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.

Austin Vidmar

ne project that comes to mind is my COVID-19 & Me project. The pandemic had an impact on every single person and it affected all of us in different ways. While being away from work I had more free time to focus on my photography. I chose to start up a survey and link it to my social media. I asked questions like “are you working during the pandemic?” Read more>>

Aaron Switzer

One of my most recent projects is an independent short film titled Same Coin & it is meaningful to me for several reasons. It was my first opportunity to make powerful statement thru my art. It was also the first film I’ve won several awards for, not to mention I got to work on it with not only some of my closest friends but my son was our sound recordist as well so everything from start to finish meant a lot to me on this one. Read more>>

Seneca Bing

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on has been writing my children’s book and journal to honor my angel baby Aliyah. When my daughter passed away unexpectedly in 2005, that was one of the most devastating things for me and my entire family. In 2020, I turned pain into purpose and decided to find healing through writing. As a former school counselor, it was important to help children to better understand how to manage their emotions with support. Read more>>

Leeryck Camble

Unfortunately, all of my projects are passion projects that’s just my operating system I always lead with my heart. As of late my most meaningful project is my clothing line Bloodline Unlimited a brand that I created to exude Love-Loyalty-Lineage. A way to represent family in all ways, not just the one that you were born into but also your chosen family. . Read more>>

Darcova Matrice

I embrace the position of being Intentional. The books I publish and the art I PAINT are on purpose. When you turn the pages you will read about the Woman’s Walk. The journeys of love, loss, triumph, tears, healing and feeling myself depict the total essence of Her- good, bad, ugly and everything in between. When you view the PAINTings you see the Evolution of the Woman. Be it the Girl with the AfroPuffs or the Woman with the Locs, you will be mesmerized by the colors and the lines and the details- her hair, her lips, her accessories- and simply want to know more about HERstory. Read more>>

Traci Carr

“Super Power to the People” has definitely been the most meaningful project for me. It’s taking everything I hold dear politically and ideologically and melding it with such creativity. Art and politics go hand in hand and this show exemplifies that. From geek culture to animation to classic movies and current shows, we are looking to explore it all through the lens of leftist activism and action. Read more>>

Barry Marz

I think the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my most recent project THE AWAKENING. During the creation of this project, I was meditating everyday, several times a day. It 100% contributed to my soul’s growth and transformation, so the project itself is me going through the motions of that self improvement. Read more>>

Cyndi Hardy

I’m currently starting a new project to spread awareness about Ovarian Cancer. I had two friends pass away from ovarian cancer in 2019 and I was my mum’s full-time caregiver for 4 years while she had ovarian cancer; she passed away in 2021. Since the signs and symptoms are things that women go through on a normal basis, they are easy to miss. Read more>>

Jana Angel

I have worked in so many areas of production and storytelling and I have always felt drawn to the medium because it combines visuals, sound, and words to ignite specific feelings in the viewer. In my career I have had the opportunity to work on a huge range of projects, but the one that makes me most proud is when I created an adoption application video for my friends Josh and Swav. Read more>>

Diana McDonough

In 2011 I lost my grandma, who also happened to be one of my favorite people in the world. Around the same time I stated school at FIT where I was going for communication design. I structured a lot of my projects for school around her, weather it was typography that was similar to her hand writing or packaging design that was made as TV dinners after her cooking. Read more>>

Brad Settles

I have started a large scale project that will require two years to complete. The project will consist of postcard sized landscape paintings from every state highway in Texas (246 in total). This will showcase the immensity and diversity of Texas. Texas has twelve eco-regions and each distinct eco-region will be represented over each of the four seasons. Read more>>

Jeremy Germain

While every project I work on is meaningful to me in some way, I’d have to say that my most recent short script, titled “The Impossible Question,” has been the most meaningful for a number of reasons. For a bit of background, the script follows 2 NASA programmers as they develop a program that will definitively answer the question of whether or not we’re alone in the universe. I wrote it about 2 years ago, and we are currently in the early stages of getting it into production this year. Read more>>

LaRon Santiago

I’m currently working on a new project as we speak, I don’t want to disclose the title just yet, this new album is very special to me because it has a whole concept to it, like it’s a series or movie, with this particular project I want to break barriers & stereotypes when it comes to interracial dating in the urban community, I want my music to relate to someone who is going through what I’m writing about in this new album & hope to open up people eyes not to stay close minded Read more>>

Hervens Herv Gotti ” JeanBaptiste”

Most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my community panel titled ” Footwork”. “Footwork” is a panel I created started in 2021 focusing & highlighting creatives who not only have an appreciation for sneakers & the culture, but also people who do the “footwork” which is getting out there, bonding at a deeper level, & creating important relationships to better set themselves for success. Read more>>

Devin Steward

1. My most meaningful projects have been my three film projects that I’ve worked on. they’ve all been as equally meaningful to me for a variety of reasons. One thing to truly know and understand is that “Bravery” is a huge quality to possess within the performance arts industry. Whether you’re an actor, a musician, a dancer, etc., “Bravery” is imperative. We as talent, really must step out of our comfort zone to fully reach our comfort zone. Read more>>

Lina Kreymerman

One of the most meaningful and interesting projects we, me and my business partner Lena Nesterova, have worked on so far was complete remodeling of a residential house in New Jersey for a young family. We were recommended to this young couple by a client of ours. The couple has not yet fully formed an interior style of their own and that was exactly why it was challenging, interesting and fun for all of us. Read more>>

88 Killa

My most meaningful project that I’ve worked on so far has been my latest EP “88 Special” It was written and recorded during the pandemic and when I found out that I was expecting a child with my partner. Read more>>

Brad Williams

In the beginning, my focus was on personal projects and commissioned jobs for interior designs, realtors, and home owners, through Hamilton Lee Designs. As I began to develop my processes and became a supplier of raw materials and building products, I began to develop relationships with similar Craftsmen, teaching and supporting those around me. Read more>>

Donald Cooke

Last year I built a guitar for the grandson of a fallen soldier that served with me. SSG Bertilino served with me in OIF from April 2003 until he passed in November 2003. He used to come ask me to play guitar in the makeshift church he and a few others had put together. Read more>>

Becca Gargiulo

It’s impossible to pick just one, but some of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on took place during Earth Month last year (April 2022). My schedule was packed with a variety of environmentally-focused activities as I wrapped up my last semester of college at VCU. Read more>>

Zach Zurn

It’s hard to choose just one meaningful project. I’ve had records and artists I’ve worked with that give me hope in the power of songwriting. I’d say it’s such a unique and powerful experience when I get to work on songs that come from personal experience such as loss, trauma, etc. Read more>>

Yadiel Cruzado

When it comes to music, I have always worked with other artists as either a producer, a fill-in instrumentalist or a ghost writer. However, recently I had the privilege to write and producer my own full length album under the artist name of Elation Cycle. Delete Dream! is the first album I’ve ever had complete control over and thus I hold it very near to my heart. Read more>>

Andy & Liam Elliott & Nash

It sounds cliche but since starting our podcast in 2019, the most meaningful project has been able to maintain the consistent work that’s been put into the show and seeing the results grow from 0 followers and listeners to over a combined 20,000 followers on social media and 100,000 downloads. Read more>>

Michelle Defoe

A lot of my art is centered around sharing Indigenous and female perspectives and how we view the world. Historically these viewpoints have been invisible or not represented in most spaces. One of the most meaningful projects that I worked on was a 20+ wall mural project in the heart of Duluth, Minnesota located on the Lake Superior lakewalk. I was asked be fellow Indigenous artists and the Indigenous Commission in Duluth to join the project. Read more>>

Isabella Granada

Currently working on an image/poetry book with my colleague, Alejandro, titled “MENERGY”, which explores themes of identity, sexuality, gender, and more. We fell in love with this project and started gathering inspiration from the 70’s and 80’s gay scene in Europe and in the US. I kept wanting to explore our little corner of the gay scene in Bogota, Colombia, where I was born and raised, and this project gave us the best excuse. Read more>>

Jennifer Gouge

My projects tend to be pretty interwoven, but I think the elements in them that stand out as most exciting for me are the incorporation of cultural foods and language in my work. I mean, you could look at one of the stickers in my shop and see a bean floating in outer space, planted in the location of two colliding galaxies, annotated in the Ojibwe language, and see it for one thing that it is: a very silly image. Read more>>

Jessica Lee Sanders

My most meaningful project was a portrait of a woman who had recently passed away. The son reached out asking if I could draw his mother. I knew how important this commission was to the man, so I wanted to do the best job possible to really capture his mother. In the end, he had tears in his eyes and thanked me profusely so I know he was very pleased. When there is sentimental value in commissions, I try to capture the presence and emotion of the person. Read more>>

Janiece Hines

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on would be the space I’ve created through SHE podcast. This project is meaningful because I knew I had a unique story & I knew I had to use it to help other people along their journey. I knew I wanted to find a purpose in my pain & the difficulties I faced with mental health, finding my own path & building my relationship with God. Read more>>

Frances Byrd

Although painting portraits has just become my primary studio focus over the last couple of years, the subject has been an important outlet for giving back to my community for many years. Before Covid, I spent several years creating inspirational and social justice themed portraits to raise money for a local organization that rescues victims of human trafficking. The money raised at their events funds projects ranging from rescue and rehabilitation, to housing and job training. Read more>>

Joe Triscari

I consider the majority of my projects meaningful, but sometimes I am absolutely floored by some of the musicians that I get to work with, some of my favorite musicians in the world, some who’s music I have listened to since adolescence and inherently shaped me! Those projects are the ones that I struggle most with because of the pressure I put on myself to draw and create the perfect imagery. I usually stress out about ideas for about a week or two and then remind myself that my best work comes out when I’m relaxed and having fun with it. Read more>>

Joe Fee

I am currently finishing the music to a new work for music and dance that I am very excited about. It was commissioned by the National University of the Arts in Taiwan and will be choreographed by Tsai Hsi Hung. Performances will take place in Taipei, Taiwan in May. Read more>>

Chris Levine

Over the last 10 years or so I’ve written, produced and acted in some great projects but my first feature film is the most meaningful and most emotional. I had been in LA taking acting classes while working a full time job for almost 2 years and not much was happening as far as bookings. Read more>>