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.

Rick Shepherd

The first dollar I earned as a creative, aside from some smaller childhood commercials, was when I was cast in my first short film my second month living in NYC. Read more>>

Christina Marie Leonard

When I was a preteen growing up in Omaha, Nebraska I already knew I wanted to act. There weren’t a ton of acting opportunities but I did what I could. Read more>>

Dyondre Thomas

The first dollar that I earned as a creative came from a summer internship that I did when I was 15 years old. I got into it through an after-school program in high school called Southern Word. Read more>>

Megan Gardner

A few Thanksgivings ago, I got my very first art commission from my uncle. He had a photograph of his teenaged son wearing the shiniest wide framed sunglasses I’ve ever seen. Read more>>

Annie Brooks

It was the summer that my mom and I were moving around, living at friends’ houses, with all of our belongings in the back of an ’87 Jeep Cherokee. I was nine years old. Read more>>

Morgan Brock

I will never forget the time I booked my first gig I was an independent artist. I was submitting myself via casting360. After an extensive interview process I was chosen as a contestant on Fox Network reality television series Home Free season 2. Read more>>

Gloria Glow

As a songwriter/singer: I remember when I was young I had always wanted to be in a band, several years later I found myself a lead singer of a band, in front of 4000 people singing a song I wrote in 2021 just after my Father passed away Read more>>

Coyote Creates

I remember somebody handing me a $20 after an open mic performance while I was living in New Hampshire. This $20 changed my life! When I was 22, $20 felt like $100. Read more>>

Alison Mullings

One of my favorite memories was when I finally got an agent I got my first audition with her and I booked it. It wasn’t a huge, life changing role or anything but she called me saying I booked the job and I was so excited. Read more>>

Karissa Barber

The first paycheck I received felt like validation for all of the years of hard work. My first professional contract after college was singing with OperaTampa at the Straz Center in their production of “La Boheme” with 2,000 in attendance each performance. Read more>>

Asia Carpenter

I started crafting deodorant, body oils and body wash because I had developed boils from using toxic deodorant. I was fed up with toxic beauty products, and wanted to take my health into my own hands. Read more>>

Kiana Aletaha

That’s a wonderful experience to share! Selling my art for the first time in the studio i am continuing my art.on 2021 and 2022 and seeing someone appreciate and value my work enough to purchase it can be incredibly gratifying. Read more>>

Turquoise Music

At the tender age of three, I strutted my stuff down the runway for Macy’s kids store, blissfully unaware of the impact it would have on my future career choices. Read more>>

Kendall Hope

I have always considered myself to be creative, whether that be in any art form or writing. When I got the amazing opportunity to become a published author with Indie Earth Books, they were just starting and so was I. Read more>>

Elijah Grayson

From what I remember, it was January of 2022 when my co-host and I earned our first bit of money from doing the podcast, and we were both super surprised at how soon after we had began we were starting to earn. Read more>>

Robin Gow

I pitched and wrote a comic strip in a teen section of the local newspaper called Voices. It was called “[Deadname’s] Mad World” and it featured a cartoonish version of myself doing outlandish things. Read more>>

Ross K. Foad

Unknowingly, this was when I was 18-months old! Though, I am English so it is first pounds I refer to here. I am a 2nd generation actor with both my parents being in the business. Read more>>