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.

Shanie Ecole

Honestly I have a a few, some were mine and others I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. “Telling Secrets Since Birth” was my first It was a collection of poetry. It was not just my first time allowing others to read my poetry , but letting the world in. Read more>>

Nicole Gugliotti

I have always been interested in artwork that invites participation. I spent a good chunk of time in my young adulthood working for the organization Planned Parenthood as a clinic and surgical assistant. Read more>>

Lazaro Godoy

Hello, My name is Lazaro Godoy, born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, lived in The States for about 17 years total with a break of 13 years in between leaving first in 2000 fresh from Juilliard School’s graduation in NYC Read more>>

Iván Mena-Tinoco

Budweiser Commercial “Beer Country” for the Superbowl Campaign. “Candy Cane Lane” Film Campaign for Amazon and Habitat for Humanity Read more>>

Adam O’Day

Many times, I find the most meaningful project, is the one I’m currently working on. And right now, I’m in the middle of finishing a solo show, that opens March 9th, at Curation 250, in Lowell Massachusetts. Read more>>

Ziyi Zhao

Decay of Fruits The first artwork in the Fruit series involved using 200 ceramic fruits to document the decaying process of the five most common fruits I selected over five months. Read more>>

Justin Sherrod

Right now I am working on my first debut album titled “Thank You Juzi”. It is exclusively produced, recorded and mastered by me. Read more>>

Michelle Mackey

Sometimes meaning is best understood through absence. In 2022, an abandoned gas station was demolished in Dallas, Texas. Not just any ol’ place, this gas station was “Star Service Station,” Clyde Barrow’s family’s residence in the 1930s. Read more>>

Jiabao Sun

In June 2019, one of my cats passed away from bone cancer. Her name is Maomao. We buried her in a flowerpot and planted a blue hydrangea plant. Read more>>

Luciano Garbati

In 2007, I made the decision to create a work inspired by the myth of Perseus and Medusa, a tale that had intrigued me since childhood and had left a lasting impression on me through the captivating artworks I had witnessed during my time in Italy. Read more>>

Rachel E Ridder

One of my most meaningful projects spanned a two-month period during the summer of 2022, where I had the remarkable opportunity to participate in not just one, but two artist residencies. Read more>>

Hector Prats

A project that has moved me deeply, from its inception through its making, is the latest short film I co-wrote and directed, “El Silencio Loco” (“The Crazy Silence”). Read more>>

Alec Gaston

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date is my collaborative “Evolve or Dissolve” album series. It started as a seed in the mind, it has grown beyond my wildest expectations and truly into something magical that contains a life of it’s own. Read more>>

Diane Magnuson

I’ve always been a deep feeling, a dreamer, and a person who sensed they wanted to create in the world. In relation to other artists taking up space in the world, my thirst to create has always been an undertow and strong current that surrounds many of my waking thoughts, my drive and my passion. Read more>>

Yutao Chen

In 2019, I joined The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the newspaper of record in the state of Arkansas, as the first Multimedia Editor in its history spanning over two centuries. Read more>>

Lukas Geppert

One of the most meaningful projects to me was arranging and producing the music for the farewell of the long-time captain, Jonas Hector, when he ended his career at my favorite soccer club, the 1. FC Cologne. Read more>>

Anastasia Patoka-Smith

Writing and recording my song “Ode To My Afro” has been the best experience. Spreading the message of self love of natural hair and seeing all the positive response to the song, makes me feel like I have a voice, even at eight years old. Read more>>

Mani Strings

I pride myself on only being apart of meaningful projects in the entertainment industry. Often times the money and clout can take many creatives down a immoral path that later haunts them in life. Read more>>

Kate Allen Fox

In my work as a children’s author, the most important decision I make is which projects to pursue. While my books fill a specific niche—lyrically written picture books about science and nature—there seems to be no end of ideas and stories to be told. Read more>>

Robb Pratt

I’ve been so lucky and so determined and so hard-working that I have many projects that I feel are super-meaningful, so it’s a tricky question to answer. Read more>>

Syuen Chia

My most recent narrative short film “When I Die” has been a gift that keeps on giving, and thus, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far. Read more>>

Binhui Cai

My practice is about the relationship between space and the people. Using material experience to let people interact with my work to slow down their fast pace/notice the beauty around us/have connection with the space and feel comfortable. Read more>>

Giulia Millanta

i am about to release a new album called “Only Luna Knows” and book of my recipes and lyrics called “Dinner with Giulia – Flavors, songs and stories of a Florentine Troubadour”. Read more>>

Hanlin Mu

During the global pandemic and while confined to my home, my role as a photographer revolved. With limited resources, I turned the lens on myself, transforming my living space into a stage for performative art, and using my emotions as the subject matter. Read more>>

Jared Withrow

Back in my earlier days of acting I had a fellow actor friend that was cast in a local film. He had a good supporting role and informed me that they were in need of extras for several key scenes. Read more>>

Cosmo X

Vessel, the first piece I made in MICA is a very meaningful piece to me. Vessel explores the tension in forming female subjectivity. Read more>>

Apollo Sol Mendel

I’ve been In my band Society Hill since 2016, I can hardly remember the person I was back then but all I knew was how much time I put in writing songs and rehearsing them for shows. Read more>>

FALQUERHO YANN

In 2012, the seaside resort of Saint-Jean-De-Monts, the 2nd largest seaside resort in France, placed a unique order on me. Allow residents and summer visitors, for 2 months, to live a total experience at night. Read more>>

Martina Loncar

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a large-scale installation, titled “It all came down with a crash” (2023). I completed this piece during the final year of my MFA program at American University, and the series as a whole is dedicated to my friend, Charlie, who passed away in May 2022. Read more>>

Muyan Pei

Throughout my journey as an artist, many projects have offered me various insights and revelations. However, among all these endeavors, undoubtedly the most meaningful was a documentary I undertook in 2020: Philadelphia Diary. Read more>>

Quentin Wright

My first two mixtape #DaysInTheMidwest🌵 & #OnAJourney🐫 were released on the same day 7 years apart. These musical projects mean a lot to me because they are my pre albums, and help to define, and establish my sound as an artist. Read more>>

Laura Olsson

Along the journey of my career I became co-founder of an organization called The You Rock Foundation, reaching further into the psychology of music. Read more>>

Natalie Rodriguez

This year, I will be directing my third feature film called INNER CHILD. I first wrote the script around a decade ago. It was for an online screenwriting course I took the summer after graduating college. Read more>>

O L E A

Alayne: One of the most meaningful projects we have embarked upon as an ensemble is a commissioned piece by Owen Hopper called Wind Blows Lotus Leaves. Read more>>

Joshua Carter

One project I feel has become meaningful to me has to be my Therapy Shoot with E.N.D. (@everyniggadeserves). It was a risky shoot for me at the time to release or even come up. Read more>>

Billy Joseph, Jr.

As an actor I have had multiple opportunities to work on projects related to mental health issues. While attention on this topic has certainly increased over the last few years, there is still a stigma associated with mental health and men’s mental health, in particular. Read more>>

Candace Green

One of my most meaningful projects to date is the “Food Club”, which aims to address educational barriers related to children being able to eat nutritious foods, who may live in food insecure areas. Read more>>

Denise Blane

As a filmmaker, each project I undertake is deeply personal and rooted in experiences that have shaped my worldview. Read more>>

Tony Ayala Fuentes

I think what kills businesses straight out of the gate is not having any meaningful reason for doing what they’re doing. I would say that most get lost in the fantasy of it all. Read more>>

Tashina Southard

Sometimes when I tell people that horror movies matter, they look at me like I have three heads. But they do. In my opinion, Horror, more than many other genres holds up a mirror to the anxieties and changes happening in our society. Read more>>

BJ Lange

This is a tough one, but here’s the long story short. I’m an actor and an improv comedy guru. Later in life in joined the Air Force Reserve part time between acting gigs (and comedy gigs/teaching). Read more>>

Juri Love

I ran non-profit, Genuine Voices for 12 years after graduating Berklee College of Music in Boston. We taught music to juvenile offenders and it truly changed and touched many lives, I have received Heroes Among Us Award from Boston Celtics in 2015. Read more>>

Jacob Richman

One of the keys for me to keeping enthused about my work, is to make sure I balance gigs/jobs I need to take for the paycheck, with ones that I am excited about, that involve collaborators I love to work with, and that challenge me to grow and push beyond my comfortable skill set. Read more>>

Jeff Celentano

The most meaningful project was my film The Hill starring Dennis Quaid. It was released theatrically across the country in 1800 theaters August 25th 2023 and ran almost 8 weeks. Read more>>