Working on something meaningful is a common desire – but how? We started asking folks to share the story of how they ended up working on a project they felt was meaningful because we wanted inspiration but also because we wondered if hearing from people from across a range of industries would help us identify patterns making it more likely for anyone to be able to find and work on projects that they would find meaningful.
Sharon Lewis Ruff
My most meaningful project is the “I Failed” Podcast. SO! Picture me rolling… LOL! I’m just kidding. Seriously, I was inspired to create the podcast because of a conversation that I had with an old co-worker who was extremely happy about all of the accomplishments I posted on my timeline. To give you our story, we worked in retail at the time, making $10 an hour, which was rough. However, we made light of it all through laughter, food, and working endless hours to fund our dreams. Read more>>
Barrington Roberts
Flying Colors art show. Flying colors is about love, peace, and happiness through all of the chaotic life choices we make. The colors represent us and the flying keeps the balance to visualize the colors that we embrace to live our best life no matter what the circumstances maybe. Live in your truth. #Create4acause x #Art4aids. This exhibit was made to showcase art and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. Read more>>
JAY McKAY
My latest body of work “Fun in Flood” is a tribute to my city (New Orleans) and everyone who experienced hardship during Hurricane Katrina. Katrina took place August 23-31th 2005. I was 15 when Hurricane Katrina changed my life forever. We left home with intentions to return thinking it was just a storm, instead I was forced out of my existing reality and introduced to experiences that made me level up. My only outlet was my art, this was all I had to keep my mind off the troubles of the storm, and the displacement of my family and friends. Read more>>
Shades of Oleander
We had the privilege of participating with The Sing Me a Story Foundation on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a young person named Calvin who wrote a story called Jumanji 3. The foundation’s mission is “to serve deserving families in need through the imaginative stories of their children and the power of music. With the help of songwriters, We create music inspired by the creative stories of children. Read more>>
JerMarco Britton
The most meaningful project I have ever worked on was creating the obituary for my grandmother who recently passed away in June of this year. She had lived to be 90 years old and was a mother to not only the 13 children she gave birth to but she also was a motherly-figure to many in the neighborhood we grew up in. Read more>>
Marty Morris
The most meaningful project actually started out as a cold email at the beginning of Covid. At the time I was living in San Antonio and the latest issue of San Antonio Magazine was delivered to my door. It was the annual food issue and highlighted the best restaurants in and around the San Antonio area. I reached out to the art director and editor in chief via email and expressed an interest in working with them as a contributing photographer. Prior to Covid I was more of an event and portrait photographer so this even caught me by surprise but I reached out anyway. Read more>>
Ti’rasTone
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my most recent project I’m working on releasing very soon which is called “i is you, you is i”. It’s a very non common name but it means that we’re connected basically, whenever i’m speaking on me I’m speaking on you … on us. such as I’m saying I’m going to win, you are gonna win with me! I don’t expect people to catch on fast but they will catch on. This project means a lot to me, I’ve finally put my pride aside with this project with speaking on things i normally don’t speak about and did songs I always second guessing about doing. Read more>>
Destiny Turner
Thus far, my most meaningful project was my second EP entitled “Genres”. The idea was to make one song from seven different genres of music and make them all in my style. Two weeks before my project was set to release, ALl of it was lost on a hard drive crash. No backup. Nothing saved. All of it gone. I was still working an 8-5 at the time. I decided to still try to make the deadline because we had a release party already announced. In one week, I completed 4 of the 7 songs from top to bottom. Read more>>
Hunter Yowell
I have many meaningful projects that I have enjoyed working on. Projects that go from paid commission work to personal fun filled art projects. The most meaningful art projects that I have worked on are the ones that I can really truly express myself with. I love to explore nature by painting butterflies, colorful beach scenes, and flowers. I love that I am able to incorporate this into my art. It can really bring the art to life, especially if you incorporate nature with portraits (which I love doing!). Read more>>
Chelsea Danburg
Designing the Expand System was an incredibly personal & meaningful project. Yet at the same time it fills a major need for countless other artists and neurodivergent people just like me. For my entire life, I banged my head against the wall “what is wrong with me? Why can’t I get my shit together?” I simply could not stick with an exercise routine, reduce the foggy brain feeling or lower my overwhelm, until I started using a productivity planner. It changed my life! I started running, took care of my health, and became sober. Read more>>
Froe Girl
The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on thus far, was the Black Lives Matter Mural that I completed in 2020 at a Caribbean restaurant in Brooklyn, New York. The restaurant is called Wray’s Caribbean and Seafood Cuisine and it is located on Myrtle Avenue. During the pandemic, I really tapped into my artistic side by finalizing a character named Froe Girl that I previously started, incorporating different versions of her into paintings and digital art. I was shocked to find that my paintings sold out and that I began to receive commissions. Read more>>
Lisa Valentine
I was asked to create ten pieces to celebrate the life of a man who passed away from COVID last year. This man was celebrated in his community and he had gifted my client a beautiful china set. He was known by several families in this neighborhood and so my client asked me to use my imagination and create various different Garden Flowers, Teacup Bird Feeders and I also created a beautiful totem Bird Bath. Read more>>
Tiffany Wright
The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on thus far is my visual to “Brown Skin Girl” by Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN & WizKiD entitled “love letter to my Hue.” It was meaningful for a few reasons. One was, because it was such a deviation from any project I ever produced and directed. The cornerstone of my brand MsDevotedTiff ever since I first launched it in 2018 is comedy. Every film that has been selected to be screened in a Film Festival is a comedy. I do comedic writing. My content that has went semi viral is comedic. I love parody and satire. People laugh because it’s funny yet true. Read more>>
Noah “RealVenom” Baker
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve had the pleasure of working on is my album “K. I. N. G.” A very different album from my usual sound and perspective on music, where I created an album within the genres of rock & metal specifically compared to just exclusively hip-hop. Of course the songs still shared elements of hip-hop/rap, R&B, and pop – but this was truly one of my first projects where the focus was on something outside of those typical trappings. Read more>>
Kuron Tony
Recently, we hosted a Down2Talk event called “Let’s Talk About It”, where we brought out artists and vendors we collaborated with to engage more with the community. The “Let’s Talk About It” event is the most meaningful project, to date, because back when we were discussing ideas in a pizza shop, this type of project seemed unreachable to us at the time. Read more>>
Lydia Winsor Brindamour
I recently completed my PhD in music composition at the University of California San Diego. As part of my dissertation, I created an evening length intermedia work. The project took the form of a “concert-installation” which staged a live performance of a composition I had written for piano and five strings within an immersive visual environment. In my conception, I drew on both the legacy of the Western concert tradition and characteristics of installation art. This project was incredibly meaningful for me in multiple different ways. Read more>>
Ronald Gross
Well, it’s been my pet project for a few years now and that is the “power of the crayon”. Due to limited space and having kids around, I’ve pivoted my art medium to drawings on paper in recent years. I’ve been experimenting with tools like pencil, ink, and watercolor, but crayons really spoke to me. It took me back to my childhood and the countless hours I spent drawing with them. I had an epiphany about them. Read more>>
Gary Lovelace
It has been two years since I was approached by a mental hospital to paint murals in their facility. This was not something I had thought of before but once I met with them and saw how drab and uninspiring the facility and rooms were, I fully understood. These kinds of facilities can’t have any item that can be removed from the wall or floor for safety reasons therefore they are stuck with plain painted rooms, many of which have no windows or blocked out windows. This inspired me to offer to paint nature scenes and give the impression that they were looking out a window. Read more>>
Emely Faggioli
One of the most meaningful aspects of what I get to do is creating the photos that you treasure for a lifetime and pass down to your children. I’ve had the honor of photographing expectant moms, new babies, and the soul crushing mission of documenting someone’s last photos. Read more>>
Lukás Connor
The current catalogue of music I’m working on, definitely. I used to make rap and hip-hop but in the last 8 months I have transitioned into punk/pop/rock and it has been so freeing to make music that is so genuine and true to myself. I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on as I feel it is the most vulnerable version of myself. Read more>>
Christine Galib
One of the creative projects I am most proud of is my writing. I am an independent author, which is meaningful to me because ever since I was a child, I’ve been world-building and writing. I love reading and writing, and as a creative, I need to get the ideas, characters, and stories in my head on paper–and then spend time with them to see what they’re trying to tell me. The creative process is very important to me, and it is important that as creatives, we support each other. Additionally, I’ve facilitated workshops on storytelling, creativity, and innovation, and other topics, as well as have served as a beta reader. Read more>>
Live Another Day
We have released 13 songs to date, we have two more in the recording process and there are many other songs that are in the beginning stages of becoming final masterpieces. It is very difficult to pick only one favorite, as these songs mean the world to us. Last summer, we released our newest song called, “I Find You”, which has been a fan favorite since the first day it was available. “I Find You” is about two teenagers trying to find their place within the relationship and going on their first date. Read more>>
Atria Eutsey
I wouldn’t say this is the most meaningful project but definitely something I look back on & I’m like “you did that!” I did a virtual DJ festival for my event anniversary All The Feels, I had 21 DJs including myself & a host, and I had to schedule the virtual sound checks, create the DJ schedule, come up with the creative direction, and market the event. It’s meaningful for me because not only did it show me the power of the event, but once again it confirmed I can do anything I put my mind to, I didn’t have a team, although I couldn’t have done it without all my DJ friends, I still had to execute everything by myself, not excluding the fact I came up with a creative to keep the event alive when everything was closed due to the pandemic. Read more>>
Josh Martinez-Davis
I would have to say working on “The Real Housewives of The Restoration” with director Stevie Walker-Webb, Costume Designer Kindal Almond and Oral Long, and Scenic Designer Anton Volovsek was my greatest project to date. So much of the core teaching at NYU, where I got my MFA, is about collaboration between the designers and directors. This project took that to a new level adding in a collaboration with the actors as well. The whole idea of this show was devised work. We took a full script from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and multiple Restoration era texts and made this production. Read more>>
Christa LaNatra
The Battle Bunnies NFT Project is what I’ve been working on nonstop for the last 9 months and it’s been incredible! I’ve been tattooing full-time since I graduated from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale back in 2012 and my husband and I opened our own studio, Into the Woods Tattoo Gallery. Tattooing is amazing and I loved it with all my heart, but it got to a point where I felt restricted in what I could create and where I could go with it. I had grown my clientele to the hundreds, was still pushing each design, but the tattoos were still walking away at the end of the day. That’s when I got introduced to the NFT space. Read more>>
Andrew Meador
The most meaningful project that I have worked on, recently, has been engineering and producing vocals for songs related to the modern social justice/DEIJ movements. I recorded the vocals for several artists and was part of a much larger team working on the songs, which is a really rewarding experience because I feel like I can just play my smaller part(s) well and spread out the work of finishing the song. I think the end result is generally always better than doing everything yourself. Read more>>
Nazareth Smith
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date is “Staple of Light”. This album is me, you….this album is us.
A journey through good and evil. Love and rage. I wanted the songs to hit hard when your in the car with your friends or all alone with your headphones. You know, when your all alone walking to school or work…the music just feels like you feel. Read more>>
Nosa BSB
The most meaningful project I have worked on so far is my Fifth project “Year Of The Underdog” it represents everything i’ve been through on my journey as an artist. I started releasing music consistently in 2017 and since then I have elevated with each drop but I still felt like my talent was bigger than the recognition I was getting, despite being overlooked I kept working and honing my skills as a rapper. Since 2019 I took a break from releasing projects and focused more on singles and this really helped my brand. I haven’t released any project in 3 years because I wanted to make my next move my best and I definitely achieved that with this Mixtape. Read more>>
Justin Simmonds
One of my most meaningful projects to date is a collaboration I recently had with Johnson and Alday Attorneys at Law. This collaboration was the first in hopefully a continual practice reestablishing the bridge connecting sequential art and brand messaging. I had first met with Bobby Johnson at the Strand Theater in Marietta, GA where our conversation eventual led to the “So what do you do” portion of the evening and in introducing him to my craft he became enamored with the creative possibilities. Read more>>
1212 Flix
The most meaningful project we’ve worked on is definitely our YouTube Channel 1212 Flix. We were first time parents during a pandemic and being safely distanced from family was taking its toll. We basically wore out the FaceTime feature. Instead of sitting idle on camera, we decided to document the growth of our family for our loved ones to witness and feel apart of the process. With our media and music backgrounds, the videos took on the form of a reality show and began getting views from organic subscribers. Read more>>
Madeleine Berckley
Over the summer, I got the wonderful experience of Stage Managing Bring It On at the Hobby Center with Theatre Under the Stars. It truly was a life changing experience and one that I will never forget. I had been dreaming of finding an opportunity like this since I started stage managing my sophomore year of high school. The skills that I gained from this and the coworkers that I got to learn from were incredible. Read more>>
Joni Zavitsanos
Growing up, I was exposed to my father’s great talent as an artist by sitting in his studio and watching him work. He would give me paper, pencils, ink, crayons and paint so I could work along side him. I think I could draw before I could speak or write, and it was truly a gift he gave me that I am ever grateful for. He was mainly a Byzantine Iconographer, creating religious work for churches around the world. Read more>>
Stephen Cue
I am in such a space of gratitude right now. This past June I released my 1st official album called “POSTCARDS”. It’s been a long time coming because I’ve been in and around music for all my life. I have to remind myself that as an artist I’m still new. Because I can easily begin comparing myself to others around me. Read more>>
Amanda Victoria Eppolito
As I go on year four of living in Nashville, I’ve learned a ton. But one major theme is that everyone’s journey is completely different. Upon getting to Music City I was overwhelmed with the amount of contradicting recipes for “success.” After chasing everyone else’s ideas, I finally grew tired and decided I would forge my own path and run it at my own pace. Read more>>
Jorge Andres Castillo
The Berlin Wall In January 1989, I was studying Communication Design at the University of Essen in West Germany. On the billboard of the faculty, I saw a paper where international students were invited to attend a German culture seminar in the city of Berlin. The organizer was the DAAD the German student exchange service. The workshop aimed to deepen knowledge about German culture: geography, economics, art, politics, language, and related fields. We would receive classes in different institutions for 7 days. These trips were organized to give foreign students more information about German culture. Read more>>
Megan DeCicco
When thinking back on the past five years since starting Solutions On 2nd, LLC, it’s hard to pick just one meaningful project to share with you because the milestones and meaning behind each are so different and so relevant to the specific challenges we help address. Read more>>
Again Again
We are: Los Angeles-based musicians Jennifer Cook and Anne Montone and we make up Again Again, an award-winning performing duo that blends vocal and songwriting talents to create “songs for our times,” which celebrate the extraordinary opportunities of growing up right now. Our second family album, Your Voice Is Magic, will be released on August 26, 2022 and is currently our most meaningful project. Read more>>
Gregory Rashton
I actually have two. One project I wrote is called GJR: Road to Redemption that speaks about the ups and downs in my relationship with my father. I think that’s my most meaningful project because it helped us in a way bridge a gap that in our relationship. It also helped break a generational curse because of his relationship with his father. My other project titled Mental State speaks about how important mental health and my struggles with depression. It started a much needed conversation with people who are close to me. Read more>>
Nyxon
The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on, and actually currently working on, is my upcoming full length album “The Red Viking”. The title for the project was set in stone before I even started the project. The name came around because ever since I grew out my hair and beard, my mother used to call me “Erik the Red” who was an infamous Viking. An old customer of mine at the coffee shop I work at always used to tell me “You’re literally the Red Viking” so there was no question that the title of the project had to be “The Red Viking” I’ve been working on this project for three years now and I’m excited to say that it’s almost near completion. Read more>>
Kim Craven
I am working on a portraits project call “Over 50”, I am a 60 year old photographer in a highly digital world and social media madness. When you are of a certain age it can feel like you are being overlooked by the younger creatives, this is my humble opinion and it can be challenging at times. I wanted to know if other people over the age of 50 felt the same way in their field of work and after reading the questionnaires I sent to them I see I’m not the only one that feels this way. Read more>>
Alexandra Alvarez
I am currently working on a series of works of art focused on the indigenous communities of Venezuela and my main objective is to educate about these ancient cultures. The modern world is built under the illusions of false needs manufactured by capitalism. With this project I want to make the community aware that there is a real world out there that we are destroying, and only by going back to the roots will we find salvation. This series is about culture, education, ecology, sustainability, reality, nature, soul medicine, connectedness, and spiritual awareness. Read more>>
Kristina Zemlanikina
It was the biggest project I ever accomplished in my 2 year career as an artist. I was offered a wall space at Maya Moon Collective to exhibit my art for 2 months. I had 3 big beautiful white walls to fill, 1 month till the opening day, but…only 3-4 paintings in my possession at that time (thankfully, I had some good sales prior to that). When I paint, I like to go deep, uncovering the layers of my soul, and it takes time. I accepted the challenge, calculated how many paintings and what sizes I’d like to display going from 8×8″ to 48×72.” I managed to paint 25 paintings which seemed completely impossible, keeping in mind that all of my paintings have cosmic/spiritual messages written on the backs of the paintings, and that process cannot be completed in rush. Read more>>
LaVonne Powell
Since my last interview with VoyageMIA, my most meaningful project has to be my debut poetry book. “Poems of Transformation” came about in 2019-2020 and has shifted some supporters at the heart. I’ve changed their minds on how I’m portrayed and treated. Family relations are explained and moments are expanded into concise stanzas for all to read. The book symbolizes the growing pains of my childhood and adulthood. Many never knew I was almost a goner or a memory. I painted the cover because the image would not leave me alone. I had to move the image of a peeling skull to a canvas and I felt a sense of relief. Read more>>
YOGI DADA
My most meaningful project to date is my production, “GRAFFICA LIVE!” based on my award-winning film, “GRAFFICA”. The film is based on my journey as an Artist and the influence of African culture and urban graffiti on my style of art. It is laid against the backdrop of black and white characters I created during the beginning of the pandemic. The story is told through African drumming, dance, rap, poetry, and song. Read more>>
Justice Phillips
Actually, one of the most meaningful projects I’ve had the pleasure to work on is the one I’m working on now! I will be performing at a few concerts my organization, Austin Classical Guitar, is having on December 10th and 11th. I will be playing with our Executive Director, Matt Hinsley, and our Communications Director, Angelica Campbell. But, what makes this project so special to me is that I will be writing a Suite of Four Pieces, written for three guitars for this concert. Read more>>
Wa’Derrious Sellers
My latest ep dropped 2/22/22 and my album date is still tbd.The name of the Ep is called “The Story of a Black Sheep”. This ep has many different meanings and symbolism. My whole life I have been more of a leader than a follower. I would rather make my own trend then to follow one. This Ep is me telling the world my story and giving the world a breathe of fresh air with a different sound. I also feel like Huey P. Newton doesn’t get the credit he deserves in today’s time. Read more>>