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.

Lynzie Moore

My visionary project, using dream boards and art therapy. This project is dear to my heart because I grew up in a life full of grief, loss and being told “how I felt”. I hid my release from the world, living with depression and anxiety, because I was afraid to disappoint, hurt, embarrass or “be a burden” to others, by being open about how I truly felt and my true desires. I tried HARD to fit in the box, to please others and be the best at all the things. And I was REALLY good at it but also very empty, longing to hold a safe space for others to heal openly, not suffer in silence or struggle to be what society or whoever, “expect us to be”.Read more>>

Jeffrey Gascon Bello

With an affinity towards processes of integration, I naturally gravitated from the very start to the multidisciplinary arts and their enticing potential to form cohesiveness. This has always been an inspiring approach for me as a creative. I tend to feel enthralled to find a unifying meaning from a source of multiplicity. As once Director of Casaluna, a performance art ensemble, I was following this method for work construction. I used the concept of Devising Theatre which enabled a group of artists from various disciplines to construct a performance piece involving juxtapositions of elements been created as the group grew from a conceptual ideal into a defined whole with an anchor meaning behind it. Read more>>

Denique Nashay

My most meaningful project recently was a project where I got to work with the Thunder Organization. They reached out to me to be a part of their first exclusive Unscripted event where photographers get to document game day events and combine sports entertainment with their style of photography. I was very excited for the opportunity as this was my first time getting into sports photography. It’s a very different approach versus editorial and portrait. With that, I quickly figured out I do not have as much control over my surroundings. I have to be ready and calculative with how I take pictures. Read more>>

Tonia Griffin

La Marque Kindness Rocks Project is the most meaningful project I have worked on. Our goal is to cultivate connections within communities and lift others up through kindness rocks garden communities. Read more>>

 

Tash Chapman

I did some artwork and promotional materials for an organization called Blue Zone Marin. They run mother-daughter surfing workshops in Marina County, CA. The women learn to surf but also focus on building relationships. The goal is for them to come away from the experience feeling more connected to one another and also more confident and connected in the ocean. (I’m explaining what they do to the best of my abilities, but I’m not a spokesperson for them so definitely check them out to understand their mission) This project meant a lot to me because I’ve also experienced the way surfing and feeling connected to the ocean can help a person feel better in life overall. Read more>>

 

Earth O. Jallow

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on would be my one woman show that displays five different personalities with each of them told in a different voice. #BecomingHER (Title of the show) has not been released, yet, but is slated for a fall 2022 debut! I believe the reason this project took on so much meaning, to me, was because each personality played an intricate role in shaping my personal life. Each personality suffered some type of life trauma that forced each to pick up an art form that ultimately saved their lives! Read more>>

Joshua Bolick

The most meaningful project I have worked on so far in my music career would probably have to be my full length “Life Learner” album. It was a turning point for me in my career where I decided to do just about all of the recording and mixing on my own as part of a larger learning process. I found that I really enjoyed the process and having full control over how the final audio for each track sounded. It was also a new form of freedom for me where I could truly do whatever I wanted and experiment with finding the sound that I wanted to really represent myself. Read more>>

King Quice

I have released one project at this point in my career. My island themed EP titled “Lost In Paradise ”. This EP was inspired by Afro-Pop music which I’ve always been a big fan of. Originally I created a record titled “Palm Trees” which incorporated summer time elements within this style of music. My audience really loved this sound and gave me the idea to build on a small project within that genre of music which became “Lost In Paradise”. As of right now I am working on my punk rock EP titled “Shows Over”. Read more>>

Jeanne Jaffe

Since my work helps me to understand my life, my feelings and the world In which I live, all of my projects are meaningful at the time I am working on them. Two in particular stand out to me. One is an installation built on a quote from T.S. Eliot’s” Four Quartets” that helped me get through difficult times in my own life. In this installation small figures in hospital gowns are suspended in space, along with rocks and vines. As the viewer approaches the installation, these figures move and recite the following poem: I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope, For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. Read more>>

Jade McClendon

Over the years we have worked on many meaningful projects, We call them Passion Projects. A couple times a year my heartstrings get tugged on and I feel compelled to take action. Creating and Giving back go hand in hand for me. They are all meaningful, so I will touch on the most recent Passion Project. With the current devastation in Ukraine, and our hearts aching. I knew I had to do SOMETHING. While scrolling Facebook I noticed one of my local friends and 4 more doctors and nurses posted that they were in Ukraine volunteering with the non Profit Aerial Recovery Group. That was it! Read more>>

Sarah Creasman Barnett

Oftentimes I am asked to complete a project in memory of a loved one who has passed. Over the course of my time doing custom painting commissions for clients, I have done a few dozen of these. It means a lot to me to be entrusted with the memory, and on a personal level it is gratifying to share my love for painting in this specific way. Read more>>

Rxbyn

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on thus far is one no one has heard yet. Back in February 2022, I released my latest EP, ‘i-motions’. It’s a five track EP that goes over a few of the most impactful emotional states and experiences I went through while making the EP: going through quarantine, trying to adjust to a new way of making my dreams a reality, and keeping my personal life in tact. To explain a bit further, I was in the middle of a huge transitional period in my life at the time. I had gone from living with my family in mid-2019, to staying with a friend and business partner for an extended period of time to experience growth, and build upon my craft in the music industry. Read more>>

Sue Klahne

One of my most meaningful projects was working on a mural project with a couple fellow creatives for a local crisis hospital called New Horizons of the Treasure Coast. Mental health & addiction awareness are causes very close to my heart. I often use my art as a platform to raise awareness & funds for charities associated with mental health & addiction as well as donating my time and talents. I’ve personally had loved ones suffer with severe mental health afflictions as well as losing someone very close to me to the disease of addiction. There’s so much shame associated with mental health & I aim to educate others in order to help break the stigma, be a voice for those who cannot advocate for themselves & to encourage others to nurture their own creativity. Read more>>

Jason Moon

Warrior Songs story to song is a project where the stories of US veterans are transformed into songs. Matching veterans with creative songwriters to create a song from the veterans experience and then recording these songs with top tier musicians in studios around the world. The songs are then released on themed compilation cd’s and distributed free of charge to US veterans and to people and organizations who work with veterans. Warrior Songs has released three volumes to date. “If You Have to Ask… Warrior Songs Vol. 1” was nondescript and featured mostly white male veterans. Read more>>

Michelle Tricca

Aside from being the official documentarian of my twin niece and nephew, the 2 projects I’m currently working on are quite meaningful. At the core of both projects is sentiment and art. Both aim to champion marginalized communities. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, both make an impact in people’s lives. These attributes make them very rewarding. I’m creating a humanitarian public art mural called The Face Of Immokalee, a portrait installation celebrating the soul of Immokalee. Holding global significance, this local project is an effort to honor, humanize and put a face to the people of this humble, hard working. Read more>>

Linda Mitchell

A year ago, I began a project to create personal Spirit Animal paintings designed to support and empower the owner. These bespoke pieces include personal items that make them unique and truly reflective of the individual. The experience is designed to provide guidance and inspiration by tapping into the spiritual powers of the animal world. Through a series of questions and discussion, I work to find the strongest imagery to incorporate specific powers, symbolism and meaning most appropriate for the person and whatever they may be experiencing in their lives. Read more>>

Ivy Bencheck

When I think about the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on thus far, my new work is first in line. I have recently come out as pansexual, a lover of all if you will, and decided that my business needs to reflect who I really am. It only took a night of binge watching Queer Eye to open my eyes that I want to do more with my work. Fully in tears, I began calling all my queer and trans friends and offered them branding sessions, styled elopements, and couples sessions. Being able to show queer and trans representation in the wedding world is super powerful to me because it’s not easy to find. Read more>>

Tara Goltz

I was in a local pop punk band in Phoenix, Arizona called Love Like Fiction from the years 2018-2021. I can easily say that those years held some of the greatest times of my life. I think that being in a band was both immensely rewarding, but also downright challenging at times. Thankfully, I wouldn’t change a thing. There are so many moments that I will cherish forever. I think the whole band itself was the meaningful project that I was apart of, but to take it one step further, the song writing process was most significant. Read more>>

Tom Diverio

We are constantly working closely with our residential clients to make their dream homes become a reality. All our client’s projects are meaningful to us. Understanding how our clients live and function is a huge part of our process in designing their home. Our team excels at creating functional spaces that are designed specifically for our client’s lifestyle. We take great pride in creating a cohesive story throughout each home. We ensure that the interiors and exteriors of each residence are integrated with both the architecture and it’s natural surroundings. Read more>>

Brittanny Bigley

The most meaningful project of my life is the collection I’m working on right now. The collection is titled “How to Love”. There are so many reasons it will always remain my most meaningful project; it’s my debut project, and it essentially is me displaying my heart and soul to everyone. An former friend of mine, known as @fnote462 on Instagram, gave me a lot of encouragement and inspiration to convert my art into something meaningful. That being said, I dwelled on this thought and wondered what I could create that would be not only meaningful to others, but to myself. Read more>>

Cat Williams

The most meaningful project that I was privileged to work on was the birthday party for a dear family friend’s mother. This birthday party was planned by the grandchildren to fulfill the last request of the grandmother who was suffering from brain cancer. Being able to photograph their grandmother and all her remaining siblings, watching them laugh, and photographing her tears being wiped by her brother was heart-warming. It was such a surreal moment that I will value for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Sam Farr

The EP we are preparing to release, Nature and Nurture is likely the most meaningful project we’ve worked on as a band. It is the most collaborative effort we’ve had so far in terms of the songwriting, and the most fun too. Nature and Nurture tells a story of how growing up and self realization changes you. The way you came to be was by luck, and you didn’t choose when and where you were born, so to an extent you are bound by your nature. But in other ways you are bound by your nurture. You didn’t choose your parents or the ways in which you grew up really. Read more>>

Ryan Cameron

Right now, I’m working on my personal project. It’s a short film called “Forks in the Road”, which follows a couple on a date night trying to decide on the future of their relationship. Originally, the project is a feature film that I’d already written. I wanted to shoot it, but I had to be realistic about the process. I decided to take the essence of what the feature is about and make it into a short film. I’m so passionate about ” Forks in the Road” because it’s about a young black couple in the south. It is representative of the southern black culture I see around me every day. Read more>>

Sheryl Goodman

During the beginning of Covid, I decided to try to use my creative process to spread some positivity. I Created mixed media paintings full of positive thoughts and self love, using quotes and words or even phrases that made me feel good, torn and affixed to the canvas with blooming roses growing over the words. These pieces were seen by a local gallery and then featured in that space. Since that time, I have been doing commissions for people that are wanting to show love to a friend or loved one, for special birthdays or anniversaries. These pieces are filled with love notes, journal entries, wedding invitations, etc. These pieces make a meaningful and lasting gift of art. Read more>>

Gabby Jockers

I actually just graduated (March 2022) from a very meaningful photography course, which involved a lot of photography projects to deepen my skills. It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences that has helped me connect the dots between the transformational experience I want to offer clients and actually being able to consistently offer it. Looking through my portfolio last year, I noticed something in my best work that was missing from the rest. That something was emotion. Emotion was the spark that brought the photographs to life. It was what made people fall in love with an image. It was what made a photo more than just a picture of a face or body, but of a person. Read more>>

Luis Ascanio

It was back in 2001, when my good friend and former Chair of the Berklee College of Music Film Scoring Department Don Wilkins, selected me to work in a University of Florida’s short film titled “Daughter”. At the time I was one of six composers hired by the Nokia Corporation to composed and design their line ringtones for all Nokia cellphones. “Daugther” directed by Venezuelan director Eduardo Rodriguez, was honored by being officially selected to the Cannes Film Festival on 2002, and became an 12 times award winning short film in festivals all over the world.

Stefan Falke

My latest project “Keep Going New York!!” means a lot to me because not only did I document the streets of New York during the Pandemic in 2020 and self-published the book but the work also got me through that challenging year by staying busy and creative. I focused on the resilience of my fellow New Yorkers, on moments of normalcy under exceptional circumstances during the pandemic. The positive attitude in most of the photographs of my chosen hometown show New Yorkers doing what they always do: They keep going!! Read more>>

Melissa Grove

At this stage in my life it’s hard to pick just ONE “most meaningful project” I’ve worked on. I would say now-a-days I only pick meaningful projects that make a community impact or bring different communities together. I think the choice to support inclusive arts programs was the biggest meaningful decision I have ever made and then from there, the projects showed up and my heart could be 100% committed. If I had to choose one, it would be my last project right before the pandemic. It was an inclusive arts program bringing 7 different San Diego arts organizations together to collaborate in large community event. Read more>>

Rocio Francis

My company has been the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on. When it comes to skin care not many think of the indigenous history, of skin care or the ingredients. When it came to creating my company I want to re-indigenize what skin care looks like, while using recipes, stories and my knowledge of knowing and understanding the way the land works and how I could leave a positive impact on the land for the future generations to come. When it comes to me even growing my own ingredients, I ended up on the same land and which my family worked on in the fields. Read more>>

Steven Cade

One of the most meaningful projects that I have ever participated in is helping the homeless. I have partnered with Brent Yates and the Gravity of Up. Together we have created the ‘Giving Guitars Tour’ and Taylor Guitars has just joined our mission as a sponsor. My family is touring with me, and so far we have visited 50+ homeless shelters, donated over 80 brand new guitars, raised over $100,000, and have visited shelters in Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. My goal is to visit 100 shelters this year. Read more>>

Kj Bennett

Overall, building the brand itself IS a very meaningful project for me. It’s because of the ideology that Joee Spacey (said like Joey) is built on, such as the brand motto: “Stayin’ above the negativity!”. I do my best to create iconography, graphics and streetwear that align with such thinking. Encouraging my peers and supporters to be their best, most authentic selves and incorporating fun along the way. With merch that makes people smile and feel good about supporting a positive brand. Read more>>

Timothy Davis

There have been so many! I’ll go with what I just finished up. Most recently I was acting in the world premiere play Overactive Letdown at Theatre Lab in Boca Raton. The play explores and shines a light on postpartum psychosis, a severe form of peri-natal mental illness. It is funny, imaginative, and heart-wrenching and was a joy to create with my fellow collaborators. Next up, I’m producing Water by the Spoonful with New City Players at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors. The play explores addiction and recovery and is a truly beautiful piece. What makes a project most meaningful to me is three elements: Read more>>

Rick Steinburg

My Life Series of art works is an ongoing project. It began in 2018, asking the impossible question: Why do humans brutalize each other? We have a long history with cruelty throughout time. I wanted to explore what this looks like in this series. I also wanted to contrast this by portraying the joys that humans experience through life; the unguarded moments where love and innocence rise to the top. Since I began this series, life in our human society continues to evolve and the question of our brutality to one another has added several chapters and appears in our daily news in greater and more unimaginable forms. Read more>>

Derek Hebert

One of the more meaningful projects I’ve gotten to work on as a part of the Mile High Freedom Bands is our MHFB Youth program. In 2018 and 2019, we started trialing the program meant to bring together LGBTQ+ and allies high school musicians in a safe space where they could be themselves, be supported, and make music together. We had high ambitions for the 2020 program that got smashed by COVID. This year in 2022, we’re finally ready to make it happen again. Read more>>

Shaquan Bivins

To this day, I say ’99 Camry Music has been my most impactful release. The title was inspired from my car that broke down on the way to my first SXSW performance. February 2020 I got with my producer/engineer to start a new project to suit where we were as a collective. I had just locked in my first show in HollyWood with “LA Unplugged” and wanted to keep the momentum up. It just so happens , the show was the last week before covid really shut the entire world down. So, given the circumstances , we focused on making a concise 5 track project. Read more>>

Brecia Kralovic-Logan

The Women’s Woven Voices project is an international, collaborative, art project that supports women’s empowerment though writing, weaving and sharing their stories. Women are invited to reflect on their life experiences and weave a “story cloth” that is then stitched into a collective tapestry. Currently there are over 1,000 story cloths included in the tapestry from participants from 10 different countries. I founded the project in 2017. I had helped to produce an event to celebrate International Women’s Day, and we had invited a group of inspiring women to share their stories. Read more>>

Paul Mai

I have been working directly with clients and offering my marketing services for over 7 years. I remember every client that has reached out and take my time to provide valuable services that solves their business needs. My favorite projects are the ones where I help brands and people connect. I work directly with clients to understand their business needs and business structure as a way to understand their platform. Afterwards I take a deep dive into their market, brand positioning, and competitive analysis in order to design a marketing plan specifically for my clients. I’m grateful for everyone I have met and have had the pleasure of doing business with. Read more>>

Valerie Jaimes

As an artist, I seek to tell stories of life through my art. I have had the privilege of traveling and living in many different places, and in the last few years, I have created various ‘collections’ wherein I’ve sought to depict, through various drawings and paintings, the essence of each place I have been in. I have created collections of places such as Spain, the UK, Italy, Texas, and Alaska. I have then gone on to sell both originals and prints of these works to people all over the world to whom these places are also special and I feel that it is very meaningful to be able to share my love for the world with others in this way. Read more>>

Melody Epperson

My artwork often feels very meaningful to me because, I focus on my experience as a woman, both within my own skin and within society. Recently, I have been drawn to nature and the wisdom that lies within her. In my art practice I first am drawn to an idea such as “the wisdom of nature” and then I begin to research this idea. When I began my investigation into nature, I found that science has made some pretty amazing discoveries about trees recently. Such as, the phenomenon that forests and trees support one another through an underground network of mycorrhizal connections. Read more>>

Rhonda Brunson

The Choose Courage Foundation 501(c)3 began as a personal photography project. I was volunteering at SafeHaven of Tarrant County each week and I admired the strength, courage and perseverance of the women in the shelter. They were inspiring. I began a personal photography project “I See You” to capture and celebrate survivors of domestic abuse. To show them the incredible beauty I saw in them. Read more>>

Theresa Westbrook

With a professional background in nursing, I am passionate about helping others heal from heartbreaking tragedies. As a result, I have given myself to producing positive life-transforming media and ministry offering hope and healing to all. Active in ministry for decades, in 2007 my husband Don Westbrook and I founded the innovative and restorative 501(c)(3) Pearls of Shalom Ministries. The ministry resource books include: A Strand of Pearls, Theresa’s personal story of conquering childhood tragedies through the restorative touch of Jesus Christ. Read more>>

Chris Craft

My ‘Open Your Eyes’ album is meaningful to me because it marked my return to music after a long break from music to help raise a family. ‘Open Your Eyes’ is my first album under my CRFT artist name and is an album that I think helps people with life’s spiritual struggles. Also, my Lofi.Clothing website and merch line is also important for beat culture. My merch line represents the sonic aesthetic of lo-fi hip-hop music visually. Read more>>

Bridget Law

I would certainly like to do more meaningful work! But currently I would say that the most meaningful work I’ve done is uplift women as musicians and leaders. I have witnessed a remarkable increase in the amount of female musicians and leaders being recognized in the music industry since the start of my career. It’s beautiful to be a part of this evolutionary step in society. One of my side projects is called WinterWonderWomen; it is the all-star group comprised of the women that are booked to play the WinterWonderGrass festival which happens twice a year. Read more>>

Durant Searcy

The visual for my most recent single ‘(Please) Don’t Forget About Me’, which was directed by Tim Winter is the most meaningful thing I’ve created and released in a long time. It features the amazing local poet/author Carlos ‘Peauxetic’ Harleaux. The song is based on moments from my life in 2021 so every lyric is real. To be more specific, it’s about how I grew feelings for someone and decided to express it to that special person, but I was rejected. Out of hurt from that rejection, the song was created. I had no intention of doing new music and especially a new music video for a long time. Read more>>

Rae Pleasant

The most meaningful project I have undertaken is an oversized quilt during my 2021 artist residency at Touchstone Center for Crafts in rural Pennsylvania in the Appalachian Mountain range. I lived at Touchstone for a month in the dorms and walked down a path to the sprawling upstairs loft of a farm structure, overlooking the forest, where I was given a studio. It was one of the very few times I was treated with respect and dignity while dealing with an arts organization. Read more>>

Dorothy Krause

For many years I have successfully shown my large-scale mixed media work in galleries and museums but I also make artist books which enable me to address meaningful issues. In 2009 I used 100 of my books as examples and wrote Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books, which was published by North Light. Eventually the 100 books were acquired by Cristina Favretto and Jay Sylvestre, who are primarily responsible for artist books and related works in the Special Collections of the University of Miami Libraries. We have continued to be mutually supportive and this past year, I gave Special Collections 25 pieces from the series, “Cuba: history rewritten”.. Read more>>

Bailey Turfitt

All of my projects are typically very meaningful in different ways, as each project is specific to the model and the idea surrounding them. The goal is to make the person into something meaningful and beautiful to themselves. However, there is one particular project that means a lot to me personally. I am deaf with little residual hearing in my left ear. My whole life I had to suffer with knowing that the hearing I have could disappear at any time, leaving me unable to hear music acoustically. I was a trained musician in high school and have an infinite love for music, so this kind of loss is beyond terrifying to me. One of my early loves of music is the Beatles. Read more>>

Paiige

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has to be the current ep I’m working on. It’s about my journey to the self. Growing up I always dreamed of true love and finding said love within a partnership, but I learned that I can find that within me as long as I accept and love all parts of myself . With that came accepting my sexuality and sexual orientation, as well as being ok with being alone. Writing these songs as I progressed in this journey was really therapeutic and scary; I am not used to being this vulnerable in front of others. However, I am excited to show everyone a part of me I’ve been getting to know for a while now. Read more>>

Mauricio Murillo

My “NANA” series features portraits of my 90-year-old grandmother. This project means a lot to me. First of all, I started this series because ever since my grandfather passed away I noticed she would have days where she felt depressed and lonely. I thought it could be fun to have her play dress up and let me take some fun portraits of her. This was able to keep her mind off things and spend more time with her grandson. She has always been my number 1 fan. What neither of us expected was how well received the series would be. Read more>>

Gabriella Jording

Currently I’m working on a very meaningful project based on love and loss and the stages of it. Through my recent relief prints I have been experimenting with expression and color and documenting my feelings through it. I’ve recently discovered Edvard Munch’s prints and the way he documents his journey of love, loss and loneliness. It’s very moving and honest and so that is what I am trying to achieve with my prints, to document my stages of honest love. It feels a lot more freeing making art this way. Read more>>

Melanie M. Brannan

November 2020, my good friend and gallery director, Maryann Wegloski, asked me to do one more solo exhibition at the Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts. I agreed on the condition that the exhibition could be about our friendship, because Maryann had diagnosed with nodular melanoma. January and February 2021, I created ‘A Celebration of Friendship’, 24 paintings that chronicled our friendship. The paintings were created in so many styles from pop art, impressionism, impasto, even resined Skittles. “Piggy and the Pinwheels” was our trip to one of her many doctor appointments. Read more>>

Elizabeth Clark Hoverman

Currently I am working on a few projects , one of them being for the Ukrainian people. My husband starting getting into the NFT scene about 6 months ago and discovered recently about music NFTs. Since the war between Russia and Ukraine, my heart has been heavy for the Ukrainian people. So many of them have lost everything and many have fled their own country to seek asylum and safety. I can’t begin to imagine what they are going through. They are the inspiration for my latest song, a song I wrote for them called “I’m Praying For You”. Read more>>

Kacee Anderson

I’ve had many meaningful projects over the years. One of the best things about being a photographer is that my work is cherished by people for years to come. It reminds them of special moments in their lives. Some of my most meaningful projects relate to those who are no longer with us. I gifted a session to a dear family whose father was losing a battle with cancer. I’ve taken photos of another family before the mom started her chemotherapy. Every single wedding marks a huge day in the lives of my clients. It is always an honor to photograph those moments. Read more>>

Chris Huang

For two consecutive years in the city of Boulder, CO, I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in a city sponsored program named the “Creative Neighborhood Murals”. The program facilitated a collaboration between homeowners and artists to create murals on residential properties that were visible to the public. Homeowners selected regional artists to work with from a city-approved mural artist roster list. I had been living in Boulder at this point for well over 10 years and had been pretty rooted into the arts community. Read more>>

Melissa Rioux

Helping people feel better in their bodies is the most amazing thing I can do for someone and people come to me for all sorts of reasons when it comes to things they don’t like about their skin. You can cover just about anything with a tattoo, and covering scars is something I do a lot of and enjoy very much. A particular client named Kay sticks out in my mind, she was a double mastectomy cancer survivor with a very large scar across her whole chest that twisted quite a bit on one side. Read more>>

Vibes Lifestyle

My partner and I are an Artist Duo, so we embark on our creative endeavors collectively as a team. All of our art is inspired by life, nature, experiences and one another. We continue to collaborate on a beautiful collection together that we titled “Poetic Porcelain”, because I have been writing poetry since I was 12 years old and each sculpture that we craft inspires a poem that accompanies the piece. Life has been a journey of many perils, and writing has been an excellent emotional outlet for me. Read more>>

Tyra + Tiara

At the beginning of each year, the first quarter of every year, we always strive to challenge ourselves with a creative project that we have never done before. Something that scares us, but will help us grow as artists, performers, and business women. We started working on our first officially single in January of 2018, ‘Moonlight’ on all major music platforms. That was a big step from creating music on our laptop to selling it to the world, and since then, it has been one of our highest selling streamed songs. Read more>>

Jack Hadley

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my latest release, “Daybreak In Alabama – The Langston Hughes Project”. I wrote nine songs based on the poetry of Langston Hughes, one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance during the early part of the 20th century. This project came about for two reasons: 1) the political and social turmoil caused by the 45th president of the United States, and, 2) the issues faced by Black people in America are the same today as they were in the 1920s and 30s, and I wanted to make an artistic statement about that. Read more>>

Crystal Sawyer

I want to create a student harp ensemble for children from Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. I am passionate about listening to children and providing a space for them to be heard and respected, which is wonderful soil for encouraging learning. Because of the expensive nature of the harp, as well as its size, most children from marginalized and even middle income communities will never have the opportunity to experience the harp. I want to provide a safe space and resources to help these children to be able to experience the harp in a harp-positive environment. Read more>>

Pamela Anne Quiroz

Latino cARTographies: Mapping the Past, Present and Future of Houston’s Latino Art. This dynamic but permanent interactive and bilingual digital board contributes to our public knowledge of Latino visual art and culture and helps us to preserve these contributions in a visual digital archive. Through this digital humanities project we can highlight our Latino communities and build bridges between Latino ethnic groups, and the broader Houston community. We can also serve as a model for underserved communities in Houston and nationally to demonstrate a 21st century mode of experiencing art and culture. Read more>>

Akena Hightower

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was camp lotus of 2019 working with Kirk Franklin and his Amazing team along with other very talented artists like me , we worked together for a whole week to put together a huge showcase that basically allowed us local artist to showcase our pure gifts with the rest of the world. Read more>>

Lil Yoshii

Even though my latest project ”Ecstasy Heartbreak Mixtape” is my first official album thats on all platforms ”Scallywag” most definitely is the most meaningful project to me. It dropped right before summer 2019 giving off a fun groovy summer vibe. The album was recorded and produced in 2 days, a whole 17 tracks. It’s a Dallas underground gem only out on a few platforms…. for now. Life was good when this album dropped you can feel the energy! Late summer nights, lake parties, hood chicks twerking at house parties screaming ”aye” this tape gives you all of that. Read more>>

Sheila Fraga

For me, the most significant project I have worked on has been the Series on identity and eroticism from my personal life entitled “Feeling Pipelines.” From the female intervention as part of public spaces using water pipes as an icon of belonging to the City of Miami. It has been a challenge to establish myself as a contemporary artist, imposing myself in the face of my own personal conflicts. I have been working on the erotic context in this series for the last 7 years as a rebellious response sustained in that idea of ​​making women freer and projecting herself naked without any taboo and even more so in intimate scenes. Read more>>

Beth Sanders

Photographing a woman, Jill, going thru metastatic breast cancer. She felt at the time that seeing herself thru all the changes she was going to would help her heal. Her story is interesting because when she was a young woman, 20, maybe, she didn’t feel beautiful because she was so flat chested. She decided to go with implants and finally felt beautiful. So to have a double mastectomy was particularly hard as what she felt made her beautiful was taken away from her. Our work was around trying to help Jill see that she was beautiful, no matter how her body looked. Read more>>

Lital Yohay

When I think about a creative project, each and every idea that I have has its full world and colors to it. I try to think different and speak my mind through the music and lyrics. So most meaningful it is really hard to choose :) The song ” don’t miss out on me” is a unique mashup that contains 5 of my songs and was created especially for the dance floor. The really cool thing about it that the mash up has mixed musical genres such as dance edm, rock, pop, Latin afro style and many more. I also released the remix “what ifi 2021”. Read more>>