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.

Jude Amsel

The New York City Fire Museum contains the first permanent memorial to the 343 members of the FDNY who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 which I designed. The heroes of 9/11 are included on a black marble and ceramic memorial with photographic images of the firefighters lost in the attacks.  Read more>>

Stephanie Garrett

I’ve been really fortunate to work on many meaningful projects in my time in theater. Part of that was having a tremendous undergraduate experience at the Gainesville Theater Alliance, where one of the first shows I worked on was a production of Ragtime, a beautiful musical that tells the story of racial, gender, and social struggles in America at the turn of the century. I’ve always been interested in the stories of minorities, especially women, racial and ethnic minorities, and the LGBT+ communities. Musical theater is one of my favorite performance genres, and it has a long and interesting history that intersects with Queer and minority communities since its origin as an American art form. Consequently, it’s a fantastic medium for exploring important but overlooked perspectives. Read more>>

Jennifer Turney

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on many wonderful projects over the years. Many of them complicated and intricate. In my profession attention to detail is important, but it is also important to understand the client and their needs and their design aesthetic. I love brainstorming ideas with my clients, it is exciting to stretch the boundaries of design while also making sure the materials are appropriate for the application. Working in carved stone is a very technical medium and satisfying when the installation is complete. Fun to say….hey “I did that!” Read more>>

Michael Woody

The most meaningful project I worked on was during my senior year of college. I participated in a visual communications class for two semesters that involved real work with actual clients. My graphic design group collaborated with history copywriters and web programmers on a project titled “Through the Eyes of Youth: Life and Death in the Będzin Ghetto.” This project tells the story of young people in the Jewish ghetto of Będzin, Poland, before, during, and after the Holocaust. We created the online version of a traveling exhibit, and my website was selected to launch phase one of the project. Read more>>

Joshua Afiriyie

One of my more meaningful project was a short film I wrote and directed as my senior thesis at Temple University. The film was called “Simmer” and was largely autobiographical, as it drew from my experiences as an adolescent at a predominately white high school.

Making the film was very strenuous on my mental and emotional health, as I was exploring a lot of personal experiences and sharing those experiences with collaborators, classmates, and professors. Along the course of making the film, I realized my own high school experiences are largely influenced by the death of my father at the age of 13. Infusing the film with this particular emotional chord made the film much heavier and in turn much more meaningful. Read more>>

Leslie Bowers

My job is not, technically, just to be creative. I began at the church as a children’s minister. I was always able to use my creativity and artistic endeavors in that ministry – the kids and I spent two whole years making a different group art piece every other Wednesday night while learning scripture, among other things. During the COVID shut-down, I was asked to shift to this new, relatively undefined role. It was a good bit planning worship services, finding and/or writing liturgy for those, finding people to participate, and creating visual elements in our worship spaces. Read more>>

Carmel Gatchalian

This might not be a big professional project, but creating artwork for the people I love has always been the most meaningful and fulfilling to me. It’s how I reclaim my soul from client work, and honestly one of my love languages. Over the years, I’ve surprised close friends and family with hand-drawn calendars, cards, games, short stories, and paintings. Read more>>

Megan Rose

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my band, afters’, debut album, “EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL”. It came into existence after a period of time when I had lost my passion for writing, and worried that I would never create anything again. After scrapping an entire album’s worth of music because I no longer felt connected to it, my bandmates and I sat down and wrote the song “PAINKILLERS”, a track about escapism. It felt like something was released in me, and the songs we went on to write are my favorites I’ve ever created. The album as a whole deals with themes of isolation in a postmodern landscape, the loss of youth and innocence, and finding peace within the chaos of the world. Writing these songs helped me heal parts of myself I hadn’t known were so broken. I hope that they can help other people too. Read more>>

Taytum Wolfe

I am actively working on the most meaningful project yet. I am offering complimentary maternity photos for those in my area that are on bedrest and/or close monitoring and admitted to the hospital until birth. This was a pivotal moment for me in my life when it happened. Being admitted at 30 weeks pregnant and told I was there until my son was born initially rocked my world. I instantly saw my third trimester taken from me, but instead of grieving at that time I chose to pivot. I had a mini baby shower in the hospital to celebrate, and I took my own maternity photos in the meditation garden of the hospital. This was the moment I knew I wanted to elevate my photography from a hobby to a career. Read more>>

Jenn Marie

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was covering Hello Kitty Con 2014, a global celebration of Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary and the first convention of its kind. As a lifelong Hello Kitty fan—my love for her began when I was just two years old—this event was incredibly special to me, both personally and as a blogger. Read more>>

Bettina Carroll

Jewels Fur Paws: A Story of Passion, Purpose, and Paws
In a world where we cherish our pets as beloved family members, Jewels Fur Paws was born out of a heartfelt desire to honor the unconditional love that our furry friends bring into our lives. Built on my principles of authenticity, creativity, and compassion, Jewels Fur Paws is a unique pet business that offers handcrafted jewel and gem necklaces designed for dogs and cats. Read more>>

Jasmine Fontes

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is “The Spring”. It is the first feature script I wrote, alongside my writing and producing partner Emilie Doering. It’s a female led sci-fi western action adventure. With some dystopia thrown in.

The world of “The Spring” grew out of my time with cancer, death was part of the daily, and I lost my hair. Not something I thought I’d go through in my 30’s but there I was. That experience changed me. And in a weird way, I’m grateful. I now give no fucks. It’s delightful. So, I had finished my last round of chemo and a couple of weeks later I started to get this idea – a woman coming out of the depths, alone, broken but strong and determined to survive – a role I could play, especially with the buzz cut that would start to fill in. Read more>>

Dorian Epps

The most meaningful project that I have worked on was titled “The Corner Store.” This was a collaborative study project, completed with fellow creative Beyonce Armstrong, during our time at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for my thesis in 2021. The Corner Store began with approaching the idea of what it means to understand the effects of black culture on society, and the inverse effects of society on black culture. We wanted to also explore the commodification of black bodies and black death in media and pop culture. Read more>>

Leanna Cleveland

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been creating and launching my mental health and confidence-building eBooks. These projects are so close to my heart because it stems from my own experiences—years of dealing with self-doubt, feeling stuck, and learning how to manage inattentive ADHD, CPTSD, and Depression. Over time, I discovered tools and strategies that changed the game for me, and I felt a deep urge to share them in a way that could genuinely help others facing similar struggles. Read more>>

Mila May

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date is a mural titled “Day Dream” created for Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas, NV. This project allowed me to channel my creativity in new ways and pushed me to dive deeper into my own imagination. Read more>>

Andrea Cárdenas

I am not the first person to survive twelve years of Catholic School and live to tell the tale. And like many others before me, this experience has deeply influenced my creative work. “Divine Perversions: a sapphic mass” actually began as a variety show. My collaborator, Nicole Adsit, and I would host as two deranged lesbian nuns and invite other acts to perform, asking them to let religion inspire their act in some way. After a while, Nicole and I decided that we knew our characters well enough to build a show around them. Eventually, the show became a parody of a Catholic mass, where we (Sister Incarnata and Sister Coco) take over the mass, delivering our own version of the good news: that everyone in the congregation, and the world, is actually gay. Read more>>

Kristen Castro

I’ve spent the last 4 years finding my creative identity and my most meaningful project has been making my latest album, Capricorn Baby. I recorded the songs in my sister’s apartment in Amsterdam and pieces were tracked in Nashville and Los Angeles. Some of the songs were mixed on trains in Italy and London, it’s something that’s been worked on all over the world. This project is more than releasing an album, it’s mourning the girl I used to be, letting go of what I thought I deserved, and finding out who I am in wholesomeness. In my 20s, people’s judgements and misconceptions of me felt like a cage that squashed my joy. I slowly found that what made me different didn’t fit into one box. It was my responsibility to open the doors that people tried to close and carve out my own path. Read more>>

Richard Lounello

I’ve been an actor for nearly 30 years and in that time there have been a number of meaningful work experiences, almost always in theatre. The first that stands out was doing the play “Tuesday’s With Morrie”. The play is a 2 hander and it was the first time as an actor, I could feel and hear from the audience that my work was affecting them. It’s times like those that are most meaningful and garnered a sense of pride in my work. Another was doing the play “In Darfur”. It’s a play about the genocide that took place in that region around 2004. It’s an important play and again I could feel from the audience that it was affecting them. Most recently, I was in a production of “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner”. The same sense of pride being part of that play. Read more>>

Joyce Perlman

My personal project, “The Ethereal Series”, explores three interconnected themes that capture the ethereal essence of human experiences: “Ethereal Beauty: Women in Transition”, “Ethereal Journey: Porch Series”, and “Ethereal Spirit: The Beauty of Aging Wisdom”. Living on the north coast of California, the fog possesses an ethereal quality that penetrates my soul. It creates a way of life that is not entirely clear, existing in the liminal space of transition and uncertainty. Read more>>

Salvatore Spinelli

The most meaningful project is my current work with Kodi Lee., a phenomenal musician who gained notoriety as the winner of Americas Got Talent season 14, but also happened to be born autism and is blind. The contrast between how people react to him before they hear him sing and immediately after is very stark, and amusing to witness. Beautiful sometimes. Read more>>

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-young

Honestly, every project feels meaningful in its own way. One of my recent projects that was especially meaningful was a book I published called Breathing Through Grief. In this devotional journal, I share encouragement for people who are walking through loss. After the death of my husband, I longed for something to help me navigate the grief with my three young daughters. This is the book I wish I had as a young widow. Read more>>

Rose Catherine Hohl

To single one project out would prove very difficult for me, as all my work really feels like one big on going project with no clear ending. The photographs I have been continuously creating over the years are all snapshots in a bigger picture. It’s the means to create that’s important for me, to explore who I am through the process, and find connection with people and places around me. I often daydream about characters and stories that I feel compelled to bring to life, to express a point of view that my words cannot. It truly is so special to me that I am able to create a little beauty in this world with the extraordinary help of all the wonderful people I have worked with. Read more>>

Miu Sato

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a song I wrote and released last year called “Home”. Where are you from? Where is home for you? These are questions that always feel difficult to answer. I’m grateful for the privilege of moving around as a child, experiencing different parts of the world, and immersing myself in various cultures. But with that privilege comes a longing for a deeper sense of belonging and a search for a stronger connection to my cultural roots—trying to piece together what shapes my identity. Read more>>

Michelle Player

In the early 2000’s, teens were discovering a world in which human connection and information distribution was readily accessible. My students were quick to join the sprint to attractively brand themselves to compete in a most judgmental market, incognizant of the damage their fixation to their devices would ultimately inflict on our society. Read more>>

Xinyi (cherry) Qu

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was leading the design and marketing efforts for the Nomad Theater Summer Comedy Series, a Chinese-language improv initiative. At the time, Nomad Theater was still in its early stages, and this series was a key opportunity to grow its presence and build its community. I took on the role of Design Lead, where I was responsible for crafting the visual identity and marketing strategy for the entire series. Read more>>

Nicholas Daney-cuffie

One of my most meaningful projects is still in the planning stages, but it’s deeply personal and rooted in my life experiences. The project involves reimagining the works of iconic Black photographers like Gordon Parks and Carrie Mae Weems, but tailoring the imagery to reflect my own upbringing and the pivotal moments that shaped me. Read more>>

Kristina Barry

I am happy to say every project for Eaton Fine Art is meaningful as we have the joy and honor of collaborating with interior designers, brand leaders, and owners of hotels, both large and small. The public space art collection for the Four Seasons Hotel Austin and the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles At Beverly Hills come to mind as we collaborated with local artists to honor the story and history of these luxury hotels through the art collection. The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas as well as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas are also meaningful for the deep and immersive collaboration with their ownerships and design teams to curate memorable creative moments that will remain with guests long after they leave the property. Read more>>

Parinaz Ghanbari

Hello! Thank you so much for inviting me to share my story—it’s truly an honor to be part of this interview.

For me, one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was creating a scientific illustration for the North Dakota State University (NDSU) COBRE Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer. This project holds a special place in my heart because it bridged my passion for art and science while contributing to a cause that can change lives. Read more>>

Joshua Haller

Personal projects have created the most meaning for me. They have led me to the remote regions of Tibet, all over the city I called home (Beijing) and out of the darkness the killed my creativity during the pandemic.

If I were forced to pick one, I would pick the one I’m currently working on. Its called ‘Listening to the Water’. It has led me to get up very early in the morning or stay up into the dark hours of night. I first started this project as a way to remind myself that I ‘still had it’ as a photographer. I had gotten away from my camera during the pandemic and had very little desire to pick it up due to the creative funk I was in. Read more>>

Allison Jasinski

In December 2021, I lost my home in the Marshall Fire, a winter wildfire no one saw coming. At noon that day, I’d run out of my home in slippers. I’d never come back.

Losing everything I own in a matter of minutes was disorienting, to put it lightly. Months later, though, I’d realize the things I’d lost were only the beginning. This is when I stood witness to what I now refer to as the complete collapse of my mental health. Read more>>

Stephanie Gonzales

I’ve been appreciating/collecting/making zines for close to 15 years now and I love being a part of this community. I started making zines as a way to calm my anxiety and to give my artwork tangibility. I found that photographic themed zines didn’t really have a place in the zine world, so I created a photography only zine library called Wallflower Zine Library. Read more>>

Lise D’angelo

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a short film titled ‘Post Term’. It’s about a Pakistani immigrant couple starting their new life together and is based on the directors’ parents. What made this project so special was my experience seeing the film come together over the five days of filming. It was one of the first films I worked on. Seeing the way every little detail added to the storytelling and feeling of the film inspired me to continue working on films. My role of hand-laying a mustache each morning for Haaris and making Rahimah look over 9 months pregnant and tired are small details that helped convey the sentiment of the characters. Read more>>

Tia Richardson

‘Sherman Park Rising’ is the name of a mural I did in with a community that had experienced tragedy and unrest. Through this mural project community members found a way to express their feelings. A local non-profit that works with residents and police partnered with the city to commission me for the project. Read more>>

Acid For Squares

For us, it’s our latest venture Acid For Squares. Acid For Squares represents the culmination of years of creative evolution and personal transformation. As a media company, it’s more than just a platform—it’s our way of reclaiming the narrative around the paranormal, consciousness, and the intersection of science and spirituality. When we first ventured into podcasting with Awakened Underground, our goal was to open up conversations about the power of psychedelic plant medicines, and it took off in ways we never anticipated. But as we deepened our exploration into topics like aliens, quantum physics, and personal paranormal experiences, it became clear that there was a massive, untapped thirst for these kinds of unfiltered, authentic conversations. Read more>>

Ging Zhang

The most meaningful project for me has been creating my live music performance that blends psychedelic electronic/Trip Hop music with choreography, VJ visuals, and lighting interaction design.

In these performances, I sing, play instruments, and use dance, visuals, and lighting to deconstruct the music. By interacting with stage props like translucent fabrics, Chinese fans, and wings, I collaborate with lighting designers to transform white gauze into dynamic displays, where light and motion merge seamlessly. I also experiment with aligning body movements and props to LED visuals, synchronizing with the kick drum, glitch sounds, and sonic textures to create an immersive audiovisual experience. Read more>>

Roger “rj” Ruuspakka

One of my most meaningful projects was a song I wrote. It’s a song called No More Bad Days. Charlie (our guitar player) had injured his playing hand and I had to take over and play guitar for the track. I wrote and recorded everything except the drums, the guitar solo and one backing vocal. Charlie and I came up with the arrangment and he came up with the guitar riffs. It was a lot of work and it was one of our higher streamed songs. The song was about a fan of ours on Twitter (at the time). She had struggled with drug addiction and was very open to chat about struggling to stay clean. She had gotten married and had a child. Read more>>

Jen Kerner

A SHOW OF HANDS is an annual readers’ theatre event designed to spotlight talent that is under-represented in the theatre world. The program features the work of Deaf/Hard of Hearing, autistic/neurodivergent, or disabled writers – short plays, excerpts from full-length plays or works in progress, poetry, monologues, and so on – read in American Sign Language by a cast of Deaf/HOH signing actors, with voice actors alongside for the benefit of the hearing audience. It’s my favorite night of the year, it’s a celebration of inclusive creation, and I got to be in the room from the very beginning! Read more>>

Jazenn

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far since I’ve started music is probably the EP I’ve been creating for the past few years. Something I created on my own dime and by myself. In between the time of the project I learned so much from other producers, artists, even friends or family around me. As time went on, I applied whatever it was that I learned and made my sound rise to a level I grew happy with. I’m hoping to present it to the public eye by the Fall for sure. Read more>>

Shelley Blanton-stroud

My father’s family were Dust Bowl okies who migrated from desolate Texas farmland for California, where they picked cotton and potatoes to survive, not just the parents but the children too.

Growing up, I was fascinated by Dorothea Lange’s WPA photographs of families like his. Lange captured not just hardship, but dignity. My dad would tell me how those tough years actually made him stronger, how it grew the calluses that toughened him up. Read more>>

Will Schutze

I had a role in Jon Favreau’s 2014 movie, Chef, but it was meaningful to me on two different levels. My story is going to start out sounding very familiar. Since I was little, I dreamed about being in movies when I grew up. I always sort of viewed my life and experiences as if they were scenes in a film. As soon as I saved a little bit of money from waiting tables in Dallas, Texas, and booking a few TV commercials, I moved to Los Angeles and signed with an agent. I booked my very first audition for a national TV ad and the job allowed me to stay for a little while and go on more auditions. That first booking must have been beginner’s luck because I didn’t land anything else through my agent. In the meantime, I’d been taking a little skeleton marionette puppet to the Venice Boardwalk, Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade and Hollywood Blvd to street perform for tips. Read more>>

Madeline Mancilla

‘Buds in Fresno’
I created this project for many, mannny reasons but the most known was to better perfect my skills as a photographer. One of the biggest struggles as a photographer is imposter syndrome, this ‘need’ to be externally validated that yes you are a photographer. This project was my way of forcefully ignoring the need to be recognized as a photographer by others and creating something that stood out, but also alone. Something I created because I wanted to but also, why not? The first year I shot buds in Fresno was to showcase portraits of people I met that year (2023), or people I’ve known for years. I had roughly 16 participants most of which were family and close friends but it was so meaningful. Read more>>

Alyssa Smentek

In recent times, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is joining and preparing for our local, just-beginning open mic here in town. I feel like I’ve worked on a lot that is meaningful to me in the past few years, such as making my debut music video and learning how to hand sew faces, but the facet that stands out most in being a creative person for me is the projects that make me feel alive again. Every time I make art, a little bit of that energy comes back to me. So, the first poetry/ prose open mic at this new venue truly made me feel seen, heard, and connected when I decided to prepare, attend and read for it. I felt refreshed after having been in a hard head space. And hey, I think that’s really important. Read more>>

Hayden Rose

It’s hard to choose just one project as the most meaningful because I put a lot of thought into the projects I take on. I don’t accept the first opportunity that comes my way, and I count myself privileged to be in a position where I can choose work that aligns with my values. I set high professional standards for myself, and each project I undertake reflects that commitment to purpose, quality, and impact. Read more>>

Imanol Delgado Cadivich

Last Summer I was selected to be part of the Academy Gold Rising program on the Production Track. The Program is from the Academy of Motion Pictures, Art and Sciences, they selected around 30 people to be part of the Production Track, where we did a short film with the help of the Academy. There are 6 different tracks Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design, Sound, and Visual Effects. Every Track has its mentor who is someone who is highly regarded in their field. My mentor is Mark Helfrich, ACE, a Legendary Editor who works on amazing projects like A Family Man, Prison Break, Scary Movie, and the Original 1987 Predator movie. Read more>>