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.

Zour D

The most meaningful project That I’ve worked on so far has been my Mixtape ‘The Grass is Greener On The Other Side Of The Noose’ That released on all streaming platforms earlier this year. I started work on this project in December of last year with a song called ‘Unclean’. Read more>>

Yapci Ramos

The most meaningful project for me is ‘Monumenta. Nine Guanche Incarnations’, because it allowed me to give visibility to the Guanche woman —the Aboriginal woman from my homeland, Tenerife— absent from public space and relegated by patriarchal narratives. For centuries, the representation of our pre-colonial past has been marked by idealized symbols and images, yet women were rendered invisible.  Read more>>

BELLE

The most meaningful project that I have worked on and that I am currently working on is the development of my artist project as BELLE. Initially I started releasing pop music, 3 singles which had very positive results, online recognition as well as features in radio stations in the US as well as Europe. Read more>>

Jenny Murphy

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve had the privilege of working on was the renovation of a historic Victorian home in Denver. The house had incredible bones, so much charm and character, but it had been through decades of piecemeal updates that stripped away much of its original spirit. Read more>>

Laurna Strehl

As Director of the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden, I oversaw the acquisition of four adjoining acres that included a historic home built in 1840. The goal was to thoughtfully integrate this new space into our existing 8.5-acre botanical garden. One of the key elements in achieving this was the creation of a connecting pathway to unify the two areas. Read more>>

Courtney Bicanovsky

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is building my boudoir photography community. For me, it’s never been about just taking photos—it’s about rewriting the way women see themselves. When I started photography 12 years ago, I was in my own season of rebuilding. I knew what it felt like to question your worth, to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself. Read more>>

Paloma Ladejobi

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been bringing dance into senior living communities through DanzActive. While on the surface it may look like I’m just leading movement classes, it’s so much more than that. Each class is an opportunity to create joy, connection, and artistry with older adults—many of whom may not have thought of themselves as dancers before. Read more>>

Pete Wiley

I have always been interested in how to lead a meaningful, fulfilling life, and have tried to express lessons, insights, and experiences in ways that would be helpful to people. These include written word (books and poetry), music, and videos. Each has it’s own dynamic in terms of how it is experienced by my audience, depending on what they need and how it resonates. Read more>>

Saro Varjabedian

Selecting the most meaningful projects is a challenging question because, for the most part, when I engage with a project, it tends to be meaningful to me at the time. However, over the last few years, the projects I have been developing have become increasingly important to me as I engage with the work in a different way than I have in the past. Read more>>

Zachary Hall

When I was in college, I often struggled to find my voice as an artist. In academic settings, the focus is usually on traditional “academic” music, and I felt I was constantly pushing against that standard in order to let my own voice shine through. Read more>>

Paula Sabogal Guerrero

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is my one-woman show, “I’M LATINA,” which also is going to be the first production under my company, RAÍCES Productions. This project is meaningful because it represents both my personal journey and my purpose as an artist. Read more>>

Rev. Patricia Cogles

Last night I came home after Theatre Tulsa’s closing show of the musical Hairspray and reflected on how this has got to be one of the most meaningful projects I have done. This show carries a powerful social justice message that is very relevant to today’s society. Being Puerto Rican, I feel the racial disparities that affect communities of color to this day. Read more>>

Dawn Rochelle

The most meaningful project yet is my current TV series Ventura Shores. Since childhood I was interested in television and the creative forces behind the scenes that brought them into existence. I always loved night time soapy dramas like Dallas and Dynasty – who didn’t? So creating Ventura Shores in the 1980’s soap opera style has been so. much fun for me creatively. Read more>>

Nate Franchesco

Honestly, every style I touch means something to me — that’s what keeps me going. I’ve always loved creating across the board, whether it’s jazz, metal, funk, classical, or bossa nova., flamenco. etc… But if I had to single one out, I’d say my project Reflections really hit home. Read more>>

Paige Cummings

Forever Hold Your Peace has been the most meaningful project I’ve worked on because it was the very first film created under my new production company, Sapphic Star Films. On the surface, it tells the story of a bride on her wedding day whose maid of honor confesses she’s still in love with her. Read more>>

Night Walks

Our most meaningful project has been completing our debut album, but that also encompasses a lot of things. We originally came together from random Craigslist ads, each of us ending up in Baltimore for diverse reasons but searching for a musical connection. Shawn and I (David) met first, and played together in his band, Shy Lust. Read more>>

Dominique Bivens

Two of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on were connected to stories of service and sacrifice. One was for Mark Geist, co-author of 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi. For those who aren’t familiar, the book (and later film) tells the true story of the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Read more>>

Clara Cho

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on has been co-founding Sixth Degree Sextet, a new music ensemble that made its debut performance last May. Although the six of us graduated from the Manhattan School of Music at different times, we got to know each other through school and outside projects. Read more>>

Sheri Weinstein

The most meaningful project in my music career as a drummer was/is playing in my band, The Pandoras. I joined the band in 1987 and reordered and toured with the band for 3 years. What an AMAZING experience! We toured the US and Canada, recorded an album, shot a video that was played on MTV. Words cannot describe how fun it was….bonding with bandmates. Read more>>

Emily Scialom

I’ve always been fascinated by religion and finding the meaning of life. In my youth, I felt like I had a tornado in my mind which needed to be formulated and externalised somehow. My debut novel, The Religion of Self-Enlightenment (The ROSE), took me eight years to produce. It became a vehicle for my deepest and realest perceptions of life, meaning and purpose. Read more>>

Shristi Sainani

Although, all projects are my children – as do all creatives say, but if I had to pick one for the sake of this question then it would be ‘Tender buttons [and another] bellyache’ showcased at Conflictorium (Museum of Conflict) in the city of Ahmedabad. The exhibition was the second iteration, rather an extension, of the originally executed [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache. Read more>>

Jyotirmaya Thakur

I wanted to be a writer. The evidence was everywhere: in the journal I had been writing in since teenage, the half-finished short story on my laptop, the blog idea I’d talked about for years but never started. I felt a disconnect, a sense that the part of me that was most me—the observer, the wordsmith, the storyteller—would be systematically silenced by the daily grind. Read more>>

Tyree Dworak

I was a little lost. While I spent my life making and teaching about art. I spent most of my life finding joy in pleasing others. I loved doing commissions that made people light up. I loved being the person that others could count on to paint the backdrop for the student musical or the display for the holiday market. Read more>>

Nicole Vardo

The most meaningful project I worked on this year was not a single wedding or shoot. It was really leaning into photography on my own terms. I set guidelines for myself about how I wanted to work, how to navigate my emotions and the trials of the year, and I used my camera as a way to express myself. Read more>>

Xianxi Liao

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is HIPOND, which is also my current full-time work and a project that has truly come to life. HIPOND began with a clear purpose: to support international students and young professionals as they move into a new place, offering “move-in packages” that include essentials for daily life, along with a platform for community and connection. Read more>>

Kim Brattain

We always offer full service production at a discount to a non-profit called The Relatives in Charlotte NC. It’s a crisis center for teens who don’t have a home. They could be runaways or just have lousy parents that they need to get away from. At any rate- I am always blown away by their resilience and optomism. Read more>>

Maurice Hill

The most meaningful project I’m currently working on is my 2025–2026 music campaign, where I’ve invested significant time, energy, and resources to ensure my music reaches the audiences who need its uplifting, feel-good message. Read more>>

John Cameron Lewis

I was asked to create a pair of angel wings for a fantasy ball hosted by Nephi Garcia, AKA Designer Daddy. I received a call the evening before the event and was informed that my friend of 28 years had passed away. I was able to pour my emotion into the installation and begin the process of grieving. Read more>>

Gabriela Montes de Oca

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on has been my YouTube series Tepui Presents: Sazón y Resiliencia, a three-part documentary series that started with sending a DM to an unknown business owner and inviting them to be the first story of many I’ve created since. Read more>>

Shengjie Jiang

The cabinet wood panel paintings. I have so many small objects, stationery, trinkets, and tableware, the cabinet is where they live. It’s an important part of my daily life. I’m always putting things in, taking them out, opening and closing the doors. Read more>>

Jordan Allen

Over the last 4 – 5 years I have been doing some “self discovery” and putting more of myself in the magic & performances I do. It all started with a sensory friendly show I began work on during the COVID pandemic that debuted in 2021 in Indianapolis. You can’t hide -and you shouldn’t hide – behind props or set pieces. Read more>>

Rachi Farrow

On 9/10/2009 I reached into the mailbox and was stung by a wasp or perhaps several. I’d had several allergic reactions to wasps and bees over many years, so I knew immediately that another was under way. This one turned out to be anaphylactic. Read more>>

Daina Higgins

The circumstances are, that during the pandemic, for two years, my husband and I were relentlessly stalked and harassed by our next door neighbors, until we had no choice but to sell our home of eleven years and move away. Read more>>

Sandra Burlizzi

The notion of taking a break, or stepping back from the chaos of daily life, is integral to this project. In today’s fast-paced environment, we frequently overlook the importance of pausing to reflect and recharge. Re_Creation offers a sanctuary where participants can engage in hands-on activities and creative endeavors, allowing them to reconnect with their passions and aspirations. Read more>>

Donald Sanchez

The many years of intense physical training it takes to become a professional dancer is something to be admired when watching them perform seemingly so effortlessly. A high level of athleticism, coupled together with extreme flexibility, grace, balance, endurance, and performing complex movements is something wonderful to behold. Read more>>

Armando Silvas

Producers attached to the film are Derek Wayne Johnson, producer/director of “John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs” and “40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic”, and Ernie O’ Donnell, producer of Kevin Smith’s “Clerks III” and “The 4:30 Movie”. The link to the campaign is in this article. Read more>>