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.

Aaron Baker

We just released a full length album that we started working on about 5 years ago. That’s by far the most meaningful project for the band. We started working on the record before the pandemic. Then all that happened and we lost a lot of momentum. For a while it looked like the band was done. It was a major struggle just to get back to a point where we were excited and able to make music again. In a way the down time did help because when we came back to the songs, they felt great when we heard them with fresh ears. Sometimes you work on something so long that you lose sight of whether it’s good or not. After getting back into the songs, it was just a matter of getting them recorded in a way that did them justice. It was a lot of work because up until this point we have done everything ourselves. We handle every aspect of writing, producing and recording. On top of that, we’ve also created all of the music videos, album art, and other promotional content ourselves. So this album titled ‘CRAWL’ is meaningful because because every single idea and detail has been labored over by just us. Read more>>

Jade Peterson

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my first creative endeavor: a podcast called I’m Not In The Mood Podcast, which I host with my best friend of nearly 20 years. Starting a podcast had been a dream of mine for years. During the COVID-19 shutdown, as podcasts became more mainstream, I found myself struggling to connect with shows that truly resonated with me. This fueled my desire to create my own, but at the time, I didn’t have the bandwidth to bring the idea to life. Now, the timing feels divine-it’s as if this project was meant to begin at this exact moment. This project holds immense meaning for me because it’s deeply healing. We often discuss mental health, which has been incredibly therapeutic. But beyond that, having a creative outlet that feels so authentically me and allows me to spend quality time with my best friend has been transformative. Read more>>

Skye Paquette

The most meaningful projects I’ve had the privilege to work on have centered around Diversity and Inclusion at the community level. One of my favorite recent projects, in June 2024, was designing the Seattle 50th Pride Parade t-shirts for AMC Theatre employees in the Seattle area. AMC has been a significant part of my journey since I started working there at 18. It was my first job, providing stability while teaching me leadership and business skills as I pursued a degree in Design. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work at four AMC locations within the Seattle market: Alderwood 16 (Lynnwood, WA), Woodinville 12 (Woodinville, WA), Riverpark 20 (Spokane, WA), and Pacific Place 11 (Seattle, WA). This project was especially meaningful to me because it allowed me to collaborate with colleagues, allies, and friends in the LGBTQ+ community at AMC. Designing something that resonated with them and that they wore proudly for such a historic event was truly an honor.  Read more>>

Kerem Erdinc

My journey to becoming a professional voice actor was cemented by my first voice acting job with Danny Shepherd and his incredible filmmaking crew at Ismahawk. I started as just another fan who had stumbled upon one of Danny’s earliest visual effects videos on YouTube – a simple but cool clip of him activating a Green Lantern power ring. I was immediately fascinated by his videos and subscribed to his channel. Years later, when he announced his fan film series featuring my favorite comic book character in “Nightwing: The Series,” I was blown away by the production quality. Here was this small film troupe in Las Vegas creating exactly what DC Comics fans had been begging for: an authentic live-action adaptation of the Nightwing character. Read more>>

Ruth Zapico

The most meaningful project that I have worked on so far is the first volume of the podcast soulsinbox, The Volume of Something, which is yet about to come out in 2025. soulsinbox emerged from a deep desire to create a space where raw, honest emotions could be captured and shared—a digital time capsule for people’s innermost thoughts, stories, feelings, opinions and traumas. The project started at a time when I was reflecting on how fleeting moments and connections can be, and I wanted to explore what happens when people are given the freedom to express themselves anonymously, but meaningfully. Read more>>

Jessica & Eliana

Aside from launching our small business, Girls at the End of the World is by far our most meaningful project, to date. This collection, or series, deals with issues of feminism, global warming, and political conflict. It connects fine art with our jewelry designs and printed furnishings in a clear and visually inspiring way. On a broader scale, GATEOTW appeals to audiences of fine art, fashion, and interior design with one overarching message. Read more>>

Locvhontvs

I’d say all my projects are meaningful so it’s hard to say which is most meaningful. My most recent project that I just dropped is my debut album “Angel On Demon Time.” I think it reflects a lot of who I was before my healing journey. Although I have outgrown most of the songs on that album and the mindset I had when writing it, I felt it was necessary for me to drop the album for me to move on. I think it’s important to show growth as a person and an artist. I think honouring those parts of your life that no longer resonate with who you are as a person now, while evolving is meaningful in itself. That being said – I am now working on my next album called “Soft Girl Era” where the content is more intimate and relatable to my current life. I have songs on the album about love, about my son and about loving myself. So I guess you could say this is the most meaningful project so far.  Read more>>

Kimberly Trowbridge

My creative life-project over the past decade has been the building and sharing of a visual language through painting. One of the most meaningful ways I do this is through field painting. I spend time in different locations painting directly from nature, responding to the specific palette of the place, and connecting with the local community. In the past few years, I have developed my work in the Mojave Desert, CA and the sagebrush country of eastern Washington. The colors and forms of these places are in drastic contrast to the lush forests of my native Pacific Northwest and have given me the opportunity to recalibrate my visual language.  In addition to field painting, I cultivate long-term relationships with places by setting-up a studio, teaching workshops, hosting discussions, and exhibiting works. I return again and again, delving deeper into the context and excavating the poetic narratives that arise from my research. Read more>>

Jayashree Ganesan

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on with my team is an upcoming project that delves into the story of Swan Lake through the eyes of Indian classical dance. I’ve always loved ballet and its technical prowess and have always felt that ballet scores beckoned re-interpretation into various dance styles. My rendition follows the manipulative, powerful Black Swan as she returns for revenge against the unassuming White Swan in a final confrontation titled ‘The Black Swan’s Renaissance’. The piece explores themes of manipulation, innocence, and love through the eyes of our main choreographers and characters, Pavitra (the Black Swan) and Adya (the White Swan). The Black Swan dances in the rhythmic, specific dance style of Bharatnatyam reminiscent of South India displaying the Black Swan’s cunning and intelligence when it comes to how she wields power. The White Swan dances in a dance style called Odissi, characterized by graceful elegant lines and movement resembling her outlook on life and her being.. We finally get to see the result of if the Black Swan were to behave on her own accord this time around to see who would prevail in a final confrontation. Read more>>

Bastian Calva

As an actor and filmmaker, I’m really proud of my Netflix movie A Not So Merry Christmas, as it gave my acting work exposure to a global audience. I was in Hollywood when my agent called to tell me Netflix wanted to see me. I sent in my self-tape, and a few weeks later, I got the call that I had landed the part. I have had the privilege of producing several projects under my own film production company, gbc films. One of the most meaningful projects to me is I Promise to Never Forget, where I worked as the lead actor, producer, and co-writer. We shot the film in New York City, and it was an incredible experience working in iconic locations like Times Square and Central Park. What made the project even more special was that, while I was honing my craft at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the UK, we received our first film festival nomination in London. It was such a meaningful moment for me that the festival tour began there. After that, the film received nominations at festivals around the world, including in Europe, the US, Canada, Africa, and Mexico. Read more>>

Red Tailed Rounders

We recently released our debut EP called “First Round.” It is a collection of 6 of our original songs. The EP is a representation of our desire to create new music in the country tradition. Read more>>

Makayla Peterson

To this date, I’d have to say the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was my undergraduate senior thesis piece titled ’868 Irving Street’ created for the Senior Dance Concert at Temple University! My family hails from the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago and as an artist, it was really important for me to bring my most authentic self to the stage. Growing up, I was always judged for the way I represented and showed immense love and adoration for my culture. In non-Caribbean spaces, I was always labeled as “too Trini” and for a long time I tried to shrink that part of my identity. When I learned our senior thesis was to create a piece, I knew without hesitation I was going to create a work reflective of the culture that has and continues to shape me in every sense of the word! Read more>>

Jonathan Mookie Morant

Aside from my 5 “human projects” (the kids), I’ve had several meaningful projects with multiple monumental moments. More recently, after having authored & published 2 #1 new releases, I completed my first in a series of children’s books. “I Belong” (*my 3rd #1 new release) is a story about acceptance and togetherness, as well as anti-bullying. And the big personal part for me, is that I did it in partnership with my first-born son, Christian Morant as illustrator! Read more>>

Par Nair

One of the projects that holds a lot of meaning to me is a textile installation that I created with a series of eight silk sarees, titled “Letters of Haunting” between 2022 and ‘23. The concept for this series started over the pandemic when my mother, who lives in India mailed me one of her silk sarees as a gift. Sarees are typically passed down generations and holds a lot of ancestral memory. So when I opened this mail from my mother who I was longing to see I was deeply touched by her gesture and decided I wanted to do something meaningful with the saree. This is when I decide to hand embroider a poem on the saree. This work is titled, “a touching”, and becomes my first hand embroidered saree work. The exchange that this work facilitates between my mother and I remind me of the act of writing and exchanging letters, and triggers the idea for “Letters of Haunting”. I decide I want to start this body of work that takes me around two years to complete, where I hand embroider letters to my mom, on silk sarees that belonged to her. Read more>>

Sophia Eris

The project that is the most meaningful to me that I’ve worked on is one that I will be releasing under my group MAKR AN ERIS March 2025 entitled LILITH. I have been working with my producer MAKR for 4 years now, and this will be our 3rd project as a duo. This project began last year and encompasses so much adventure & exploration of what we are truly capable of. It is the first time that we are able to create an entire universe behind it, encompassing art, sculptures, visuals, & history of our past. The title LILITH is a double entendre, one that acknowledges the story of LILITH (The first official woman in the Bible before Eve that was demonized because she didn’t want to be dominated by Adam), & one that acknowledges the name my Grandmother called me in my dream 2 days before she died, LILITH. It is a story of rebellion, freedom, feminism, power, and claiming what is truly your own. We chose March as the official release date because it is woman’s history month, and without giving too much away, I am excited to debut our first single off of it on Dec 7th during my artist of the month residency at The Current. I can’t wait to share this universe with you. Read more>>

Chukwuemeka Chukwu

the most meaningful and favorite project I have worked on thus far is the body of work and exhibition INSIDE the CADMUS that was on display and the community College of Baltimore county. It was a stipend funded project I had ample time to make ambitious paintings for their Catonsville gallery. At this time there was COVID and lockdown. so I had ample time to focus at home on my biggest paintings till date. I focused on my emergence from an architectural design degree from MICA and translating all what I had learned in such a field to broader fine art and painting techniques Read more>>

Nicole Lerner

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on was customizing a jean jacket for a client who wanted to honor her late father. She entrusted me with an incredibly personal request: to incorporate fabric from some of her father’s shirts into the jacket, along with embroidered elements that were meaningful to their relationship. Among the details were a white Chevy Cavalier convertible, a vinyl record, the Red Sox logo, and other symbols. Read more>>

Victoria Campa

I love photography, and I have been taking photos seriously since I was a teenager. Early on, however, I realized that while I love making work, I also love thinking about and talking to other artists. I get excited discussing process, understanding others’ goals and ambitions, and learning more about projects that have been difficult and rewarding. I started a magazine for young, emerging photographers when I was in college, and, when I moved to San Francisco, I founded Counter Collective, which focuses on highlighting work by female, non-binary, and trans lens-based artists. The collective has been a way to both encourage my own work, by creating networks for accountability and inspiration, but also to really further my mission of supporting the dissemination of photography by showcases diverse artists. My own photographic practice also often involves intimate storytelling, via words that complement imagery, and deep connections, both with my subjects and with myself. Read more>>

Destiny Fordham

In August, I launched my post SOULABOR Speaks, which interviews everyday people on life’s greatest challenges. I’ve always believed that everyone has something to contribute, and this space allows people to get real and authentic about what’s happening in their lives or past mistakes that they’ve overcome. As a Christian, coach and facilitator, I believe that there is a power in storytelling and that we can gain so much wisdom from hearing about how others have overcome certain challenges in life. Read more>>

Kimberly Wolt

I would say finding peoples lost belongings and being able to return them. Read more>>

Makena Brown

My most meaningful project so far has been an EP called “January Bugs” that came out on July 13th, 2024. The songs on the composition were all born from a time of immense loneliness and isolation. But what makes this body of work so special, is the vibrant community that it came to life in the company of. Read more>>

Patricia Cortado

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on was the submission for the Nork! Photo Fest in 2023. I combined photos of my community into a narrative that addresses the themes of “Environmental Justice, Social Activism, and Portraits of Newark.” I come from a four-square-mile neighborhood that houses the longest Superfund site in the Northeast region, surrounded by a fat rendering plant, a garbage incinerator, a sewage treatment facility, tons of chemicals and toxins loaded in numerous trucks a day, with planes flying over us every 3 minutes, and three power plants, with a fourth one looming as a threat. It required multiple iterations to craft a story that truly captures the magic of my people—the strong community members and leaders of Newark, NJ. I constantly grappled with the question of how to maintain a sense of “joy” amid the fight.  Read more>>

Colt Maule

I have always been fond of water; particularly creeks, streams, and rivers. When I was a young boy growing up in the mountains of Southern California, one of my favorite things to do was to wander my way along a shoreline with my dog, while casting into the current in search for fish. I usually fished the local lake but I remember my favorite fishing experiences were always with the river in the Sierra Nevadas. The roar of a distant river or the babble of a creek would always rouse my curiosity; it was like an ancient song beckoning investigation. When I would wade and swim in the river, feeling the current against my body, I would wonder what it would be like to paddle a river, to navigate the current to wherever it went beyond the horizon and see the distant landscapes from the view only the river could provide. As I grew older, fishing did not hold the same appeal as it did for me when I was young man, but the excitement and mystery of the river never left my mind. Read more>>

Deja Monique Cruz

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was my role on Law & Order: SVU. Just a week before booking the show, someone very close to me experienced a traumatic sexual assault, and they became the victim in a situation that deeply impacted me. In the episode, I played a victim who was determined to protect their family, and this parallel between art and life brought a weight and responsibility to my performance. It showed me how powerful storytelling can be, not just as entertainment but as a way to shed light on difficult truths too spark conversations and bring understanding to real-life experiences. That project taught me the importance of showing art to tell difficult stories that need to be told, it gave me a deeper sense of purpose in my craft. Read more>>