what they've made, it makes it all worth it!
What is your favourite thing about teaching workshops that you feel you benefit from?
We are very lucky that guests will come back again and again. It's a fantastic feeling when someone tries out a public class then invites their whole work team to do a private session or decides to host their hen party with us. Bringing people together and improving people's mental health are the two main reasons why we do what we do.
Any tips for aspiring creatives who are looking to start teaching their own classes?
The M.Y.O studio is available for hire so if any aspiring creatives need a space to run a new workshop, we're here for you!
Book with M.Y.O on ObbyWant to know more?
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