Working on something meaningful is a common desire – but how? We started asking folks to share the story of how they ended up working on a project they felt was meaningful because we wanted inspiration but also because we wondered if hearing from people from across a range of industries would help us identify patterns making it more likely for anyone to be able to find and work on projects that they would find meaningful.

Shauna Garrett

The most meaningful original project I’ve worked on so far has been the development phases of my upcoming film, “Over, Behind.” This film, though it is now in the pre-production phase before filming, has put me and my incredible team at Monday Routine Productions, LLC., to the test in areas of our knowledge, reaching out to investors, finding resources and applying for funding through grants and fiscal sponsorship. We have had to change our strategies, stretch our imaginations, and think bigger than ever. Read more>>

Effie Kammenou

My most meaningful writing project was my first full-length novel. It wasn’t something I thought I’d ever accomplish or have the discipline to write. But expressing myself creatively got me through one of the most difficult times in my life. My mother passed away from pancreatic cancer after her brave two-and-a-half-year battle. Read more>>

Dean Ruggieri

Currently I’ve been working as an artist and building community through Sound System Culture with HI-VI Sound System. Im very geared towards making the people in my circle grow while growing my circle at the same time. Connecting people through music and art. Much like you guys at canvas rebel I think that’s the most important thing.. we inspire. Read more>>

Andrew Binder

In addition to teaching and performing, a large part of why I do music is to express myself by creating original projects and making an impact on others through my music. Read more>>

Shay Kent

Wholeness Found, my abstract mixed media online class for artists, is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on. Read more>>

Gene Blalock

That’s a profound question, and it’s one I often find myself contemplating. When it comes to the most meaningful project, it’s a challenging task as each has held a distinct significance for me. It may sound a bit trite, but each project holds a unique place for me, be it positive or negative, and there is meaning in that. Read more>>

Andrew Kozlowski

The most meaningful project that I’ve been a part of is helping with DCAZ (The Duval Comics and Zines Fest)- as I understand the initial planning started way back in 2019- it was the brain child of Lindsay Anderson and Dan Wiley- to bring a Zine fest to Jax. They teamed up with the Jacksonville Public Library and were ready to host the first event in March 2020- as you can guess it never happened! Read more>>

Persis Thomas

Meaningful music releasing Read more>>

Jay Davis

We are currently working on Season 2 of Jay Davis Presents: Creative Hustle. As well as a horror anthology Read more>>

Courtney Dimoff

The most meaningful project I have had the honor of creating and working on as a photographer, would have to be the concept I created to prompt discussion about the lack of inclusivity in childrens’ toys. Read more>>

Salma Arastu

Soil and Soul is going to be my new series of paintings that will juxtapose mycelial patterns with Arabic calligraphy as a way to examine and express the deep interconnectedness of human and natural life. The new series would mirror contemporary ecological and social issues with artistic investigations based on science, spirituality and the humanities. As forest ecology has developed, we increasingly see that it is the fungi that coordinate forests and ecosystems, acting as connective tissue between all beings. Read more>>

Peiqi Peng

My recent experience working on my short A Roadside Banquet, was challenging but also extremely meaningful. Read more>>

Elliott Callaway

In January of 2023 I released my debut album titled, Hank. It was the first solo record I ever recorded and in many ways I feel like it encapsulated much of my life up to that point. I had been writing songs here and there over about a 2-3 years period, but then in 2022 I feel like I really started to get a vision for a singular project, and I began writing with more of a focus and consistency and before I knew it I had enough songs for the record. Read more>>

Natalie Ramirez

People come to me when they want to be seen. My collaborations with others result from them wanting to express what is unique about them and remember who they are at a moment in time. I’ve worked with all sorts of people who desire to leave a legacy for their loved ones. Read more>>

Reed Michael Campbell

This may be less of a story and more of an opinion, but I’ve believed for a long time that projects which are not only personally meaningful, but meaningful to a community, are the only artistic projects worth realizing. I have worked on hundreds of sets and theatre productions, and witnessed the full range of artistic prowess in my collaborators. Read more>>

Annique Monet

I have just released a new song, “In My Dreams, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before. For the past decade, I’ve been deeply immersed in the indie rock and psychedelic music scene, which holds a special place in my heart. However, in 2021, a unique opportunity came my way to explore my voice in a completely new light: as crystal-clear candy-yummy pop. Read more>>

Chelle Thompson

Illustrating Children’s Books Read more>>

Brett Tipton

The most meaningful project I’ve done is a full-length musical called Esther the Queen, which I wrote in 2022. I wrote the complete stage play and musical scores. I would estimate a run time of about 2.5-3 hours. It’s the first full-length musical I’ve written. Read more>>

Brett Copeland

I have been passionate about singing and performing since my early childhood days. Some of my fondest memories revolve around singing in the church choir and participating in school plays. Remarkably, even at the tender age of 10, I would enthusiastically belt out tunes alongside the wedding band at family weddings. Read more>>

S.W. Lauden

During the pandemic my old friend Marko DeSantis and I discussed the idea of doing an oral history article about his ’90s Santa Barbara, CA band Popsicko. Marko was the bassist in that band which was fronted by my close high school friend and former bandmate Keith Brown. They were a pop band in the vein of Cheap Trick, but with punk energy based on the music Keith grew up listening to and playing as the original lead singer of Pennywise. Read more>>

Ally Lardner

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was directing a fully-staged play that centered the experience of BIPOC women. This was my senior year project in college, and I had been working towards it for four years. While the experience was made difficult by COVID-19, it was and remains one of the most fulfilling and meaningful projects I have ever worked on. Read more>>

Hail Your Highness

We released a new single just over a week ago called “Imagine The Cure.” It’s a song and a project that started in 2019 right before Covid that we had big plans for, but the pandemic forced us to change our entire trajectory. It’s the first single that we recorded the majority of from our home studio that we re-vamped during the pandemic so we could continue to work. Read more>>

Madison Lin

I’ve been really lucky, I’ve been involved in a lot of meaningful projects so it’s impossible for me to pick a story about one. But I can speak in broad strokes about meaningful projects. Ideally, you’re picking projects that serve a dual-purpose: allowing you to express yourself and allowing you to be of service. And when I say that, I feel super preachy but it’s true. Read more>>

Leo Hall

I’ve worked on many projects as a photographer, a filmmaker, and a magazine editor. So, it was hard to pick one particular project. I live in Nashville, TN, and back in 2006, a young woman was murdered. Her name was Tara Denise Cole and she was known as the “Homeless Girl”. Read more>>

Antonia Crane

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was founding Strippers United in order to created a space where strippers could meet and discuss their labor rights with the goal or organizing and unionizing their clubs. I was also part of the successful union effort as a live nude girl in ( our union happened between 1996-1998) at The Lusty Lady Peepshow where I danced in San Franciscio so, being a part of the current union organizing effort here in Los Angeles in north hollywood and writing about it for The Nation has been incredibly meaningful and exciting. Read more>>

Giorgia Cantarini

The project I currently curate for Pitti Uomo is called S|STYLE and was born in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 to fill a strong need in terms of communication and product. On the one hand, completely subverting the concept of green = uncool and on the other, offering clothing and accessories with production requirements with low impact on the environment, with certified, recovered, recycled and innovative hybrid fabrics. Read more>>

Susan Scott

I am the secretary of our town’s historical society and am also a member of a small group of local poets that meets once a month in a coffee shop to share our poems. The historical society this year is leading a city-wide celebration of our founding 175 years ago and has asked local groups to participate in different ways. Our challenge was to write poems about life here almost two centuries ago, describing events, places, etc. We are putting together a display of our poems for the new city museum and will share and read them during the celebration. Read more>>

José Gregorio Cardenas

I’m excited to delve into the discussion of my forthcoming EP release, a project meticulously brought to life at NH Studios, guided by the expertise of Grammy-nominated sound engineer, Eddy Bethoben. Each track on this EP, titled ‘Todo Se Va a Dar,’ is the result of the fusion of my creative vision, under the musical genius of Eddy Bethoben. Read more>>

Christy Woods

From a young age, I have always had a deep passion for art. This love led me to pursue a career as a commercial graphic designer and marketer in the corporate world for a span of 12 years. Read more>>

Paul LeRoy Gehres

The most meaningful project we ever worked on is my art/life. we have survived success and failure. art/life is awfully mean but sometimes kind. Read more>>

Maurice Proffit

When speaking about “Meaning Projects”, the one project that stands out to me would be the final theatre production that I directed before retiring my jersey in the rafters. For close to the last 15 years, I have been directing live theatre, film, and television and I came to the decision that Feb 2023 would be my final live theatre production that would have my name on it as “Directed By:”. The decision came with a heavy heart, but I felt it was only right to use the platform that I helped build to make a way for other aspiring directors to have an opportunity to showcase their talents. Read more>>

David Kirst

The message of anti bullying is a hot topic with all of the in school shootings and violence todays youth deal with on a everyday basis. I recently produced a movie with writer Kelby King called THE FINAL CONTESTANT. Read more>>

Paul X Sanchez IV

Because I put all of my heart/brain/emotion/empathy and experience into almost every project I work on…Every project I work on is intensely meaningful. And because of that, intensely emotionally fraught. So let’s talk about my most recent project, a project that just this week was a finalist in the Bluecat competition…a television pilot I wrote called: LATIN “X”. Read more>>

Sona Gevorkyan

I’m a licensed architect in California, with my own practice, Sona Gevorkyan Architecture Office. I also teach architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. I am fortunate to be able to do both. Practicing architecture keeps me grounded in the physical realm, while teaching keeps me updated on current architectural discourse and technologies, interface with young creative energy, embrace a spirit of experimentation and conceptual exploration. Read more>>

Dave K

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a lot of meaningful projects as a writer, so in the interest of narrowing things down, I’ll talk about my prose/poem chapbook The Candle Moth, released by akinoga press in 2022. I wrote the first draft shortly before the pandemic hit and worked on it throughout quarantine as I had the time and energy to do so, and it’s based on the song “She Wanted to Leave,” from Ween’s 1997 album The Mollusk. In fact, the lyrics from that song are the story’s basic outline. Read more>>

Earl Bowman

My first EP came out 9/28. Read more>>

Kevin Lucey

My name is Kevin Lucey and I’m an artist living and working in Los Angeles, California. Read more>>

Cesar D’ La Torre

Cesar is a Latin European Actor and Martial Artist whose career spans both English and Spanish markets, D’ La Torre has worked on movies, Tv Series, and Video Games like Angry Neighbors opposite the legendary Academy Award Actors Frank Langella, and Stockard Channing, Immortality who was nominated for 7 BAFTA Awards and Won for Best Narrative, the action film Muna centered around a confrontation between Italian and Nigerian mafia gangs. Read more>>

Micah Claycamp

Drew all David Ankin’s rides for season 2 of Toymakers on Velocity Channel in 2017 Read more>>

Assel Omirserik

I am a film director, producer from Kazakhstan, based in LA Read more>>

Luke Malaney

All the pieces I’ve made are special to me, however, it’s the next piece, the one that hasn’t been made yet is the most meaningful. Read more>>

Marcello De Francisci

Working on Michael Mann’s most recent film ‘Ferrari’ starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz Read more>>

RJ Izquierdo

The Von Gala Read more>>

Arthur Abramov

No Filters Project, a documentary photography art project. This project is my Baby. Read more>>

Adam Warner

I’m currently working on a very meaningful project, a song about my wife and the birth of our first child October 12, 2023. Read more>>

Emily Hoerdemann

My artwork is more than just about creating a picture, it’s about the research and growth that comes along with it. Read more>>

First X 1STX

We only do what we want Read more>>

James Van Damme

Hi, my name is James Van Damme and I sing and play guitar in Van Damme. Read more>>

Stephen Roche

Forge Hounds – “Classic Rock With A Ton Of Roll” Read more>>

Keila Lorena

All of the projects that I have been part of have been meaningful to me, because they have helped me continue growing as an artist. Read more>>

J. Dillard

J. Dillard is a master barber and the author of the multi-award-winning children’s book series “J.D. the Kid Barber.” Read more>>

Brigette Yawn Suad Ihsan

Pandemic – Houston Commission Project – HCDC – New collaborative idea – doing it again! Read more>>

Mary Kay Thomas

I have been engaging East Cleveland youth around creating murals to be permanently installed in the community. This work has been life changing for me and the students. Read more>>

Supa Sweetz

Hi everyone i’m supa sweetz and I am a singer/songwriter/producer from los angeles, CA. From a very early age I resonated with music and have had many different artistic encounters along the way. I started singing from the age of 3 and would blur out melodies before I could even properly talk. In my early teenage years I would use music as a way to escape reality make myself happy. Read more>>

Izzy B

When I Caught You Read more>>

Steven Ebright

Miami/Globe Read more>>