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.

Dana Hursey

This month we had a great time creating portraits for a worthy cause! Read more>>

Emilie Aubry

No matter what I’m up to, I always make it a point to dive into a side passion project that’s meaningful and takes me outside my comfort zone. It’s an essential part of my creative journey, allowing me to explore something different from my usual work. Read more>>

Darcie Denton

It’s hard to choose a “most meaningful” project, but I’d say the work I do for my solo shows is where I pour most of my heart into. I’ve had two shows so far, not including group shows. The first happened in 2021 at the end of my time in university. In this show, titled “Memorialize,” I explored ideas of nostalgia and memory. Read more>>

Eleanor Tillmans

I have just completed my Art Residency in Grand Rapids. My work focused on clay, fiber, and watercolor. My goal was to weave a complementary work using the EARTH (clay), WATER (watercolor) and LIFE (fiber animals) to demonstrate our reliance on these elements. Read more>>

Joy Harris-Bird

One of the most significant projects in my creative journey is my fourth children’s book, “Dream Big Dreams.” When I initially started writing the story, it took a completely different direction than what I had envisioned. However, everything changed when I had the privilege of engaging in a focus group with children. Read more>>

Neil Fierro

I have to say I had so much fun and a true privilege hosting the cooking show. Wok Wednesday. World famous Asian sauce. Lee Kum Kee I really enjoy this because showing all the wonderful dishes Asian food from sweet, sour and spicy traditional and I love the way the food taste and really enjoy hosting. Read more>>

Tamanie (TAM-uh-nee) Dove

Each year, as the Founder of the International Singer Songwriters Association, Inc. (ISSA) our members and I collaborate together and write, record and produce a song from the ground up. Once completed, all proceeds from the sale of the song are dontated to the Global Hunger Relief Fund. Read more>>

Debra L. Perry

My number one desire is to do work that will have a positive influence on those I come in contact with. I am an educator for 28 years. I am the music teacher at Coit Creative Arts Academy, a k-5 creative arts school with Grand Rapids Public. As students leave their elementary years and go on to secondary education, many students talk of meaningful productions such as our Black History presentations, or school musicals, and some aspire to continue on in the arts. Read more>>

Hector Longoria

After recording NDGO’s song, “Losing Game” we focused on a music video idea and artwork for the single. I asked Kevin McDermott for assistance on both aspects. He ended up using a stock image of two men boxing which is what you see on the released single. Kevin also suggested finding a gym to set up a boxing match for the music video. Read more>>

Chelle Ellis

Four of my projects since 2020 are very meaningful to me for different creative reasons, so I will talk about each one: Read more>>

LaTrelle Lloyd

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a logo/apparel campaign for local rapper, Juice Lord. I’ve known Juice Lord since he was 13 years old and we are from the same neighborhood in St. Paul, MN. Read more>>

Jared Tseng

I’m a huge fan of personal projects, and I believe that they are a great way to keep yourself from burnout. There’s a particular project that I have been working on for awhile now. Some time ago I started buying and using old expired film. What drew me to it was the element of unpredictability it offered. Read more>>

A’Noelle Jackson

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is a documentary called Badass Women Doing Kick Ass Shit: Politics. This project is the most impactful project I’ve worked on because the film is centered on Mona Das, 7 BIPOC women in the realm of politics. Each candidate, including Mona, answers a series of questions that enlighten viewers about their daily lives as well as the struggles they faced during their campaign trail. Read more>>

Ilaria Malvezzi

I am currently developing my passion project, dear to my heart: the psychological-erotic-thriller “Sins.” Inspired by the Italian novelist Giovanni Verga’s “La Lupa” (She-Wolf) from 1880. Read more>>

Michelle Marin

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on was creating a series of portraits of long term care home residents and healthcare workers. Read more>>

Seth Young

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is probably the current comic I doing with writer William Clemons. It started out in 2019 at sci-fi Valley Con. William approached me looking for an artist to work on his story he’d had kicking around for years. At the time I had just gotten out of a couple of failed comic projects with little to no pay. Read more>>

Brandon Williamson

As a spoken word artist, you get the opportunity to share your story with the world. The best part about this is that you get to tell your story in your own words and in your own way. The reason why I started Pure Ink was to create a platform that allows people to have and share their voice and their story. Read more>>

Jessica Pantoja

Most of the projects I have worked on have been meaningful for me in one way or another. Each project has its appeal, which is why I decide to take them. Many variables represent meaning to me, which I consider to choosing a job. I prefer to pass on the offer if I don’t find a challenge or a moral reward. Read more>>

Linda Donlin

Thank you for the opportunity to share one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on in my life. As background, I’ve always been a writer and had a rewarding career in Public Relations. After retiring, I launched a second career as an artist. I also have nine grandchildren, and my husband and I enjoy creating memories with them. This project grew out of my love for all of these things: family, writing and art. Read more>>

Massimo Di Leo

As NuvolaProject, an artistic crew of two (Massimo Di Leo and Gaia Riposati), we have always considered it essential to utilize our “artistic power” – the ability to captivate people’s attention, if only for the duration of a performance or exhibition – to raise awareness about topics and issues we find significant. Read more>>

Sarah Pfeifer

The most meaningful project that I created recently is called “Everybody’s Hollywood”. It was my senior thesis in college. I graduated in May 2020 so due to Covid, it was never shown. This project was inspired by the Body Positivity Movement and the recent push for representation for all in media. With this body of work, I addressed the question, “What would Hollywood have looked like if it was diverse all along?” Read more>>

Phoebe Allegra

The most meaningful project I have worked on thus far, is an indie feature film called “The Videoblogs.” It is the project that opened my eyes to mental health advocacy and just so happened to be my first professional feature film. I had already been thinking about giving therapy a “try”. It is so taboo where I am from and I wasn’t sure how to really jump in. Read more>>

Stacey Gregory

Canvas Rebel Meaningful Project My most meaningful project is the one that I’m working on now (pictured). It’s bringing together all of my skills, from developing the concept, to building with unconventional materials, to painting. I am thoroughly engrossed in the creative process. It’s working title is “In the Garden of Good and Evil” though I originally called it “Continuum.” Read more>>

David Houle

I started writing songs during the pandemic to help me navigate my emotions. I struggled for almost a decade with substance abuse and finally got sober four years ago. However, living alone during the pandemic and seeing all contracts cancelled was heartbreaking. I was determined to remain sober and push threw in a healthy way. So many creatives that make a full-time living from choreographing, teaching and performing lost all sources of income almost overnight. Read more>>

Cindy Aviles

In the midst of a successful career in sales for the construction sector, difficult life experiences made me change my mindset gradually until I felt the strong need to start my own path and un dust my career opening my own studio for Interior design plus other creative services for the trade. With one main purpose in mind, creating moments & spaces that inspire, nurture, heal and bring joy to those who hire my services. Read more>>

Kevin M. Kraft

When I was a child, living in upstate New York, I came up with a number of adventure stories that “occurred” in our area…because nothing ever happened there on its own. One of these tales involved a Bigfoot-type creature terrorizing the town. Well, when I finally embarked on my filmmaking endeavor, Read more>>

Eunmi Ko

I am a pianist and founder/president of Contemporary Art Music Project(CAMP), the new music organization founded in 2021. I moved to Tampa (FL) in 2014 and always missed the culture of new music/ensemble music performances. In 2021, I decided not to wait any longer and start my own organization to present new music to the community. Read more>>

Miles Drake

Honesty is everything with creativity. Inputting honesty into your work as a creative can be tough because as artists we are either consciously or unconsciously seeking to please. Finding the balance between meaningful work and work created to sell proves to be a tough task consistently when creating. Read more>>

Lyanna Kea

My new series, “Life of Kea” is being funded by Screen Australia! YAY! Read more>>

Andrea Barrera

My most meaningful projects to date have been building the Luxury Latinx Network and creating the first-ever Latina Luxury Retreats for my community. What makes these projects meaningful to me is the purpose behind their existence. Years ago, when I started my first business, I was told that my brand didn’t belong in the luxury space. Read more>>

Eitan Avineri

Twelve years ago, I approached and commissioned my good friend and colleague, Benny Golbin (RIP) to arrange ten songs of the biggest hits from the most influential band to come out of Jamaica, The Skatalites. Each chart was arranged for a big band (17 musicians) a la Count Basie and Duke Ellington and was created to pay tribute to the band that originated they musical style called ska. Read more>>

Linh Tang

My most meaningful projects are also the most bluntly vulnerable work I have done in the span of my photographic career. One of them is a series of photographs that reflect my constant state of mind and the personal experiences that are rooted in my identity. Read more>>

Cirice Adams

The project I am currently working on is an album that shares a lot of personal struggles and trauma. Although last album, we may have spent 5 years making it, but this album feels like it actually means something and that it could amount to something if people heard it. Read more>>

Hillary Taylor

The Posthumous Pardon Project is something we sort of stumbled into as an organization. Aside from actively working to stop all executions in South Carolina, I believe it’s the most important work we are doing at SCADP. Read more>>

Kenneth Kellogg

I just completed a run of 9 different productions of the opera Blue by Jeanine Tesori and. Tazewell Thompson. I got a call from my agent telling me Francesca Zambello wanted me to do something. I’ve respected her work for years and wasn’t going to say “No” to any project she wanted me to do. I was then introduced to the composer Jeanine, who needed to hear me sing so she could write the part for my specific voice. Read more>>

Kerri Meyer

Here on our regenerative farm, we grow scores of varieties of delicious fruit. In our first few seasons of farming, we went to the finest farmers markets in the Twin Cities and would regularly sell out of our beautiful produce, with hard-to-find flavors fetching a very good price. Now, as the home of a faith-based ministry, Read more>>