Every once in a while we have the good fortune of working on a project that we feel truly matters, a project that we’ll still be thinking about years from now. Maybe even something we can imagine telling our grandkids about – surely you’ve had moments like that where something you did in your professional life really mattered?

Sofia Martinez

One of the most inspiring projects I’ve been a part of was Yerma by Federico Garcia Lorca. I got to play Victor and other characters with an all female cast and all in Spanish play. This story is about a woman’s fertility and the suppression in the Spanish culture in Lorca times. I believe this is a very relevant topic even nowadays because of all the journey women have to go through to find their own voices. I had a great time through this journey with Foolish Company and the latin community giving life to this story. I recently got to play a part in a Short Film by Celeste Lanuza. Playing Teresa was
very special to me because it includes the inner secret journey a dancer goes through. This opportunity led me to continue working with Celeste by being a part of her dance company. Read more>>

Pavle Kujundzic

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the one I’m working on now. It is my first EP. The musical debut project I make as an adult – the first project I feel like I want to do right – which is probably why it is taking me so long to complete. The circumstances are simple. I haven’t published any music since the songs I used to make in high-school to amuse my friends. I’ve never published something that I feel has true meaning. So this is important to me, it is important that I share whatever I need to say, in the most honest way possible, and for it to be produced properly. It’s like waiting for stars to align. Read more>>

Ben Everard

I recently wrapped a film called WAY OF THE WARRIOR KID, based on a book by Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. The message of the film resonates strongly with me, and I am hopeful its themes of resilience, discipline, dedication, and hard work, will connect with an audience. Read more>>

Arzu Ozkal

In 2011, when I became pregnant with my first child, I started encountering the professional biases that women face when they choose to have children. A 2012 New York Times article titled Talking About Why Women Can’t Have It All discussed how real change requires a shift in social norms, encouraging open discussions about work-life compromises. I saw how these biases persisted across industries, including the art world, where mothers often face unique challenges. Read more>>

Amy Harms

The core of my artwork is about weaving sentimental bits and pieces of albums/songs/items into my artwork…so all of my works tend to have some sort of a tangible meaningful element. But the piece that sticks out to me right now is a commission I started the year with, it was a surprise piece of art from my client to her husband. This couple own a couple of Nashville companies, they are deeply embedded in the music community and were shutting down one venue to focus on some new ventures. The business they shut down was a music/wine bar venue that held concerts and they had created dozens and dozens of concert promo posters for all of their events. Essentially my client gave me all the posters and I cut them up and wove them all into one of my paintings…embedding the soul of their event venue into one piece of art for them to cherish forever. The look of surprise and wonderment, the tears from both of them when they were going through all the tiny bits of pieces of their past…they were thrilled to have something beautiful for their home that they could also commemerate the closing of a chapter in their lives. It makes my heart happy to know the deeper level of meanings all my commissions have with my clients, when they look upon my weaves it has a whole elevated level of sentimentality to them, more than anyone else. Read more>>

Rebecca Trujillo Vest; Jordan Stobbe; Carls Woolf

We would say the founding of Pandion Music Foundation (PMF) a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 2022 by the three of us. We are spread across three continents but joined by our dedication to fostering growth in the music creator community. PMF recognizes that many independent and emerging artists do not have the access to the resources or networks that are required to build their careers. To help change this situation Pandion offers free, weekly online programs for artists ranging from such topics as songwriting, production, music licensing, and sync agencies among others. PMF was created to provide real-world tools and nurture the music creator community across all lines of diversity and inclusion. Read more>>

Josiah Reyes

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my wildlife photography. It’s more than just a creative outlet; it’s been instrumental in shaping my skills and my approach to photography as a whole. Wildlife photography taught me the art of adaptability—how to quickly assess and respond to ever-changing, often unpredictable conditions. Out in nature, there’s no controlling the light, the movement, or the subjects themselves. That skill set has carried over beautifully into my work in film, where being adaptable and making the most of available lighting is essential. Read more>>

Kellette Elliott

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on was my Vulnerability Series using analog collage. For the last six years, I have dealt with chronic pain in my back. I have undergone numerous surgeries trying to figure out the cause with little success. But collage has been a way for me to escape the pain and frustration. I love to sit at my round table, xacto knife in hand, and cut out vintage images that represent how I am feeling at the moment. I seek out images of the backs of women, then depending on how I am feeling that day- birds, wings, flowers, or many other imagery can be connected with the image of the back. Read more>>

Gabby Lee

One of the most meaningful projects I had the privilege to work on was Threads of Justice with the Asian American Advocacy Fund. In this project, 12 artists were asked to explore what it means to be an Asian American living in the South. Using denim jackets as our canvases, each artist repurposed the jackets to represent our unique visions of the topic. In my jacket, I expressed themes of hope and love for family through the language of Korean art. These are themes that are prevalent in many immigrant stories, and is also personal to mine as well. I was so proud to share my Korean heritage in this work, and to be a part the discussion about our experiences and hopes for the future. Each artist came from different backgrounds with vastly different perspectives, but through this project I saw how connected we were as a community. Just as the name of this project, Threads of Justice suggests, each of us were one part of a vast tapestry of woven threads that is our community. Read more>>

Jo’liza John

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is TGDM, or ‘They Got Dat Mojo,’ a mixtape initiative I launched to honor and elevate the diverse musical talent of my hometown, the Virgin Islands. What began as a simple mixtape in 2019 quickly evolved through a new futuristic vision: TGDM expanded into networking events, the Virgin Islands Music Awards, and the TGDM VIP Experience, complete with perks like a 360 photo booth, red carpet interviews, and exclusive access to unreleased VI music. TGDM is a chapter of Dat Mojo Entertainment (DME), and DME’s mission for TGDM is to teach and inspire through art and music, recognize excellence, and cultivate the well-being of the Virgin Islands arts community, while ensuring that music remains an ineffaceable part of the culture. Read more>>

Cheyenne Puga

I’ve worked on many projects that have meant a lot to me, and I currently have what is probably the most meaningful one in the works. However, the first project I truly connected with on a deep level was a film called Heroin Still Kills. I played the lead role of Heather, a ballerina who falls into heroin addiction after taking pain pills for an injury. The film’s purpose is to educate communities—particularly youth—about the dangers of pills, drugs, and addiction, and to show how it can happen to anyone. Addiction has claimed the lives of many friends I grew up with and deeply impacted the lives of my loved ones. The opportunity to take on this role was cathartic, educational, and an experience that was profoundly meaningful to me. It proved how powerful art can be and affirmed that I made the right decision in pursuing, what many consider, a daunting career path. Read more>>

Ashley Delaney

I have a meaningful practice. I collect recyled, upcycled and found objects that once had purpose but have sense been lost, donated or discarded. I don’t usually start with the end in mind when I collect my treasures. Sometimes my treasures sit in my studio for years before I understand what their new life is to become. Sometimes I know immediately what their new purpose is to be. Each object I acquire was created by someone or many someones. As I am working with the creations of others that came before me I feel a sense of collaboration. With my background being in the theatre, collaboration is at the heart of what I love. Being a studio artist can be a very isolating venture and my practice allows me to honor and connect with the creative genius of artists of all kinds. Read more>>

Yizhen Zhang

I have a recently accomplished project called Win or Lose. It is a biographical multimedia project primarily consisting of still photographs, supplemented with texts, video interviews, and a photo-book. This project concentrates on Win Tang, a 25-year-old Chinese barber who is the same age as me, who has lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. Notwithstanding his youth, he possesses concealed secrets and encounters that surpass his chronological age. This is the first independently produced multi-media project by myself and gained some great awards and recognitions worldwide.  Read more>>

Isabel “chavela” Figueroa

As an artist, I feel very deeply when it comes to my work and I put my love and care into whatever I create. Painting murals at the Balderrama park in Oceanside, California so far has been the most meaningful to me because it hits close to home. When I first heard about the project I knew I just had to get involved because that park is the heart of Pozole, the community my family is from. It got its name back in the early 1900s when Anita Cruz Romero immigrated from Mexico to the US as a widowed mother needing to make a living to care for her son. She started cooking and selling posole to nearby farmworkers and a community formed dubbing it the Pozole neighborhood ever since. Flash forward to the 1970s my grandparents settled in the neighborhood after having their own journey immigrating from Jalisco to the US and this is the place my parents grew up in. Read more>>

Shaun White

My single most meaningful and important project I’ve worked on, would still have to be my college graduation thesis, short film, CASSETTE: https://youtu.be/ePCmPqsNsgw?si=hJzTI6UoI-vQm1Hu. Back in 2018, at the end of summer, I graduated at the top of my class, at The Los Angeles Film School, located in the heart of Hollywood, California, via Sunset Boulevard. Not only that, but I had the distinct honor and privilege of screening my short film during my, our graduation ceremony, in the LAFS’ theater auditorium, located in the once RCA building. That very room, where I received my educational credentials, is the same room where my favorite musician, The Maestro himself, film composer, John Williams composed the Return of the Jedi, my favorite Star Wars film. Read more>>