Hugh van Cuylenburg

ABOUT THE ARTIST

In 2008, Hugh van Cuylenburg was fortunate enough to spend a few months living and volunteering in the far north of India. In this desert community, there was no running water, no electricity and no beds; everyone slept on the floor of their hut. Despite the fact these people had very little to call their own, Hugh was continually blown away by how happy they were.

It was this experience, and subsequent post graduate studies, that led Hugh to some pretty simple conclusions about the things that we need to be doing here in Australia if we want to be happier. He learnt from this village that practicing Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness leads us to a happier more fulfilling experience. Once he discovered these three principles were also evidence-based, he decided to share these simple and highly effective wellbeing strategies in  a program for schools. Ten years on, having worked with over 1,000 schools, it turns out it wasn’t just schools that wanted to hear this message! Hugh is grateful to work with teachers, students, parents, workplaces, community leaders and sporting clubs every day.