Every once in a while we have the good fortune of working on a project that we feel truly matters, a project that we’ll still be thinking about years from now. Maybe even something we can imagine telling our grandkids about – surely you’ve had moments like that where something you did in your professional life really mattered?

Dawn Gregory

The most meaningful project that I have worked on has been myself. As a young girl I was told the importance of honoring who I am, honoring Mother Earth, honoring your spiritual path, family and human beings. To be given life and honoring my existence was stressed by my grandmother who saw something within me. She knew that I would understand at a young age the meaning of life as in the life I was given. That was the beginning of the most meaningful project for within my inner being, mind, body, spirit and soul. My grandmother was a beautiful guide within the physical form now within light guiding me from above. Read more>>

Chantal Meng

I’ve worked on some meaningful projects so far—although I’m not sure they were meaningful for the world, they certainly were for me. It all started with a small business during my childhood—a popcorn kiosk—followed by my first concert bar, Lavabo, as a teenager. Later, I co-founded the design studio Pol and the gallery space Grand Palais, both in Bern, Switzerland and ultimately earned a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London. It seems that, from the beginning, I’ve had a mix of entrepreneurial instincts, a drive for collaboration, and a desire for independence. This attitude hasn’t just shaped the projects but has also been important to my overall journey. Read more>>

Kelly Her

I think any artist can relate to the feeling of not being understood. When you have so many things bottled up inside that it’s scary to show anyone because it’s weird, seems silly, or doesn’t make any sense. So when someone comes up to me and tells me that they can feel something from my drawings – it makes me very happy. And when someone comes up to me to order a commission because they feel that I can help them bring out their worlds – that’s even more amazing. Read more>>

Ishika Datta

Being a Visual Design student, I have worked on a wide range of projects including the fields of brand identity design, packaging design, motion design, ux/ui, film making and more. While each project has it’s own learning journey and challenges, there was one project which has been etched in my memory. During the 3rd year of our course, we had a module called Design for Social Responsibility (DSR). This module required us to form a group of six and explore one of the topics given to us. Each topic was connected to social responsibility and awareness. The topic we chose was ‘The Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites’. We were required to create a documentary film on this topic, for which we would have to visit the heritage sites of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and shoot our film. The first week of this project was packed with classroom work, where we had to conduct secondary research, make moodboards, write a script, brainstorm for sub-topics and a lot of heavy studying. From the second week we started visiting the sites. Read more>>

Elizabeth Jia

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on recently is an oil painting titled “世界会陷入黑暗，但总会光明灿烂,”—which translates to “The World May Fall Into Darkness, But It Will Always Shine Bright Again.” This piece was born in the quiet hours while I immersed myself in a gripping crime series, painting as the narrative unfolded. Read more>>

Anastasia Rykova

Throughout my career, there have been many meaningful projects. Without a doubt though, the most personally impactful has been my debut animated short film, The Tale of Two Cruel Rulers. This project holds a special place in my heart. It was my first opportunity to fully write, direct, and art-direct a story that is so deeply personal. It was also incredibly rewarding to see the film be so well-received by film festivals, including Oscar-qualifying ones. Seeing my film on the big screen, meeting other filmmakers, and participating in Q&A panels was an unforgettable experience! Read more>>

Rebeca Ango Bueriberi

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my EP, STAARI TIME: Echoes of a Ruptura, which is my first release under my independent label, Bilëbbó Fusión. While it’s not my debut work, it represents a significant milestone in my career as Böitaari, as it’s the first time I’ve had the courage to share deeply personal experiences through my music. Read more>>

Diana (ke Yu) Liu

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a personal project called Lynn. It’s a storyboard sequence inspired by a true story from my high school years. The story follows Penelope, a high school girl who discovers that her entire friend group despises one of their members, Lynn. Faced with this revelation, Pen must grapple with a difficult choice between following her conscience and succumbing to peer pressure. Read more>>

Trinity Mathis

I would say the most meaningful project I worked on would have to be when I was commissioned to paint a portrait in remembrance of my friend Ashley Zadai who passed in 2022. I had the great opportunity of knowing her and I am so fortunate I got to experience her soul and the joy she brought to those around her. In highschool I was very lowkey about my creating but every time I would suddenly work up the courage and post a piece Ashley would be hyping me up online asking to buy it, I never had the opportunity to give her a painting she wanted so when I got asked to paint a memorial picture of her for her mom and sister as a present it was like a present for me too. The process of painting someone who you once use to laugh and share stories with knowing you’ll never have any more really opened my eyes. With every stroke of my paintbrush a new memory resurfaced bringing all sorts of emotions to me. The best part though was seeing/hearing the families reactions, knowing that my art was able to give them some comfort and a smile means the world to me and is my whole mission of creating. Read more>>

Callie Lawrence

One of my main passions in life has always been animals. I am an affiliate photographer for a nonprofit called “The Tilly Project”, which connects local photographers to pet owners seeking end of life pet photography. I personally offer these services at half cost, because I am a firm believer that all pets are worthy of being captured. Everyone deserves the opportunity to remember their four legged companions, every little detail: the fuzzy paws, wet nose, crooked teeth, swirls and whorls of fur. This project has been very emotional to be a part of, but I couldn’t be more honored. Read more>>

Gabriela Lie

When I lived in Japan, back in 2018, I did my very first short film. It was called The Loners. A love story between a depressive salary man and… death herself! I guess I myself was slowly becoming a salary woman- due to the exhausting work culture in Japan so I wanted to express that in some way. I was living in Japan for one year already and I’ve heard about this Sundance Ignite Program, where they selected short films from all around the world and the winners would get a change to go to Utah and do workshops and have mentorship. You just needed to be 24 years old or less, and guess what? I was 24 already. So time was ticking and I decided I would participate. Read more>>

Joung-a Monica Yum

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve been working on as the Artistic Director of Adoro Ensemble is the English Rehearsal Seminar, a platform designed to help Korean students learn how to rehearse in English and gain practical experience in an English-speaking musical environment. This annual seminar, held every summer in South Korea, allows students to work directly with me, honing their musical and linguistic skills while exploring the dynamics of professional rehearsals. Read more>>

Andres Garzas

Working on the 2023 IndyCar series with NBC Sports and Studio City remains one of the most meaningful projects of my career. It was my first big opportunity as a producer with my own company, Burrito Films, and I also took on the role of cinematographer. This project pushed me to lead a diverse team while allowing me to capture the raw energy and human spirit behind the IndyCar action. Read more>>

Rick Herrera

The most recent project that is the most meaningful to me is my next solo show called “Vamos A Reir Un Poco (Let’s Laugh a little)” I go on a funny and heartfelt journey reflecting on my childhood to fatherhood. My vivid memories growing up in Brooklyn New York and colorful characters, embraces the highs and lows of my life. I confront the fears of becoming a new father; along with the anger and abandonment of not having my father around. Read more>>

Ziqing Zhao

My first book of poems for artist Moham Wang, the Mountain Rock project, was published at the end of 2021. The book of poems was written in different languages and it was my first encounter with multilingual typesetting. At the same time, I wanted to show the elegance and ease of poetry in the book, which I did, and it is my favourite book design project. Read more>>

Dalia Allocca

After my first year of film school me and a group of friends decided we would make a short film during the summer. We put a lot of work into it, did fundraisers, everything and anything we could to make this project come to life. We gave ourselves three months to prep before shooting in July. I wrote a film about people living life, and just being present. I wanted to create a moment that the audience could enjoy, that I could enjoy. I coproduced the film with my friend Adam Blackie who directed the project. I acted in one of the roles, and after 4 days of shootings our film, Daylilies was finally complete. There was something so surreal about watching the actors say the things I wrote. It was beautiful. Noah Boileau and Polina Lopotova, two of the main actors in a cast of four, did justice to my characters. And after watching the first cut of the film, and seeing something I wrote up on a screen, it made all the hardships of this career worth it. Read more>>

Renee Yohe

So many of my projects are meaningful. I remember when I was in college, my professor, Ryan Flathau, told me often that I carried my heart on my sleeve. For many of my classmates, they seemed to find it difficult to put themselves into their work; while I couldn’t help but to do so. I worked through my feelings often throughout my photography class career, including a series that explored my recently being fired from my office position that I had held for over 10 years. It was very personal and I tried to include all the different aspects of how being fired affected, not only me, but my entire household. Read more>>

Amy Pratt

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my monthly handwritten letter subscriptions. We’re all familiar with the concept of a pen pal, but I wanted to marry the idea of encouraging letters with a sticker subscription. Each month the subscriber receives a handwritten letter, original sticker, and mini art print in the mail, an uplifting treat to look forward to. Read more>>

Jarrid Hollander

My most meaningul project so far has been opening up a private lessons studio (Cadenza Performance Academy) in Owensboro, KY. Being able to make majority of my income by teaching what I love doing is a thrill. I started Cadenza with my bandmate in Kentucky Shine, and a dear friend, Steven Stewart, who has taught longer than I’ve been a professional. After I joined Kentucky Shine, and accomplished several individual, and band goals, the next logical step was: “What else can we do?” Read more>>

Erica Jones

The idea of Beautifully Blended came so naturally to me because it was a very relatable topic for myself growing up and I knew other children including my daughter would also resignate with it as well. Empowering my daughter and showing her that you can do anything if you put your mind to it, hard work truly pays off. Beautifully Blended is my debut children’s book, dedicated to young children from diverse backgrounds. Building confidence in children and letting them know that being “different” is a beautiful thing. To embrace our uniqueness’s. Read more>>

Susannah Dalton

We are currently in postproduction with a project that is very near and dear to me. It’s the pilot episode for a very irreverent sitcom…with puppets. It’s the perfect example of things coming together with the right people at the right time. When you are a working writer/producer the name of the game is to always have many irons in the fire. Sometimes a project will flare up, get funded, sometimes it will fizzle. This pilot is the perfect example of having a project take the back seat for a bit only to have everything fall into place later with the result being that the team is in the perfect place to tackle it now. In this case, we are working with a team of actors, puppeteers, producers, and sound engineers that we hadn’t known when we were first floating the project. This team has made the project stronger than I had ever imagined. If the heart of the project is good it will still be good when the time is right to make it. Read more>>

Serkan Aktas

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is undoubtedly The Librarian. Not only because it’s my doctorate project in Film and Television at Beykent University, but also because it holds such a personal significance in my life and career. Completing this project allowed me to earn my Doctorate in Art, and becoming Dr. Serkan Aktaş is something that fills me with immense pride. It was a major milestone, and The Librarian will always be a symbol of my hard work and dedication. Read more>>

Sean Parker

I’m very pleased to be working on a dream project right now! Fogtown is a puppet-based mystery-comedy TV series made for all ages (literally all ages, not just something that panders to kids alone) that I’m the co-creator of. It’s been deep in production since the start of the pandemic, but the general idea has been floating around in my head for over a decade. When COVID put our plans for other productions on pause, Fogtown emerged as something that was doable during lockdown, only requiring a small crew and voice actors able to contribute remotely. Read more>>

Jodie Schrier

The most meaningful project I have done since I began my own photography business was to photograph teens who were “adopted” by a local non-proft organization. This organization helps provide necessary care to homeless teens who are graduating from high school. Some of the students lived in their cars or in tents but they made a promise to themselves to get an education, a job, and strive to change the narrative of their young lives. The organization provided clothes, any and all funds required for them to participate in school activities or clubs, tutors as well as much needed emotional support. Read more>>

Liv Davidson

The project I am currently working on, titled ‘Not-So-Non-Point’ has become my most meaningful pursuit to date. Through video and installation, the project discusses non-point source pollution, intergenerational effects of climate change, and highlights non-human perspectives. For background, non-point source pollution is the contamination of water or air that does not originate from a distinct source; it can have cumulative negative effects from small amounts of pollution from a small area. The small area I chose to focus on is Suffolk County, New York. This is where I grew up and learned of the negative effects of non point source pollution first hand through living by and lifeguarding at the Great South Bay. Read more>>

Mike Brennan

Back in the mid-90s, I was a student at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, totally immersed in this 3D illustration class. It was like a spark ignited within me – this desire to bring wild ideas to life. We had this assignment for a student show at the Whitney Museum, and the theme was Halloween, all inspired by Basquiat and the iconic skeletons in his work. And that’s when it hit me: a life-sized skeleton made entirely of dog biscuits! The head was the last puzzle piece. Then, BAM! I saw it – a Milk-Bone box! I cut out eyes and a mouth, and “Mikebone” was born. Read more>>

Bryan Sabillon

My friends and I have been making videos together since 2007, and in that time since we’ve attempted making a full feature film exactly three times, and we finally succeeded on the third try. In 2013 it was a superhero flick about two heroes named The Ever-So-Tactical Pterodactyl & Cheer-Boy. The problem was we had no script and just kept improvising the whole thing, and we shot and we shot and we shot until we had well over an hour of movie altogether, but because of lack of structure it just never came together. Our second attempt was a script we actually wrote titled Doggy Style, a raunchy comedy about a guy who’s magically transformed into a chihuahua and has a week to break the curse. We took that production more seriously but it all fell apart due to inexperience. Finally we found our stride with a project titled We Start A Series that we premiered back in 2022. A narrative told over 7 episodes about a failing film crew, that when spliced together formed a full feature film. We Start A Series is a triumph born out of pure fun and friendship and will forever be one of my favorite achievements as a creative. Read more>>

Michalis Pantelidis

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is my trash art. It started with my passion for sustainability and the belief that beauty can be found in things others throw away. I began photographing discarded objects — plastic bottles, old textiles, and other waste — to transform them into art. The idea was to show that even trash has a story and potential. A key moment was discovering how recycled plastic bottles could be turned into fabric. Using this material, I combined photography, textiles, and everyday waste into pieces that sparked conversations about consumption and environmental impact. Read more>>

Sande Hart

First, it was difficult to choose which menu options to pick and respond to for this article because doing so would be impossible. From the options, “Idea to Execution,” “Scaling Up,” “Learning Important Lessons,” and “Valuing Unexpected Problems,” all share a common root with my final pick; “Meaningful Projects.” We are all well-served if we consider these “options” as markers for anything we do. Alone, they each represent one of the whole, and if we do all of the above with integrity, all projects, no matter what they are, will be meaningful. Read more>>

Lei Ye

The most meaningful projects I’ve worked on are “Data-Driven Narratives: BLM” and its successor, “BeyondNO” (Beyond Number). Both initiatives were born from a desire to leverage design for social justice, sparked by the global movements for racial equity.  The “Data-Driven Narratives: BLM” project involved creating interactive data visualizations to encapsulate vast amounts of data on income, education, and racial disparities across the United States. The goal was to make complex information digestible and compelling, enabling users to grasp the systemic nature of these issues and reflect on their wide-reaching implications. This project was particularly meaningful because it used design as a tool for education and change, moving beyond traditional design boundaries to influence and educate. Read more>>

Ben Fink

The “Noble Deeds” project holds a profound personal significance for me as a gay man. It has served as a vehicle through which I’ve explored and connected with the history and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community—a community to which I belong and owe much of my identity. This exploration began seven years ago, sparked by a friend’s introduction to the Imperial Court System, a philanthropic organization known for its vibrant and historically rich coronations. Read more>>

Lauren Phelps

In so many ways, this career, as a whole, has been all about finding meaning and working with intention. I lost my mother to brain cancer when she was just 47. After spending 15 fun and exhausting years in fashion, I became pregnant with my first son, and suddenly, I knew it was time to reevaluate my career. I wanted to reconnect with my mother and chat about what it was like to be a young mother. How long did she nurse me? When did I sleep? What does it mean to be a mother? How had she done it all so beautifully? Since I couldn’t ask any of these questions, I began painting, which we did together. As I scoured my mind for any memories of her, I learned that it wasn’t the big milestone moments that I could recall with any clarity, it was the seemingly insignificant everyday acts, which I held so close. As I explored a new career as a visual artist, I longed to tell those stories with my work. I wanted to bottle up those moments and keep them for all. So, now I paint portraits that capture a moment in time or render my “big little moments” drawings, which attempt to convey the essence of those everyday moments of connection between parent and child. Read more>>

Lora Lee Ecobelli

I have been very blessed to have worked on numerous projects over the years that meant a great deal to me but probably the single most meaningful project was my film La Transazione. As a creative, I have always felt that in order to grow one must explore many different disciplines and as an actor/ writer and director I have always been dedicated to telling uniquely personal stories about women. I am a second generation Italian American and my families immigration history has alway intrigued. me. La Transazione tells the true story of my grandmother and her three sisters who came to America in 1910 for arranged marriages. It is a black and white silent film that parallels the current immigration crisis. I chose to make it a silent film because so many different cultures from around the world traveled through Ellis Island during that time period. No one could understand each other yet they found ways to communicate. America has always been painted as the land of opportunity but the harsh realities of racism and plutocracy soon make themselves known. I tried to focus on the shared humanity that bring us all together. Read more>>

Camille Parmashwar

Hmmm…recently, someone reached out to me to do some background work on a relative, no one was allowed to speak about due to the nature of the tragedy. However, luckily enough, I was given the access and opportunity to re-visit a situation that many took attempts at and never succeeded. A lot of people had/have mix feelings about this relative due to her beliefs in a higher power and the community she belong too. What made this project a top priority or had people in the industry have a great obsession about this relative is the care-free attitude of celebrating her woman-hood. It became more intriguing to me not only because my family didn’t share who she was, but more-so understanding her thinking process and what led her to be the most liked and disliked amongst her peers. Read more>>

Simone Ravenda

In my job as mentalist, mind reader and magician, i had the opportunity to perform for great projects in the past, as tv appearences like Italia’s got talent, or other cool stuff, my most recent project i had the opportunity to perform for was a TED talk, very inspiring, very beautyful experience. Read more>>