We asked some of the most talented folks in the community to talk to us about projects they’ve worked on that they still think about, projects that really meant something. Have you had such an experience? Are you looking for inspiration for your next project? Check out the stories below, they are exciting, entertaining, and most importantly – inspiring.

Ben Baldwin

When I first moved to Austin, I would go with my buddy Garrett Lively of Rough Draft Games to see late night movies at the Alamo Drafthouse during “Weird Wednesday”, curated by a special staff of cinephiles with bizarre taste. We watched several low budget and generally obscure flicks and I learned that I could find more at “I Luv Video”, Austin’s only video rental store, now rebooted as “We Luv Video”. On the shelf in the animation aisle was the work of the surreal cartoon juggernaut himself, Bill Plympton. I rented all of his catalogue that spring. Read more>>

Parris Ashley

As I’ve grown into middle age, I wonder what really matters in life. Read more>>

Pattie Chalmers

A meaningful project I have worked on is an installation called “Every Day I Think of You”—a collection of 365 terra cotta articles connected through recollection of a specific person or people. The objects that make up this piece are specific to my remembrances but can become stimulants for a viewer’s memories. Read more>>

Benjamin Steeper

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on actually just happened. While there have been other films that I’ve connect to more on a story level, this recent one hit on a personal level! It requires a little context. First, though my parents were not quite “distinguished” when they had me, they weren’t very young either, and so they are currently getting up there in years. Read more>>

Crusasis

The process of making stuff always changes based on mood and mindset. Sometimes its a focused approach and I work hard and ‘try’. Sometimes I’d rather give up but say ‘f*** it’ and make something just for fun. Either way, no matter the polar opposite mindset, something is created and it is equal. Sometimes the creation is an ‘exercise’ but is actually heard by people and liked. Read more>>

Kathleen R. O’Neill Schuler

My most meaningful projects are those where I experiment with methods that are new to me. I am a problem solver by nature which very often leads to learning and developing new techniques. Read more>>

Melissa Gutierrez

I started Westofchester in the winter of 2020. I had recently moved back to New York earlier that year for a job and then the pandemic started, and I was confined to being in a tiny apartment. I was missing my family and got really homesick. I’m a pretty nostalgic person, so drawing memories of my childhood memorabilia became a habit that I started as a way to bring comfort during an isolating time. Read more>>

Jackie Marquez

My latest creation, ‘Amor Eterno,’ holds a special place amongst my projects. In my culture, we celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead; a beautiful tradition honoring our ancestors and those who have transitioned to the other side. I had never truly encountered the weight of death until the passing of my grandparents. Coping with their loss was a devastating challenge, and it was this painting that aided me in navigating the grieving process. Read more>>

Rommel Villa

Piedra Dura (Hard Stone) is one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on. It’s a short film that represents a harsh reality that happens to many queer young people in Bolivia and in many places around the world. The story is very important to me because it’s based on traumatic events that happened to me and that happened to other people that I know. Read more>> 

Kai Chuan Yang

I had the honor of collaborating with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra (MNDSO) on the visual design for their concert. Previously, I was a part of the MNDSO and was involved in various responsibilities, including performances for the President and the nation on National Day, flag-raising ceremonies on New Year’s Day, and other significant national-level tasks. Read more>>

Peg Luke

As, I look into the new month I see my first ever Christmas project available to stream, releasing November 1st. It is called, “Sleep, Baby Jesus, a Peg Luke Christmas”. It is named after one of my compositions in the project. I can’t wait to bring it to you! Read more>>

Tong Luo

For me, working in the film and television industry often means finding a balance between artistic expression and commercial viability. In 2018, I was involved in a documentary project about children with cerebral palsy, centered around the theme of “Care and Growth.” We traveled to Wuxi, China, and interviewed nearly 20 children with cerebral palsy and their parents at the First People’s Hospital. Read more>>

Chloe Charles

I grew to find a deeper meaning in my existence. This inspired her to focus her energy not just on her own creations but on connection and collaboration across all artistic mediums. After setting my intentions, a new world opened to me, one of synergy, mutual support, and deep fulfillment. Read more>>

Jane Charles

SOLD This is a feature film with Gillian Anderson that we filmed in India and Nepal, based on the YA novel of the same name by Patricia McCormick. Lakshmi, a young girl from Nepal, is sold to a trafficker and brought to a brothel in India. We see this brothel community through her eyes, the abuse and captivity, and then we see how she grows stronger and plots her escape. Read more>>

Kelsi Johnson

One of my most meaningful projects I was able to work on was my very first job on set for a student horror short film. I remember when the director, Jake, first reached out with his idea of creating this child demon for a Halloween horror short film he and his friends had written for one of their final projects. I was so excited to create this character with him, but also so extremely nervous, because this was my first time being hired professionally for special effects makeup (SFX). Read more>>

Lu Quijano

There are definitely two major projects I’ve worked/been working on that have helped me find my path as a creative person. Read more>>

Brubey Hu

During my graduate studies at the University of Waterloo, I created a self-authored artist’s book named Returning, Dreaming & Talking (回与梦呓 in original Chinese). This set of books consists of a collection of texts exploring the themes of home and identity, a sense of drifting, continuously, from place to place, and as a female raised in both China and Canada. I first wrote the poems in Chinese. Read more>>

Jaret Martino

I’ve been fortunate and endlessly grateful to be surrounded by so many meaningful projects and countless support from likeminded folks. Love Wins Productions, Distribution and Film Festival has allowed me to work directly with so many warriors. Through projects such an Inner Warrior, my Mother’s true story and now Feature Film, titled DONNA Stronger Than Pretty. Read more>>

Amy Julia Becker

My book White Picket Fences felt particularly meaningful because I didn’t mean to write it. I had written two previous books. I thought I was going to write a third book about the experience of reading out loud to our children. I researched E.B. White and Beverly Cleary and other authors. I wrote chapter after chapter about my own childhood experiences with reading, about my time as a parent, about our daughter with Down syndrome learning how to read. But the pages never coalesced. Read more>>

Gabriel Delgado

“Artistic Sacrifice: Contemporary Artist Donates Kidney to Wife, Inspires New Artwork” Read more>>

Ziqi Gao

One of the most meaningful works for me was a short film I produced titled “A Roadside Banquet.” It tells the story of a 11-year-old girl attending her baby brother’s one-year-old birthday party. Having lived in the US for 7 years, this was the first time I, as an Asian woman, produced a story representing my own culture. Read more>>

Abby Wathen

So many come to mind but the one that sticks out the most is the short film that I wrote during a very difficult time. It’s called Trying. It’s about pregnancy and infertility. I was healing from a loss and the script came to me in the middle of the night. I just needed to purge. As an actor, art seems to be the place where I can grieve and heal. Read more>>

Elena Jacobson

The project I’m most proud of is our annual affordable art show, WISHLIST. We’ve done it every year since we opened. Read more>>

Emma Andres

I want to develop projects that leave a lasting impact on audiences. That is why I like to create works surrounding education, literature, history, math, and science. Read more>>

Ben Gottlieb

I’m not sure about the most meaningful. I started Oddi Skateboards in 2017 and made some videos with some friends. I really wanted to make a platform for my friends to showcase their skateboarding and artistic creativity without having to answer to anyone else. Its grown over the years and we’ve added a few more people along the way. Read more>>

Joy Fire

I was once contacted by a client about a decorative cover for her koi pond. She lived in an area where the local racoons would occasionally raid her garden and make off with a snack of her decorative fish. The theme of the garden, which had won awards, was “under the sea”, and my client was known to lead local parades as the Kelp Queen. Read more>>

Irene Rose

I believe that if you have a voice that people listen to, say something worth saying. I left my career as a country songwriter in Nashville because I didn’t feel I was writing anything of eternal value that would impact the world. My latest release, “Believe and Receive” is the plan of salvation as laid out in the book of Romans in the Bible. I feel this song may be the most important song I’ve ever written because they are not my words, but the Word of God. Read more>>

Chloe Borthwick

This august I released an album with eight original songs called “Sharp Left.” I wrote and produced the songs myself and am really psyched with how it came out. It has a country/rock vibe which is sort of a new sound for me, hence the title “Sharp Left.” For the next year my goal is to release roughly one song a month. I just dropped my September single “Iron Lining” which is a breakup song that grapples with being told to “look on the bright side” after a devastating loss. Read more>>

Raphaël Dargent

During the past year I’ve been blessed to work on a lot of great films. Among them, the captivating documentary “Why Dinosaurs” stands out, set to premiere this November at the Harmony Gold theater. It showcases one of my most accomplished orchestral scores to date. Read more>>

Brian Belefant

Remember that Samsonite commercial, the one where the suitcase falls out of the airplane into the midst of a semi-nomadic tribe in Africa? I directed that. Read more>>

Amanda Lee Lazorchack

The broom, a common object; how could that be special? Anywhere in the world, you’ll encounter this shape. It is a sculptural home good, a tool, a symbol. Every culture, regardless of language, lines on a map, or age- has a broom. Traditionally, brooms are made of regionally specific materials, have a unique shape, a story of who keeps the craft alive. It’s unifying- and in this way. Read more>>

Erin McGinn

I’ve developed a series I call “Maker’s Shoots”. We, artists and artisans, spend so much time documenting our final products that we fail to share the intricate, imperfect, messy process of creation that our clients and customers love to see. I love seeing artists create, as well as their spaces and studios. I photograph the entire shoot on analog film (Yes, film! Read more>>

Melissa Allegories

There are facts in fiction. I merge creative writing and visual art, employing allegory to create a semi-hidden narrative in my work. I use real-life experiences to compose visual and authored fictitious stories, making the journey a by-product of my creative process. Read more>>

Connie Springer

I produced a book and exhibit on active nonagenarians called POSITIVELY NINETY: Interviews with Lively Nonagenarians. I photographed and wrote narratives based on interviews for 28 people in their 90s who led active lives. I came upon this idea because I had an octogenarian mother in a nursing home, and all I saw were ghostlike people sitting around and looking like zombies. I wanted a different more encouraging view of aging. Read more>>

Natalie Leah

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on as of late would have to be my senior thesis. As part of the Studio Art BFA curriculum at Florida Southern College, students are required to create a mature body of artwork, install it in a gallery, and present and defend their pieces and their artist’s statement to the entire faculty and art department. Personally, I actually started working on it in my junior year of college, which means I put about a year and half’s time of work and effort into it. Read more>>

Tom Christopher

I started out doing assignments for clients like CBS Records Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen etc… Also New York Times, and CBS News on the crime beat. I’ve worked for Motor Trend doing cars, Disneyland drawing people. I love projects. Read more>>

Sia Savvy

This year, I’ve been truly fortunate to serve as a Showrunner and Field Director for some profoundly meaningful projects that have been very close to my heart. Among these, one of my personal favorites is the forthcoming 2024 Tubi Original documentary, “Sneaker Hustle.” Read more>>

Tez Dixon

If I had to pick a most meaningful project that I’ve worked on, it would have to be my short film, Delivery Attempted (2023). The reason being is because I was inspired by an actual real life event. I was delivery driving at night and I came across a driveway. A man was walking my way and said “I wouldn’t go down there if I were you.” Read more>>

Brian Farrell

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been writing and directing the South Pasadena Short Film Series. My background is in comedy and acting, but this was my first foray into directing film projects. Read more>>

Jared Chandler

For the last year, I have been producing a stand-up comedy showcase at Stella’s Pinball Arcade and Lounge in Greeley, Colorado. This project is meaningful to be because it is the most consistent comedy experience that the City has to offer and it also happens to be the place where I grew up. Read more>>

Zirao Zhang

I worked as a lead illustrator on a Netflix series called “BEEF,” where I was responsible for designing a series of key props and environmental concepts to advance the storyline. This project holds a special place in my heart because it resonates deeply with my personal experiences. It delves into my life’s questions and musings and offers some semblance of answers to the inquiries in my mind. Read more>>

Natalia Winovich

The most meaningful endeavors are those in which I feel aligned with my purpose. Freeing myself from expectations, being bold with the brush strokes, playing on the emerging shapes and painting in my own interpretations. A curious exploration rather than a scripted performance. Read more>>

Beth Surdut

This current project is so intimate and layered, I’d like to talk about my participation as a visual and literary participant in Uncommon Knowledge, showing at the Ventana Gallery at Roche Diagnostics in Oro Valley, Arizona through December 31, 2023 and online at https://www.saaca.org/roche-uncommon-knowledge-art-exhibition.html Uncommon Knowledge is a collaboration between 21 employees of Roche, an innovator of tissue-based cancer diagnostic solutions, and 12 artists, writers, and musicians chosen by the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA). Read more>>

Monique “Bella” Fontella Pollock

I have recently completed a short film entitled, “Hard to Be Soft” as part of my doctoral dissertation in Instructional Design and Technology. As I am able to focus my studies on areas that are passionate to me, I chose Black women, workplace trauma, and soft life to explore. The soft life is a new phenomena that encourages Black women to approach life in a way that gives pause to the Strong Black Woman trope many have been taught. Read more>>

Harker Jones

All my projects — whether poetry, a rom-com or a slasher movie — express serious themes and messages. This applies well to my first script, a satire about a woman who sues a pop star for lip syncing, igniting a firestorm of controversy that threatens her friendships, her love life and her career. It presents questions like, What are we if we celebrate athletes who cheat, people who do absolutely nothing on television, and singers who can’t sing? Read more>>

Carla Roque

The most meaningful project for me is something that is currently in the works. I am working on a picture book that is a self-funded passion project. This meaningful picture book project is an illustrated bio story of the artist Leonard Knight. Leonard Knight is an outsider artist, who didn’t even like to call himself an artist, yet he created one of the worlds largest and most incredible works of art in the California desert know as “Salvation Mountain.” Read more>>

Luis Gerardo LoGar

I think every project I’ve made has had a meaningful impact on me. I don’t mean to be cheesy but the thing about filmmaking is that it HARD. And it’s also expensive. So getting to finish a project from idea to conclusion is something that leaves a mark, whether you like it or not. Read more>>

Jik-Reuben Pringle

I’ve been apart of a few meaningful projects that has lead to the moniker Visual Advocate. However, to the date the most meaningful project I’ve been apart of is the #PCOS1in10ja project. It was kickstarted in 2020, when a friend Dr. Kimberley Sommerville introduced me to her study on nutrition and PCOS. Read more>>

Yuting Qiu

As an entrepreneur who founded a film and video company, I’ve had the privilege of engaging in a variety of impactful projects. One that stands out as the most meaningful is a documentary we produced for a local nonprofit organization. The backstory behind this project involves the organization’s struggle to support underprivileged youth in our community. Read more>>