Earning that first dollar is incredibly special and a moment many never forget. We asked some very talented creatives from the community to tell us the story of the first dollar they earned from their creative works.

Caranne Ingram

Long before I even started Celestial Roots, I had been making jewelry and selling it to local shops as consignment, or to my friends and family. The first thing I ever made that I sold to someone was a simple wire-wrapped ring with a crystal bead. I think I saw a tutorial on TikTok at the time and thought to myself “I could easily make that”. During this time of my life I was in college and I was living back home over one of my winter breaks. When I returned to campus after break, I sold so many rings to my friends and people all around campus. Looking back at it, this was a really pivotal time in my art journey! Read more>>

Mia Alexandra

Well, I’m actually very proud to say that the first dollar I earned as a creative was from a project I was part of creating, producing and acting in! The project is called MAD MAD MAD. It’s a clown show, directed by the incredible Michael F. Toomey, and it focuses on an incident in 1983 when the world was saved from Nuclear Annihilation by a soviet soldier named Stanislav Petrov. It also follows The Danvers Onions, a group of clowns from Massachusetts who somehow find themselves involved with Stanislav trying to save the world. Believe it or not, it’s even more ridiculous than it sounds. Read more>>

Carol Macconnell

I can still vividly remember the night more than 20 years ago when I earned my first dollar as an artist. At the time, I had my first studio in a sprawling warehouse filled with other creatives, and we were hosting a gallery walk. It was a pivotal moment for me—I had recently returned to art after years of working as an advertising manager for large corporations. Coming back to art, I focused on the fundamentals, refining my skills through drawing and crafting small pastel paintings. Read more>>

Alejandro Cuesta

The first time I was hired to be a Dj in New York City was to open a Colombian party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I didn’t know how to operate CDJ’s yet, so I went to Sam Ash on 34th St. and bought the cheapest controller available to use with my laptop. The night was a success and after I couple days I went back and returned the controller.  Read more>>

Caitlyn West

Like every other high-schooler, I had a camera that sparked the love for photography I have now. I would get paid by gift cards or whatever else families or other high-schoolers would be willing to pay a 14-15 year old haha! I never once asked for payment or ever assumed someone would pay me for my work. I fell away from photography for a few years as life took hold and other things became priority. Read more>>

Kayla Shields

The first project I ever earned money from was a music video where I played a younger version of a singer. It was such a cool experience, especially since the story was about an LGBTQ first love, which made the role really meaningful to me. Representation is so important, and I wanted to give it everything I had. The day was so fun—everyone on set was super creative and really nice. My counterpart in the video was so funny and we laughed pretty much the whole day. I got to add pink to my hair which I loved! After that shoot, I realized how much I loved being part of something creative like that, and I knew it was what I wanted to keep doing. Read more>>