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.

Cheryl Tocci

I have always created so art was consistently a part of life even as a kid. When I was a senior in high school I sold my first painting and realized then that I really could paint. It was a family member, but still meant so much to me Read more>>

Sarah Thomas

Selling something I’ve made with my own hands is never going to lose excitement! I still do a little happy dance each time an item sells- no matter the size, every sale matters to me! My very first stained glass sale was within the first two weeks I had started on a well-known online marketplace platform. It was early in the morning and I was chatting with my sister while she was on her way to work, my phone made a notification sound that was unfamiliar to me. Read more>>

Michael Penny

So, it was definitely an exciting and validating experience! The first dollar I made came from Facebook/Meta Inc., I spent months creating content and while I was making progress engagement wise, I still was not able to pull in enough engagement to monetize my content. Most of my contemporaries decided to switch to either Twitch or YouTube for this same reason. Read more>>

Jennifer Ladd

I had known how to sew my whole life, but shortly after I got married my mom gave me my first personal sewing machine as a Christmas present. From that moment on, I sewed constantly and quickly realized my favorite things to make were bags and purses. I gave away some as gifts, but most of them just started accumulating in the closets of our tiny little apartment. In 2007, we adopted our first daughter and right after she came home, her baby gear started accumulating as well. Read more>>