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.
Angelica Artifex
My music is my most meaningful work, music is what fulfills my soul. I’m now coming to understand why things in my life has turned they way they are, I’ve gathered so much more knowledge now than back then, and the life experiences has strengthen me and the music I’m creating now. my music is more grounded and truthful to myself. Read more>>
Valeryia Tret’yak
The most important project in my life is creating my own show. In my life i have seen and participated in many interesting and great shows, but i have never been its creator. I always believed that i could come up with my own show that i would be proud of. For many years this thought lived in my head and finally i decided to do it. Step by step i worked and went towards my goal. On the way there were always people who supported me. The biggest help was from my partner, we put all the numbers together. And in the end we got a wonderful ballroom show that people really love. Feedback from our audience and their pleasant reviews are the greatest reward for me. And now I do not plan to stop here. I plan to create another wonderful show ! Read more>>
Bella Bennett
In 2020, during a time where the world was muffled by uncertainty, where laughter seemed like a distant memory, I found myself wanting to share joy and hope with the world, rather than fall into sadness. The pandemic had turned vibrant streets into ghost towns, leaving many without a sense of purpose. But, I had a vision—one that began as an ember of inspiration, and grew into a fiery passion. Read more>>
Loren Holmes
The most meaningful project that I have worked on would have to be my documentary and show, Mother, may I? I decided to look into the lives of single mothers and children raised by single mothers. It was in doing this work, that I decided a film needed to be made to bring awareness to the many issues that this community of women faces. I am a single mother and I know far too well the challenges that it comes with. We can tend be pushed to the side, forgotten and in some spaces, shamed for our current circumstance. I wanted to create something that not only brought awareness to this but also shows that women who are single parents are not ONLY their situation. Many of us are artists, entrepreneurs and women who are constantly ensuring that our children have the best. Read more>>
Lina Breining
I’m currently wrapping up scoring my first feature film as the lead composer with independent filmmakers based in Los Angeles. Collaborating on an inspiring film with such a talented team of filmmakers has been a meaningful experience. This being my first feature film, I was very excited and ready to take on the challenge. Many people have poured an immense amount of time and energy into the project, and I wanted to be certain that I did the film justice with the musical score. I’ve loved working on this project, and am grateful to the director and producers for trusting me with their film! Read more>>
Maxyme
The project I’m currently working on is the most meaningful one of my career. I’ve never felt more accomplished as an artist. I know my sound and what I stand for as an independent artist. I’m working on my first EP, and the first single from it will be released in the first two weeks of November. This song, called “Party Girl,” is the first I’ve ever written about my personal struggles. It captures the quiet yet powerful emotions of an introvert navigating a world that often feels too loud. Inspired by a night out with friends, I realized I’m much more at ease in the comfort of my own home, binge-watching Netflix. The song dives into the challenges of trying to fit in, the discomfort of social expectations, and the relief of staying true to oneself rather than following the crowd. Read more>>
Danielle Howle
I love being “Artist In residence” for Awendaw Green, in Awendaw, South Carolina. My job is to perform, and also create meaningful musical experiences for my community. I do one-day songwriting workshops, and also host a 3 day artist retreat called Swamp Sessions (on solar power) on the edge of the Francis Marion National Forest. I also create “intentional Writing Trails” where people can walk a nature trail. The trails have 8 stations, each with a writing prompt. People can walk the trail, sit at each station and do the creative writing exercise. This is especially good for songwriters and people who wish to write creatively. Read more>>
Jules Ramirez
Writing and recording “Latigo Beach” for Bommy Tahama while finishing my solo album, “V.C.R. (Very Cool Record),” was a deeply meaningful time for me. I was adjusting to living on my own for the first time while navigating a really dark period. I transformed the apartment into a recording studio and it became a creative headquarters. I had 3 guitar amplifiers set up, but no kitchen table. I’m proud that, even though I was going through a lot, I channeled that energy into two beautiful bodies of work, which I see as a gift for enduring that turbulent phase—fueled by a lot of espresso and cannabis sativa. Read more>>
Natalie Joly
My latest release was a single called “Til I Have My Day” and I’d venture to say it was the most meaningful song I’ve ever put out. Starting off with the question “if I told you once again just what I’m here for, would you laugh?”, this song is about my personal journey to letting go of trying to control my life and learning how to trust in something higher than myself. I’ve worked hard to stop trying to hold so tightly onto things being the way I want them to be, and to instead embrace the unknown and be grateful for the journey that is life. In recent years I’ve felt called to write about topics other than love and this is really the first song that I’ve put out that shows another side of me, so I’m excited for what’s to come as I head in this new direction. Read more>>
Adult Book Club
We just finished recording our “Chapter II” EP, which we’re super proud of and plan to release later this Fall. It’s “hookier and bookier” than our first release– we were able to test these songs live a lot more than we did with our first EP, which I think has made for a really tight and cohesive set of songs, even while each song has a different vibe to it. [Luke] “Catcher In The Rye” is the lead single from the EP. It was my first opportunity to write drums and contribute creatively in the band. Everyone’s parts on the song stand out and make it a ton of fun to play live. It’s also a reminder of how grateful I am for the musical chemistry I share with Greg and Charles. Read more>>
Ringo Lisko
One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is actually not a direct part of my own creative practice–in terms of being a maker, anyway. In 2022, soon after choosing to go back to graduate school to earn my MFA, I started a project space in my rowhome apartment in Baltimore, Maryland. The space, called spare room gallery (SRG), is totally artist-centered. I have always been frustrated by the gatekeeping practices that artists run into within institutional spaces–whether financial, geographic, gender/identity based…whatever. It’s hard to show work, especially nowadays. SRG was born out of both frustration and isolation, and has proven to be one of the most fulfilling and heartwarming spaces I’ve inhabited. I work with mostly local (as well as a few national and international) artists to put on exhibitions and programming that supports their practices. To date, we’ve had three group shows, six solo exhibitions, and a number of collective/collaborative projects. It’s been such a joy. Read more>>
Chinweizu Oham
I am currently working on my most meaningful project. Since graduating, I have wanted to create something that I can share with the world, but it took me a while to figure out what. In July, while out at dinner with a couple of friends, I went to school with, our back and forth led us to come up with an idea for a talk show that would be shared on social media. The talk show, titled “Chin’s Way,” will follow me interviewing various friends on topics we have completely opposing views of. We plan for it to be very lighthearted, so the topics are things such as nature and team Edward vs Jacob, things we can talk and laugh about. My friends and I are using the various skills we learned while getting our BFAs to create this project. It is the first major thing I have worked on that is mine and I am so excited for the world to see it. Read more>>
Joe Kenney
Music has always been such a significant outlet for me. As someone who is not only passionate and emotional, but also struggling with Bipolar and Anxiety disorders, I have been fortunate that — from a young age — my parents gave me the opportunity and consistent support through the vehicle of music. Mental Health Awareness/Destigmatization has always been an important cause to me, and so a particularly meaningful project has been the co-founding of Harmonic Hope & Healing, an organization focused on supporting mental health initiatives and championing the importance of music in personal and community wellness. We had our inaugural HHH music fest in May of 2024 in correspondence with Mental Health Awareness Month, and have started planning the 2025 festival — which will feature local musicians, testimonies about music’s value in their lives, a panel discussion by health professionals, a set of vendors that includes a sound healing space, and more. Read more>>
Adam Buffington
I am the co-founder and operator of Mumbling Eye, an archival record label dedicated to issuing Icelandic sound art. Certainly a niche topic! But, it’s one result stemming from my research into the development and evolution of the art & music scene in Iceland. My connection to Iceland began in fall 2016, during a Master’s exchange with the Iceland University of the Arts in Reykjavik. My introduction to the vibrant scene in Reykjavik coincided with a growing fascination with 1960s/1970s conceptual art, performance art, and absurdist theater. As I soon discovered, these creative strands were also highly influential on the historical development of Reykjavik’s contemporary arts community. This connection immediately became the focus of my doctoral research at The Ohio State University, which I completed in 2020. Read more>>
Chelsea Lalgie
I believe the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is one I’m currently building—an inclusive community that focuses on getting women, and prioritizing women of color, outside and healing in nature. I’ve led a few group hikes and am focused on building a community centered on the healing power of nature. This project is incredibly meaningful to me because nature has been a profound source of healing in my own life. I grew up in the countryside in the midwest but have spent the last 13 years in major cities—10 years in NYC and 3 years in LA. After losing what I thought was a dream job in California due to funding cuts, I had to redefine myself beyond my career. Hiking became a way for me to reconnect with myself. I fell in love with it and began exploring all over Southern California, eventually moving near Yosemite for six months to be closer to the mountains. Read more>>
Yuwen Huang
Looking back on my entire artistic journey, I would say my current project, the *In-Circle Series*, is the most meaningful I’ve worked on. It focuses on the intersection of blockchain technology and the exploration of artist identity. The initial idea was to create an interactive website where artists’ names could be stored on the blockchain, ensuring a permanent record of their identities without the need for third-party validation. Building on this, I developed Artist Poem, a piece that invites users to collectively define an artist’s identity. It serves as a real-time manifesto of the “public artist,” while poetically liberating the idea of identity through audience contributions. Read more>>
Daniel Farnam
I think we often forget that everyday we have the opportunity to make a statement on the world around us. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to survive that we can forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. I had an amazing experience with a recent collection that opened at the Baldwin Avenue Gallery in Sierra Madre. What brought joy to me is that I was able to team up with my son who together brought an NFT project to life. The learning curve was extremely steep, however, this process gave me new meaning to the art I create. I love making things with my hands and allowing the art to teach me. It’s relaxing and it’s where I do most of my thinking.
An Chen
The most meaningful project I have worked on is probably my first feature film, “NaedeaN,” which I am currently in the process of submitting to film festivals. The film started in 2016 when I started filming video diaries to try and deal with a lot of emotional stress and disregulation. I did know it at the time, but this documentation of my emotional fluxes were the beginning of a journey towards my self, towards self understanding and connection, that would ultimately culminate in the film. It was not until I ended a long-term relationship in 2020, amidst the pandemic, that I realized I wanted to use the video diary footage I had been making since 2016 into a documentary about myself. I was at the point of recognizing that I was codependent in relationships and in need of solitude. The film became a space for me to explore who I was outside of the context of any other person’s demands or expectations. Who was I alone? What would emerge from within me? Read more>>
Dalma Daniela
Lime & Vinegar, the first movie I produced, is perhaps the most meaningful project I’ve worked on for a couple of reasons. First off, I understood that more than being a creative, I’m a person who makes things happen. I used to wonder why no one would just come running towards me, offering me a shot even though I was working so hard for it. I was very upset about that. I used to say, “Do I have to make everything happen on my own?” And the answer is yes. No one is coming to save you. And you know what? That’s okay. Making things happen is a superpower, and producing is the kind of thing no one can really teach you in college. You either have it or you don’t. Trust me, you can create a thousand spreadsheets full of budget lists, casting breakdowns, all of it. But if you don’t know how to intoxicate everyone with the energy of the project’s soul, the work is never fully done. That’s why this feature film is so meaningful to me. It confirmed that my best creative work is not acting or singing… it’s helping put the pieces together. Read more>>
Bill Gordh
I guess it would be one that I am currently engaged in. I am the storytelling host of the World Music Institute’s (WMI) Folktales podcast for which I tell a folktale from the culture of the guest musician as they accompany it on their instrument. It’s a dynamic way to work, storyteller and musician improvising to bring the story to life. I have loved the work of WMI for years and was thinking about how children and families might be introduced to all these amazing instruments in a way that would be exciting. Stories seemed like a likely answer and storytelling with folktales that can be told in many ways are open to the influence of music. I have been a storyteller for ages and play banjo to go with my stories. I also do a lot of work with children, families and music including many years with Jon Deak’s Very Young Composers with the New York Philharmonic. Read more>>
Cesar Lazarus
Highframe so far has been the most meaningful passion project I ever worked on. From its humble beginnings as a curation account online, it has grown to be an extension of me as both an individual and also a human on this planet. I started this journey on New Years Day in 2024 and as of the time of this writing, I regularly speak with so many talented creators and students every day. Highframe is the central point of a growing ecosystem within it, with plans for fashion, fine art, architecture, music, film, and much more. I take it one day at a time. Read more>>
Karen Taylor
My most meaningful project was based on the idea of ephemera. Ephemera are items that are not meant to last, meant to be fleeting and impermanent. They are also pieces of paper that are usually thrown away but can become collector’s items, like old concert tickets and baseball stickers. I hand-painted 500 individual alphabet letters. Everyone who visited my booth got a free letter while they lasted. They could be kept as collector’s items and in taking one, visitors helped my fleeting installation to disappear. I had no idea when I was constructing Ephemera that taking the time (and it was a lot of time) and effort to make these handcrafted gifts would mean so much. I’m cynical and jaded and maybe I’ve forgotten that little acts of love for strangers can be everything. It’s not something I’ll forget again. I didn’t expect the impact it had on people, and myself. Read more>>
Odd Army
Finishing our most recent album was a really meaningful project. We collaborated with the legendary Will Turpin of Collective Soul to produce our full length album Chrysalis, Become! in 2023. This collaboration helped us grow artistically, creatively, and professionally. We road tripped as a band from LA to Atlanta to polish our songs and lay down the tracks at Will’s studio for a month. Working with a music industry veteran and established rock musician like Will transformed our music production process because, until then, all of our music was self-produced and recorded DIY. Accessing his resources, expertise, and equipment pushed us both as studio musicians and songwriters. It was a meaningful experience because we grew a lot as a band and as individual artists, stepping up our game and taking our sound to the next level. Read more>>
Rainbow City Park
We recently went into the studio to record our EP and a single. We worked with Mike Davis at a studio in Marin County, CA. We recorded 6 tunes that we had been working on for a while. It was amazing working with such a pro like Mike. He really helped bring the tunes alive. We have a single, Complicate This, coming out in October along with a music video. Read more>>
Anh Bao Tran-le
Photographing the ordinary moments of life, particularly in your own city, can unveil a rich tapestry of stories often overlooked in the rush of daily life. My “After Dark” series was born out of this realization, focusing on Chattanooga’s iconic landmarks like the Walnut Street Bridge, The Tennessee Aquarium, The Hunter Museum, and hidden gems like my favorite bakeries and old-school diners—but with a twist: capturing them after the sun sets. These scenes, often bustling during the day, take on a serene quality at night. Read more>>
Emmy O’reilly
At the very end of 2023, an extraordinary opportunity landed in my Instagram message requests: a paid invitation to customize three pairs of unique sunglasses for none other than MADONNA herself. This shocking invitation arrived from a new follower who discovered me through keywords, just as I was at a massive crossroads in my life. Business had slowed to a crawl, I was nomadic & feeling so unstable at the time, and had just emerged from a messy breakup. I found myself looking up to the universe, desperate for a sign to either lay my business to rest for a period of time & take another job or revolutionize the way I was running it. Read more>>
Meagan Mckenna
The most meaningful project I’ve ever been apart of is the one that I am doing now. My writer Joel LaFlamme and I created a series to help one another get on the map in Hollywood. As great ideas are birthed just how Joel and I attracted eachothers magic, this story to has layers of magic which stems from my real life experiences. We wanted to create a meaningful message with art that is timely, relative and impactul for all families and communities that are neurodiverse. The series currently titled “Triggered” is the telling the story about Neurodiversity from the lens of a caretaker, not only does my protagonist struggle with her own neurodiversity she has a son who is facing his own challenges in a different way. I wish I could share all the crevices of this story to the public , but as I have learned making the process sacred while in development is a practice that has to be honored. I can say this though… Read more>>
Karl Neumann
As a researcher and designer, I work on a smartphone app called Soluna that is free for 13-25 year olds in California to support their mental wellbeing. My work is at the intersection of the science of psychology, software/technology, and design that makes for fascinating and meaningful projects Whether it’s understanding how to frame a screener about symptoms of anxiety & depression or a way to help young people find support from local resources for things like housing and healthcare, this work makes a real mark on people’s lives and is the most useful for those who are marginalized or are most in need of support Read more>>
Ben (benzo) Marshall
For me, the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on would be when I wrote a song that featured my 11 y/o daughter, singing on the chorus! So I have always been involved in music and even when I stepped away to focus on a “real” job lol, I made sure that my daughter was involved in music. From beat-boxing to her while she was still in the womb to helping her with singing and live performances. It has always been part of what we would do as a family. We had it all, the perfect little family, big house, cars… stuff.. But this required me to work more and more, and I didn’t get to be the type of father that I thought I would be. Yeah, I still made every game, recital and function, but I didn’t get to really spend the time that I wanted with her and we couldn’t go on as many family trips because I had to work… to get more money… to pay for the stuff… it was a seemingly endless cycle. Read more>>
Sorana Mitchell
The most meaningful project I have worked on is ME. I am a 46-year-old woman, mother, author, singer/songwriter – creative. But getting here was not easy. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2007, and before that, I struggled with getting over being sexually abused at 12 and 13 years old. It was hard going to get to a place where I am happy in my own skin, love who I am, and working towards becoming the best version of myself. I engaged in a lot of soul-searching, journaling, self-affirmation, positive self-talk, and doing things I love. To do things I love, I had to leave my comfort zone, and as I write in my book Still Smiling, A Memoir by Sorana Mitchell, which can be found on Amazon, I had to open myself up to new opportunities, unlearn old habits, which I am still doing, and be optimistic. Although I have come a long way, I am very much still a work in progress. Read more>>
Rachel Rose Dazey
On a flight to Tucson, Arizona I met the first woman appointed to the South Dakota Supreme Court. She had recently retired and shared her amazing story of being an outlier in her field, achieving greatness and recently losing her husband. I told her about my jewelry design practice and we came up with a plan to take her original engagement ring and her late husbands wedding band and repurpose the materials in a design that honored both her past and the life she was now creating for herself. She picked a beautiful sapphire from my collection to be the grounding centerpiece for a new ring and I used the small diamonds and gold from her heirloom pieces in the rest of the band. Using materials from her past while creating a new symbol of power for her future, I created a ring that will act as a grounding token for her to wear everyday, honoring the incredible story of her life. Working with women to create tokens that honor their story and empower their evolution is incredibly meaningful for me as the designer and creator. Read more>>
Chicho Lorenzo
The main reason I do Art is just because. I’ve been creating all my life, and is my way to process life. But I’m also on a mission. Is my duty (and everybody else’s) to share my talent, so others have the experience of art through my work. With that, besides live painting or inspiring murals, I dedicate much of my work to education, transmitting enthusiasm and the joy of playful exploration. My most meaningful projects are in collaboration with children or adults, to remind and get reminded the beauty in everything. Among these, I can choose the mural at the Blue Ridge Children Museum, where I asked the kids to portray themselves either as flowers or bugs, then I copied their designs into a giant pollination garden. Read more>>
Sahara Grim
While every artistic endeavor has been a meaningful one shaping my path, the most meaningful project to date is my recently finished, unreleased album, “Fable.” This record has been a practice on trusting myself again. In April of 2020, during the pandemic, I had spontaneously moved from Los Angeles to the woods of Northern California. Suddenly, I was neighbors with Clydesdale horses, had a river in my backyard, and was enveloped by an abundance of trees. Coming straight from the chaos of being a student in the city, I felt myself gently coming back to my own energy for the first time in years. Read more>>
Melissa Medina
The most meaningful projects are the ones that I create for my clients/friends. We grow up in a world of compliance and general characterization. Art offers physical manifestation of our imaginations. So to have a custom made item that is tailored to you is a feeling of accomplishment. An artist pours themselves into their work, and the best we can hope for is the appreciation of their art. In turn, we have individuals that carry a special bond with their manifested desire. Read more>>
David Jarvis
My project, X610chil, has often been classified as “existential EDM”. I view life as vast and esoteric, and I enjoy expressing these thoughts through lengthy, psyche-provoking rhythms. These reflections aren’t just a window into the mind, but they also serve to set the tone for each subsequent release, which delve into the darker aspects of human nature and the moral ambiguities that lie at the heart of this story. Despite this bleak outlook, X610chil is driven by a need to uncover the truth, even at great personal cost. Read more>>
Reyad Abedin
As an Artist, every project I worked on and am working on is connected to me, something I deeply care about, and I feel obliged to tell that story or preserve that time. My artistic pursuits are deeply rooted in the land of my upbringing. I was born and grew up in a coastal district of Bangladesh; later, I moved to the capital city, Dhaka, for my bachelor’s degree. I saw the human domination and uneven, patchy intersections between humans, non-humans and environments. I started thinking about what it means to live in a world where humans and non-humans are intertwined in complex, often unpredictable relationships. I started working on a project to invite people to think about how we understand the uneven effects of human activity on different ecosystems. What does it mean to survive in an interconnected world where the outcomes are uncertain? To know that any unmediated intervention or radical environmental change devastates community culture and threatens the human race and non-human domain. Read more>>
Remy Zimmerman
The most meaningful projects I’ve worked on are Ketubah commissions. A ketubah, traditionally a Jewish marriage contract, represents not only a legal document but a deeply symbolic and personal testament to love, commitment, and tradition. Creating one is more than simply producing art—it’s about capturing the essence of a couple’s unique story and their shared future. In addition to the artistic aspect, these commissions allow me to use my skills in Hebrew, both writing and translating, which adds another layer of personal connection. Being fluent in the language gives me the ability to ensure the text is not only beautiful but accurate and meaningful for each couple. The process becomes an intimate collaboration, where the art, the language, and the story come together, making it profoundly fulfilling. It’s a humbling experience to contribute to something that will accompany them through their lifelong journey together. Read more>>
Catherine Ashley
My performance piece, Belated Avowal, stands as the most meaningful project I’ve developed thus far in my journey. At the start of summer 2023, I was looking to develop a short performance or installation that satisfied the idea of keeping time and keeping up with time, killing time, etc. Most of my work’s research is based in the interrogation and challenging of societal understandings of temporality and the motivations of biological processes. Once there was pen to paper, the script started to write itself. Then I started to hear sounds. Then I saw the visuals. Read more>>
Ailene Pasco
The most meaningful project I have worked on is still currently active. Living in the Philippines for parts of my life, I became passionate about upcycling to reduce waste. I slowly worked on putting together a project that I can share with the community to hopefully inspire others to upcycle. I called it Plastic Earth Project. In January of 2023, I was granted funding by the Nevada Arts Council to kickstart my project. I invited the public to donate their plastic bags and cardboard in exchange for an artwork made of used materials. I hosted workshops on how to create plastic yarn from one-time use plastic bags, create artwork from discarded cardboard, and other instructional workshops to spread my knowledge in upcycling used materials. By July of 2023, I created an immersive installation at two different locations to introduce my project to the community. The project was so well received that I decided to continue the project. Until today, I still receive donations and support from the community. I receive invites to host workshops at public places. I am able to share my skills and my passion in waste-reduction. Read more>>
Narcisse Burchell
Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week (BREW) 2024 is hands down the most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on. That year, we had one big goal in mind: to give entrepreneurs everything they needed—tools, resources, and a solid dose of inspiration—to not just survive but thrive in today’s business world. The theme, “Stayin’ Alive,” was a perfect fit, highlighting the grit and perseverance you need to push through the tough times and keep growing. We hosted it at the newly renovated Mid City Tower, a location that really symbolized what we were trying to say: renewal, transformation, and the constant evolution of the entrepreneurial journey. The week was packed with educational sessions, networking opportunities, and an intense pitch competition—there was never a dull moment. Read more>>
Johnny
I’m a father. Does that fall into the category y’all call ‘project’? I’ve been part of difficult social endeavors in the nonprofit world. Sexual health, reproductive rights, parenthood, child health and opportunity, fatherhood, and others. I make art people can look at. I have written songs, and I keep writing songs. I have recorded and performed those songs. Some people like those songs. Skilled musicians and sound engineers, and the like, having invested their own time and energy into these songs. That’s an incredible honor. The songs haven’t made any money. Neither has my visual art. At least not any money that could approximate I expect, and what I believe my family expects me, to make. Their expectations are not unreasonable. I believe in the transformative potential and the intrinsic value of artistic expression. The actual arts market places seem reluctant to reward any but those in the top tier of recognition. Read more>>