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?

Katelyn Fay

I recently finished a new album and series of photography, music videos and paintings all about the same personal experiences. I went through a series of really devastating friend breakups and a romantic relationship break up all around the same time. These were all people that i heavily tied my identity to; they were my roots, my home, and made me feel heavily seen in a world i often feel misunderstands or doesn’t truly see me so it left me feeling really unstable and alone. Some of it was my own choice and some was not. During this time i started having bad anxiety attacks because i felt so out of control of my life, to the point when i started to feel like giving up altogether. Read more>>

Jessica Lissette

It may not seem meaningful/impactful from the outside looking in, nor is it based on merit. However, the most meaningful project I have worked on is actually a fun AmTrak commercial. Of course, meaningful is based on perspective, and from my perspective the reason an AmTrak commercial would be so meaningful, is not because of the project itself, but because I got to work on it with my husband (of 16 years) and children (10 and 8 years old), as a family acting gig. Read more>>

Ivy Jin

It’s hard for me to say which one is the MOST meaningful, I love every production I’ve led or been part of about live performance or music. But I actually have a answer here! NYU GALA 2025 – A Journey to the West – an interdisciplinary production I created and directed as the Producer and Music Artistic Director. Presented at the historic Apollo Theater in New York, the event brought together over 150 professional performers and 100 staff across NYU’s global campuses to co-create an original large-scale performance that celebrated cultural diversity and artistic innovation, using music, dance, animation, sketches, and film to create a cohesive and immersive experience. Read more>>

Kendrick Golson

Hall Pass(2025) is a short horror-thriller I wrote and directed, released on YouTube. It follows seven high school students who sneak into an abandoned school—only six make it out. We shot the entire film overnight, from 9:30 PM to 5 AM, with a skeleton crew, no budget, and a whole lot of hustle. Everything—from lighting to sound to pacing—relied on instinct, atmosphere, and the commitment of everyone involved. Read more>>

Maha Afra

Every work I do is a meaningful project in the sense that it stems from a depth of research, introspection and commitment on my part and it may serve as a vehicle to touch the soul of a performer or an audience member. Yet the most meaningful projects I have done and still doing revolve around social justice, fighting oppression, inequities, racism, homophobia, misogyny, ageism and any of the ugliness of bias and hate. I have done projects about addiction, immigration, women, gender identity, colonialism and more. Read more>>

Isaiah Woo

The most meaningful project I’m working on is the one I’m currently working on. I planned, booked, and am managing my first headline Tour. One of my biggest dreams as a musician was to tour, and I took 6 months of planning and strategizing. I put together my fiurst 3-city tour and am currently funding the entire thing as well. One the biggest risks and coolest thinsg i’ve done, this for me is taking that big leap to make music into my career. Read more>>

Emily & Lexi Gee

We’re Lexi and Emily Gee, the founders of Sleepy Cloud Productions. Our first major project, Freak & Donna, has been exceptionally meaningful for both of us. As two nonbinary creators who love tv, we wanted to see more people like ourselves represented on screen. After spending weeks, months, lifetimes searching for content where we felt seen and accurately portrayed by real queer and trans and nonbinary people, we realized maybe it was time we make the thing we wanted to see. Read more>>

Brenda Vargas

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on was one that I actually recently finished. I was asked to curate an art show for a program called Huitzilin Warriors, through a non-profit doing incredible work – Denver Healing Generations. The Huitzilin Warriors program is offered to Indigenous and Chicanx youth with the intention of supporting them as leaders and change makers in their community. We were able to curate a one day pop-up art gallery called, “Warriors of Palabra,” which included the stories of 10 young people. These stories were then interpreted by 10 different artists from Denver and Greeley, and each artist was able to create an original piece that told the story of each young person. Read more>>

Crystal; Rescue Letters; Poetix

One of the most meaningful projects to us was creating OpenRoad Poetry. We originally met in 2019 while working on a separate project, and we got to know each other as artists. We shared a similar mission to contribute artistically to society, social justice, and our visions align on uplifting the rarely celebrated aspects or contributions of art. Read more>>

Richard & Alice Matzkin

Book—ART OF AGING.: Celebrating The Authentic Aging Self. where Richard sculpted and Alice painted portraits of elders looking on the positive side and reality of aging. Richard has been writing books about love and relationships as well as with the purpose of serving younger generations. Read more>>

Xiaojin Zhu

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is my oil painting series, Growth Conditions. It started as a personal exploration of the question, “Who am I?” and became a way for me to delve into this idea through my art. Inspired by nature, particularly plants, I personified growth to show how free will plays a role in shaping personal development. The series reflects on the relationship between fate and free will—how external influences like love, space, and challenges affect our growth, but ultimately, it is our mindset and how we respond to adversity that determines our transformation. Read more>>

Bianelys Javier

I would say that all of my projects are meaningful because all of my songs serve a purpose for me at the times they are written. It is almost like a form of therapy for me because I am releasing my stories to the world, and it’s a way for me to connect with people. Read more>>

Stéphanie Beaurain

I once was commissioned by a gentleman I met at a Farmers Market for a custom redwood box, designed with carved details and Napa leather lining, to hold a cherished childhood counting ruler he planned to pass down to his son. To create something so personal and meaningful, knowing it would become part of a family legacy, made the project very fulfilling and touching. It is humbling to me to think that a piece I make will become an intimate part of someone’s life. Read more>>

Joshua Mhoon

I just, literally in the last hour (July 25) got finished with an artist residency I’ve been doing in Saudi Arabia Under the Saudi Ministry of culture and Lang lang. been here teaching to a new generation of artist after the uplift of the ban on music in this country in 2018. Also working on film Scoring at the moment among preparing for concerts in the upcoming season Read more>>

Letizia Zocco

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is Unfairy Tale, my latest short film, which I wrote, directed, produced, and edited. It’s a dark fairy tale told through the eyes of a young girl, Lucy, who is struggling with her parents’ separation. She finds refuge in the illusion of a perfect family next door, only to discover that perfection often hides disturbing truths. It’s a story about the loss of innocence, and it holds a deep personal connection for me. Read more>>

Marilou Perez

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was performing at the Brooklyn Museum’s Brooklyn Artists Ball, followed shortly after by dancing as a lead performer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for its Commemorating Juneteenth program with Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet.

The Brooklyn Artists Ball was a pivotal moment for me — being invited to perform in such a major cultural institution, surrounded by artists, creators, and supporters of the arts, was both inspiring and humbling. It was a space where dance was celebrated not only as performance, but as contemporary art. Read more>>

Shuteye

I think all of us in the band can agree that our second project, Just Watch, is the most meaningful thing we’ve created so far. The original working title was Rats Get Fat While Pretty Girls Starve, which is a nod to our view of society and the crushing expectations that come with simply existing. As the songs took shape, it stopped feeling like an album about resistance, and it became something entirely different—something about endurance. Once we recognized this shift, the title became Just Watch, as in: “Alright… watch this.” Read more>>

Matt Homes

As a storyteller, most definitely my first book. It was born out of deep depression. A cascade of decisions gave way to a complete book that went on to have two more parts. Here We Remain a zombie apocalypse story, was parts of a script a few friends were writing and they went off to do their own thing. In a rage I deleted the folder that had all my writing in it. Years later, no job, no self love, and no hope i turned to my writing. Only to find I deleted it and I could have let that stop me but instead I decided to use what I could remember but tell the story from a different perspective. That one decision lead to a beautiful story of a family finding peace and reconnecting, all while an apocalypse just started. Read more>>

Melinda Lowy

My most meaningful project is my current series using bird feathers I’ve found. For the past several years, the sudden appearance of a bird feather unexpectedly in my path has been a sign of hope and good fortune in my life during times of hardship. Whether it’s medical issues pertaining to the health of myself, spouse, parents, friends or pets, or decisions that need to be made, the appearance of a pristine feather bodes well for the outcome. As a metaphor for different life experiences occurring when the feathers appear, I utilize different fiber contents, textures, and patterns for the background and different methods for duplicating the feathers. My art explores how these feathers can symbolize a message of hope, so relevant in these current times. Read more>>

Melanie Champagne

I’m currently recording and producing a collection of songs and field recordings from my hometown, Collinsville Connecticut. This project, Spring, is both a reflection of my town during the spring time and an insight into the life I’ve created. Recording a collection of songs entirely on my own always felt like an unobtainable goal but as I leaned into the concept, its unfolding felt natural; better to embrace the resources I do have then, to get caught up in what I do not. Read more>>

Shelton R. Johnson

My most recent film, Almost An Angel has been the most meaningful project Ive worked on thus far. It’s the first feature film I’ve created that my son can watch. It also promotes the things I value personally (charity, empathy, forgiveness, Christianity, selflessness). Read more>>

Chayil Brooks

The most meaningful project I’ve done would have to be my recent project Giselle. Giselle is a 6 minute short dance film that I choreographed & directed along with a 7 minute behind the scenes film. My long term goal as an artist is to become a movement director for movies and to bring ballet to cinema. The ballet Giselle is one of my favorite ballets so I used Giselle act 2 as my inspiration for my film. My film Giselle is about 10 spiritual beautiful women living in a field known as “the field of the brokenhearted”. Any woman that has had their heart broken by a man lives in this field. The film starts with a girl name Giselle looking up at the sky praying to the heavens for a man, for love. Moments later a man enters the field and Giselle thinks it’s a gift from the heavens. The man tries to escape from Giselle and the others, but once you enter the magical field of the brokenhearted, you can never leave. Read more>>

Jeremy Goldman

Having participated in theatrical productions for more than three decades, I have been involved in a number of meaningful projects. Some are meaningful because of the artistic value of the production, some are meaningful for the message the show conveys, and some are meaningful because of the people involved. I recently was involved in a production that checked all three boxes. In March 2025, I directed the musical production Kinky Boots, with music and lyrics by Cindi Lauper. The production took more than a year of planning, four months of rehearsals, and canvasing our community for the right designers and performers. The final production was artistically more successful than I ever could have imagined; the lighting design, set design, and performances by the cast were all deeply impactful to our sold-out audiences. Read more>>

Edwin Brown

The most meaningful project I have is my current comic series called Zero Hour Epsilon Force. It’s a superhero, action, science fiction, and fantasy series about a reptile warrior who wants to become a superhero through his planetary protection force. However he fails to make the team due to the vast amount of powerful supers that already exist in his world. The series takes place in a Christian-based universe and incorporates real world situations that teens and young adults can relate to while still having the entertainment and feel of a 90s Saturday Morning Cartoon. Being black, the first topic that the comic addressed was black history and racism. Following this, the comic gradually branches out to talk about other things such as mental health, family issues, and cancer to name a few. Read more>>

Eugene Lee

I’m currently studying MFA Photography at Parsons. The core project I worked on was ‘Collective Pieces of Water (2024),’ exploring how to materialize my personal memories, perspectives, experiences, feelings, and words related to water. I vividly remember playing with wooden blocks as a child, especially the texture, sound, and the process of matching and arranging them. Photography also functions as a medium for memory, helping to recall past moments. By attaching photos to wooden blocks, I created physical photo tablets that merge childhood play memories with images of water, making them tangible and meaningful. My work focuses on capturing water’s connection to nature and its subtle, constantly changing qualities. Read more>>

Watercourses

Last fall we put out our first EP release, titled, “EP 01, which we recorded locally at Postal Recording, with Tyler Watkins. This project is near and dear to us, despite it not having much of a “theme” or “agenda,” if you will. Frankly, we put it out because we wanted to give people something to enjoy. Shows aren’t necessarily hard to come by, but finding a strong audience, especially in the Midwest, who is willing to come to the dingy bars and tiny venues on a weekday is no small feat. We live in an age where quick access is far more appealing to the masses, so having music out there was important to us. This EP is a collection of 6 killer songs that we feel best represented us at the time. It was a project two years in the making, one that took place throughout Indiana and Ohio. We think it does a bang up job representing our Midwestern roots; ultimately what Watercourses is, really. Read more>>

Bub

bloomed for us. It all started back in 2014, and now, 11 years later, the bubble is still going strong and this bubble ain’t gonna burst!

I’ll let you in and walk you through its genesis.
Bub was born from a childhood obsession with cartoons and a desire to build a world I never saw in real life. To weave what didn’t exist, to sew the unseen, to give my thoughts a safe space—to feel the power of creation, to let the soul do the talking. It began when I was young—too young to realize that even the grind of following the map of everyday life wouldn’t be enough to take it away from me. Read more>>

Christopher Owens

Life, honestly, to me is one big meaningful project, and within that, there are smaller projects that help shape the journey. More specifically, the dreams and goals that all of us have are what make it meaningful. As artists and creatives, we are always creating, turning ideas into reality, and producing new work that sometimes feels endless. That is why it becomes one long, meaningful journey. I know for me personally, there are so many things and goals I want to achieve in the culinary craft, whether it is growing a larger platform, creating both a digital and physical cookbook, or even one day appearing on a cooking show. I’ve learned that writing my goals down makes them more obtainable, and it helps me stay accountable. These are the smaller projects that live within that greater one. Read more>>

Daniel Dorsch

My first book, Thunder and Song: A Collection of Civil War Poetry, is my first published book and represents my professional philosophy that we must learn to study and teach history in new and interesting ways.
The premise of this assortment of poems is that the human soul endures through even the darkest and most gruesome of times. For four years from 1861-1865 men, women, and children all over the United States experienced the terrible crucible of war. Read more>>

Cassandra Brasher

My most meaningful project is actually my ongoing free one! I provide monthly guides (printed in person & online) for spirtual practitioners of all walks! I try to make this free & inclusive as possible with still providing important events & information for people who may be interested

This is really meaningful because without me asking to give these printed guides, I wouldn’t have been able to help create wonderful community events with my local metaphysical shop Next Millennium. Read more>>

Sara Ann Kelly

A little over two years ago, I started my podcast, The Make Life Rich Movement. After being in the public relations industry for 13 years at the time, I was burnout and disenfranchised with helping capitalistic endeavors along and needed a change. The show centers around highlighting individuals making a difference in the world with their efforts, rather than detracting like so many focused on returns are these days. With three episodes a week, Tuesday and Thursday are interviews with my guests. I have interviewed SO MANY UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS that are truly and visibly making a change in the world, and it lights me up unlike anything else I have ever done in my life. Read more>>

Dani Cole

Since childhood, I have been particularly drawn to trees, enjoying their presence, company, and abundance of connections they support. As I grew up, my father, an infant immigrant from Japan, was frequently outside determining how he could grow Japanese maples in a very American lawn, attempting to connect directly with a culture increasingly distant from his physical experience. With these influences, alongside surprising, emergent grief when a beloved tree fell in my childhood yard during a severe summer storm, I became obsessively curious about what a tree’s (and a forest’s) lived experience could be, as well as the particular relationships trees have with climate and culture. Read more>>

Samantha Coiner

A deeply meaningful project I’ve worked on is my upcoming music video, for a song I wrote called “Gentleness”

It was a really miraculous thing. I was sitting in a mid century modern house, situated in the hills of Ventura
I had set up a music recording ‘studio’ in my bedroom..
think a Scarlet 2i2 interface, a rusty bluebird by Blue microphone, a broken pair of headphones, and a MacBook with Ableton – courtesy of Cody Nakanelua. I clamped the boom mic holder onto the built in desk, Read more>>

Lilia Doytchinova

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my first feature film, “The Haunting of Hollywood”. It’s a psychological, supernatural drama — but beneath the ghost story, it’s really about the mental toll of chasing a dream in a city that can chew you up and spit you out if you’re not careful. Read more>>