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.

Gina Burg

That’s an emotionally loaded question but easy to answer. I worked on a series of images featuring my daughter holding white feathers after her Dad passed away. White feathers have become something that we look for since his passing as a sign that he is still with us in some way. It started roughly six months into the grieving process when my daughter was upset that everyone we knew had received a sign from him. I told her she needed to be specific in what she wanted to see, and she chose white feathers. The following morning, as she hopped the fence to walk her unique trail to the bus stop, there was a trail of white feathers. The series was released in an art magazine. Read more>>

Joe Staton

Every single project is meaningful to me in some way or another, but some future projects are coming up that I think will be the most meaningful I’ll have ever worked on. Shakespeare is always meaningful in some way because for me that’s where it all started. When I was 10 years old, my teacher in school introduced my class to A Midsummer Night’s Dream; ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with Shakespeare. That’s also when I learned my first Shakespeare monologue. Read more>>

Jeremy Mason

I would have to say that my second publication,”The Life and Times of a Black Man”, which was released in 2020. It was birth during a crisis in the nation and for black men in America. The tragic murders of African Americans, like that of George Floyd, were highly disturbing to my spirit and it brought me to tears for several days during the lockdown. This period allowed me to sit in one place and take a deep dive into what my life consisted of as a black man in America. Read more>>

Yining Li

Last year, I joined the SCAD CoMotion branding team, a significant project I worked on during my time at SCAD. CoMotion, established in 2010, is SCAD’s annual student-led motion media conference that attracts 40-plus top-industry motion design companies. As a designer, I worked with other 7 designers to design style frames for the 2023 title sequence. The whole production spanned from late November to March 10 and utilized a hybrid of virtual and in-person collaboration. Read more>>

Taylor Saleem

As a woman of mixed ancestry (54% European and 48% African), I often struggle to know where I fit in society and in this world. Working through silver, stone, and beads, I am embracing who I am in a tangible way. My beadwork is influened by the multistrand jewelry of the Yoruba tribe. I make a point of purchasing the vintage bead used in my work directly from African suppliers to be as close to the source as possible. But I also integrate my European ancestry into my pieces by drawing on Victorian floriography. Also known as “the language of flowers”, Read more>>

Char Norman

As an environmental artist and an educator, I feel it is important to alert the public to issues of environmental justice. In my travels, I have identified areas of concern and created art specific to an area. This has ranged from the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, and the Amazon Rain Forest. The work that came out of my trip to Ecuador and the rainforest has a deep abiding interest in the protection of indigenous knowledge as it relates to our symbiotic relationship with the natural world. this body of work then lead to work in Southern Ohio and the energy industry. Read more>>

Alfredo Navarro

Having made our very first international cover, with national production and in such a sacred place of the Colombian territory as it is the Cocuy National park, has been a landmark and milestone for the Caracal. We are making the difference by daring to position Colombia on the world’s map of fashion and to show that there is not only modeling talent but also in the creative teams; the agencies. Read more>>

Sarah Nelson

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on in my film career is the one I’m currently in the midst of, a documentary called, “MISS Conception”. This is a project that I started 5 years ago, when the larger world and my own personal world looked very different; before the pandemic and before I had my first (and last) child. Read more>>

Kassandra Jackson

Virtual Nail Appointments have become a passion of mines. It started from when I will little doing my families nails with markers and colored pencils to starting a business in my dormitory at college. Read more>>

Luckii Ya Dig

My most meaningful project to date would have to be “Hood Ambassador” a recent release. It’s my first EP and I have been blessed to work on a few tracks produced by K.E. On The Track “Corporate Amerika”, “Anthem For The Hustlers”, “Diamonds Are A Girls Bestfriend” and “Patience” are all produced by K.E.. 2 things stick out the most for me with this project, one K.E. On The Track is a Grammy nominated producer and two it’s the project I was able to bring more of myself to the music, my style, my flow, etc. Read more>>

Sydney Wieland

I couldn’t speak on just one specific project, but a category of projects. I am a hairstylist who specializes in haircolor, specifically color transformations. I love meeting someone who has never colored their hair before, or has always had a natural toned color who wants to change their look to a pallet of vivid colors. Rainbow hair, but in any variation of colors. I love giving someone the confidence to wear their favorite color or colors as their everyday style. Sometimes pink haircolor can compliment someone’s skin tone just as equally as blonde or brunette. Read more>>

Star Trauth

I went through hell(my doctor said so) and I’m alive. I was unlucky enough to have a cancer. I was bed ridden, too weak to create much of anything but I still had ideas firing in my brain. The only thing I had an abundance of were medications, 21 bottles of pills and a myriad of creams, ointments, and powders. In my frustration I dumped a bunch of those pills out they were pretty, I snapped a pic. The meds I was to discontinue got their farewell by being crushed, I took a pic. I liked it, it made me feel like something other than a patient. Read more>>

Meagan Tarka

When I was a teenager, I faced various traumatic life events, both big and small. Creating art was my coping mechanism. It was a way to express myself, distract myself, and heal. It lead me to pursue art in both high school and college. I recently graduated from Oral Roberts University, in May of 2022, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education. I found healing, community, and counseling at ORU. During my last semester at ORU, I was presented with my Senior Project requirements. Read more>>

Nik Tizekker

I’ve worked on many projects. There are a few that stand out. The first one, 3 Days With Dad, was a film I was a part of in 2017. I was hired as a Production Assistant (PA) and within the first two days I was promoted to 2nd Assistant Director. With that position comes more responsibility where I was in charge of Talent and making sure Actors and Crew knew Call Times for the next day. I was also responsible for paperwork. On that film I became friends with almost the entire cast and still talk to most of them to this day. Read more>>

Christine Celozzi

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is my short film, My Friends the Plants. My Friends the Plants came about in such an unpredictable manner that it taught me to just let go and trust the process and trust that everything is going to fall into place at the right time. Read more>>

Craig Sefcik

The Dark Divide is definitely the most meaningful project I’ve probably been a part of in terms of how many people we’ve been able to reach and connect with, but personally I’d have to say that my solo work in Duality hits home the most for me due to it being fully and completely conceived, written, recorded, produced and released by myself. I originally wanted to do a full band for the project, but couldn’t seem to get the right group together to really do it justice in my opinion and since the songs are so personally important to me, I felt like I needed to pursue it solo. Read more>>

Rachel Weaver

The most meaningful projects I’m working on are The PETAL Project environmental education initiative and KUZU Community Radio in Denton. I’ve joined in on other meaningful creative and community projects over the years, and I feel like those opportunities were building up my skills and connecting with community that have helped build up my experience for current projects. Read more>>

Edglett Moreno

I like to think that all my custom paintings are meaningful to each client. I’ve had the honor to recreate old photos and include family members to have a beautiful life long memory in a colorful painting. Read more>>

Amanda Armstrong

I am so lucky right now to be starting on one of my most meaningful projects ever. What started out as a call for artists for the Thread That Bind Fiber show, turned into a community that was looking for a home. As I started to sign up fiber artists I got to hear about their struggles in our small town, and that there was no outlet for the fiber arts. I have now made it my mission to now find those fiber artists, and creators in our area. Read more>>

Aireene Espiritu

My most meaningful project is called A Color-Coded Symphony, a musical experience that aims to nurture intercultural openness and explore how we are connected to the rest of the world. It debuted for the first time at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, 2017. Read more>>

Justin Zhenghao Zhang

The project that holds the most significance to me is ‘Instant Evolution’, my first full-length motion graphics work. It is the winner of the 2022 Communication Arts illustration competition. ‘Instant Evolution’ showcases the history of Polaroid cameras from its early beginnings to its eventual decline and resurgence in the 21st century. Using illustrations and music, I took the audience on a journey inspired by the classic models of the camera, bringing to life the evolution of these iconic models. Read more>>

Cara Chadwick

It’s hard to pick just one. Every commission I do for a client of a pet or special horse is an amazing and meaningful experience. To create a likeness of a distinct personality is so rewarding, I know I have nailed it when the client cries! They feel that subjects essence. Read more>>

Kathleen Krucoff

A couple of years ago I was approached to make jewelry out of WWII airplanes that would honor the men and women who served in that war. I had no idea what to expect. On a snowy day in March, I met with Larry McManus who runs the gift shop for The National Museum of WWII Aviation located in Colorado Springs. Larry showed me their workshop, where they restore planes that flew in that war. He introduced me to some of the guys who make tables, lamps, desks, and more out of the plane artifacts. Read more>>

Kristin Lopez

What is Love Like Lenny? Well, it started as a stirring in my head and in my heart to make a difference. I hesitated to start this little local project not knowing what would come of it. But then my passion started to rise, the on going rush of heartache and sadness we see on the news began to weigh on me more heavily and I feel the call now more than ever to do my part in making this world a better place. Read more>>

Lindsey Becker

My website MeantToBeLindseyB.com has been the most meaningful project I have ever worked on because it has become the catalyst to so many other things. It started out as a blog and I used it as an outlet to process my journey as a wheelchair user and cancer survivor. Then, I started sharing a list of 101 Things in 1,001 Days as one of my blogs because I thought it would be a good idea to help me shift my focus off of the stress of going through cancer and do something with that time. Read more>>

Daniel Ferreres

The project which I’ve been getting quite a lot of attention comes from my personal exploration. This is my project called “Africa On Us”. I am half African and half Spanish and I grew up in Spain. Being completely honest, I struggled to get in touch with my African identity as there was not many people like me. This came across as I never was able to fully appreciate and connect with my African side. Read more>>

Epli Pastorfield

it’s hard to pick a particular project, it’s cliche – but they ARE my babies… the first project that truly felt like *mine will always have a deep and special place in my heart. in 2013, in west oakland, california i helped create a project called “here.before. art from a contested space.” that project centered the experience of gentrification for 5 traditional members of the community; a historically significant Black neighborhood that was rapidly becoming unaffordable and unsustainable as a place to call home. Read more>>

Milena Arango

My most meaningful project so far is Vestigium Tectona Grandis. VTG is my umbilical cord to my mother, my connection with the Universe, my relationship with Earth and life, my guts, my glories.  V, represents the vestige, the imprint of the plant, vagina, veins, vientre, venus. T stands for Tectona Grandis, the scientific name of the Teak Tree. T is transformation, time, transfer. G of Grandis, Tectona Grandis, Gratitude, Gracias, García (my maternal surname). VTG is my actual and most important project so far, I made her in 2016 in Damasco, Antioquia, Colombia, my native country. Read more>>

Xu Han

I did a duration 21 days performance, which name is “Cocooned”. I have worn a “cocoon” that I knitted by myself for 21 Days, including eating, transportation, traveling, attending class, and sleeping. I forbid speaking during these days; instead, I wrote or use devices’ system voice instead. I need to write in my diary every day about how my perception of myself changes, how my communication with others changes, and events in my immediate experience. The performance began on Apr.16 2019 12:00 pm and continues until May 7, 2019, 12:00 pm. Read more>>

Daniela Lugo

As an actress and filmmaker, I strive to tell compelling and relatable stories, particularly those about the Latin community. Among all my projects, the most significant to me is a short film I am producing in Mexico called “La Marcha de los Pingüinos” (March of the Penguins). It tells the story of a Mexican woman attempting to cross the US-Mexico border to help her family and highlights the sacrifices and struggles of immigrants in pursuit of the American Dream. Read more>>

Shawn Smith

My most meaningful project is my current project, Stress’d the Musical. It is a stage musical written and composed by me and I have the honor of working with multiple theatre organizations and professionals that are assisting me in the development of the show. This year, 2023, the show will be introduced in concert and stage-reading forms while next year the full production will go up. Read more>>

Joseph Wedge

The most important project I have worked on is without a doubt, the one I am working on currently… Obscured Poetry presents: Visions and Voices. Visions and Voices is an Artist Collective project designed to bring people of different backgrounds together and build networks of non-like minded individuals to explore the complex theme of duality. (And, maybe as importantly, the vast spectrum in between.) Read more>>

Claudia Chagoya

The most meaningful project I have worked on is titled “A Rose for Remembrance.” It is an artistic project and flower offering that commemorates murdered women, girls, transgender women, Two-Spirit People and people who identified as female. “A Rose for Remembrance” consists of rose petals individually encased in resin, each containing a name and dates carefully incised on them. Read more>>

Dani Coleman

I honestly feel like each of my projects so far has been meaningful, mainly because they each stem from my real-life experiences. Crafting character-driven narratives that effortlessly blend elements of heartache, humor, and controversy while naturally amplifying the voices of marginalized groups, especially Black Women gives meaning to every project I write or direct. Read more>>

Your Favorite Jawns

Our Juneteenth Cookout had definitely been our most meaningful project. It is the project we usually work the hardest on, have the most engagement with, and bring the most joy to our community. The first “Da Cookout: A Juneteenth Celebration” was hosted in 2020, during the height of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests when much of the Black community felt a collective sense of rage and hopelessness. Other than the protests, opportunities for togetherness were few to none due to the pandemic. Read more>>

Shadow C. LaValley

While I have worked on many meaningful projects over the years, two jump out to me as the top ones thus far. The First: A college theatre production that I was cast as one of the leads in was one of the most meaningful projects that I have worked as far as my theatre performance is concerned. The show as “Rabbit Hole” and the role was Howie. As someone in real life who has lost a child (albeit under different circumstances of course), I was able to take a more personable approach to creating the character. Read more>>

E.C. Dubb

I recently released Bangers & Boomerangs, a compilation of my hardest hitting songs. I’ve had a partnership with push.Audio(Sync Agency)for years now. If you know anything about working with a sync agent. Then you know the briefs are all over the place. Different sounds, vibes, and topics, are requested from music supervisors. So because of this I’ve released a wide variety of diverse music over Chris Prythm’s far from the norm genius production. And honestly I believe we knock it out the park whenever we link.. Read more>>

Malek Bigum

The latest and probably also most meaningful project I have worked on, is the story about Peter Cicak, 19 and Kristian Mirga, 21 who live in Lunik lX. Lunik lX is a ghetto located in the outskirts of Košice, Slovakia and is known for being one of the worst in europe. It is inhabited by around 5.500-7.000 people, and the living conditions are nightmarish. The unemployment rate is around 100 procent and people often live cramped up in small apartments with no electricity or running water. Read more>>