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.

John Anthony Chihak Soltero

For sure, the single most meaningful project I have ever worked on, is also the most important. That would be the Bubba Patrol, a five issue (so far) comic book series about my dogs as superheroes. The idea first came to me in 2012, although it would not see its first issue until 2017. I’ve had dogs since I was fourteen and a freshman in high school. I had a lot of emotional issues at the time. My mom and I went to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, and adopted this 3 month old, rust colored Chow mix. Cypress was the cutest dog ever, and was my best friend for 16 years. She was the first real superhero in my life as she taught me that not only that I deserved to be loved, but that I could be loved. Read more>>

John Venezia

I created a music festival in East Aurora in 2013 that over 10 years raised over $10 million dollars over 10 years! Read more>>

Kelsie Stark

My first relationship was an abusive one. It began with love bombing and a power play on his part, he was leadership to me. I saw myself infatuated yet experiencing the turmoil’s of narcissism tendencies and gaslighting. I was always a poet, beginning at a young age. I tended to be inspired by pain and learning how to become an adult. People called me an old soul – how did I know and feel so much so deeply at such a young age? After every argument and me trying to defend myself, I wrote. I took my pain and sadness and created something bittersweet, beautiful, metaphorical. Read more>>

Marzieh Abbas

Being an author located in Pakistan and writing for the American market, I found very few people with the right insight. I was lucky in getting to learn from the best because thw whole world opened up when the Corona Virus hit and suddenly all the courses that were once only offered online, we accessible to everyone. But, I still struggled finding support and mentorship. As I took course after course, I realized access to the learing materials was overwhelming and not always tailored to the stage of learning I was at. I continued to write and revise, and luckily get published across genres and age categories, and as more and more writers began reaching out for help, I decided I wanted to create an organized way to pay it forward. Read more>>

Mellany Ortiz López

During my university career I participated in very significant social research projects, however, the one with which I have connected the most with myself and with the talents I didn’t know I had, has been with my MOL venture, which started during the pandemic in 2020. It all started because I started having nightmares and I remembered that dreamcatchers were an amulet to filter dreams, I watched videos on YouTube on how to make them and decided that instead of buying it, I was going to create and design it myself. Read more>>

Julia Meibos

The most meaningful project I ever worked on was one that I never earned a dime for.

I was determined to build a creative career for myself, so I worked weekends shooting weddings while also working a full-time job. When I went through a divorce in 2020, I couldn’t run from my burnout anymore. I couldn’t show up to the career that I had worked so hard to build, and it was devastating to me. To top it all off, my camera bag was stolen from my car only a few weeks before the last wedding season I photographed. It was almost like the universe was telling me to call it quits, too. Read more>>

Miki Garcia

All of my books are like my children! Each holds a special meaning – born of love, commitment, and countless hours of work. But my latest book, The Irish Freedom/Irish Democrat: An Irish Immigrant Newspaper in London, has a particularly special place in my heart. Read more>>

Junjie Pan

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is In My Daily Life — a motion piece that examines the gradual breakdown of everyday perception under the repetition of daily routines, sensory desensitization, and technological mediation.

This was my thesis project for the M.A. in Motion Media Design at SCAD. For this final piece, I deliberately chose not to follow industry trends, but instead to create something grounded entirely in personal experience. It also served as a comprehensive reflection and synthesis of what I had learned throughout my time at SCAD — particularly in terms of visual structure, rhythm control, and compositional language in motion design. Read more>>

Kim Huenecke

Creating the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival at allows women and men to have a voice and showcase their films. Read more>>

Julian Thomas

My new poetry collection titled ‘Black Existentialism: Autumn Leaves and Other Space Oddities’ has certainly become the most meaningful project I have brought to the public so far. Comprised of soulful poetry that harkens back to the 60’s and 70’s, this book brings social commentary and spiritual depth together as one. This collection of poems is fueled with jazz energy and charged with pop culture references from Joan Jett to Shaft, and everything in between. The summer book tour has taken me everywhere from Harlem, NY to my roots in the historical Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has been a very powerful journey so far. Read more>>

Bianca Joseph

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on was my solo trip to Niagara Falls vlog. This vlog received almost 300k views on TikTok from me just being my goofy self. This made me take content creating seriously and led to many collaborations with brands. This was a time in my life where I felt lost and confused which led me to take a trip to get away, unknowingly that this trip would be the start of a new journey. Read more>>

Amber Berg

I never pursued a career in the arts because, even as a kid with a limitless imagination, I bought into everyone’s misguided advice that there is no career in the arts and that I should study something practical. As I progressed through college, however, I longed for more art in my life and to feel the joy of creating again. Serendipitously, I attended two formative events in one semester: One event was a workshop held by the campus feminist organization to create a peace of artwork about our connection to the earth; The other event was a tour of the Nelson-Atkins Gallery downtown, where several of Mac McCusker’s interactive ceramic animal boxes were on display. Read more>>

Maryam Mir

Sweet Refuge, my last film, starring Laith Nakli (from Hulu show, Ramy) and Mahira Kakkar (from Netflix show, Manifest) has been one of my most meaningful projects.

Not only because of the final outcome of the film—it played at 45+ festivals, won 9 awards including a Directors Guild of America Jury Award, NewFilmmakers LA Best of 2024 Award and New York Foundation of the Arts Award, and was acquired by AMC+—but because of the process of making it. Read more>>

Rebel Strings LLC

One of the most meaningful projects we’ve worked on is building Rebel Strings from the ground up—not just as a performing act, but as a boutique agency redefining what live music entertainment can look like in the luxury events space. What began as a bold idea between two classically trained string players has grown into a full-service entertainment company that curates high-level performances with electric strings at its core and a diverse roster of exceptional talent—including professional drummers, saxophonists, pianists, and more. Read more>>

Lindsay McIntosh

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is Musical Headwaters—a seven-album series I created through my nonprofit, Musica Sierra. This initiative commissions new works of music inspired by the Sierra Valley in order to bridge nature-based education with the visual and performing arts and deepen children’s social and emotional connection to the earth. Read more>>

Liz Scigliano

Making a necklace for my grandmother, Ruth, was one of the most meaningful projects to date. She had exquisite taste and enjoyed wearing and gifting jewelry throughout her life. She was the most supportive grandmother, encouraging and complimenting of my work, even in the early stages. I made her a gold necklace inlayed with rare Lapis Lazuli from Crested Butte, Colorado. Not only did she love Lapis Lazuli but she lived in Colorado for several years when she was younger. She wore the necklace with pride, showing her friends what her granddaughter had made her. This past Spring she passed away and gifted me back the necklace, I wear it everyday as a reminder of her and the memories we shared. Read more>>

Juanita Towns

Back in 2014 -2015 there was a lot of violence going on in the city of Richmond. I have been living in my community now for a little over 27 years and through this community we had a lot of violence come into our community which caused death and harm to the children and people who lived here. I have seen bodies set outside for over 5 hours while the community just mourns the loss of a loved one, while waiting on the corners to pick the body up. So one day I decided to go around the whole apartment complex and take pictures of all the lights that were not working in the apartment complex. My findings were about 45 lights that have been not working as well as the security cameras. Read more>>

Isabelle Pouya

The most meangingful project ive worked on is raising money for the okalwan. Read more>>

Chanthen Nene

I am cowriting a story about dealing with Nystagmus in South Asian communities and life I find it meaningful as it is the story of my life. Read more>>

Allison Billups

As a video creator who shares my real-life experiences, the most rewarding part has always been seeing how I can encourage and connect with others. One video that stands out the most to me is one I filmed during the first trimester of my third pregnancy. In that video, I opened up about everything—from the highs and lows to my worries and anxieties—and how I had to surrender my fears to God. The way He used that video still amazes me. I uploaded it almost two years ago, and to this day, I still receive daily comments from moms who are walking through similar struggles. It’s been such a blessing to witness how God continues to use this channel. Read more>>

Halim Flowers

“The live painting I did at the royal wedding in Norway for Princess Märtha Louise was an unforgettable experience. To be invited to another country to create art in real time during such an intimate and historic moment was truly humbling. It reminded me how universal the language of art is — how it can bridge cultures, traditions, and royalty with raw human expression. Being able to contribute creatively to that celebration, surrounded by love and legacy, was not only a career milestone but also a deeply spiritual and inspiring moment in my journey as an artist.” Read more>>

Brandon Weis

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever worked on—and truly one of the proudest moments of my career—was the creation of Fresno’s first professional theatre company, Chanticleer Shakespeare Co.

Growing up as a young actor in the Central Valley, I was fortunate to have access to wonderful community theatres and strong arts programs through our local schools. However, despite Fresno being the fifth-largest city in California, it had never had a professional theatre company. For those of us passionate about theatre, that meant if we wanted to pursue acting professionally, we had to leave our community and seek opportunities elsewhere. Read more>>

Isa Yixin Yang

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve created is Sugar House.

Throughout my life, I’ve experienced frequent relocations, which has made the concept of “home” feel both elusive and fragile. I’ve often grappled with a sense of displacement, and Sugar House emerged from a deep desire to construct a feeling of home from within.

This installation is built from blue sugar tiles—materials that are physically delicate yet visually structured. The sugar symbolizes emotional vulnerability, while the color blue, drawn from my childhood living room wall, evokes conflicting feelings of calm, coldness, and familiarity. Together, they reflect the paradox of reconstructing a new family identity while still carrying the weight of past relationships and memories. Read more>>

Ajay Kapur

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was the focus of my PhD thesis (20 years ago) — a long, ambitious journey where I built a robotic 12-armed drummer designed to perform live music with me on stage.

At its core, this was an early experiment in AI-driven machine perception and musical co-creation. But the heart of it was something more personal: it was a way to explore how machines could not just imitate art, but actually collaborate in it — especially when grounded in Indian culture and my personal story. Read more>>

Hazel Leroy

When I married and had my son, it became clear that my husband did not want me to continue my theatrical pursuits. Thus, for the sake of “peace in the family”, I ceased auditioning. I wrote and directed a couple of children’s plays, did a little voice over work, but did not get involved in theatre making on a more *involved* level. Read more>>

Morgan Frey

The most meaningful project is the one I’m currently doing. My one woman show that I am touring at festivals. I am a multiple amputee and dating is hard enough, but with a disability it’s even harder and a rather taboo subject. In the show I share stories about my experience dating, both awkward and bad, while the main story is my experience with being sexually assaulted and the aftermath of that. I am at a point where I am ready to share that particular story and hope that other’s will feel less alone. Read more>>

Adhitavo

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was my set at Masala Mixtape, the largest South Asian music festival in New York, held inside the industrial walls of the Brooklyn Monarch. Sub-bass rattled the concrete as the crowd, rich and vibrant in color, movement, and presence, moved as one beneath waves of red and amber light. Visuals glitched across the LED wall, fracturing abstract electronic forms into pixelated fragments, which were stitched back together in real time through the modularity of my Ableton Live set. In that charged atmosphere, the room felt like a single pulse. Stepping to the mic, I could feel each version of myself converge: my roots in India, the producer sculpting sonic textures late at night in a New York apartment, the performer learning to translate identity through frequency. In that moment, I experienced what it means to be seen, heard, and amplified without compromise. Read more>>

April Aquino

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my capstone film, Trigonometry’s Ultimate Method to Putting the Fun Back in Your Own Funeral. It’s a little animated short about a little cyborg boy who dies suddenly but refuses to go to the afterlife until his final wish is fulfilled – to cause chaos at his own funeral. Read more>>

Hattie Inese

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is a live production titled NtimUcy, created and produced through my nonprofit organization, Creative Purpose Productions. This project is deeply personal and impactful because it blends artistry with healing—core to our mission.

The idea came from witnessing how many people, especially youth and underserved adults, struggle with emotional expression and healing due to trauma, societal pressure, or lack of access to mental health resources. I envisioned NtimUcy as a space where artists could safely explore their own stories through dance, poetry, music, and storytelling, and where audiences could witness and feel empowered by those journeys. Read more>>

Brandi Martin

The most meaningful project Ive worked on during my career as a photographer was when I first started getting into photography. I was a teenage girl living in Atlanta, Ga with my father and I was just introduced to public transportation. I would ride the train daily to get to and from work and I noticed that there were a lot of homeless people on the streets of downtown Atlanta and it saddened me. Everyone has a story of how they ended up where they are now and I wanted to give them a voice and ask them about theirs. I would introduce myself and ask them if it was okay to get a photo of them before asking questions about their past and allow them to express themselves freely. The photo itself was enough to express what they were feeling. Giving them a voice meant so much to me. Read more>>

Nicola Russell

I’m a portrait painter and a social media content creator. Back in 2020, during COVID lockdowns, I started a TikTok account and began posting watercolor portraits, mainly of historical figures, along with voiceovers about their lives. It started as a way to pass the time, but eventually grew into more meaningful work. Read more>>

Hosneara Begum

Volunteering with Kufi Productions has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, allowing me to freely apply the skills I’ve gained from both non-profit and corporate environments. At Kufi, I’ve had the autonomy to think creatively, propose new ideas, and execute projects, trusting my judgment to enhance Kufi’s recognition and reach. Read more>>

Patrick Corbin

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is creating an interdisciplinary course called Dance and Health: Dance and Ability. It is essentially a course about the positive effects of dance on the brain. To date, we have run three sections of DANC 140; Dance and Parkinson’s, Dancing and Down Syndrome and Dance and Autism. I first became interested in this work in the early 1990s when I met a young child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) named Michael. Michael is the grandson of my now deceased friend Emily whom I was visiting in LA. Michael was what we now refer to as “high-level or level 3 support.” Meaning he was nonverbal and required a high level of support in everyday life. His parents needed a break, and I told them that I would look after him while they rested and visited with Emily. Read more>>

Dana Montlack

One of the most recent meaningful projects I’ve worked on was the creation and installation of three large-scale glass sculptures at Shelter Cove Community Park on Hilton Head Island. It was a project that brought together everything I care about: environmental storytelling, material experimentation, community, and collaborative process. Read more>>