Coronavirus: Artist Ben Cole gives away 'happiness' prints
- Published
Ben Cole said he hoped his work would help people keep a "positive state of mind"
An artist has given away thousands of free prints of his work to "spread positivity and happiness" amid the coronavirus pandemic.
When Ben Cole's job in the wedding industry was hit by lockdown in March he pursued his dream to be an artist.
The 38-year-old said he decided to give away his positivity prints as a way of helping people through difficult times.
He said: "I know messages of positivity have helped me in the past with anxiety so I wanted to do the same for others."
Mr Cole, who is originally from New Zealand but moved to Leeds seven years ago, said he had lost count of how many prints of his 'happiness collection' he had given out since May but it was "in the thousands".
He said he considered himself "very lucky" that his artwork is in people's homes
While people are asked to cover the postage costs, Mr Cole covers the print costs and said he makes money by hoping people will return and buy more of his artwork.
He said he would continue offering them for free because it was "such an amazing feeling to bring joy to people's lives" through his work.
He added: "Especially in these tough times we've been going through, not everyone can afford to buy art and I wanted to remove that barrier and open it up to everyone.
"The idea of art with positive vibes really resonated with me and the power of positive sayings has helped me mentally a lot when I've been in tough times.
"I've had such wonderful messages from people who have been really grateful.
"It's been the best thing I've ever done."
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