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.

Rachael Dux

The first time I earned money from painting was when a friend asked me to do a commission for them of a man on a building being swept up by ginormous waves. Previous to this, I was just making art and posting it for myself. I felt honored that he trusted me to make his vision come to life and was going to pay me for it. It truly opened an avenue I didn’t think was possible. After this, I was getting more commissions from friends and even some strangers. It made me believe in myself that I have the talent I always wanted to have. Read more>>

Deovani Jean

My first dollar as a creative wasn’t actually meant to be paid. My friend Malik Stephon, a talented film producer and SCAD graduate, brought me on to work wardrobe for a project called Paragons, written by Aryan Varma. I had just started getting into styling, so I was shocked, excited, and nervous. I just wanted to perform well for him. There were things I could’ve done better, but for my first time as the lead for wardrobe on a film, I think I did well. They sent me a budget to gather clothes for the actors, and I secured everything we needed. After the shoot, I returned the pieces and considered that experience my ‘payment,’ even though I wasn’t officially on the budget. I kept telling people—and myself—that I got paid to do a short film because I was so proud of what I’d accomplished. Read more>>

Rhea Decastro

Some people discover early on their abilities as an artist. Some people discover their abilities later in life. I never imagined that I had the capabilities of being an artist. I didn’t how to draw or paint. I have always doubted my abilities, and never knew that I could teach myself. I realized you don’t need to go to an art school. My home became Mt art school. My one bedroom apartment became my art studio to learn. I started to teach myself online, and continued to practice everyday. During this time I was working in the hospital during covid, and enduring a rough relationship. I needed a way to express myself from the stresses of life. Read more>>

Chris Gomez

Being a creative in any field is hard for so many reasons. I think that the main one, when your young, is the self-doubt. Even when you are just starting out as professional, you’ve already spent years learning and practicing and it get’s to the point that you have no idea if other people want to see the fruits of your labor. As I entered my junior year of college, I was drowning in that self-doubt. I was majoring in Cartooning at the School of Visual Arts and I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my work. I was surrounded by extremely talented artists and though I would like to say that it had a strictly inspiring effect on me, but that wouldn’t be true. It was hard not to feel outclassed by the sheer amount of skill around me at all times. Many of my fellow students had already been tabling at conventions or had self-published successful zines. I was barely handing in my homework on time. Read more>>

David Miratty

I’ll share the story of my first earnings in Los Angeles as a creative. Before moving here from Russia I would search and reach out to restaurants/party and wedding companies/agencies to be hired as a piano performer and what ended up happening was that a few places wanted to book me for the weekend not knowing that I’m not in LA yet(I didn’t mention I wasn’t there yet) so I let them know that I wasn’t moving in a month or so and let’s be in touch, when I finally moved those places got shut down to my dismay, but where one door closes others get open. So I got hired as a pianist in a piano bar in Glendale ( I performed 5 days a week from 7 to 11 p.m for 250$ a night. The first month of me being in Los Angeles I made up to 5k just doing what I love and that was triple of what I made in Russia doing the same thing. Read more>>

Angela Panas

I’ll always remember the first time someone took a chance on me as a paid designer. I had just begun pursuing my degree in Graphic Design when the mother of a close friend who was creating a product asked me for a label design. I had never done anything like that before but I jumped at the chance. It was during COVID and the product was a “fresh mask spray.” I still remember the design vividly, probably because it haunts me. It was an extremely rough clipped-together design in Photoshop, completely disregarding all basic design concepts. It will always be a benchmark for how far I’ve come with my design capabilities. To this day, that woman has been a steady support in my creative career and has witnessed firsthand my professional achievements. Read more>>

Joy Argento

The first painting I ever sold was to a family friend. I was eighteen at the time. She commissioned me to paint a clown. I’d done members of my family as clowns and had given them as gift. found a picture of a famous person (who will remain nameless) and painted him as a clown. I earned twenty dollars for my efforts. It was a 16×20 oil painting. I was amazed that someone would give me money for something I loved doing. Read more>>

Thomas Espinosa

The first time I ever earned any money from my artwork, was when I was in high school. I was entered into a art competition by my art teacher. I made a mixed media painting that was something that i had almost thrown away. It was a large painting that i had kept in the trunk of my car and had gotten ripped. About a week before the show I found out that it ripped and thought I had nothing to submit, my teacher told me to use it and make it better even with the rip, so thats what I did. I attached real tiles to a piece of painted cardboard and screwed the cardboard into the painting just under the rip. I ended up winning this art competition and the prize was a $2500 scholarship to use as I wanted. I decided t invest in myself and buy a laptop, more art supplies, and a car that I really wanted (I was in high school). Read more>>

Mekaylah Gilbert

The first time I earned professional income from my creative work was at just 18 years old, performing at a wedding in Nashville. The couple envisioned a ballerina embodying the softness and beauty of their love, and I was honored to bring that vision to life. It was my first wedding performance, and nerves ran high—I wanted everything to be perfect. After an inspiring pep talk from my mom, who was also my manager at the time, I took the stage. The moment was unforgettable: the audience gave me a standing ovation, and the emotional couple praised my performance, even gifting me additional money as a token of their gratitude. Read more>>

Nidhi Sharma

“In 2021, we moved into our new home—a blank canvas filled with endless possibilities. Like any excited new homeowner, I was eager to make our house feel like a home, and decorating became my passion. As I dove into decorating, I found myself searching for the perfect piece to add character and warmth to out front door. After a lot of searching and not finding what I had in mind, I decided to create something unique myself, a wreath that reflect my vision. Read more>>