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What if shaping clay or brushing paint on a canvas could do more for your mental health than hours of traditional therapy?
For Liliana De Abreu, this isn’t just an idea. It’s a reality she lived through and one she now shares with others.
After facing her own mental health challenges, Liliana discovered that art gave her a sense of comfort and healing. That experience led her to start Lilu’s Crafts, a program that uses art therapy to support people during tough times.
Lilu’s Crafts focuses on helping those who need it most. Liliana’s work is centered on groups like single moms, female immigrants, survivors of domestic violence, and at-risk youth. Her idea is simple but impactful: art can be a powerful tool to heal, rebuild, and find confidence again.
How she found her strength
Liliana’s life changed completely when she had to leave Venezuela, her home country. Back there, she had a successful career in accounting and auditing, working with major organizations and in government roles. But political problems forced her to leave everything behind.
“Starting over was really hard,” she says. “I left my family, my career, and everything familiar. I didn’t even know the language here at first.”
Moving to the United States meant she had to rebuild her life from the ground up. It was overwhelming, and the stress led to feelings of anxiety and sadness that were hard to shake. During this difficult time, Liliana turned to art.
“Sculpting and working with ceramics helped me focus and find some peace,” she explains. “It gave me something to hold onto when everything else felt out of control.”
From a small idea to a big mission
Liliana began using art as a way to feel better, but it quickly grew into something more. In 2019, she started Lilu’s Crafts, creating handmade sculptures and resin art. Over time, she realized that art wasn’t just helping her. It had the power to help others as well.
“I realized that what helped me could make a difference for so many people, especially those who don’t have other kinds of support,” she says.
Today, Lilu’s Crafts is a program that uses art therapy to help people share their emotions, lower their stress, and rebuild their confidence. Participants explore painting, sculpting, and other creative activities in a space where they feel safe and supported.
“Art doesn’t judge,” Liliana explains. “It lets people express feelings they might not know how to put into words.”
More than art therapy
What makes Lilu’s Crafts different is that it’s not just about emotional healing. Liliana also helps people learn how to use their creativity to make money. With her accounting background, she teaches basic things like handling money, starting a small business, and figuring out how to plan ahead.
“Being financially stable is really important,” she says. “If someone can take their art and turn it into a way to earn a living, they’re not just feeling better—they’re setting themselves up for a better future.”
Some people in her programs have started selling their art, using what they’ve learned to help their families or reach new goals.
Whether it’s creating resin jewelry, handmade sculptures, or custom paintings, participants leave with more than just a creative skill. They leave with hope and tools to succeed.
Reaching those who need it most
As an immigrant and native Spanish speaker, Liliana knows how hard it is to find help in a new country. Many of the people she helps face language and cultural barriers that make getting support even harder.
“In some cultures, there’s still a lot of stigma around mental health,” she says. “I wanted to create a place where people could feel safe and really understood.”
Lilu’s Crafts offers programs in both English and Spanish, making sure no one feels left out. This inclusive approach has helped many participants open up in ways they never thought possible.
Overcoming challenges
Building Lilu’s Crafts hasn’t been easy. From starting a business in a new country to finding resources for her programs, Liliana has faced many challenges.
“There were moments when I doubted myself,” she admits. “But every time I see someone in the program smile or tell me they feel better, it reminds me why I started this.”
It’s not always easy to get the programs to people in places where help is hard to find. Many of the people she helps live in areas where there aren’t many mental health services or none at all.
Liliana is doing everything she can to fix this. She’s finding ways to grow her programs, like working with local groups or getting more funding to reach more people.
Plans to reach more lives
Liliana has exciting goals for the future of Lilu’s Crafts. She wants to bring her programs to more communities across the U.S., especially in rural areas where it’s harder to find mental health support.
“Everyone should have the chance to feel supported and heal,” she says. “Art can really help, and I want to make sure more people can experience that.”
Liliana is also looking to partner with other organizations to offer more resources to the people in her programs. She believes that working with others who share her goals will make an even bigger difference and help more people see how art therapy can change their lives.
The difference art therapy makes
What Liliana has created with Lilu’s Crafts is more than a program. It’s a space where people can rebuild their confidence, discover their inner strength, and start creating a better path forward.
“The people I work with inspire me every single day,” Liliana shares. “Hearing their stories reminds me why I started this and why it matters so much.”
For single moms, young adults, and everyone else who has joined her programs, the difference is easy to see. Art therapy has helped them face tough emotions, find joy in creating, and try things they never thought they could do.
Liliana’s work shows that healing doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, picking up a paintbrush or shaping a piece of clay can really change how you feel. With her kindness and passion, she’s helping people take those first small steps toward feeling more like themselves again.
Through Lilu’s Crafts, Liliana shows that art isn’t just about making something pretty. It’s about building connections, growing stronger, and making a real difference, one person at a time.
