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.

Toribel Mora

I believe with being a hairstylist almost all bookings are special in their own way because it tends to be for an event coming up in my clients life. Read more>>

Liza Deck

I have been a dancer all of my life and I am pleased that working in the dance world as a teacher, performer and choreographer has been my sole profession as an adult. Read more>>

Judy 하나 Lee

I am a Korean immigrant and moved to the U.S. when I was 6 years old. When I started first grade in Queens, NY, the woman registering me assigned me the name “Judy” instead of the Korean name my parents gave her. Read more>>

Kateryna Vistyzenko

Art has always been for me a journey of discovery, expression, and transformation. For artists, each project carries its own significance, but there’s always one that stands out as particularly meaningful. Read more>>

Mai Benezra

This year, I have taken the path of filmmaking to gain more exposure and grow as an actor. Although I have some experience working in production, I had never delved into narrative filmmaking before. Read more>>

JedtheSloth

I released a song titled “PLAYBAW” in August of 2023 and wanted to make a music video for it that was different than anything I’ve ever done or anything that you commonly see being done. Read more>>

David Wiley Nelson

The most meaningful project I have worked on so far, hands-down, would be the formation of the Record Label (IRJU) “It’s Really Just Us” – The name was decided on by the four founding members as we were talking about how we make all of our music in-house. Read more>>

Isun Ris

If I had to pick a project, it’d be the current one I have under development. It’s a vigilante series that I’d been sitting on for years now and I finally decided to move it in to production. Read more>>

Nikola Lovick

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was the development of a community outreach program focused on LGBTQ+ youth advocacy. Read more>>

Ron Castonguay

Hi, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ron Castonguay. I am a music educator, conductor, composer, performer, clinician, and most recently, an author, with over 31 years of experience in the rehearsal room, on the stage, and in the classroom. Read more>>

Josh Icban

The most meaningful project I’ve worked was something I produced in Decemeber 2023 for the United States of Asian American festival in the bay area entitled ‘To Cross: Aganakake Tatang Ko (I remember my father).’ Read more>>

Annette O’Hare

The Bolivar Point Lighthouse series has been my most meaningful project. Growing up in Houston, Texas in the late 1970s, my family visited Bolivar most every summer. Read more>>

Mel House

In 2017, I started writing to save my life… I know, that sounds dramatic. I wasn’t in danger of dying a literal death, but I felt a deep stirring that demanded my attention. Something I could no longer ignore. Read more>>

Carly Driver

In the acting and modeling industry, I have worked on countless projects over the years. I am extremely thankful for each and every project that I have worked on, and some of them are very meaningful to me. Read more>>

Shariese Martin

I did something in the last article that made my heart flutter every time I thought about it. I put out into the universe 3 projects I wanted to work on. Read more>>

Cody Sisco

I thought the pandemic would ruin me. The disruption came after years of slowing building BookSwell, my literary events and media company, and I had just produced my first in-person event as part of Lambda Literary’s LitFest in late 2019. Read more>>

Sara Stover

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the one I’m currently in the middle of. I am in the process of talking story (interviewing) the elders in my community here on Hawai’i Island in an effort to honor, learn from, and amplify their voices. Read more>>

Jauston Carter

I don’t really have the most meaningful project because all of my projects are meaningful to me. The first project I made was a mixtape (music covers only) and it was a very fun project for me but it was a challenge for me because it was my very first project so it was really my introduction to everyone. Read more>>

Trayesse

My most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a short screenplay I wrote called Zebra. Zebra is a medical slang term for a rare or unlikely diagnosis. Read more>>

Ryan Gutierrez

My comic series, “Blackmarrow”, premieres in October with Scout comics, and it’s everything I’d want in a project, both as a creator and a fan of the medium. Read more>>

Lillian Kroening

I was commissioned to create a watercolor portrait of Solanus Casey (1870-1957), an American religious priest who was known for his great love and care for the poor. Read more>>

André Johnson

Back in 2018 during the release of the blockbuster Marvel film Black Panther, I would cosplay as the character M’Baku for premiers and conventions around the country. Read more>>

Lia Menaker

As a singer, songwriter, producer, and mom to a young toddler, working with Carnegie Hall/Musicopia’s “Lullaby Project” has been both meaningful and gratifying. Read more>>

Donna Pomponio

No matter the subject, the general approach in my work as a painter is to take a subject matter and create or unveil an emotional narrative. Read more>>

Jim Harper

In a lot of cases, and especially in the small to medium business level I operate at now, people are coming to you with their dreams. If they are hiring you to brand their new business endeavor, you are responsible for bringing their goals to life. Read more>>

David Skato

The most meaningful project that I’ve had the pleasure to work on was a feature film titled “Once Upon A Lifetime”. This project meant so much because it came at a time when it seemed everything was going wrong for me in life as well as in my career. Read more>>

Noah Marger

Last year my Mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and during that time it became really challenging to want to do anything. I had been doing standup for about a year, and was at a crossroads as far as knowing if I should continue or not with it. Read more>>

Gina DeMatteis

The editor of Charleston Magazine contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being featured in the April 2024 Home and Garden issue. Read more>>

Sanjana Sharma

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a graphic novel cookbook called “Nur-Nuri, Kur-Kuri, Kon-Kaani” This is a self-written and illustrated graphic novel that features a collection of cuisine and stories interwoven with the folktales, memories, experiences, and stories of the Konkani people in India. Read more>>

Maria Raquel

The most meaningful project I have worked on is actually an upcoming song of mine called “Do You Hear the Colors?” After a year of releasing music, I have been working on finding the perfect sound that works for my voice. Read more>>

Sydni Hornick

Every project I have worked on and created is meaningful to me because I have truly poured my heart and soul into each and every one. Read more>>

Louise Cutler

The most meaningful project I’ve had the privilege of working on is The Beauty of Blackness Fine Art Show. This project is deeply personal and significant to me as it provides a platform to showcase and celebrate the talents of Black and African American artists in Fort Collins, Colorado Read more>>

Mary Thiefels

TreeTown Murals is a Michigan mural company specializing in custom projects in collaboration with organizations, municipalities, companies and private citizens. Read more>>

Casey Jane

Every project has provided some helpful lesson to keep me on the path of improving my skills. I can flash back to many “Aha!” moments that leveled-up my self-awareness, or projects that tugged at my heartstrings more than most. Read more>>

Misty EunJoo Choi

With CuppyBreak, I design and sculpt a growing collection of unique cups meant to be experienced as a combination of installation and performance, where participants’ experiences vary based on their answers to personal questions. Read more>>

Dan Yang

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is actually the project that I’m working on at this very moment. It’s a project that I’ve been dreaming about for almost two years. Read more>>

Marla Taviano

I can’t say for sure that this is the most meaningful project EVER, but it’s super meaningful to me, and I’m having so much fun. After decades of writing prose (I’m 48, and my first book was published in 2001), I started writing poetry in 2020. Read more>>

Annye Driscoll

Many cosplayers are queer. Generally, we’re a young, inclusive, and colorful bunch, so “misfits” of all kinds find their nerdy homes with us costumers and creators. Read more>>

Allison Bogard Hall

The painting “& When We Meet Again I’ll Bring You the Whole Sky (For Heather)” is a massive piece. It’s 55×80 inches, and it stretches from floor to ceiling. This piece was incredibly hard to paint, not just due to scale. Read more>>

Jessica Cage

I would have to say my Tales of Novia project has been the most meaningful in recent years. After losing my grandmother, the person responsible for me being a writer, I found it difficult to do the thing I love most. Read more>>