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.

Kyrus Keenan Westcott

Working as a mental health content creator on Instagram and Facebook has been the best experience of my entire life. It is such a meaningful project and responsibility that I proudly take on every day. I love being able to use my platform to brighten people’s days, demystify the conversation around mental health, and end the stigma surrounding it. Read more>>

Emma Kuhlman

The further I expand across mediums, from acting, to docs, directing, or design- the more clearly I see the through line of my asking; what is it like to have a body? An unexpected exploration of this was shooting “The 48” across the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We captured ultra-marathon runners William Peterson and Xander Kiether summiting all forty eight, 4,000 foot mountains in under three days, fourteen hours, and fifty nine minutes- you have to watch the film to believe it. Witnessing this athletic achievement first hand was simply on another level… It’s so powerful to be around people who are soul-smiling, and beaming with having attempted or achieved the impossible. Read more>>

Mack Graham

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on is the founding and development of a nonprofit consulting firm called Neighborhood Hope Dealerz, which ultimately led to the publication of my book, “Neighborhood Hope Dealerz: A Guide To Empower Communities From Within”. Read more>>

Sharay McCain

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was for Kim Kardashian and her brand SKIMS. I had just started modeling and was being denied almost everywhere. July was the toughest month for me because I received an email telling me, in short, I just didn’t have what it takes to be a model. I almost quit. A few weeks later I was working with a major brand on a major campaign. That same campaign launched on my 30th birthday. It was truly a moment that I felt was divine intervention. This taught me true perseverance and what going after your dreams is truly like. I am forever grateful to SKIMS for taking a chance on me. I believe they are the reason doors started opening for me. Read more>>

Kristy Mickelsen

I am Currently working on a project called Christmas for the seniors of Amarillo, where I will be hosting a Christmas party for the residents of our local nursing home. I have been very blessed in my life and career so I felt it was time that I gave back and I look forward to spending time with some wonderful members of my community. Read more>>

Ruben Castro

Absolutely, I’d love to share a project that holds a special place in my heart. Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to work on recording the song “Solo Que Lo Dudes” by Banda MS and Yahritza y su Esencia. This project was not only musically enriching but also deeply meaningful on a personal level. The song “Solo Que Lo Dudes” is a beautiful blend of regional Mexican music and heartfelt lyrics. It tells a story of love, commitment, and the importance of trusting one another in a relationship. The collaboration between Banda MS and Yahritza y su Esencia brought together two incredibly talented musical groups, each with their unique style and fan base. Read more>>

Kenneth Brown II

During the past few years, I participated in several meaningful projects, such as performing with esteemed groups and artists. This included Alphonso Johnson of Weather Report as well Hubert and Ronnie Laws for the Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain tribute directed by Todd Simon. Months later, I performed with South Side Symphony featuring Ms. Andra Day and Chloe X Halle for Tina Knowles-Lawson’s Art Gala. My projects included the Season 22 and 23 Finale of the Thece with contestants from John Legend and Kelly Clarkson’s team. Recently, I was hired to write a score for a short film called ‘Deserve’ which premiered at the Indie Nights Film Festival, the Silicon Beach Film Festival, and received an international selection at the AIMAFF Festival in Athens. In addition to the above meaningful projects, I received my first sponsorship from Westone Audio. Read more>>

Kim Hlavac

I have had many meaningful projects in my lifetime. It’s difficult to highlight just one, but I’ll go with the “project” that first came to mind. I attended the New York City professional High School of Performing Arts majoring in the acting department when it was located on West 46th Street & Broadway right in the heart of Times Square. The movie FAME with Irene Cara & the tv series was based on our high school, Now renamed as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and located behind Lincoln Square and Juilliard. Each acting student chooses scenes to work on in class with just a few chosen to be performed for the whole school during our assembly gatherings. My scene partner and I chose to do a scene from, “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson. Read more>>

Lizi Phoenix

I love using art as a medium to connect people to a memory. This winter I had the pleasure of making this happen in a completely new way. I was commissioned to create the guest gifts for an intimate wedding in the Swiss Alps. We wanted the gifts to be functional and easy to pack, extremely meaningful, and to convey an appreciation for the journey guests had taken to be present. This type of personalized challenge is a thrill for me and I immediately got to work on the concept. Each guest ended up receiving a custom, hand-painted luggage tag. When pieced together, the painted tags displayed the iconic Alps exactly as seen from the window of the wedding venue. Individually, each tag is a miniature work of abstract art. Together, they tell an epic, snow capped love story. Read more>>

Tommy Danger

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is a song called Better Dayz. The song is about having resilience and optimistic about the future. The song capture a story of me overcoming adversity growing up. Coming from a broken home, being bullied and watching my mom in a abusive marriage. However my grandmother used to always say that with a mustard seed of faith you can move a mountain. The song is a Collab with producer Dom_Brady, vocalist A.M. Ceralvo and DJ MikeC. We’ve all met in a Web3 community called Squad of Knights that was created by Grammy award winning producer Illmind. Read more>>

Mike Mentz

When the pandemic hit, I had a lot of time to think. In the span of a week I went from having 18 months of shows booked to having…zero shows booked.
Space to ponder amidst massive change led to an avalanche of new ideas, and I soon had a long list of projects in the making. I told myself I couldn’t possibly do them all and that I’d need to choose one or maybe two that I’d focus on creating…but every time I tried, I just couldn’t whittle down the list. Read more>>

Jonathan Freemantle

I spent the week alone in a basic, beautiful and remote bothy in the Cairngorm mountains in the north of Scotland, lovingly restored by its owner, my friend Hugo. I was making paint from the rocks I found in the surrounding hills, which I ground and mixed with a water from the nearby stream and a binding medium. I grew up in Cape Town but in many ways this part of the planet has become a spiritual home. The weather is extreme, unrelenting, brutal at times. Yet there is also a softness, an overwhelming silence and a feeling of being held in a kind of inner sanctum. Read more>>

Corey Kupfer

The genesis of my hopeful next feature film, This is Adam, came from the festival tour for my first feature film entitled Seven Days, an anthology film where one actress plays seven women across seven stories. I engaged in deep and encouraging conversations with audiences about, among other things, gender roles, mostly surrounding how I, being born a man, could write for not one, but seven women. I discussed my reluctance to write male characters, and my disinterest at the time, for the masculine never equated to safety for me, while the feminine has been a refuge. Man’s closed down, dishonest nature does not reflect the kind of films and characters that excite me, films rife with emotional transcendence. Read more>>

Maryam Myika Day

Currently, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date is my new children’s book co-authored with my 8-year-old daughter. Entitled, This is My Story, is a 40-page picture book, designed to start the conversation around, children experiencing adversity, the loss of a loved one, and freedom of expression when sometimes words are not enough. Read more>>

Katharine Pettit

Nick Halaris

My name is Nick Halaris and I am the author of the Profit+ Newsletter, the host of The Nick Halaris Show, and the founder and President of Metros Capital, a real estate investment company. My mission is to inspire a rebirth of civic virtue in the world and help people learn how the demands of citizenship can unlock a new meaning of success in life. I believe that business can and should be a force for good and am dedicated to pursuing a vision of success that prioritizes the well-being of the community over individual achievement. Read more>>

Susan Lizotte

Painting my Spring Map series has been the most meaningful project! When Covid hit the world it was terrifying. Navigating the Pandemic of 2020 gave me the time to be completely introspective. I turned to old Renaissance maps to tell my story of living through a pandemic and exploring the timelessness of disease and its impact on countries, people, borders. Taking old maps and creating new ones using figurative as well as abstract paint language offered up a whole new way of crafting a painting series project. Using soft spring colors and fluid and thick paint application gave a new perspective to me on my painting process. Since time was not of the essence I was even able to procure real sheepskin and deerskin parchment for some of my maps. Read more>>

FILFURY

An on going collaboration with myself and GO Athletics has to be one of my most meaningful projects to date… I often find my favorite work is that with limited resources, it makes me think of creative solutions that can be executed with minimal components. BUT still be powerful and meet my expectations of high craft level. I met Rene (founder of GO) a few years ago, and on first meeting he told me about his passion for helping people be the best they can be, empowering the youth and uplifting the community. These values aligned with where I want my skills to help people, so knew this was something I had to be part of. Read more>>

Lissie Stewart

I’ve been very blessed to work on many meaningful projects through our nonprofit. Most recently I facilitated “Art in the Park”, a $10,000 public art initiative supporting an artist cohort in the creation of en plein air paintings at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center. After extending a Call for Artists across the state, the 2023 Art in the Park Cohort was selected through a highly competitive process. Artists, families, art and nature lovers were encouraged to come and witness a day of painting and enjoying the 86 acres of mixed forest habitat and wetlands that the nature center has to offer. On Saturday September 16th ten Louisiana based artists took over the Audubon for a day of public art and appreciation of our natural surroundings. 10 Artists. 1 Day. 10 Artworks. Read more>>

Tonya Seavers Evans

For so many women, they have dedicated much of their lives to supporting others – their husbands, their children, etc. Once they reach middle age and have children who are less dependent, they are often at a crossroads with what to do next. I am really excited about launching a series of courses and workshops coming in January 2024. One of the courses is called from Here to There and it was created to help women uncover dreams that they may have delayed or goals they may have put on the back burner until now. We use the concept of mapping on that dream on a napkin first and then create a strategy to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. Read more>>

Nyahzul Blanco

I love that as a tattoo artist I can create projects that are super meaningful for my clients. Pieces where I can tell their stories and give life to them through this art form. Read more>>

Mai Yap

There are 3 topics that constantly occupy my mind: 1. Conveying an urgency to the preservation of our planet. 2. Exploration of my Chinese, Panamanian and American identity 3. Reproductive Justice, specifically menopause Read more>>

Ziba Shirazi

A couple of years ago, I was inspired by a ninety-five years old lady to start an honoring project. She asked her children not to wait for her funeral day to show their appreciation; and celebrate her life when she was with them. I went to live with her for almost a week and recorded her life story, gathered meaningful pictures, and performed her life story on her 95th birthday, with 350 of her family members and friends. As she told me later, “That was the best night of my life”. Read more>>

Akanksha Manna

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is “Sketching with Seniors,” a community-based initiative that aimed to connect younger generations with older adults through art. The idea for “Sketching with Seniors” came about during a brainstorming session for senior project ideas, where I was looking for a way to combine my passion for art and community service. I was drawn to ( get it!) the concept of intergenerational connections and the potential for learning from the lived experiences of older adults all while having fun! Read more>>

Jane Baldridge

Oceana Phenomena is my current project and the culmination of every skill I have acquired as an artist and the outcome from my water centric life. Watching my childhood sandcastles fall to the continued impertinent rolling in of waves and tide captivated me. It was but a miniature version of what happens all around the globe. Now, much of the coastal areas of the planet have reason to watch their own erosion, subsidence and the rising tides reshape their world. I believe that those people who do not go out on the ocean and witness its power and beauty may not understand what happens with the rushing water borne on a storm. Currents, tides and runoff change the land, scouring some here, depositing some there. It can be beautiful or terrifying. As powerful as the ocean is, it cannot defend itself from man-made pollution and problems. Read more>>

Jade Starling

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on is having our #1 Platinum Smash Hit record “Catch Me, I’m Falling “-Pretty Poison be included on the soundtrack of the Netflix series “Monster:The Jeffrey Dahmer Story “.. We got the call from our publishing company about a year before the series aired to get our permission to use the song. They actually sent the script of the scene the song would be used in. We were so excited to work with Ryan Murphy on one of his productions, this was truly a dream come true. The song was used in Episode 4 and actually plays twice during the scene.The show has gone on to win 4 Golden Globe Awards and is nominated for 5 Emmys. Also it has become of one of the most watched Netflix series in history with over a billion views. I’m thrilled to be going to the Emmy Awards in January 2024 to witness first hand all of the excitement. Read more>>

Jamartae Jackson

The most impactful piece I’ve had to date has to be my most precious of projects. It’s something that I think will continue as it has different iterations. 52 weeks of Joy Vol 1. & 2 are by far my favorite projects as they contain the metamorphosis of my very being. You quite literally see art transform a broken heart full of grief into an ocean overflowing with peace surrounded by the love of the most high. The dopest thing about each iteration is the fact that I had the meanest form or artist block in each situation. I didn’t want to take any pictures. I would look at instruments of joy and be like, man get that camera out of my face. Read more>>

Matteo Freyrie

I’ve had the pleasure of working on the organisation of a branded Eat The Beat show in Melbourne presenting Loco Dice, and also be the Dj warming up the dance-floor for him! I remember years ago when i started attending club nights as a party goer with my friends i used to travel often to different cities to follow him and be present at his performances and he really made a difference with his music, It triggered in me a passion for electronic music thanks to a rhythm that I found and still find irresistible! From there, I began to have a passion for Djing, and having had the opportunity to organise the event and play before him was a unique experience that I had dreamed of for a long time and will never forget! Read more>>

Brianna Paulino

Originally, it was simply a school club idea. As someone who has a passion for the creative arts, I wanted a space for me to share my creativity. I was shocked to notice that my school didn’t have an outlet for those in the creative fields to express themselves. I thought it was abnormal since my high school has majors dedicated to the arts. With that in mind, I wanted to revive the school’s literary magazine during my freshman year of high school. After a whole month of planning the ins and outs, I brought the idea to the principal to initiate this club once again. Read more>>

Macy Camille

One of my recent projects that I wrote the music for, “Above the Water”, is a poetic physical theatre piece that explores the complex emotional landscape of grief along with the depths of love and loss. The show, which most recently played at The Den Theatre in Chicago, broke down the stages of grief and invited members of the community to share their poems and stories about grief. Read more>>

Lórien Eck

In October 2012 I was inspired to combine my passion for painting with my other gifts. I felt excited to see where this spark would take me and my artwork. I began to experiment with a few of my friends and really enjoyed the results and shared their Soul Cosmology™ painting with them. They really enjoyed the experience too! Read more>>

Bianca McGraw

I found myself lost as an artist after the shooting that took place in Buffalo on May 14, 2022. I was struggling with America’s addiction to guns and decided to create a watercolor project using coffee. The project involved me using the idea of Coffee addiction juxtaposed to America’s Gun addiction. My coffee paintings were both celebratory and sobering, foregrounding the creativity of various Buffalo-based Black artists such as Ten Thousand, Jillian Hanesworth, DJ Sike, and Drea D’Nur; juxtaposed with gun violence and the lives lost at the Tops Friendly Markets. I started this project as a way to process the shooting in Buffalo. Read more>>

Nate Kreiter

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on is the one I am currently working on. I’ve been a fashion designer for around 10 years, and most of those were spent trying to prove I could do it, mostly to myself, but also to the world. One thing I learned quickly is that the world usually doesn’t care, and you just need to focus on doing it for yourself, your joy, and why you started doing it in the first place. Read more>>

Grafia Drag

The Grafia Drag project came up as an extension activity at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). We began writing texts about our experiences as drag artists, in October 2023 we are going to complete 2 years with almost 50 texts published. Nowadays, this extension activity has become a collective of Brazilian drag artists, we started a podcast and some public conversation circles about drag art. This project is meaningful because it allows us to produce knowledge from our own experiences. This way we are not objects of study anymore, we became agents producing and sharing wisdom about the drag art scene that we are constructing. Read more>>

Linnette Harrigan

My first job as a Music & Media producer was back in 2012. I was hired to produce a Japanese TV Commercial for the KIRIN BRAND. I had advertising contacts in Japan at the time, who wanted an American theme for their coffee commercial, which was titled KIRIN FIRE NEO – “NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS.” It was one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on and I’ll never forget it! Read more>>

Quasheem D Herring

The most meaningful project I worked on was the Dame Dashed Produced Tubi’s Very own Black Money is my first Lead in a Feature Film the reason it is so significant is because of what happened before this project began filming I was on another project called Negative Exposure which was making its release around the time I was preparing for the role of Ace in Black Money and the day before the project Negative Exposure was released I got some unfortunate news after all my promoting all my marketing all my prep for the role learning lines back stories the whole nine. Read more>>

Tiffany Ealy

My current book that just came out Rejection A Destiny Stealer : Teen Edition is dear to me because many adults harbor pain from rejection and trauma and things of the past and go into adulthood unhealed. This book was birth from the original version of the book, but it was written with the teens and teen issues in mind. In order to walk in destiny and thrive as an adult healing from trauma and childhood issues is important. This project has meaning because I want to see our teens healing and thriving and not holding on to the past and missising out on destiny. Read more>>

Justin Clay

I recently recorded and created a music video for a song I have called Green. Green summarizes a lot for me. I like to poke fun at the culture and for years, the neo hippy ideology has always provided me with plenty of troubling and humorous material. I suppose my main beef with it is it just seems so escapist. And this could be said of any vapid world view composed of randomly hodge podged fix it all philosophies. Read more>>

Brandy Heyde Montague

What makes a project meaningful? I’ve been contemplating this question since I entered the full-time workforce when I was 19. I had landed what most people considered a dream job at Disney, and to be honest I pinched myself every day to be there. I would enter my office right behind the Tower of Terror and wonder how I got to be the luckiest girl in the world. Yet, I had a gnawing feeling that I wasn’t in the right place. Read more>>

Polaris Castillo

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is me. Taking a chance on myself and working through that risk has made me the most content as an artist. It’s something that feels all the more rewarding the harder it gets. There is nobody to rely on but me. It’s a feeling that can be both fulfilling but terrifying. By making my own art my biggest project, I can find ways to stay afloat in this economy while doing what I love. Read more>>

Casey Robin

Early on in my career I wanted so badly to be recognized, to have my name attached to a big, shiny project or some legacy studio. I chased that vision of success until it started to morph into something ugly, something I didn’t want. For a time I felt like I didn’t know what I wanted. Then I met a wonderful friend, Jericca Cleland. I was a little intimidated by her at first because she was so talented. She was brilliant, confident, and had worked on some of my very favorite movies. After we connected on an animators’ panel she sent me an email. “Would you like to work on my movie?” I responded with an enthusiastic “Yes.” In the space of about two years, we have done beautiful, meaningful work together. It’s all still under NDA, so I can’t discuss it just yet, but I am finally painting the kinds of genuinely lovely Visual Development art I have always dreamed of. Read more>>