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.

James Delhauer

This year, my brother Micah and I completed work on our first independent feature film, “Blood Magick,” and I’m not sure there’s a word to sum up the emotional rollercoaster that this project has been. On a purely positive note, it’s the actualization of a lifelong dream to make a family project on this scale.  Read more>>

Zara Stone

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was ‘The Women Who Were Branded for Sex’ for Cosmopolitan Magazine. The backstory of this project began when I learned that survivors of sex trafficking were left with permanent, visible reminders of their trauma, as many had been branded with tattoos by their abusers.  Read more>>

Kevin Sinic

Meaningful…I’d say the feature film “Road to Terzetto” was the first of a whole gang of meaningful projects that came my way in recent years, but “Terzetto” is the foundation of them all. The year before COVID brought the whole planet to a standstill. I had booked my first Co-Star on a tv show and I thought that this was it. Read more>>

Emryk Anselm

For me, my most meaningful project has been “Clusters,” an ongoing series of freehand inked compositions. Officially starting in 2020 with the work, “Summoning of The Woyrm Lords,” “Clusters” has served as a valuable insight for myself and the nature of my creative subconscious. Read more>>

Gabriel Labarbera

I am currently in the midst of the most meaningful project I have worked on in my time with Universal Battle Realm. The 10th Anniversary event.  This event represents how far we have come as a league. All the years that have passed, the community that has formed around this sport, the battlers who built it and others who have visited our stage, the bills and stress that came with all we’ve lost and achieved, are to be honored by this event.  Read more>>

Imogen Aukland

My most recent body of work, which was made for my MFA thesis show at Pratt this spring, has felt like an important step in my practice. For the past few years I’ve been exploring different forms of collage, and just recently began combining both digital and handmade processes. Read more>>

Leo Shelley

Creating the feature film Cowboy & Indian is perhaps the most significant project I’ve undertaken in recent years. Stories on screen shape our perceptions—some more profoundly than others. While not every narrative may seem impactful, each has the potential to affect us.  Read more>>

Zuzu Weingart

Our most recent feature film, Cuisine de la ‘Pocalypse, currently holds the biggest place in my heart for favorite project. It’s a post-apocalyptic comedy about not letting the end of the world get in the way of following your dreams. It’s a silly adventure of a film that was born out of a love for good food and 90s cinema. Read more>>

Maissa Houri

I’m Lebanese/Syrian-Canadian and when I first got into the acting industry a long time ago, I realized very quickly that the Middle Eastern characters I was being sent in to audition for were very negatively stereotyped. I made it a mission to not only start writing short films for myself, to provide better representation but I started to do it for others who also felt marginalized. Read more>>

Rebecca Pearl

I’ve loved horses my whole life, but acquired first one at age 55. He was a retired USPark Police Horse named Gilbert. He taught me to ride, and passed away 10 years later. I wanted another horse, so rescued a 17 yr old trotter from the killpen. He was beaten up from being on the track, then pulling Amish buggies. Read more>>

Caroline Eaton Pickard

A few years ago, I made a major pivot and started my career as an actor and comedy writer. I met an amazing creative partner and co-created a web series with her. We wanted to create a project that we could both star in and would show off our comedy chops, and I’m really proud of how it turned out! Read more>>

Laura Bullock

My most recent picture book: Dance with Bella Bear, is a very meaningful book to me. Working with illustrator Ruth Ramos opened an opportunity to develop other editions of the book. After discussing possible translations, Ruth was able to create an edition in Spanish: Read more>>

Anya Melkozernova

One of the most meaningful projects was when I had the opportunity to design and make a red carpet dress for the Oscars. Whiplash the movie was nominated for the 2014 Oscars and I had the pleasure of dressing producer Jasmine McGlade for the event. Read more>>

Rebecca Oderoha

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date will have to be STAGES. STAGES is meaningful to me for many reasons but, the main reason would have to be its depiction of growth. Making this project has been pivotal to not only my career but my womanhood. Read more>>

Selyna Warren Marissa Read

The most meaningful project that we’ve worked on is the one we’re currently working on! It’s called Step-Friend, and it’s an episodic proof of concept that will also double as a standalone short film. Read more>>

Alisa Sadikova

In my life, there have been many interesting projects right from the start of my journey with the harp when I began playing at the age of 6. At the age of 7, I performed for the first time at Carnegie Hall. By the age of 8, I was already playing harp concertos with orchestras, under the baton of renowned conductors like Vladimir Spivakov and Yuri Temirkanov. Read more>>

Peggi Habets

I am most proud of my most recent series of paintings, Untangling Our Roots, which is has been a stretch both personally and creatively. I have loved hearing from people responding to this work by revealing their own personal stories. It has been so rewarding to have artwork that resonates so deeply with others. Read more>>

Ouida

My EP “Come Rain, Come Shine” is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on thus far. I won a grant from Balay Kreative in San Francisco to record it, so from writing to arranging to recording, I got to work with friends and creatives from all over to bring the project to life. Read more>>

Madam Sen

Choosing just one performance from my career is challenging because each one holds a special place in my heart, but I’d love to share the unforgettable experience of my first major geisha singing job at the “Estate of Zen” in the Hollywood Hills, presented by Star Real Estate Agents Tomer Fridman and Sally Forster Jones. Read more>>

ZÏBUWA –

The most meaningful project that I have worked on has to be my EP called Full Circle. A bit of backstory, this ep wasn’t even suppose to be release. When the producer Homerun Hitz and I started working on this EP we had agreed that we would make it for sync purposes. Read more>>

Will Clipman

Having recorded close to one hundred albums, received seven GRAMMY nominations, performed hundreds of concerts and conducted over three hundred artist-in-residencies, workshops and creative retreats, I’d have to say my most meaningful project is always the one I’m working on right now. Read more>>

Kiki Lopez

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on, was a project for myself and it is called “Rebirth.” Since I was younger, I have been dealing with mental health issues such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder and ADHD. Read more>>

Amaris Davidson

One of the most meaningful projects I have ever worked on was a project for a FEMM Tech company called Claire that centers around creating community for women facing fertility issues. One of the reasons it is the most meaningful is because it was written by the founder of the company who also happens to be a long time friend. Read more>>

Live Another Day

Our band turned six years old in April and we’ve never been on tour before. Since the formation of the band, It’s been a major goal of ours to experience touring in all of its glory. This summer we went on our first west coast tour, where we went from Austin to Berkeley, California and back in 17 days. Read more>>

Krystina Elder

In July of 2023 I along with so many other Americans watched the movie “The Sound of Freedom.” That movie made me want to actively do something myself. With so much time, sweat, tears, I and several other independent business owners and people who want to make this world better, created a calendar that we sold to raise money to help support survivors of human trafficking. Read more>>

Zakiya Holman

On May 13, 2024 The Empire Publisher announced the release of my book Streamline: Having the Audacity to Simplify Life’s Journey which launched on Amazon! To date this is by far, the most meaningful project that flowed through me because it signified that my childhood dream of being an author had been realized. Read more>>

John Daugherty

My upcoming album “The King of Cups” is probably the most meaningful project i’ve tackled under the HollowEarth umbrella. it was some time in 2020 and after 8 years of making experiemental electronic music I was feeling drawn to the sounds of honky tonks. Read more>>

Fred Danziger

My own work as a painter has occupied my entire life, and I am grateful for the support I’ve had from teachers, collectors and gallerists over the years, but one of the most meaningful things I’ve done, is to collect the art of others. During COVID, there was a sense of apocalypse coursing through the art community. Read more>>

Marty Falle

The most meaningful project always seems like the latest project for me. I am releasing my new Bluegrass record on August 1, 2024. “Appalachia Rust” is my sixth album. Read more>>

Chelsea Ohlemiller

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my upcoming book- “Now That She’s Gone: A Daughter’s Reflections on Loss, Love & a Mother’s Legacy”. This book and project is really visible evidence of healing in the aftermath of losing my mother. In 2017 my entire life changed when she passed away at only 57. Read more>>

Donna Black

For decades I had scribbled down thoughts, musing, and observations as a way to clear my head, remember what I had seen, and work out conflicted ideas. Eventually, those musing became poetry – quite a mass of poems over time. Read more>>

Yanque Yip

My most meaningful project to date is a 720 square feet mural that I did to highlight the parish that I was born and raised in. This mural was created over a 6 weeks span and is on a wall that was erected in the middle of the parish capital called Mandeville. Read more>>

Alethea Eason

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my last novel Charlotte and the Demons. Though it was the fourth novel I’ve published, the story stems from my childhood. I needed to write the other three to be ready for a story with autobiographical elements. Read more>>

ERIC GORON

Creating a music video for a nationally renowned artist, under incredibly tight deadlines, has been one of the most significant projects of my career. The artist, in the middle of a national tour, suddenly needed a striking visual for their latest single, and we only had 48 hours to make it happen. Read more>>