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.

Melanie Bethke

Right now I am currently going through a process of retooling and reshaping my life. During the covid lockdown period, I became captivated by documentaries and books about technology and AI, and how it is altering the way we interact with each other. Read more>>

Nicole McCaigue

Finding meaning in what I do and contributing to society, is a path that keeps me grounded and brings me joy. The biggest canvas I work on each day is creating the life that I desire, one that gives me purpose. Read more>>

PaviElle French

My most meaningful projects are my compositions that were born out of my introspective journeys (beginning with, “A Requiem For Zula”, my first chamber composition, written in my deceased parents’ honor in 2018) and also that came out of response to the Civil Unrest in Minneapolis, after the murder of Mr. George Floyd. Read more>>

Eleni DeGeorge

Welcome to the Uprising! Hi, my name is Eleni and I am a musician, artist, songwriter, and the creator of Eleni and the Uprising! My whole life, I’ve always loved music and it is my purpose and favorite topic. Read more>> 

Christina Chady

One of the most fulfilling things for me is bringing together voices through projects like literary magazines and anthologies. Each one is unique in its own way and purpose. Read more>>

Karissa Valencia

Growing up as a mixed race Chumash and Mexican kid, it was rare to see characters on screen that looked like me or my family. Read more>>

Janya Govani

‘Convenience’ is the most meaningful project I have worked on. No. That is a lie. everything that led to ‘Convenience’ is the most meaningful ‘Project’ I have worked on. Read more>>

Linden Eller

While living in Japan and working as a preschool & kindergarten teacher, I was so inspired by my students’ artwork, and equally fascinated with the concept of childhood amnesia, that I decided to create a series influenced by both. Read more>>

Terrence Crum

My debut EP “A Lens Through My Life” was a very pivotal moment for me as a person, not just an artist. It taught me to embrace imperfection and uncertainty, while always holding myself to a high standard and pursuing what I love. Read more>>

Mariah Gale

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a Camera Confidence workshop for female entrepreneurs, empowering them to be themselves and be fully confident and genuine in front of a camera. Read more>>

Annie Espejo

I’ve created many original pieces that till this day make me sit back and wonder how I created them but if we are speaking on a project that has been most impactful, I’d have to say that my most recent collection “Flowers for our Warriors” is it. Read more>>

Ash Suh

I just finished my second-year graduate thesis film which has been the most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date! My thesis partner Wes Smith and I worked on our film “Hero’s Journey” for about a year which is the longest time I’ve spent on a project. Read more>>

Antonio Di Iorio

Without any hesitation, among all the exciting and satisfying projects I’ve worked on, the most meaningful movie is “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”, which hit theatres worldwide on March 29th. Read more>>

Ajay Gustafson

There were two recent paintings that were particularity impacting to me, for both their formal and conceptual qualities. For the painting ‘Outside’, I took 25 wooden panels and painted one each day, for 25 consecutive days. Read more>>

Tatiana Saavedra

Founding member of the 1st ever Fashion Club at USF and founded a digital fashion marketing agency Read more>>

Sheyel Rorie

I was always a writer without knowing I was a writer. I published my first book in 2013, after my husband passed. Ever since then, I’ve been drawn to people who want to publish their books. Read more>>

Amanda Jane Stern

In summer of 2021 I produced my first feature film, the psychosexual revenge thriller Perfectly Good Moment. I also wrote and starred in this two-character movie. Read more>>

Epiphany Knedler

Tim Rickett: I think after moving back to the Midwest from the East Coast, something that stood out was the need for contemporary art exposure. Read more>>

Alessandro Di Marzio

One of my most meaningful projects is my latest EP, ‘All This Time’. The EP represents parts of my life that have had a big impact on me as a creative, a partner, and a friend. Read more>>

Sable Strout

My transition from singing to directing happened first by way of necessity, and then became the most fulfilling artistic endeavor I’ve ever set upon. Read more>>

Martin Avwenagha

As of October 2023, I had hit a point where nothing seemed to matter anymore. I felt disconnected. I had left my home country Nigeria with my family to the UK. Read more>>

Junjun Chen

“Tea For Three” is a 56-page wordless picture book depicting the story of a girl chased incessantly by a monster from wilderness to forest. Read more>>

Anastasia Zadeik

Though I didn’t understand it until I was older, I’ve suffered from depression, anxiety, and insomnia most of my life. I couldn’t sleep as early as six or seven years old, and when I was in middle school, had to take a low-dose tranquilizer before eating to prevent nervous colitis. Read more>>

Brianna Blank

A few years ago, I received an inquiry on if I created legacy videos, which are videos featuring stories about a specific person. The man in question unfortunately had cancer which had taken a turn for the worse. Read more>>

Augustina(Ao) Liu

People are stressed! 10.7% of people worldwide have a mental health disorder, with anxiety being the most common illness affecting 284 million people. Read more>>

Sophia Tan

To this day, my most meaningful project probably has to be my music blog, Some Thoughts On Sounds, which I made in college as a way to express my excitement about music. Read more>>

Sadie Grace Shelburne

In the fall of 2023, I had the opportunity to create a work titled Page 21 to 23 as a part of our advanced composition course at USC Kaufman. Read more>>

Madeline Moylan

When I had just started to consider launching an online shop, I was thinking deeply about my art and how I could spark some change with it. Read more>>

Spiria

Our first album Where the Pink Blossoms Resonate came out in September of 2023. We worked on it for a long time before heading into the studio to record it. Read more>>

James C. Lewis

The most meaningful project I have worked on thus far would have to be my ICONS OF THE BIBLE PHOTO SERIES. It was released in November of 2014 which will mark the 10yr anniversary of the project this year. Read more>>

Gabe Nadel

Last January (2023), I ended up in this weird part of my journey as an artist. I had this odd fixation on becoming this hyper-independent artist who could do everything alone. Read more>>

Jameka Terri

The Expression Session is my baby. The Expression Session is a Nomadic Artistic Experience. TES began as an Open Mic Night. Read more>>

Crista Cloutier

I believe that artists are always doing work that’s meaningful. It’s part of being an artist. We imbue our work itself with meaning. My job is to help artists bring that sense of meaning-fullness to their professional practice as well their creative work. Read more>>

Sungjae Lee

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is a large installation titled <Broken Water>. It was inspired by a personal story involving my family, especially my wife and son. Read more>>

Bret Bender and Maddie Miller

There have been so many musical projects over the years that have delivered us great fulfillment and development, but we’d like to take a slight departure from music to answer this question. Read more>>

Brandi Diaz

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on has been my music project and band, Nada Rosa. The band was born out of a time of tectonic shift in my life, and has been the mirror for my evolution as a person and an artist. Read more>>

Karina Zedalis

It made perfect sense to me that bouquet of flowers surrounded by hemp filler-foliage could captive a marketplace already hooked on new and novel, thus making this cultivar a meaningful project from a business perspective. Read more>>

Tommy Dang

I think for me at the current moment, the most meaningful project I’ve produced is my first solo exhibition show while I was attending San José State University. Read more>>

Shondra Jepperson

Having been in the music, acting, and entertainment business for over 47 years now, I’m more choosy on the film, stage, and songwriting projects I’m devoting my time to. Read more>>

Maxine Meadowcroft

Typically I paint in themes or sets. My latest set portrays human organs intertwined with flowers, reflecting my familial ties to the medical field. Read more>>

Wednesday Kim

The Mental Athlete / video and online performance / 2022 ‘The Mental Athlete’ to you. However, discussing this work requires a brief mention of a previous piece, ‘The Aesthetic of Being Disappeared.’ Read more>>

Kelvon David

April 13 2020 I dropped my first album after changing my name after the new year came in January 1st , 2020 I was no long TNW KR but now ihatekr. Read more>>

Mary Rogers

At one point I participated in an exhibition that focused on stretching the boundaries of our work. Each of the artists created a series of works that challenged our normal approach to making, and designed a presentation box representing our response to the challenge. Read more>>

Brandon Mishawn

The work I’m doing right now is a combination of procrastinated ideas finally followed-through and swift inspiration born of the realization that I was killing myself with alcohol and facing that reality and coming to know that I have much more to give and it’s not nearly my time, and that wasn’t my death. Read more>>

Walter John Rodriguez

To retain integrity, artists must remain free from influence. To me this is an essential part of living as a creative individual but today that is one of the great challenges faced by artists who wish to develop a professional art career. Read more>>