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.

Matthew Harper

The first time I ever sold a commission was when I was about 11 years old. My mom’s friend at the time found out that I was making drawings and trying to sell them, so he asked me how much each one was and told me what he wanted. I ended up drawing a picture of him playing baseball for 10$, and I still have the picture on my old tablet from back then. Read more>>

Nik

In May of 2023, five months into doing stand-up comedy in Los Angeles, I was booked for a Friday night show at Fourth Wall Comedy Cafe. This was a bringer show, which meant that you had to bring at least three people in order to perform (if you didn’t bring enough people, not only were you not allowed to perform, but the club would be convinced that you had no friends!). Luckily, this night was a packed house with an energetic and responsive crowd, including my new comedy friends I made after starting my first job at a different comedy club, the LA School of Comedy. Although it wasn’t my first bringer show, it was the first show with the potential promise of pay if enough people showed up. Read more>>

Amit Benita

I arrived in a new town back on 2016 and I thought I should go to play in an open mic so I meet musicians, so I went there played a few songs I felt it was quite lame.

I honestly thought I was wasting my time, and then a local Musician approached me and gave me his business card for whatever I need, I barely kept it as I thought to myself : “ I don’t think I’ll ever gonna use it”.

A few days later, I was jamming in a park in Australia, it was epic and people were gathering around me. Read more>>

David Souza

I had been making art for decades as a hobby and only had been sharing it with friends and family, maybe making the occasional holiday card. The idea of selling an original was too emotionally overwhelming, so it wasn’t until I began working at a print shop that I began creating and selling prints. Read more>>

Jarvis Blackmon Jr.

Around 2019, I secured my first paid teaching opportunity through Los Medanos College. I was invited to deliver a lecture, paid at a rate of $175 per hour, on music royalties and streaming. The session focused on helping students understand how to use streaming platforms to generate royalties and tap into monetization opportunities. Read more>>

Ash Evans

The first dollar I ever earned as a creative I was about 9 years old. My grandmother was very into crafting and did many high-profile local craft shows. She did beautiful floral arrangements and wreaths as well as holiday-type crafts. She knew I had talent and employed me to tole paint items for a Christmas bazaar. Prior to that, she paid for me to take a few crafting classes at a local studio, and one of the lessons was a starfish Santa ornament. I spent an entire weekend with her making the ornaments, and she helped me with the hot glue gun. She was a flurry of glitter and packing things into bins while I methodically painted those Santas. She took me with her to the show, saying it was important to show my work, and I watched what she did to make sales. Read more>>