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.

Josefina Pieres

As a director, my role is to bring a unique vision to each project—and for me, that means becoming deeply involved, both creatively and emotionally. It’s hard for me to make a project meaningless, because I naturally pour myself into the process. However, a few have stood out as truly transformative. Read more>>

Ashley Guzman

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was a painting titled Abuelito. It’s a portrait of my grandpa in front of his home in Mexico. This was my most ambitious project yet, as it was the largest painting I’ve ever worked on, and I had to piece the composition together from different references. The image of my grandfather seated in front of his home is even more special for my family members who aren’t able to travel to Mexico. Behind him are birds of paradise flowers that my late grandmother would take care of, along with the other flowers in her garden. Not only does this piece represent the memories I hold of my grandpa, but of my grandma as well. Read more>>

Gin Majka

I’ve worked on many meaningful projects, but one that stands out is my first assignment for The New York Times. I photographed Sal, the daughter of Robert McCloskey—author of the classic children’s book Blueberries for Sal—as she read her father’s stories at a public library event, 20 years after his passing. It was a beautiful full-circle moment: Sal reading her father’s words to a room overflowing with Maine families. Read more>>

Julia Morizawa

I could argue that the answer to this question changes with each new project that I make. Meaning, each new project inherently becomes the most meaningful. My most recent short film, DRAGONFLY, is an animated short film about the Tokyo Firebombing of March 9-10, 1945. And the journey to making the film is quite a long one. Read more>>

Tammy Ari

Although I have a unique affinity with most of the Film and TV projects I’ve worked on as Composer, scoring the PBS Nature Series, “In Her Nature” has been one of the highlights of 2025. PBS Nature’s groundbreaking series, “In Her Nature” shines a spotlight on the fearless women who, against all odds, protect the wildlife of our world. Combined with breathtaking cinematography, frequently featuring rare or first-time filmed animal behaviors on film, the series captures powerful conservation efforts and solutions in the most perilous habitats through the lens of an all-female, award-winning production team. Read more>>

Meital Dor

I believe that my most meaningful project has taken shape here in Dallas, over the past two years.
Before relocating to Texas, I was engaged in complex and significant documentary work:
A three-year-old Palestinian toddler whose family I accompanied during his final weeks, as they faced the painful reality of his battle with neuroblastoma; a teenager with a rare condition who had been ventilated his entire life and died at the age of fifteen; and a period of time spent in a locked ward of a mental health hospital, where I documented the caregiving staff and their compassionate, human daily routine. Read more>>

Fay Qiu

Hi, I’m Fay, a Senior Designer and Creative Director based in New York. I specialize in brand systems, exhibition and environmental design, editorial design, web design, and interactive design—primarily within the art and culture, education, fashion, health & wellness, nonprofit, and publishing sectors. Read more>>

Ohannes Montgomery

Since my last article I have really made some progress. To date for the movie disjoint that should be out on Amazon in July of 2025 finally I have won 8 film festivals and nominated for about 12 more. Some are yet to pass but I won the 2025 best actor Percy award. They send me a real heavy gold medal and I won Best actor for the Los Angeles stars film festival and they gave me a beautiful glass trophy and a handful of others for either best actor or best young actor. I have also since been hired as a series regular on the show React and the show People vs Food.. I’ve filmed 5 or 6 episodes already and then we have a break now until the next season. Read more>>

Teranee Franshá

This question is so simple yet hard to explain, so just follow me ok. All of my personal short film projects mean something special to me because each story’s idea was birthed from not only the love I have for the craft but the will to create beautiful cinematic art with the giants I see around me. Giants=my talented friends. Read more>>

Caleb Gridley

Not Warhol began quietly, then pulled something loose in me, as if it had already made contact with whatever was watching. I’ve been building it in the shadows ever since. It’s a three-part art film that remains ongoing and consumes nearly everything I make. At times, it feels less like something I’m creating and more like something I was designed to carry, something that is now in the process of recreating me. Read more>>

Maria Bella

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been The Charm City Burlesque & Variety festival together with co-producer, Tapitha Kix. It was important for us to produce a festival which paid all performers, offered scholarships for marginalized populations, included workshops by instructors within our community, included the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ performers, vendors, and partners, and most importantly helped to create a community for variety artists.. Read more>>

Harold LaRue

The last few years have seen several really memorable projects hit my desk. Notably, two albums from late jazz icon, Wayne Shorter (Miles Davis, Weather Report). ‘Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival’ (Candid Records), which won a 2022 Grammy Award, and 2024’s ‘Celebration, Volume 1’ (Blue Note Records). It was a great pleasure and honor to work on these projects and I am so grateful. 2021’s ‘Moogmentum’ album (Behind The Sky Music), from modern synthesizer artist and composer, Lisa Bella Donna, also stands out as a favorite. Lisa is a dear friend and this album is a fundraiser for The Bob Moog Foundation and their amazing ‘Moogseum’ in Ashland, NC. Dr. Robert Moog was the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, which debuted in 1964. Read more>>

Beau Bowen

Writing music together as a married couple is one of the most rewarding experiences in the World and we are both so very lucky. We have huge amounts of projects on the go. Copious amounts of music in all genres. The most incredible aspect is how much we understand each other’s talents. It’s remarkable! We work in such harmony together. Read more>>

Lila MacKinnon

So the most meaningful project I think I’ve worked on is a bit of tie between a project that’s influenced a lot of my artistic direction and one that was special because I got to work on it with my dad.
I’ve gone a couple of very different directions with my art– I have this fun loose and line heavy illustration style that I use to make risograph prints and also a portfolio of scientific botanical illustrations. The project that I got to work on with my father, which was just very personally enriching, involved botanical illustrations. My dad’s a botanist and he does field surveys for lots of different land plots and purposes. Read more>>

AJ Bauers

The most meaningful art was the things I created in my mixed media sketchbook/journal.

Like so many people in creative fields, I suffer from depression and anxiety. These days, it is very manageable with the life changes I’ve made, most notably being a departure from a past financial career and medication. But before I took drastic steps to improve my brain, I hated myself and thought the person everyone knew was a veneer that hid the empty, useless person beneath it. Read more>>

Jordan Lopez

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was the release of my first single with my band, ‘My Favorite Foods’. It was more than just a song — it represented years of growth as a musician, a producer, and a leader. Read more>>

Flavia Chan

While I am currently a practicing artist, I also decided to devote time and energy to curating art shows through my pop up gallery, One More Life. One More Life came about from a time when I felt there was a lack of space and time for creatives to share their work, engage with each other, and celebrate art. I had always been organizing shows since going to art school, but I finally decided it was time to do everything on my own and share my vision in 2023. Read more>>

Danyelle Weatherford

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is The Rokk Group—not because the idea before the name was a childhood dream, but because life backed me into a corner, and I needed to turn the fight into something that meant something. I’ve sat in boardrooms with tech titans and finance giants, often the youngest and the only woman at the table—fighting to be heard, while learning to read contracts with one hand and carry my calling in the other. I’ve been through legal battles that drained me. Friendships that cracked under the weight of my boundaries. Seasons where I was killing it professionally—and dying on the inside. Read more>>

Rosa Castellano

I am lucky to be involved in the work of writing and creating community around writing and this question is hard because, sometimes, seeing friends’ projects come together is as exciting as when one of my own reaches a finish line. But this year, I did something I’ve never done before, I published a book! A collection of poems that came out this Spring from Diode press and when I hold All is the Telling in my hands and look at the cover art which my brother, muralist Artist ESH made, I know that this book is collaborative. Read more>>

Jason Heo

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was my senior thesis, titled “Who Am I?” back in college.
Throughout my life, I’ve often found myself navigating different social groups. I’ve always had a personality that easily blends into various atmospheres and cultures. However, over time, I realized that people often saw only one version of me based on what I showed them in a specific context. This made me think: How many different versions of “me” exist? And are they all me? Read more>>

Yonah

This wasn’t just a creative milestone—it was the culmination of a journey that started in a place of loss, confusion, and a need to carve out something meaningful from pain. I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a music maker. I didn’t have role models in the arts, or teachers encouraging me to pursue this path. What I did have was an unshakable feeling that I needed to do something different—a deep-rooted desire to express myself and make sense of my experiences. Read more>>

Camille Weanquoi

I’d say the most meaningful project we’ve worked on is actually the creation of our organization itself, Baltimore Black Dance Collective. It was born the before the pandemic but deeply curated during the racial justice uprisings that came shortly after. In that time, people were turning to the Arts for healing and community! That is when it became clear that Black dance artists in Baltimore have always been creating incredible work without the infrastructure, support, or visibility we deserved. We came together not just to survive, but to build something for ourselves: a space where our artistry, culture, and community could be centered and celebrated. Creating BBDC was an act of reclamation. It connected us, affirmed our value, and laid the foundation for everything we’ve done since. It started as just one show and morphed into our purpose in motion. Read more>>

Ramon Bonilla

A meaningful project in terms of career growth is a 2016 mural that allowed me to get into mural work and commissions. It came about as a weekend opportunity to use a 6,000 sq ft gallery space between shows while the gallery space was empty. Despite a quick turnaround and a budget of less than $50, I jumped at the chance to finally work on a large-scale wall. I decided to use washi tape (tape made out of rice paper), a suggestion from my wife, for a fast and temporary installation. With no time to prepare, I improvised the design live in the gallery for a small audience. This was a new and off the cuff way of working for me. I knew I was taking a risk by working this way. Read more>>

Giovanna Crise

One of the projects I care about the most is my Korea travel zine. It’s a graphic and photographic reinterpretation of my time in South Korea, blending photography, graphic design, motion and web design — a bit of everything I love. Read more>>

Lance Cowan

After 35 years promoting other artists from Joe Ely to Michael Martin Murphey to New Grass Revival, I’ve begun releasing my own music. Reviews have been nothing short of incredible, which is very validating. Read more>>

The Neuro Farm

Rebekah: After releasing our 2021 album Vampyre, the four of us continued exploring new song ideas. But between touring and the demands of daily life, we were kept away from the studio for a while. We finally began working on our latest album, Voices, during a break in our show schedule. By May 2024, the album was in its final mixing and mastering stages—when Brian (guitar/vocals) was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a grade 4 brain cancer. Read more>>

Andrew Balogh

On July 29th, 2024 I was inducted into The United Nations to serve as a Council Member for the Council of Global Change. As a Council Member I serve under the leadership of Ambassador David Daxsen and alongside Susan Rockefeller, Anna Rothschild, Charlie Walk, Marla Maples, and other Council Members. The Council focuses on various aspects, including international policy making, improving access to health, and addressing global issues. My area of focus is tailored towards strengthening education for impoverished children across the globe. Through utilizing my relationships with technology companies, the music industry and entertainment industry at large, we have been able to provide significant infrastructure improvements to a vast amount of children across the globe. Read more>>

Kevin Hinkle

One of the most meaningful project’s I’ve had the opportunity to work on, is my children’s book series: Pro Gamer’s Guide with my creative partner and Author Brian Saviano (https://www.ProGamersGuide.com). We’ve spent the past 3 years developing and breathing life into a fictional universe that has positively impacted children all over the country. As an artist, I’m privileged to help many folks bring their own ideas and projects to life. From books to games to media outlets… and in most cases – once the work is done, we shake hands, part ways and I wish them well. It’s not too often I’m consistently reminded that I am a part of something people enjoy and have a vested interest in seeing more from. Read more>>

YUHAN TENG

My most meaningful project is my debut feature film, GAGALAND, which I began directing at 19. Selected for the main competition at the 2023 Rotterdam International Film Festival and nominated for the Tiger Award, this film marked a five-year journey from knowing nothing about filmmaking to its completion. I dropped out of Beijing Film Academy midway, but I consider GAGALAND my true “university.” The film tells a simple yet absurd story: K-di, escaping a duck feather factory, becomes enamored with Xiao Pili and joins the Red Hair Dance Troupe during their critical preparation for a dance competition, unfolding a bizarre narrative. Read more>>

Seri DeYoung

Every time I finish a new project, I feel like I am telling the story that’s the most authentic to me. In my latest short film, Unfaithful!, which we are currently developing into a series, I got to bring many elements of my personal experience onto the screen. This might sound funny, considering it’s an early 2000’s neo-western about a host of a investigative “romantic crime” reality TV show – a troubled man who lets his delusions put his production and an innocent woman at risk. Read more>>

Janessa Bookout

I have just finished a painting that is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s a landscape/seascape view of the Malibu Pier as viewed from Surfrider Beach in Malibu. This project was initially a commissioned piece for my surf club, the Malibu Surfing Association. Read more>>

Dunnie

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is The Great Eight exhibition—a show I curated at the Viceroy Hotel in Washington, D.C., during my time as Artist in Residence there. This exhibition featured myself alongside seven other dynamic contemporary Black artists and was intentionally launched during Black History Month to celebrate and amplify Black creative voices.  Read more>>

Kristi Murphy

I currently free-lance write for a local Michigan blog, “The Awesome Mitten”. I get to cover topics from camping with kids, to the top mountain bike trails, to the best things to do on a girls weekend away. Most of these submissions are personal to me, as I’m actively living out the topics I’m covering. I’m passionate about the place I live, the trails I hike, and how I spend my time, so it’s natural for me to share this joy with others. Read more>>

Nikki Lyn Neurohr

Oh, I try to make all of my work meaningful – time is precious, and I hate to waste it. Gosh, there’s so many paintings, films…I suppose the first thing is my feature film (Baggage Claim) which I wrote, produced, directed, and starred in – (yes, I am tired, haha). It’s a dark comedy about two siblings that haven’t seen nor spoken to each other in years but have to come together to drive across state to identify their mother’s body, and also identify the issues they have with each other as well as themselves – it’s a film that unapologetically wears its heart on its sleeve. It touches on topics of abandonment, addiction, depression, identity, and so much more – ugh, I just can’t wait to share it with you all! We are hitting the festival circuit soon as we are in the final stages of post (finally), so be on the lookout for exciting announcements and teasers! Read more>>

Phyllis Kelly

Managing (and being a great friend and Alpha Kappa Alpha-Soror to) Yolanda Denise King, first-born child of Rev. Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

We had multiple similar experiences with me also being a Daddy’s girl, racism encounters at an early age, and paths having initially crossed during college days, as I was assigned as an ambassador to Yolanda for my college’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority “Founder’s Day” event where she was the honorary guest speaker. Who would imagine that many years later our paths would cross again, this time relative to the entertainment industry, during an eerily reflective situation of Southern discomfort. Then, beyond those years, we embraced our final encounters, as she (via a dream from her Daddy) and Mother-Coretta Scott King chose me to manage her career (theatre, film, TV, and speaking engagements) during the last 13 years of her life. Read more>>

Zack Emmanouil

In a way, yes—but not in the traditional sense. The neighborhood where J&T Automotive sits today—Spring Valley Village—is now one of the most sought-after zip codes in Houston. But that wasn’t always the case. Read more>>