Here at Playbook, our mission is to empower creatives to bring their visions to life. That’s why we are building creative storage — to simplify the process of storing, organizing, and finding creative files.
But we believe that thriving as a creative requires more than just tools. It takes a supportive community and access to resources that turn ideas into reality. It takes a village to raise a child, and bringing creative projects to life is no different.
That’s why we launched the Imagination Fund — to support innovative projects that break boundaries and create meaningful connections.
You can explore the full list of winners here, but in this post, we’re highlighting a selection of their inspiring initiatives. From cultivating human connection to championing climate justice, these projects embody the limitless potential of imagination. Let’s dive in!
1. Maria Rapicavoli
Maria Rapicavoli is an Italian-born, New York-based artist who creates site-specific installations that merge traditional sculpture and digital media. Her work critically examines power structures, gender violence, migration, and socio-political inequalities, drawing on her Sicilian heritage to explore themes of mobility and displacement.
Maria's project investigates topics such as racial capitalism, imperialism, enforced economic migration, colonialism and post-colonialism, and diaspora. She also focuses on exploring human mobility with themes like migratory flows, military drone operations, and airspace delineation, her work aims to generate critical discourse and highlight the vulnerabilities caused by global systems of inequality. Maria’s work beautifully creates space for transformative dialogue and social progress.
2. Lissie Stewart
Lissie Stewart is an artist, educator, and activist based in New Orleans, where she combines her passions for art, education, and sustainability. As the founder of the NOLA Artist Incubator and Galvez Garden, her work emphasizes community engagement, environmental stewardship, and creative empowerment.
Lissie’s project focuses on expanding the Galvez Garden as part of her nonprofit’s mission to integrate arts, education, and sustainability. The project includes building a greenhouse, enhancing the site through hands-on efforts, and documenting the transformation digitally to increase accessibility and inspire connection.
3. Ashley Herr
Ashley Herr, also known as Empowa online, is a creative technologist and new media artist based in San Francisco. Her interactive installations and digital projects explore themes of self-empowerment, internet culture, and the intersection of art and technology.
Ashley’s project has three parts: "deskstops," "double vision," and “#hopecore.” “Deskstops” is an interview series and zine exploring creative technologists’ relationships with their desktops, and "double vision" is a browser-based interactive installation that uses camera interaction to reveal layered narratives.
Meanwhile, “#hopecore” is a digital archive celebrating an optimistic internet subculture, offering a refuge of hope and appreciation for life’s beauty. Through these initiatives, Ashley cultivates community and connection in the new media arts scene.
4. Laura Gao
Laura Gao — AKA Lau — is a queer Asian American author, illustrator, and creator of the bestselling graphic memoir Messy Roots and the upcoming sapphic rom-com Kirby's Lessons for Falling (In Love).
Through heartfelt storytelling, Lau explores themes of identity, intergenerational connection, and self-discovery, blending humor and vulnerability to inspire others to live authentically.
Lau's project, Left on Read: Daily Conversation Prompts for Emotionally-Allergic Immigrant Families, aims to deepen connections within families by encouraging meaningful conversations. Using daily text prompts and an interactive reveal system, the project seeks to break down barriers like language and cultural divides.
Highlights of the conversations will be featured in a zine, blending art and storytelling to celebrate the unique and transformative exchanges between family members.
5. Jeffrey Sun
Jeffrey Sun is a photographer and content creator specializing in editorial, street, and commercial photography, with collaborations including Fujifilm and B&H. Through his work on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, Jeffrey blends visual storytelling with an emphasis on community and connection.
Jeffrey’s project, Let’s Ripple: Humanizing the Digital Experience, creates in-person events for online creatives to spark meaningful human connections and inspire collaboration.
Centered around gratitude, the next Let’s Ripple x Creators On Creators event features creative workshops, journaling stations, and a communal feast, aiming to celebrate creativity, build community, and empower attendees.
With support from Playbook, Jeffrey hopes to elevate the event experience, ensuring a safe, inclusive, and magical space for creators to connect and grow.
6. Annie Chen
Annie Chen, alongside collaborators Zoe and Kayla, is a designer and creative technologist exploring ecology, food systems, and climate justice. Together, they created BEAM, a climate transition design studio that addresses the climate crisis as more than just a technical shift, but also a social and cultural one.
Through visual storytelling and speculative design, their work imagines and advocates for regenerative, equitable futures, often focusing on the intersections of sustainability and culture.
Their project, Eating the Whole Fish: A Climate Futures Zine, is a collaborative effort with Eating with the Ecosystem to create a zine that combines cultural, technical, and environmental insights into sustainable eating.
Using diverse media, from watercolors to 3D modeling, the zine serves as both a guidebook and cookbook, empowering readers with practical skills to embrace sustainable food practices. The grant funding will support sustainable RISO printing, design, marketing, and distribution efforts to bring this vision to life.
7. Joey Han
Joey Han, an editorial illustrator and designer based in Brooklyn, and Zander Kim, a writer and former nonfiction book editor, are co-founders of The Barley Field. Joey brings his expertise in illustration and media studies, while Zander contributes his background in storytelling and community building.
Joey and Zander’s project, The Barley Field, is a biannual literary and visual magazine with an ongoing digital platform designed to amplify emerging artists, writers, and storytellers.
Each print issue is curated around a theme and features a mix of prose, photography, art, and interviews with established creatives, while the digital space offers more frequent updates and space for the community to engage and grow.
By providing visibility and connection, The Barley Field aims to create an inclusive, inspiring outlet for navigating the challenges of starting a creative career.
Build, connect, inspire: Join the Playbook community
The Imagination Fund 2024 showcases the incredible power of creativity when supported by a strong, vibrant community. These projects prove what’s possible when we come together to push boundaries, tell meaningful stories, and make a lasting impact.
At Playbook, we’re proud to be more than just a tool — we’re a hub for connection, collaboration, and inspiration.
Ready to be part of it? Join the Playbook community today and turn your creative dreams into reality!