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.

Marsae Lynette

The most meaningful projects I’ve worked on were my first dance film titled Reflect. Black. Times (2020) and my thesis concert titled Reconnecting Currents: Women of the Rivers (2022). Reflect. Black. Times featured songs and interviews from Nina Simone as well as some original poetry and choreography. Nina Simone once said, “It is an artist’s duty to reflect the times.” Read more>>

Crew Life Productions.

We came out with our first project titled “Crew Life Productions” Ep. This project was a lot of fun to create, half of the beats were produced in house which made it a lot more important to us. Through the time this project was made we all found how we worked and played off of each other well which made the music interesting. When you know what to expect from someone you may play off of their style and meld your own sound to fit theirs better. Read more>>

Paula Marie

The most meaningful project I have worked on is writing and publishing my book- Kick Ass and Have a Life. The book is a self-help book for workaholics and people that struggle with work-life balance. As a former workaholic, I know firsthand how powerful the workaholic addiction can be. I am passionate about sharing this book to spare others the loss I experienced as a workaholic. Read more>>

Tafy LaPlanche

As a Haitian woman, voodoo was always associated with me. I’ve never practiced it nor knew much about it. Only what I’ve seen from media depictions and what others have said about it. Dark magic, curses, the other side. Anytime I would do something that was deemed successful, I would hear comments such as “that’s that voodoo magic you do”. Read more>>

Sandie Donzica

I’ve created amazing pieces and shows lately, thanks to meeting wonderful artists with whom a meaningful collaboration blossomed. In my first years in the United-States, it was hard to find the good fit for me as an artist. I’ve felt down about not being in the best place in my career. However, being in that lower point, it made me open to new adventures, relationships and opportunities. This is how I met my previous collaborator and we took a leap of faith by creating our own company with our own technique and unique expression. From there, it gave me more trust in my own work, and being more confident and open made me meet more amazing artists! Read more>>

Candice Zee

My debut novel The Munchkins is the most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on because the idea for it has been in my mind since I was a child. When I was a kid, my younger brother and I would make up our own make-believe stories and play pretend, acting them out. Our favorite one was one I dreamed up about kids with magic powers who never grow up, and the bad guy who wants their powers named Big Boss, and we called it “Munchkins.” Read more>>

Tess Darling

I was invited to participate in a four-day water invertebrates workshop for Environmental Professionals, but required to paint the perspective from an artistic lense. The paintings were auctioned with 100% proceeds going to the community center that hosted the workshop. My purpose in art became clear from that point, using my skill as a creator to financially contribute and visually bring awareness to the education, science, climate, social justice and democratic crises. I find that there is no more room for painting without a contribution to help ease the collapsing of the world we’re familiar with. Read more>>

Traci Combs

Every time I am commissioned to paint a piece for a client, I find it to be a special honor to try and capture their life and vision onto the canvas. They are very meaningful moments and connections. I love to hear others’ stories and what makes them who they are. I offer a package where I enter into a client’s story for a time and hold space to hear their hearts and turn their words, tears, joys, experiences, and hopes into a larger statement painting that they can cherish for years to come. Read more>>

Sara Alavi

My production team and I have worked heavily on our documentary film project “What Do We Know About Refugees?” for the past year. The backstory on the making of our film is quite divine. I was (personally) meditating in hopes to create a full length project surrounding vulnerable refugees and migrants. With that said, I put my desire up to the universe that should the making of the film need to happen soon, I would receive word from a reliable, honest and profound entity that may best support my mission. Read more>>

Dylan King

Sculpting, molding, and casting learned through the art of plaster restoration(7years) and 8 years of schooling has given me the opportunity to have my artistic fingerprint in throughout Kansas City. From sculpted molded and cast pieces for a chapel in St. Pius X, which was the first job of that scale, though it was for my day job I learned so much from every step of that. to large 36in sculpted Corbel for the front door of JC Nicholes old home for the new owners, which ended up being my first commission piece that planted the seed. Read more>>

Parker Simpson

I recently had the pleasure of illustrating the characters for a unique gaming project with the lovely folks at Cleromancy Games called Worn Wanderers. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting where players lead a ragtag band of nomads and combat other groups for gold and glory. Folks familiar with trading card games like Pokemon or Yugioh would feel right at home with the custom deck building gameplay style of Worn Wanderers, but there’s a bit of a twist – instead of character cards there are character pins! Read more>>

Liz Miller

I’ve been delving into mythology in my most recent series. I heard a quote once that said ‘Myths are not true, but they are not untrue.’ My creative practice has been an exploration space for learning about and moving through our understanding of the visual portrayal of mythical based concepts. Astrology is a part of this where I have personified the zodiac into blackness. The default image of most figure work is a white body. Try typing in ‘girl’ into google images and see the ratio of white bodies to any other color. Read more>>

Donald Prince

I’m currently working on the finishing touches to a project called please don’t sue us “Pls Don’t Suez” that should be released in November or December… it’s titled that way because it uses some risky samples that could possibly cause someone to want to sue, but it’s done in a tasteful way and I feel like the concept of the project is really cool and quirky and has a lot of layers and levels and it’s probably my best effort to date since maybe 10 years ago. Read more>>

ReiLife.

Probably the album I’m currently working on. The next album in my opinion is like the newest chapter in my journey. It shows the path that our collective, “LJA” is moving along with introducing our newest member, “Atexx.” Read more>>

Kisha Jarrett

I’m pretty fortunate. I have two creative loves (film and theater) and I get to work on creative projects in my day job as well as my side hustle. There have been two projects that have deeply impacted me personally as well as creatively. The first was an idea generated early on during the pandemic in 2020 and after the murder of George Floyd and the worldwide protests. Read more>>

David Amundson.

I recorded an album in Nashville with 5 Grammy winning bassist; Dave Roe Rorick, Average White Band drummer; Pete Abbott, Kentucky Thunder fiddle extrodinaire; Billy Contreras and The Fabulous Superlatives lead guitarist; Kenny Vaughan. The songs also feature Chris Scruggs and Steve Hinson (both Nashville studio musician ‘A listers’) on pedal Steel guitar. It’s called “Lonesome Desert Strum” and dropped in late January of 2022. The album recieved critical acclaim from Americana Highways, Country Music People Magazine UK – (5 stars), Lonesome Highways, The Boot. Read more>>

Eileen Ryan

The first project that comes to mind is “19 Days” a study in identity. For nineteen days during a depressive episode triggered by isolation and loss I recorded my physical and emotional state three times a day with a DNA extraction and corresponding mood log. After taking the DNA samples I would draw what would float up. The DNA will always remain the same, but our emotional state is changing moment to moment every day. Through this small effort in recording my DNA and mood I was able to spend time with myself in a different form and look in as an outsider, even if just for the duration of making the drawing. Read more>>

Cindee Klement

A few years ago, as I was developing my project World of Hum, I began to see my work in this city as an opportunity to have a positive impact on the environment – I now focus my artistic work to holistically reimagine Houston’s landscape, return the carbon in the air to the soil, support wildlife, reduce water run-off, and support flood control. Inspired by M. Thomashow, Read more>>

Kulsum Tasnif

My art is driven by deep emotion. I feel compelled to create for so many reasons. I am drawn to stories of human struggles and triumphs. In my series “Journey to The Good Life,” I spent years researching the refugee crisis in which I recorded voices of survivors of war and illustrated their stories. I had the opportunity to highlight powerful accounts of survivors from Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Burma, and Syria. I worked on that exhibit for almost 4 years until I felt the need to take a step back. Read more>>

Kwanza Humphrey

One of the most meaningful project I’ve been able to work on to this point has been a public commission for the new KCI airport terminal. I’ll have a permanent installation in the airport and will be one of several national and award winning artist. Kansas city has a commitment to the arts in that each new public project has to have an investment in the arts. Its really exciting to be selected as one of the local artists that will be featured in the terminal Read more>>

Lisa Yaszek

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my Future is Female! (FIF) anthology series. I edit this series for the Library of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and disseminating the best American literature across genres—in short, this is the organization that determines what you read in your high school and college American literature classes. Read more>>

Jacqueline Jones

One of the most meaningful projects that I have worked on has been a self portrait that I had created a couple years ago. When I created it I felt like it was truly a reflection of myself with how I feel emotionally and with the things that do go on in my mind. I had been dating my sons father and we went to a fashion show, in the fashion show they had featured artists in at the time I wasn’t showcasing my work or sharing it with anyone only myself. Read more>>

K Medulla

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a self portraiture series of 8 artworks called “SHE.” The collection depicts my journey of self declaration and self discovery through introspection, spirituality, and my views of femininity. They were created on wood with mixed media such as watercolor, india ink, and chalk pastel to name a few. Let’s time travel back to 2019, I didn’t know this was going to be a series. I was just creating art to express myself and whatever I was going through. Read more>>

Shameia Crawford

I have a few but the one that is really dear to my heart is my ‘MOMS Musical’. It was inspired by my experience as a first time mother. It is a Stage play that follows the journey of 4 women. A “Mom to be” who has dealt with Childhood trauma in her Mother-daughter relationship and seeks therapy and starts a Mom’s Support group that brings together 3 Mothers from different walks of life. The story Highlights the Journey of Motherhood, we get to see Pregnancy Cravings to Postpartum Depression . Read more>>

Kyndall Owens

As a visual artist, I am most inspired to create when I know I can share my work with others that may be going through a hard time. With that said, some meaningful projects I have done include a painting I did for the family of Miss USA’s, Cheslie Kryst. She unfortunately passed away suddenly and I decided to paint a beautiful portrait of her to display at her Celebration of Life service. The smile that it brought to her family was unforgettable. Read more>>

Sarah King

My current Show, Korry fellow Sarah King and artists show, Maryna Bilak and Judy Glantzman,” has become one of the most meaningful exhibitions I have had the opportunity to create, curate, and produce work for. My most recent work focuses on my experience of becoming a mother, and re-examining my common spaces with my children, and re-establishing a relationship with my body postpartum.,Read more>>

Kate Groff

One of my very first weddings I had the honor of capturing, will surely stick with me forever. Cassidy and Curtis were my couple. We met because they won a raffle for a free mini shoot with me! Turns out, they were newly engaged. They decided to upgrade from a mini to a full engagement session. We met up a coffee shop to talk all the things. I think we were there for two hours! We just really connected and had a lot in common. Read more>>

KYLE JACKSON

My most meaningful project would be “un jour j’espère.” I’m currently working on this piece. This particular painting holds so much personal equity due to the emotional stages of creation. Each new layer added seems to directly yield to a form of self im working to become while unlearning in stillness..personal growth at time can be tumultuous, and beautiful at the switch of perspective. Read more>>

Shirley Sweet

I’ve done plenty of meaningful things in my life, but one of my most meaningful projects has been bringing the Flamingo Revue to life. The Flamingo Revue is a burlesque troupe based out of Charlotte, NC. It’s more than just a show – it’s a collective of artists who create performances, costumes, and entire personas. And it is this group of people who put shows together several times each year. Sure, I’m a co-producer for the show, but the troupe itself really is a group effort. We’re all in this together. Read more>>

Jeremiah Paige

This tape I am about to drop “PA1GE 2” is super meaningful to me. This is the sequel to my first ever project “PA1GE” I dropped on Soundcloud about 4 years ago. That tape helped me get really major gigs opening for big headliners and club openings while studying aboard. I didn’t expect so many great things to come from the tape being that it was only my first year going into my second with making music. Read more>>

Chetter Galloway.

Currently I am working on a one-man show about tennis legend Arthur Ashe titled, “Game! Set! Ashe!” The story will highlight not only his tennis career, but also his work in human rights, activism, and social justice causes after his retirement. Historical figures such as Ashe, who are either the first of their race or the only one of their races to achieve greatness in their endeavors, are always fascinating to me. Read more>>

Elizabeth Hogan

Working for the St. Louis Christmas Carols Association to promote community singing in an effort to raise money that helps local non-profits do important working for children has been an incredibly impactful project for me. Numerous research studies give evidence that there are significant health benefits to singing and singing with others (lowers cortisol, releases endorphins and oxytocin, Read more>>

Steve Parnell.

In March of this year we held the first DARE TO FAIL! Short Film Showcase, a monthly micro film festival. I started DTF! with the goal of providing an inclusive space for artists to create that is accessible, approachable, and focuses on community rather than competition. DARE TO FAIL! was inspired by local film events like Nashville’s “Salute Your Shorts” from Jason Gigax and Atlanta’s “Kick the Ladder” run by Isaac Deitz. Read more>>

Carolina Andrea Podesta.

For me all projects are significant, important and above all I do them with a lot of love, since they are for my clients, family, friends and I want them to be happy with the final result. Yes, there are other projects more challenging than others. Like for example when I have to do or create something that I have never done before. Like for example when I had to do imitations of precious stones. Read more>>

Aja Lockhart

My newest book is the most meaningful project I have worked on up to this point. It is titled “How Thoughts Become Things: Gratitude and Manifestation.” Sharing stories that help us navigate life to the fullest is one of my passions, and I wanted to share how practicing gratitude and being thankful can create more positivity in your life. Read more>>