We asked folks we admire to tell us about what they want their legacy to be. Check out their responses below.

Vique Martin | Record Label Manager and Herbalist.

I would want people to think of me as kind, engaging and that i made a difference in the lives of people i interacted with. that i tried my best to be a good person and treat people the best way possible. and that i was unapolagetically my authentic self. Read more>>

Jackie Phan | Makeup Artist/Nail Tech

I want my legacy to be a stamp on generational curses. I want people to look at me and think if she can do it, so can I. Because I am far from perfect. I want people to remember the process of an organic business. Working with clients from my bedroom to now my own spot. God forbid but if I left this earth today, I would hope that my business was able to save souls, make at least one person feel special, positively impact my clients and my peers. Read more>>

Cordell Edmonds | Emcee/ Artist

My legacy is and will be a life of Progess. Growing up in a lower middle class environment some of us thought there was a ceiling to how far we could go in life. Thus far my team and family have progressed far past our expectations and we are only beginning. Read more>>

Jennifer Thayn | Visual Artist-Photographer

I want my legacy to be that my art was able to document the beauty of reality. In this age of social media, I feel that a lot of visual art has become a very performative act and individuals want to portray their lives as one thing or even something it is not. I fear that social media has created illusions and unrealistic beauty expectations. I want my art to be able to show the true beauty of individualism, authenticity, and in what might be considered ordinary. I love photographing nature for the proof that true beauty exists on its’ own with no expectations. I want people to remember that I made them feel seen and valued. I want people to remember that I made them feel beautiful. Read more>>

Ash Jangda | Musician | Composer | Creator

When I think about my legacy I am often reminded of a quote: “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou I want to make everyone I encounter to FEEL inspired to pursue their dreams. I want them to FEEL a sense of unwavering confidence in their aspirations. I want to pass on my own belief/faith in what is possible to the next generation of creators. During 2020 I have had time to reexamine my perspective and approach. I feel even more confident that with this renewed positive outlook I will have even more opportunities to share this feeling both on and off stage. You would be surprised how long reaching one positive influence can be on a single person. Imagine if you could affect everyone you encounter, how far would your inspiration reach/ripple?. Read more>>

Dyon Dawson | Artist & Songwriter

As an artist, I am striving to leave a legacy that reflects my dedication to performing music, commitment to being creative, my respect for other creatives and their works of art (in all forms), my absolute love for my family and roots, and my resilience to go after my dreams and goals in a world that doesn’t always support, include, or respect my beauty, blackness, size or history. Read more>>

Cam Collins | Artist & Storyteller

There is lots of joy in knowing that I work for myself mainly, and that I like my own work. It is fun for me to draw and I think people can sense that, based on what I’ve been told. It is very true! I have lots of fun drawing and having ideas, and it is all I really need in life, and people seem to understand that based on how I draw. I hope they remember how they feel when they see one of my drawings. Read more>>

Christine “CJ” Jackson | Artisit, Creator

I’m currently doing with my life. As a teenager I learned that, It’s not about the stuff you leave behind. It’s about the impact you leave on people. I want to be remembered as a person who could be counted on to be reliable, helpful, truthful, accountable & hard working. Also as person who will always stand against wrong doings even though it sometimes gets me into trouble. I want to be remembered for providing good quality. A quality experience when with me. Quality art. Quality custom pieces. Quality products. Quality personal and business relationships. Good Quality. When I leave this earth I want folks to be able to say they shared positive experiences with me. That I’ve helped them in some way. I want to leave behind a legacy of positivity. Read more>>

Kristina Birk | Writer & Filmmaker

Freedom of speech and unconstrained literary thought can change multiple future generations. Words are our birthright and should be handled with care. I would love to be remembered as a Russian writer/storyteller who diligently mastered English to be able to tell sensitive stories (that are off-limits in Russia) to the rest of the world. Read more>>

Brittany Howell | Engineer & Entrepreneur

The funny thing about legacy is that requires that you live your life with consideration that you only have a finite time on the earth. To me, the real question is “what drives the life you live?”. I live my life to inspire, to embrace, to acknowledge, and most importantly to show love. I hope that I can be an example for young women, particularly those of color. When I speak to students, my goal is not that they follow in my career path, but that they dream bigger and go further than I. I believe that everyone has purpose and a story. While we may have different beliefs and backgrounds, we share a bond as humans. When my hourglass is out of sand, I want the world to know that I did my best to push others to be their best. Read more>>

Bethany Vee | Comic/Actor/Edutainer

Frankly, I would love to be remembered as being equally hilarious, kind, and inspirational. More importantly, I want to live a life where I am unabashedly myself and find humor in the most vulnerable of places. *Most* importantly, I want to inspire humans to embrace their authenticity, history, struggles, growth, to love themselves harder, and to find lightheartedness in their pain. Read more>>

Chloe Nordlander | Energy Healer & Entrepreneur

I want people to remember me, and my businesses, for three things that have guided every career decision I’ve ever made: fearlessness, transparency & how I make people feel. As an entrepreneur, I really live by the saying “feel the fear and do it anyway,” and this is one of the things I would say to any aspiring entrepreneur. I hope that part of my legacy is showing people that you can go for what you want to create in this world, you just need to be fearless about it. I would hope that if I inspire anything in others, it’s to always set fear aside to chase your passions, whatever that may look like. Transparency has also always been a cornerstone of any business venture for me because it connects you with your audience – whoever is engaging with your business or brand. I don’t really do overly polished because it’s not me and therefore it shouldn’t be my brand. Read more>>

Charlie Hay | Singer & Songwriter

I want to have spread light to the people I meet, no matter if it’s my Uber driver, a friend, a producer, or the love of my life. I want people to remember that their light, no matter their life circumstances or struggles, was seen by me. I want to be remembered as someone brave enough to follow her truth, to always grow and evolve. I want to leave behind music, conversations, art, poems, books that touch people’s hearts, and that somehow helped them follow their own truth. Read more>>

Piper Reese | Actor, Voice artist, Entertainment Host, & YouTuber

My legacy is extremely important to me. I do what I do to make people smile, to fulfill my need to entertain and to put something positive and creative into the world. It is more important to me than anything to become and remain a positive role model for girls. Over the years, we’ve seen countless people rise to the top with negative content that sends a bad message and teaches younger viewers to value fame, money, etc. I think it’s extremely important to stand for the exact opposite. I try to relay to those who watch me the importance of doing what you love and ignoring the concept of ‘fame.’ I want my legacy to not only be something girls can look up to, but something their parents might be okay with them striving towards as well haha! I want to work hard, exude positivism, and stand for a world where we do what we love regardless of how many likes it may get us. 🙂. Read more>>

Los Alva | Artist & Producer

I want to leave behind a legacy of authenticity and what I mean by that is being authentic in everything you do. I feel like life is too short for you to be doing stuff you don’t really want to be doing, you only get one life so you might as well do everything you could want. We always spend so much time thinking about what we need to do to please other people when we should really be focused on making ourselves happy. If being authentic with yourself means disappointing some people or doing something different, you owe it to yourself to do it honestly. What I want people to remember about me is that I never folded to life. No matter what I go through I found a way around it or through it, regardless of a struggle I kept it pushing. I would hope that when people remember me, they see me as a reminder to push through their struggles and always strive for the best. Read more>>

Riyah B. Ms Hood N Cklassy | Musical Artist and Personality

I want people to remember me by how persistent, ambitious, and dedicated I am because no matter what I stay true to my mission I want my legacy to be about how I made my dreams a reality. Read more>>

Michelle Caraballo | Baker, Owner of The Protein Donut

I want to be remembered the same way my grandfather was… He was also a baker and came from Cuba once his businesses were taken away. He baked bread in his garage until he was able to save enough money to open a hole in a wall & start over. I truly didn’t know how many people’s life he impacted until he passed away. The amount of people who showed up to not only share stories about his food, but how he helped them when they had nothing or were in the same position as he once was, was truly overwhelming. It was as simple as providing a job, a hot meal, or even some bread to get to them to end of the day. Sometimes it’s those little things that go the distance. At the end of the day, I want to leave people with a place that feels like home, but still provides an amazing atmosphere where they can grab the best protein donuts around!. Read more>>