Giving Through Art: Why Making Cards Heals the Creator as Much as the Receiver

By Avni Sriram, Founder, Art from Heart

When life gets overwhelming—like hospital visits, family stress, or long recoveries—kids can lose the simple routines that make them feel secure. Art can bring a piece of that comfort back. A drawing or handmade card may not change a diagnosis, but it can brighten someone’s day. It creates a connection between the tough moments now and the hope for better days ahead. This article looks at how art makes a difference for both sides: the child who receives it and the person who creates it.

How Art Helps the Child Who Receives It

1) Emotional relief Pictures and colors speak before words do. Art gives the mind a moment to reset and breathe. A small, friendly image or short line of encouragement gives encouragement and the brain a break from stress. 

2) A safe way to name feelings. It’s hard to say “I’m scared.” Drawing a storm and then adding a sun, or turning a medical device into a rocket ship, helps kids process fear indirectly. Art turns big feelings into shapes and stories they can hold, move, and change.

4) Motivation and resilience. Art can be used as a gentle reward after a tough procedure or a milestone marker (“You did it!”). Over time, these small wins can collectively become a visible record that hard moments have been faced and overcome.

How Art Helps the Person Who Creates It

1) Purpose. Creating something for a specific child or a children’s unit turns empathy into action. Volunteers often report that a simple act of making cards or kits for children feels more “direct” than many other forms of service.

2) Stress relief and mental health. Art-making lowers stress and quiets mental noise. Focusing on color, layout, or lettering is calming- especially for students and professionals carrying their own deadlines and worries.

3) Community and belonging. Creating in groups - at school clubs, faith communities, or volunteer meetups builds social connection. Sharing ideas improves the work and keeps people coming back.

Art can’t fix everything, but it can make a tough moment feel a little lighter—and those moments add up. For kids, it’s a safe way to show what they’re feeling, a small piece of control in a confusing world, and a little comfort when they need it most. For the person creating it, art brings calm, purpose, and a sense of being part of something bigger. Keep it simple, keep it gentle, and keep the focus on the child. One honest line, a little color, and a tiny spark of hope can make even the hardest day feel a little more manageable.