Emily Coxhead describes herself as a “fluffy-haired, smiley kinda thing but also a designer, illustrator and happy thing maker.” Her work, though varied, carries the same air of positivity, with the goal of making other people happy. A worthy cause, if nothing else.
Her website, The Happy News, launched in 2015, reports on positive changes and truly inspiring people – a cheerful twist on what we know as news. It’s a newspaper that celebrates the good, and God knows we could use a little good.
“The fact that I can do what makes me happy for a living whilst also making others happy surely has to be the best thing ever!” she told Virgin. “I thought if I could make a few people’s worlds a little happier then that’s what I would do until I figured out what I was going to do for a ‘proper’ job,” she recalled. “I set up a Kickstarter to fund the first issue of The Happy Newspaper, a newspaper to celebrate all the good stuff going on in the world.”
She hasn’t looked back since, and with appearances on BBC and HuffPost, amongst others, it’s clear that people are taking notice. Aside from her website, Coxhead released a range of greeting cards and merchandise, published her book Make Someone Happy with Penguin Random House, and continues to sparkle positivity through her Instagram page.
