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.

Erika Donaghy

Last fall I had the opportunity to paint a set of murals at a local gym in Frisco, Colorado. The gym is a woman-owned business, most of their trainers are women, and many of their clients are women. The gym owner wanted a mural depicting a mountain scene and the design we landed on was an image of a woman hiking alone in the mountains. For me, this design is one the most meaningful pieces I’ve created. I am a trail runner and while I love running with my friends, I also really enjoy running alone. Read more>>

Mark Warnick

The first magazine I published seven years ago, 3vies volume 30, was a meaningful project. I had spent several years prior trying to taste many different things. I built apps, designed posters/illustrations, and tried wedding photography; I even tried to get my photographs published in other indie magazines. Then, when I was at a creative conference, it hit me to start my own indie magazine. That night I couldn’t sleep, so I began to write. I decided I would work an hour a day until I published it.Read more>>

Leila Dandan

My album, Insult to Injury, has been such a meaningful project to work on. It created an outlet for healing and growth in ways I never imagined needing. On the surface, it can be interpreted as a teenage girl’s collection of breakup songs, but it became so much more than that for me as the album came together. I started writing this album in July of 2020. I was 16 at the time, fresh out of my first breakup, and because so many of my friends were people I’d met through him, Read more>>

Tony Lockhart

Pretty much any illustration work related to mental health has been the most meaningful to me. Using styles they all have connected to others and provoked some of the best discussions I ever had with strangers on the internet. I am personally a huge advocate for mental health and developed various illustrations to bring awareness year round and not just in May. Specifically the self isolation bubbles editorial illustration promoting the Scars Foundation has been very meaningful. Read more>>

Melody Lomboy-Lowe and Gracelyn Bateman

We have a series of books that we lovingly call the “Beyond Series.” It consists of “Beyond Remission: Words of Advice for Thriving” and “Beyond Grief: Snapshots of Life After Loss.” Melody is childhood cancer survivor and has always wanted to photograph one hundred cancer survivors to give hope to newly diagnosed cancer patients. This large-scale photography project became “Beyond Remission” which shows what life after cancer looks like for survivors from all walks of life. Read more>>

Deanna Sirlin

My recent work “Watermark” is a translucent site work in the entrance of Crosland Tower at the Georgia Tech Library in Atlanta created and exhibited during my time as the first artist-in-residence for the library. “Watermark” reflects on the exhibition “50 Years of Science Fiction” by creating a new chromatic lens to view both the entrance to the library and the landscape of the campus through the deeply saturated color panels on the windows. Read more>>

Teri Heidemeyer

As a freelance illustrator I have the opportunity to draw many different things, some serious, some whimsical and wacky. When l am left to my own devices I tend to draw silly animals doing human activities or characters from my fav Britcom shows. I draw with pens and markers on paper, something tangible in a digital world. I enjoy doing illustrations for people all over the planet and having my artwork on product labels, gig posters, and most recently in Abenaki language books. Read more>>

Alyssia Aguilar

As an artist I have always wanted to share who I am through my art. In 2017 I gave birth to twins at 25 weeks old and unfortunately at 16 days old our son passed away from sepsis in the NICU. It was through that time that I wanted to use my art as therapy and help cope with all the emotions I was feeling. Read more>>

World Apparel Co.

Although, every project, or as we call them, “tours,” is a meaningful project we would have to say that our current tour on “Human/Sex Trafficking” has currently had the most impact on us, at World Apparel Co. We have been working on this tour for the past 3 years. First launching at our “A night of Giving” event where we collected toys for homeless children. We noticed a major trend while working with those individuals. Read more>>

Whitney Bell

My most recent paintings all include some marks made by my children. Sometimes an under painting and at others, a mark here and a mark there, it is not really an optional thing. They are both interested in art and in my studio a lot. Our house is small and they find me quickly…they are 2 and almost 5. Their fresh organic marks, made subconsciously most of the time, are what I am striving for when I paint sporadic layers of free form non-objective shapes. Read more>>

Olivia Arrow Dhamee

My most meaningful project so far was creating my artist book, A Book of Hugs, during the pandemic. It started in April 2020 with drawings I hoped people might find comforting during the time that hugging was discouraged to stop the spread of the virus. The project was originally part of #the100Dayproject and I decided to draw a hug every day for a hundred days. After drawing all of the hugs, I decided to create a book using most of the drawings so I could share these “virtual hugs” with the world. Through a successful Kickstarter fundraising campaign, Read more>>

Kristin Rossi

It started with a story, one all too common among the LGBTQIA+ community, a transgender woman who was unable to live her true life because of her job. That’s when I had an idea. Offer someone in need of some sparkle an opportunity to shine. I’ve encountered many people throughout my life who are at every stage of the gender identity spectrum. In many of those encounters, I’ve discovered that small details are the ones that can really help anyone feel comfortable in their skin, and sometimes those details are the most difficult to commit to. Read more>>

Manda McKay

My current series of oil paintings on canvas, “Welling Up,” is about overcoming illness and grief. The inspiration came from my loved ones who manage to remain optimistic while recovering from long term illness. My intent is to help people to manifest well-being and hope by contemplating the artwork and its meaning. Read more>>

Ashley Garner

My most meaningful project was a series that went by several different names over the years but always held the same core concept: the secret life of plants. How are plants effecting us psychologically and physiologically. Are we being effected by plants in different ways based on different sensory experiences? Can plants, or just nature as a whole, be coupled with other medical treatments to help us heal? Read more>>

Luis Lprad” Prado”

Every project feels meaningful in its own way. Currently, I am producing the Red Bull BC One San Diego Cypher event. For context, this is a qualifier that will eventually feed into the World Finals for competitive breaking. (Breaking is short for breakdancing) Personally, I’ve been a breaker for 13 years and it has been a life dream of mine to be involved with Red Bull to any degree. Read more>>

Wezzy Fields

You Wouldnt Know Project are my most meaningful projects. I say projects because I have to out. You Wouldnt Know & You Wouldnt Know Deluxe. But to give a back story on how the concept came about. Me and my internal family, meaning mom, dad, sister, brother, had this phrase that we would say, “you don’t know”. As in saying, you just don’t what you’re talking about, jokingly. So I took the phrase and spent it to “You Wouldnt Know” and applied it to my real like trials and tribulations. I speak about those life lessons in my music. Read more>>

Chris Daniels

Each project has demands and rewards that are specific to the project; I children’s album is completely different from a solo singer/songwriter project or a band project or a film. But two things are always part of the process, to being it to completion including everything from original concept to production and release and marketing and then touring it is composed of a thousand small detailed steps and tasks – Read more>>

Checa Aka Mirror Mom

I like to call it… The “Smiles Save” Project. I had read about a guy who always waved and smiled at everyone, no matter who it was, even if he got weird looks. One day, his girlfriend asks him why he does it. He replied that he had heard about people who had tried to commit suicide, but failed… A majority of them stated that maybe even if a stranger would have acknowledged them, that they wouldn’t have tried to end their lives… Read more>>

Sal Giudici

“Meaningful” is a great word to describe my current photography project. I’ve realized that stories and emotions are the main currencies in the making of my exclusive print collection. It feels this way because I think I’ve found the hidden line for a possible connection between an image and the mood of a situation. I pay attention to shades and tones because they can evoke a sense of belonging to the moment, shaping an idea or maybe even some fantasy. When I look at pictures if I keep watching them it’s because I can see a story, I find it extremely relevant and fulfilling. Read more>>

Juno Central

Honestly that would have to be the project I’m releasing at the end of the summer. The past year was a life test for me mentally & for my career, and you can hear every emotion on this album. I’ve always been a private person unless we’re close but I wanted to be transparent with this one so my fans can feel where I’m coming from and possibly relate. It’s honestly the best music I’ve ever made and I can’t wait to show it for real. Read more>>

Courtney Leigh Holder

This past Friday I hand-delivered a recent commission still life painting to my favorite restaurant, Lenoir, a farm-to-market Austin-based restaurant that celebrates seasonal Texas ingredients. This feast painting, inspired by the owners’ culinary creativity and their locally-sourced food, has reset my focus and is heavily influencing a new direction for my work. So many of my personal passions, past creative influences and the way my eye sees beauty really doved-tailed in this oil painting, and am quite taken with the new direction my work is headed. I know this is the start to a new period for my work and it’s a bit thrilling. Read more>>

RYAHN

I have been making music for almost 10 years now and I am madly in love with doing so. To this date I have only released one studio project, alongside many singles and collaborations. Currently I am working on my 2nd studio project and it’s been in progress over a year! This project has been extremely introspective and I’ve really gotten to see first hand how much I have grown into myself. Although I have not yet announced the title, Read more>>

Sherlinda Alteme

The most meaningful project I worked on had to be a shoot I curated with two of my friends, I made them dress the same way and it was on the beach. The reason why this project was so meaningful to me is that being a Floridian the beach has always been my safe space, I would go there to reflect, cry and even celebrate. It’s a comfortable place in a sense and I wanted the project to represent that for me. Read more>>

Brandon Jay

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is building IMA. When I first embarked on this journey in the summer of 2013 I had no idea how to accomplish it. I just knew exactly what I desired to accomplish. To create an entity that represents real talent with real substance. It means everything to me to help people reach their full potential. Read more>>

Denille Obermeyer

It might sound cheesy, but every project is actually a meaningful one. Whether it’s a commissioned painting or one sold after creation, I donate ALL of my profit to the charity of the purchasers’ choice. The organizations range anywhere from cancer research foundations to clean water-well builds to sponsors for children all over the world. I also enjoy donating paintings to events for auction like school fundraisers and charity galas. I’m able to use my love of painting as a tool to bless others. It’s pretty cool! Read more>>

shane watt

One of my favorite projects is a ongoing collaboration with Alex Megelas called Paper Places. It’s a series of cross-generational workshops and discussions which consider the ways mapmaking as an art form can be used to further reflections on our interaction with the commons. Read more>>

Lisa Harrison Jackson

The most meaningful project that I have ever worked on came in the middle of the pandemic. Sheltering in place and social distancing did a number on everyone, particularly creatives. I was in the middle of producing our first musical stage production, The Draft, when everything came to a complete stand still. I don’t think we realized the extent of what was on the horizon. When the seriousness of Covid 19 unfolded, I think we all were shocked. Read more>>

DJ $ickk

My most meaningful project that I’ve worked on would be for an album I put together called “In $ickk We Trust”. Now that album was basically about me being more open and honest and also showing my growth. I chose that name because I felt like more people are listening to my music than before and they trust me not to let them down. Read more>>

Lyndy Bush

The most meaningful project I have worked on so far is my current body of work. It took me years to learn how to paint but took even longer to understand what I want to paint and why. Through a meandering search to find what I “Want to Say” with my art, I kept being drawn back to my roots in Southern New Mexico. I was initially hesitant to paint personal imagery and kept looking outward for some large meaningful imagery that could resonate with people. Read more>>

C. Nichole

Pan African Think Tank Vol. 1 is an EP that was released on February 12, 2021. It’s the first volume of four that will be released throughout the upcoming years. The purpose of the Pan African Think Tank EPs is to bring awareness to the 501(c)3 non-profit Pan African Think Tank (http://panafricantt.org). Pan African Think Tank is a research institution that focuses on education and entrepreneurship. With the education aspect, Read more>>

Sherri Nienass Littlefield

From a young age, my parents instilled and demonstrated the importance of giving back to those in need through word and action. I was born and raised in a middle class setting, but my family always found ways to help others. After I graduated with my MFA in 2012, I entered the contemporary art field and witnessed a field of dishonesty and mistrust. For a career based in luxury sales, I felt there was too great a gap between the have and have-nots. I thought to myself – “there has to be a way to bridge the gap in a way that helps others.” Read more>>

Jessica Archer

Some of the most meaningful projects have come from the most negative situations. Since I was a little girl I knew I always wanted to make some difference in the world-to help others who may not be in a position to help themselves (person or animal) to bring a bit of positive into a too often negative world; but being an artist I did not know how to do this, I wasn’t a doctor, or someone considered essential- I could just draw. Read more>>

Joe Dominguez

That would be the one I’m working on now addressing climate change in my lifetime, it’s meaningful because it’s addressing a time sensitive issue, dives deep into my familial history with environmental racism, the media, my culture and political powers shaping climate policy. Taking on big topics like this is exciting and represents the height of what art can be, an act of persuasion and soft power used to shift public views on real world issues or ideas shaping our lives. Read more>>