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.

 Lou Vest

The first photo I sold was for the Pasadena Phone Book – an old custom where the phone company provided every home and business with a thick book listing all the phone numbers. You could request not to be listed, but you had to pay extra and having an “unlisted” number was a little bit sinister… like you had something to hide. Read more>>

MR. LPD

I’d have to say that my first dollar earned as a creative was from my gift of drumming. When i was a kid I’d go outside and beat on buckets and my neighbors couldn’t stand that loud noise lol! They would be up drinking all night so that noise was not good for them at all. They would actually pay me to stop beating those buckets. Then when i was in the 2nd grade i was getting paid to go play the drums for a local gospel group. Read more>>

Courtney Khail

Before I became a full time artist, I owned a stationery and design company that catered specifically to weddings. It was 2009- not the ideal time to start a business, much less a creative one, but I had a vision and was determined to see it through. Read more>>

The Makeup M.O.B.B.

The Makeup M.O.B.B. (Moguls of the Beauty Business), is comprised of a group of professional full & part-time makeup artists, hairstylists, creative directors, estheticians, and licensed cosmetologists. The majority of the artists signed to the agency share one basic commonality; knowing early on in life that they wanted to pursue a career in the beauty industry. Read more>>

Datboykalifa

It all began with the decision to distribute my music through platforms like Distrokid. I never knew I could get paid to do what I love music . I uploaded my songs and albums, ensuring that they were of great quality and represented my unique style as an artist. Through the power of these distribution platforms, my music reached various streaming services and online stores, giving listeners the opportunity to discover and purchase my music. It was hard without having the budget to pay for marketing I knew I had to hit the streets and the internet hard. Read more>>

Zhiyu You

To be honest, when I just graduated, I also hesitated about whether becoming a professional illustrator was wrong and whether I should get a more stable job. Read more>>

Janelle Safford

The first dollar that I earned as a creative was from the merchandise released recently! I performed at the Orange County Fair a few weeks ago and there were audience members who purchased my T-shirts and stickers! It definitely felt very surreal to know that people enjoyed my brand. Speaking of merchandise, if you would like to buy a sticker or t- shirt from me, you can head over to my website or my Facebook to purchase them. Read more>>

Jamie Chihuan

Photography has always been my strong suit. No surprise that my first artistic series was done in that medium. My cloak photos inspired me to pursue photography seriously as an artist. I began offering to film videos for my rap artist friends. Soon I had my first gig for $100. It was a short music video that was mainly shot in the small town I lived in at the time. This video in turn gave me more clients until the business slowly stopped. I realized the potential my creativity has. Read more>>

GEORGE FOLD

When I began creating my art, I had no idea that I could sell it. I started creating pieces and giving them to friends and family as gifts. When I see those pieces now, I was probably correct in thinking I couldn’t sell them. My early work was awful. It was only through the encouragement of friends and my family that I continued working at, and developing, my craft. Eventually, I got to the point where I felt comfortable and confident enough to put some pieces up for sale. When the first one sold, I was truly surprised, but it surely motivated me to keep going. While many milestones in this creative journey are memorable, none stand out quite like the feeling of earning that “first dollar” from doing something I love. Read more>>

Gayle Lynn

The first dollar I ever earned was doing place cards for a friend’s wedding. She was having a small, intimate reception with only about 30 people. I had done some other unpaid pieces and projects for friends and family before but was setting myself up to get more “real” clients. We were having dinner, and I was explaining my latest initiatives related to calligraphy. She had been a business owner before, so she started giving me some tips and tricks and things to think about. At some point, she said that I should do her place cards, and I was thrilled. Read more>>

Brooke Hipp

I started painting three years ago. It was the summer of 2020 and the pandemic was in full force. My garden was blooming and I was making more kombucha than I could drink. After going down an Instagram rabbit hole, I ordered $350 in art supplies from Amazon. Painting was a meditative process for me and there were lots of reasons to need meditation. After a number of months, I had more paintings than I had space. I reached out to a very supportive group of women and asked them about side hustles and what advice they had for me with regard to distributing my paintings. After a little urging, I showed them my work and many asked how they could purchase a painting. That evening was when I made my first dollar as a painter. Read more>>

Mike Miller

Technically my first dollar earned as a creative came before I chose to do art for a living. I was still in college at the University of Cincinnati, and people started coming to me for tattoo designs. Not the tattoo itself..design only. I can’t remember the first person to do so, but I do remember someone from out of state mailing me $35 cash for a design early on (2008), and that definitely made a lightbulb go off in my head. Fast forward about a year later I dropped out of college and began my apprenticeship to pursue my career as a tattooed. Read more>>

 Joshua Leomiti

There is only 4 projects that have paid me, everything else was “copy and credit” for my time as an Actor. Actually, with my past 3 projects I’ve produced, I made it a goal to pay everyone out of my own pocket. If one actor didn’t get paid in one project, I made sure to pay them in another short, since I used the same people over again in my works for the sake of creating and throwing ourselves out there to been seen. I know how it feels to not be paid and I didn’t want to do that to my cast and crew. For me, I also learned that I’ve spent way too much in some areas with filmmaking and for my next projects, I’ll budget finances accordingly because you can overspend if you don’t know. I know better now. But, it felt good earning money for what I love to do, and that is one of the end results, to get paid to do what I love to do – so that I can turn back around and invest that money into greater films, making dreams happen for another unknown hopeful. Read more>>

Lissa Scotland

The first painting I ever sold was one that I made in the one and only college painting class I ever took. A stranger named Jen bought it for $300, and I could not believe it! I thought, “I can make money doing this?” Read more>>

Amanda Aguirre

My first dollar as a creative came from my fabulous friend and client, Elisabeth. Liz approached me for a portrait session, which I jumped at the opportunity, as I was just starting to explore my passion for studio photography and experimenting with color. Over the last several years, we have continued to collaborate and grow as artists. It’s been wild to witness her transformation into a successful entrepreneur, running her own thriving brow business, Esor. I’m incredibly grateful to have clients and friends like Liz who always believed in my vision and have been a constant source of inspiration. Read more>>

Heather Buechler

The first dollar I earned as a creative was when I was a teenager. Selling that painting was the reason I decided to pursue a career in art. At the time, I was a couple years into college and was at the point where I would not be able to register for classes until I had declared a major. I was really torn about whether I should take the safe route and get a degree in psychology or take a risk and become an artist. The night before I was supposed to register for classes I asked the universe for a sign which way I should go. That next morning I heard from a coffee shop where I was having a show at that I had sold a painting for $500 – this was in the late 1990s so $500 was a lot of money at that time.   I took that as a sign and pursued my degree in art and have continued for almost 30 years with my art career. It’s worked out better than I ever could’ve imagined! I’m one of the few people who gets paid to do what they love! Read more>>