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.

Ravaughn Crowley

My most meaningful project thus far has to be my “NEED MY FLOWERS BEFORE I GO…” collection. I feel like the concept is not only self explanatory but also relatable in the same token. In a more personal point of view this project was inspired by real emotions that I’ve felt throughout my journey as an artist/creative. I’ve worked under a state of anxiety originating from the fear of possibly not being able to see the fruits of my labor. In our society we see people who’ve built legacy’s receive delayed recognition/appreciation only to receive it when they’re no longer with us. Read more>>

Kin Lazarre

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is definitely the forthcoming Jason (Jit Draco) Campbell album. Jason lost his life to a senseless act of gun violence in June of last year. He never finished his debut project. We’re in the process of mixing and mastering his existing vocals/song. We plan on releasing the album Q2 of 2023. Long Live Jit Draco. Read more>>

Kris Theorin

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on would have to be my 3D animated short film I created earlier this year called Grump in the Night. It truly represents the culmination of all the work I’ve done up to this point. Meaning all the tutorials, lessons, short animated clips, and other things I’ve done led up to me being able to complete a project like this. Read more>>

Heat Jordan

The most meaningful project(s) I’ve worked on this year (2022) was with GIGI Inc., a non-profit organization for teen girls. I worked their 4th Annual Confidence Glam Camp and 6th Annual Pillars of Generosity Gala. For some time, I have been aspiring to work with the youth in various ways that would encourage and uplift them. Earlier this year, Read more>>

Jodie King

As an art educator, I can say with certainty there is not a single project that’s more meaningful to me than another. They all align with my mission to empower artists. I believe that artists can earn a full-time living from their passion, and even the most creative, right-brained among us can build a business that thrives. But when I first started building my art business, it wasn’t just rainbows and paint splatter. It took a lot of work — and there was a major learning curve. Read more>>

Sonja Elise Freeman

he most meaningful project I am presently working on producing my Strength of a Woman: A Phyllis Hyman Tribute is supported by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Former New York City Mayor and First Lady Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray in conjunction with The Rhythm and Blues Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization based in Atlantic City, NJ, whose sole mission is to preserve Black music culture one record at a time. Read more>>

Daniel Bruce

In 2019, I exhibited at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art where I explored commonalities between the typically marginalized spheres of folk art and gay culture. It is the only dedicated LGBTQIA+ art museum in the world. Read more>>

Katherine McClintic

Ending the War On My Body is a book of poetry I wrote. Compiled from my writings through over a decade of struggling with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and anxiety I’d suffered through, quietly. Read more>>

Mara Lesemann

The first feature that I wrote and produced was “Surviving Family.” It’s the story of a young woman from a dysfunctional family (think alcoholism, mental illness, and suicide) who brings her fiance home to meet her family. In the week before they get married, she learns the truth about her mother’s death, her father’s life, and the half sister she never knew she had. Read more>>

Kevin Murray

My most meaningful projects come from a place of historical significance. Chasing down the history of an item that has been forgotten by time is such a thrill to me! A jewelry project that comes to mind is, “Fighting Rings and Les Apaches”, which took eight months of research and gave me the opportunity to work with several museums in Europe. Read more>>

Camila Leão

Illustrating the design for the Essex Lighthouse Monument was my most meaningful project, and also the largest project I’ve ever done – both in terms of sheer size and public reach. I was selected by the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce and invited to illustrate the design that would wrap around all four panels of the Gateway foot light sculpture. Read more>>

BRWN

My latest single “All I Know” has been really important in my recent journey as an artist because I wanted to establish myself in a soulful/creative way than I had been. I feel like I accomplished this not only with the vibey percussion and groovy production, but especially with the music video. We used warm earthy colors, nostalgic shots, and a chill environment to really bring the concept home. Read more>>

Monica Lofstrom

We have one mission here at EGW, “to move people with a powerful story in hopes that more people globally will support women-led and female-founded companies.” This started as a project to shine on hard-working women who might not have the extra collateral to be featured in a high-end, well-known publication. It all started with our Instagram, offering female founders a platform to share their start-up journey with a segment called “eLLe GLobal Woman Friday Feature. Read more>>

Keia Kodama

The meaningful project I worked on was an installation for a local exhibition Coordinates: ICE Pac. Each artist was allocated a room to transform and mine was a moment to empower Black men and the negative connotation of the black hoodie, titled PULLOVER/PULL OVER (only said once). This installation was an immersive walk through that allowed you to not just empathize but to face any racial biases in hopes to shatter the perception that caused them to exist. Read more>>

Cameron Bortz

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on thus far is my upcoming EP – DARKMATTER. its a collection of 6 songs that express an emotional journey I went through when I moved to California 6 months before the pandemic. it ties in themes of love and existential thought in trying to find yourself. I would classify it as dark pop, but its also theatrical in nature so it shows a wide variety of the soundscapes I can make. it will be released mid next year and im excited for the world to hear what I can do. if you’d like a taste you can listen to ‘Blood Moon’ on any streaming service now! Read more>>

Shannon Barnes

The most meaningful project I have worked on would be the V.I.A award ceremony. The ceremony is intended to celebrate artists who are passionate about their art and understand the professional side of this profession as well as remembering the value of humility and serving others. The art industry can be a political based industry. Read more>>

Laikyn Fishburne

My most meaningful project is definitely “First They Took” this was my first multi-media project that documented the devastating loses Red Hook Projects was facing at that time and actually are facing. When people hear Red Hook they think of IKEA, The Pier, The nightlife. People tend to turn the blind eye to what the project complex is going through, Red Hook is divided by WEALTH. Read more>>

Daniel Zimmerman

HEROES LIVE HERE: A Tribute to Camp Pendleton Marines Since 9/11: In spring of 2021, Amy Forsythe contacting me via my instagram page. She said she had been following my page for a while and liked the graphics I had posted. She asked if I would be interested in designing some graphics for a project she was working on. Read more>>

Tony Ezzell

Areola reconstruction/repigmentation for breast cancer survivors. The opportunity to use tattooing to help someone heal and become whole again is easily the most meaningful thing I have done within the realm of tattooing. When I first learned it was something possible to do with tattooing, I immediately began learning the process and offering my services free of charge to anyone that could benefit from it. Every time I work with a survivor, it is a humbling and joy-filled experience for me. Read more>>

Imani Mansfield

Honestly, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was during my time developing myself as a self portrait artist. I used to be very against getting in front of the camera because I used to believe that I wasn’t photogenic. I always felt awkward and had critiques of every shot I took. I didn’t know many good photographers in my beginnings and so receiving poorly done photos of myself didn’t help either. When the lockdown happened I had no choice but to focus inward, as person to person shoots were not an option for me. Read more>>

Alvin Chan

Yokai Island is a project I’ve done recently. It is a concept bible for feature animation – world building. Animation is a big influence on me to draw, especially the Japanese cartoons I watch in my childhood. The stunning worlds keep me from dreaming of my story. Read more>>

Mary Beck Pinkston

– Every few years, the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices (NCCCIAP) hosts a student cupola contest. The contest consists of several groups of college students from all over the nation designing, building, and running these furnaces safely and successfully on their own. And whichever group does best based on several factors, wins their respective awards. – The semester before I was set to graduate a fellow classmate asked me if I would want to be a part of their student cupola contest team, I agreed along with a few others. Read more>>

Madeleine Hicks

I would say the most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on would be Sunshine Girls, my debut Feature Film. I started writing the screenplay in 2019 and it’s been a whirlwind of writing, fundraising, pre-production, and production over the last few years. We’re now officially wrapped and getting into the edit. I’m so excited to get it out into the world. Read more>>

Tony Marra

Reducing our carbon footprint while bringing attention to EcoART . We wanted to teach our granddaughters & the the oldest said we need to teach tourist about Ecofriendly art/craft projects so you can teach art/history/science all while making memories ! My 10 granddaughter said PawPaw you taught me to paint can’t YOU teach others how to be Greener when we create memories? This is why PasQuali Paints was created Read more>>

Carla Ciuffo

One of my most favorite projects was spending time as a visiting artist with Harvard’s Disease and Biophysics Group. This was my first collaboration uniting art and science, sparked by Harvard’s Tarr Family Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics, Kit Parker and his invention of a rotary jet spinning technology. Read more>>

Michael Foster

There have been many projects I’ve found meaningful over the years, especially if you’ve been in this game as long as I have. Early on, I worked in cable access television. Remember Wayne’s World? I lived that life throughout high school and college in the 1990s. I worked on a project that got the attention of some of the staff at Spielberg’s newly formed production studio, Dreamworks. I had just turned twenty-one and was developing a pilot episode for a potential television series while taking courses at a local university. Read more>>

Meritxell Noguer

In each moment of my artistic life there has always been something special and meaningful that remains attached to that particular moment. For example, when I was accepted at the Guildhall School of Music to study piano in London, or when I got my first own piano, or when a professor gave me a good piece of advice, and many more. Read more>>

Raul Edwards

The most meaningful project I have worked on was the establishment of the first Salsa dance studio in the city of Houston in January 1998. (Below is a portion of the biographical narrative for the upcoming 25th Anniversary). Read more>>

Edward Tyndall

I’ve had the opportunity to work on many important projects that really opened my eyes to other’s perspectives, but I’m most moved by my current Documentary Heartbreak Country, which investigates attempts to identify migrants that have died crossing the US Mexico Border in South Texas. Read more>>

Ashley Vargas

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my debut picture book, Our Roof is Blue. When entering my final semesters of college, I started to recognize my passion for story-telling and children’s media; however, I was unsure how to break into the children’s book industry. Luckily the pandemic pushed me to become more active on social media and I found an open call looking for Puerto Rican illustrators on Twitter. About a month after graduating I was offered to illustrate a beautiful story. Read more>>

Kaytie Keck

I’m proud to be able to gift 10% of profit to various organizations such as Warrior Women Project, Stop AAI Hate, Black Women’s March, and Marsha P Johnson Institute. I work with indigenous suppliers for my beads used. Read more>>

Elizabeth Higgins

During the pandemic, I partnered with a local community organizer to create plastic signs emblazoned with the word “LOVE” designed as a graphic that people could color with waterproof paint pens and hang along designated chain link fences throughout town. Each week we invited various community members to show up on the lawn of a nearby school, Read more>>

Mick Manhattan

Mick Manhattan: The Scene Snobs is the most meaningful project I have ever worked on because it’s the most personal. We started this because of our passion for entertaining. We love creating entertaining and fun content for our audience and having the full creative control is freeing and allows us to succeed or fail on our own terms. Read more>>

Anju Sabu

I’m quite a sentimental person and to me the most meaningful project would be the first one I did because someone took a chance and gave me that task. It wasn’t a big project but it was the first time I discovered that there was a need to protect sharks and why it was important to create an awareness about them. In 2012, a non-profit from Taiwan asked me to design a simple wedding card with a message about finning. Read more>>

Caitlin Shirock

The most meaningful project are ones where I can partner with other people and help others through art. For instance when I launched my ASL I Love You Hand Sign Print, it was meaningful because so many people who care about the Deaf community came together. We raised funds for a kids camp so that more Deaf children can have the camp experience. Read more>>

Lau Yee Vanessa Fong

My 3D CGI project Sukhavati: A Digital Utopia (2022), depicts the land of the afterlife in Mahayana Buddhism. In this project, I visualize this realm in the virtual digital world. I am creating a digital utopia where the ecosystem, religion, and technology cohabitate with one another harmoniously and portray my vision of an idealistic future. Read more>>

Yanel Rivera

Abbysoul Productions was first founded in 2017 to create strategic management services for artists, creatives and businesses to be able to build resources and access services to others who need a middle man like us to help get the job done along with showcasing artistry, business, music, brands and resources. Our mission at Abbysoul Productions is to provide women and men the confidence and support they need to succeed in both their personal and professional lives. Read more>>

Marco Chan

“Trees- Savannah” is my first long-term project. It is the most meaningful and rewarding project I’ve ever worked on. The images are photographed with a self-made pinhole camera. I have chosen the subject of trees. At first, I photograph them purely to capture their beauty in forms and shapes. After the critiques with peers and friends, I found the real reason. Read more>>

Grace Pettis

In the summer of 2020, I had the enormous good fortune of getting to record a full-length album (Working Woman) in Nashville. My producer Mary Bragg and I agonized over the details- where and when to record, in a way that was as Covid-careful as possible. In the end we made the album at Sound Emporium, a storied studio with an incredible history. Read more>>

Terance Williams

Bold Young Poets now PoetsEdu. was launched in 2012 as an After School Program still going strong I continue to ask local poets to teach and mentor students where needed. Read more>>

Racheal White

I would have to say the most meaningful projects of worked on was bring national and international festivals and competitions to my home state of Utah. I’ve worked hard on this because I know what it’s like to not have anyone help you navigate this industry. These Festivals and competitions help performers make important connections, Read more>>

Walter Gatus

One of the most meaningful projects in my career to date was when I worked on Transformers for Hasbro Studios. Growing up in the 80s, I was mesmerized by the original Transfomers show. I remember rushing to get home from school so I wouldn’t miss a second. Some of my earliest drawings as a kid were of Optimus, Megatron and Grimlock, so finally getting to work on a Transformers show, let alone 3 shows back to back to back was a major accomplishment. On Transfomers: Read more>>