Earning that first dollar is incredibly special and a moment many never forget. We asked some very talented creatives from the community to tell u s the story of the first dollar they earned from their creative works.
Alison Tomin & Joshua Alan Collins
Our first dollar earned as the band “AJ & The Woods” was in July of 2015. We played a Saturday afternoon on a patio at a small independently owned and operated restaurant and bar. Alison had a friend that ate their often and told the owner about this “great new original band” in the area. Depending on your area, it can be hard to find places that are open to artist with original music, a lot of the locations around us at the time wanted only cover songs. Having someone take a chance on us was game changing. Getting one paid gig helped us to get another. As word spread and people started to hear us, it snowballed until we were playing local clubs and music venues. Read more>>
Quelle The Prophet
My first dollar earned as a verbal martial artist came while I was providing support for a local Charleston, SC hip-hop artist. I had done several shows in the city, and my name had garnered a buzz in the area. After some time, the head of a non-profit organization (Slim S.O.U.L of Soul Power Productions) who hosted hip-hop nights at The Pour House pointed me in the direction of Clayton James. Read more>>
Porsha Shelton
The first dollar I earned was from my first client. It’s a day that I’ll never forget! Her name was Tara and she had contacted me to see if I was available for her to book an appointment. Without a second thought I immediately said yes. I’d been praying for this day to arrive and it was finally here. I was so stoked! When she arrived I quickly got started. I just remember the blissful feeling I had while doing her makeup. Read more>>
Kiara Santos
Allow me to take you back to the days we were confined by our four walls and our main source of communication was via zoom. On the day I earned my first dollar, my ex-husband became a pretend auctioneer. We had approximately 7 or 8 family and friends, on zoom, bidding on my artwork. It was a day full of love and support. Shortly after, one of the bidders asked for an enlarged version of the piece she purchased, and that was the first dollar I earned as a creative. Read more>>
Lisa Ferrel
For many years, I designed gifts for my children and extended family. When I finally got up enough confidence to offer my designs for sale, I started with what is still my favorite and my best seller, the Horny Toad Plush Toy. I painstakingly made a prototype, writing down every step as I went. Then I made several more in different colors, making changes to the pattern with each one. I opened my Etsy shop and listed the pattern for sale. After several weeks of promoting on social media, I finally got my first sale! Read more>>
Christina Jimenez
The first time I had a performance job where I was paid a weekly salary was back in 2015. It was with Blue Gate Musicals in Shipshewana, Indiana, for a summer performance contract. I was thrilled! I packed up my 2012 red Toyota Corolla and drove myself up to Amish country. They provided housing where I got to live with another performer, and we got along great! The show was Josiah for President, which is about what would happen if an Amish man was the President of the United States. I was his Amish wife in the show, and I had a big solo number near the end. I have great memories from that contract, and I’ll never forget the joy of being paid to do what I love. It lit a fire under me to keep performing for a long time. Read more>>
Hailey Ipson
In December 2020, I started a pottery Instagram profile to keep track of my favorite pieces and to document the results of my glaze experiments. My first customer was my cousin, Elly. She saw my posts and asked if one was for sale. My studio membership was $60 per month so I decided to try and use Instagram to sell $60 worth of stuff every month, just to cover the cost. It was kind of embarrassing at first. I felt like my friends and family were buying my pottery to be nice to me, not because they really wanted it. Read more>>
Jessie Reyna
It was 2016 and I had picked up a paintbrush for the first time in several years. At that time, I was still finding my voice and craft, so much of what I was painting was what I thought people wanted to see. A lot of florals and abstract messes. I was very unsure of myself and was practicing different methods to see what worked. I ended up painting a triptych – it was an abstract piece of the ocean waves. I was very proud of it and took my time with the three canvases. Read more>>
Meca
The first painting I sold was a Nefertiti canvas to my friend from college. I was painting for fun at the time and when she saw the canvas she had to have it. I met up with her at her campus and sold it to her. It felt amazing to know that someone really liked my work and wanted to have it be apart of their home. At the time I had no idea how to price my work at the time so I probably sold it for super cheap. Read more>>
Tony Memmel
The Neighbor’s Bistro in Waukesha, Wisconsin – December 2000… Some friends from school and I started our first band when we were freshmen in high school. We practiced in our guitarist’s basement, in our drummer’s dining room, and in my parents’ garage, until the police showed up on account of the volume. We practiced a lot and started to get pretty darn good. Read more>>