Katherine Hernandez, owner of Mindfullimage and the person behind Creative Healing Fund, has been recognized as Most Influential Artist and Impact-Driven Social Founder of 2026 for her transformative work supporting people through grief, mental health struggles, physical illness, and financial hardship. The small, founder-led nonprofit project sends carefully curated art kits to individuals navigating some of life’s most challenging seasons.
The Creative Healing box functions as what the organization calls a ‘tiny creative lifeline,’ filled with rescued and new art supplies meant to feel like a gentle friend showing up during difficult times. The initiative by Hernandez serves a remarkably broad audience, including kids, teens, adults, and elders from all backgrounds who are seeking low-pressure, judgment-free ways to express themselves through creative play.
People in need can request a Creative Healing box through a simple application process, where they share what they’re going through, the kind of art they make, and what supplies they wish they had. The program also accepts nominations from friends, family members, and caregivers, ensuring that those who spend their energy caring for others also receive support. Each box is thoughtfully matched to the recipient’s age, needs, and creative style.
Katherine Hernandez, a multigenerational caregiver and trained art therapist, started the project from personal experience with recovery from alcoholism, grief, and medical trauma. Art-making and what she describes as ‘healing through play’ helped her survive particularly difficult periods. Her lived experience with depression, postpartum depression, PTSD, childhood abuse, domestic violence, addiction, and single motherhood informs how she curates each box, choosing supplies and projects that would have brought comfort during her own darkest seasons.
Her organization has already achieved significant milestones, having received and reviewed over 100 applications from people across different age groups. Creative Healing Fund was also named ‘Artist of the Year’ by a Facebook junk journaling community, which pledged six months of support to help continue sending boxes to those in need.
Beyond the physical boxes, the founder hosts an online community on Facebook where members encourage one another and participate in gentle, art-therapy-informed micro-workshops and creative activities. These prompts help people continue creating and sharing while finding outlets for their experiences. The trauma-aware creative programs aim to give people a sense of joy, control, and accomplishment amid chaos.
Looking ahead, Hernandez and her team plans to expand partnerships with therapists, community organizations, shelters, schools, hospitals, and rehab programs. The vision includes developing in-person workshops at these locations, making art and play a regular part of healing for people in crisis. The mission remains simple: create, heal, thrive.