National Day Of Joy  –  28th June 2023 

Celebrate the National Day of Joy on the last Wednesday of June, every year! This year, the National Day Of Joy falls on the 28th of June.

One of the best ways we can observe the ideation of ‘joy’ is to find satisfaction outside of the ‘norms’ that society tells us to conform within. Unfortunately the search for joy is attributed to material possessions, but neglects the true sources of happiness, which can be found in strong relationships with family members, friends, your religious community and/or your romantic partner. Other areas that society neglects to focus on in the ‘pursuit of happiness’ include incorporating daily activities into your life that encourage the feeling of ‘satisfaction’.

What is the point of owning a Maserati with a diamond-encrusted steering wheel if you spend your time hunched over it, crying your eyes out in a 50k pair of Louboutins ? Exactly…we all know that one person, right? No matter HOW MUCH they have, they just can’t find peace – 

Let us not forget how in today’s times,  social media dictates a lot of what is/isn’t making us happy – we are now fine-tuned to experience ‘Dopamine’ blasts ( confusing the brain into believing we’re happy) , in very short spurts, whenever we log into Instagram and see who has validated us for being pretty enough on that day.

Times have changed, values have been altered, and the modern-person’s idea of ‘Joy’ or ‘Happiness’ has been dropped into a mixed-bag of confusing bullet-points that are so very far away from the simplicity of true Joy. 

You will never find Joy if you keep searching for it outside of yourself. Sorry-not-sorry to be the messenger of this whopper of a cliché  , but indeed, “Happiness comes from Within’. There is no greater joy than to reflect on ourselves and become sincere.

Be the person who chooses simplicity and freedom from the trappings of a materialism-driven society , at least in some areas of your life ( Ok, we’re not saying DON’T aim high, if you work hard for it, by all means, buy it! Just don’t let the pursuit of an obsolete item make you forget about what it truly means to experience Joy). 

At Clay Cafe we want to immerse ourselves in joy by finding happiness outside the norms that society calls for. 

At Clay Cafe, our venue isn’t only a place to paint ceramics and eat farm-to-table, sustainably-made , nutrition-dense gourmet delights! We have a far bigger ethos and value system that lends itself entirely to satisfaction and joy.

Clay Cafe encourages the marriage of family and friends sharing in a common-bonding experience , whilst enjoying food and creating art. Spending time with family and having good ties can increase oxytocin levels in the brain, and other feel good hormones. Oxytocin helps to reduce stress and anxiety, increase feelings of bonding and promotes general well being. Mediterranean culture promotes the concept of ‘Conviviality’ and by and large, Clay Cafe endorses the notion of the ‘family-style’ eating and bonding experience too! 

Conviviality is much more than a simple ‘ shared meal’ . Conviviality also relates to ‘how’ we eat – this is why, Jade, (one of the CC owners) often mentions the Mediterranean ‘way of enjoying food’ when describing her vision for her brand as well as in her own life! Let’s consider the fact of sitting together as a family to eat the same types of foods ( Shared Tapas with your gang anyone? ) and how it lends itself to establishing a sense of community and contributes to the perpetuation of the ‘Joyful Way To Live’ from generation to generation. 

So why does Clay Cafe also endorse art therapy via Ceramic Painting , with a group of friends and family, as a way to find inner peace and joy? Well, if it isn’t already obvious, creating art with a group ( or even one) of people/person you love, encourages people to develop an understanding , through observation, of how adverse past experiences may have impacted on their current feelings. Painting Ceramics and finding your own inner-creativity may even enhance your social interactions with loved ones. At Clay Cafe we encourage our guests to model healthy behaviours and healthy attachments through our unique modality of combining a family meal with a shared creative experience. The ‘ group’ concept at our branches creates a cohesiveness , which also imparts a sense of safety. ( Don’t get us wrong now, if you are a single person who simply wants time-out from the rat-race to join us for some painting in solitude to help you find your ‘inner-joy’ for a day, we are all for that too! 

To answer the question “ How happy are you? “, or, say, “ How much Joy is in your life?’ one has to factor in the actual associations that these questions may be measured. The key word here is ‘satisfaction’. At the end of the day, the level within which you feel absolute satisfaction is the direct mainline to how you experience Joy! You may put your head down on your pillow at the end of a tough day at work, but if your last thought before going to sleep is something like “ That was a rough day, but I ticked all my goals and I’m really satisfied with what I achieved” you’re almost GUARANTEED to feel joyful in that moment , and to wake up feeling a continuation of that joy which will further motivate you toward choices which promote more satisfaction the very next day ! All things linked to satisfaction connect straight back to better physical health, higher performance at work, and stronger social relationships. Figuring out how satisfied you are with your life is actually easier to answer than how happy you are or how “ generally joyful “ you are. It is actually a more meaningful approach to evaluating the quality of your life. 

What was Einstein’s favourite saying?

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” “A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.”

Here is a gift to you from the team at Clay Cafe to help you express and experience your Joy TODAY and forevermore, if you choose to…

• Smile. You tend to smile when you’re happy. …
• Exercise. Exercise isn’t just for your body. …
• Get plenty of sleep. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep every night. …
• Eat with mood in mind. …
• Practise gratitude. …
• Give a compliment. …
• Breathe deeply. …
• Acknowledge the unhappy moments.
• Do more things that bring you JOY!