#happycafe

[glittergummybears]

Just a redraw of Happy Cafe. This series is so frikkin funny!

[gustofly]

[charlienerocry-blog]

Jackson trabajando en el cafe Xd 💕💖 no es canom pero es bueno soñar Xd #style #draw #drawing #drawings #drawingchallenge #anime #manga https://www.instagram.com/p/B6DuEPLgHfm/?igshid=1sdiegtotpjnn

[laborcafeblog-blog]

Mától a Labor Café is a legboldogabb kávézók egyike. ☕️🥂

[margotw8]

Happiness Calendar ™

I have my baby : I should be happy a lifetime. I am raising a wonderful child : he came to me to make me zillion times happy. and so much more this week

[thecanvase1]

London's first Happy Cafe

On 4th March 2015, The Canvas launches as London's first Happy Cafe, in association with global charity Action for Happiness.

The Canvas is a social enterprise cafe and creative venue just off Brick Lane in Shoreditch, that I opened in October 2014.  Inspired by my positive body image charity, Body Gossip, it aims to improve the self-esteem, confidence and well being of its community by hosting empowering and uplifting events such as lunchtime yoga, a weekly drop-in choir, free workshops in positivity, free weekend films and free live performances.

We also invite our customers to write on our walls, sharing their thoughts, ideas, secrets and stories and joining an ever-evolving piece of live art.

Action for Happiness is a movement of people committed to building a happier society. They want to see a fundamentally different way of life where people care less about what they can get for themselves and more about the happiness of others.

The Happy Cafe concept has brought The Canvas and Action for Happiness together, and it's a perfect fit.  The Canvas will host Action for Happiness' events; the first one is an 8-week course in Happiness, starting on 12th March.  The Canvas will also display leaflets and literature about the 10 Keys to Happier Living. But more than that, this is the start of a partnership between two organisations that simply want to make people feel better about themselves.

The History of The Canvas - Body Gossip's influence

I didn't expect to open a cafe and creative venue, and dedicate my life to improving people's happiness and confidence. I started my professional life as an actress and puppeteer; I was a CBeebies radio presenter, and played Joey's Head in War Horse in the West End for 2 years.  Joey wasn't the only animal I performed; I also played a monkey, a woman who turned into a cow, and a massive pink bird... it was a colourful career!

Founding Body Gossip in 2006 was the start of my journey into self esteem.  I launched a Call for Stories in the UK; inviting the general public to write their story about their body and send it to Body Gossip.  I have empowered these real stories written by real people about their real bodies by turning them into live theatre shows, short films, and over 300 stories have been published in the Body Gossip Book, with foreword by Gok Wan.

I really believe, and there's scientific evidence to prove, that writing is cathartic - and many people who have written their body story for Body Gossip have found this.  In 2007, I wanted to get more people writing their stories, so I took my white living room sofa to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - specifically the Royal Mile (the best place to find tons of people!) and invited passers by to write one sentence about their body on the sofa.

The reason I took the sofa to Edinburgh was to create a bit of a buzz around the Call for Stories.  But I experienced much more than that - I was blown away by the honesty, bravery and passion of people's words. Writing on an unusual canvas inspired intimate and beautiful comments, and you could see how cathartic it was for people.

Watch the Body Gossip sofa in Edinburgh, and hear more about The Canvas.

Some of the most memorable comments were "It used to be thinner, but I still love it!", "My stretch marks remind me of my 3 beautiful children", and my favourite: "Fingers crossed".

This was written by a lady, probably in her mid-30s. Her best friend asked her what it meant. The lady turned to her friend and said, "I'm pregnant."

After three miscarriages, she had planned on confessing her exciting news to her friend later that afternoon.  But she chose to tell the sofa first.  I felt I had discovered a really exciting and powerful concept, that could connect and inspire people, and seven years later, The Canvas was born.

(Seven years?  Yes, it's a long time, but don't forget I was a jobbing actress, I'm not the daughter of anyone famous, and I was launching a body image charity in my spare time!)

The Canvas is all about self-expression, sharing, and the power that your words have to inspire, reassure and encourage others.

The (brilliant) staff at The Canvas tell me that reading the comments on the walls reaffirms their faith in humanity, which is a bold statement but true here - you'd think that by offering the general public a pen to write on the walls of a cafe they'd a) draw a phallus, b) scribble or swear and c) steal the pen.  But that rarely happens - the majoriy of people respect the piece of art they are building together.

If you're a fan of Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, you'll already believe in the positive power of connection, relationships and acts of kindness towards others; and how these can change the world for the better.  

It's often incredibly hard to retain our faith in humanity, when all around us are news stories of the attrocities that humans are experiencing by the hand of other humans.

But my faith in humanity remains.   Because I'm lucky enough to see, every day, the beauty, honesty and bravery of my community - it's written everywhere for me, and you, to see at The Canvas.

“We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” - Howard Zinn

I launched The Canvas because I believe it brings people together, cheers people up, empowers them, and inspires them.  These "small acts" are already transforming people's worlds, as Nisha Kotecha and Juliette Burton describe in their blogs about The Canvas.

You're meeting The Canvas 4 months into its life - I have so much planned for the future of London's first Happy Cafe, including opening a garden space, and a theatre.  I really hope you'll come and be involved with it.

Ruth Rogers Owner and Creative Director, The Canvas Founder and Trustee, Body Gossip