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.

Sue Ellen Zhang

Within the first couple months out of college, I stumbled upon a charming street café on Hollywood Blvd. It was a welcoming spot where everyone could freely express their thoughts, share opinions, and simply be themselves over a delicious cup of coffee. I found myself returning frequently, meeting people from all walks of life. I visited so often that I eventually began dating the owner. One day, he encouraged me to sell my art next to his shop, and after some persuasion, I agreed. I spent the night preparing my pieces for sale—varnishing my paintings, crafting makeshift stands, printing flimsy paper business cards, and making origami card holders to disguise their delicacy. I was so excited that I woke up at 4 AM to set up. Read more>>

Melissa Grisancich

My earliest memory of selling an Artwork was after a portrait competition I had entered in university. A new hotel in Melbourne had commissioned 10 Artists to decorate their rooms and we had to submit a sketch and it went from there. If anything having someone interested in my work and wanting to hang it on their walls was enough for me. It gave me encouragement and a sense of confidence in my work. Read more>>

Shannon Butler

Polymer clay was a hobby I was thoroughly obsessed with as a kid, but fell out of when I got older. I picked it up again in summer 2019. I started selling earrings to friends on Instagram (@tinyfoodmadeofclay), then friends of friends, then complete strangers found me. I did my first pop-up event in Lander, WY while I was at the International Climber’s Festival, and joined the Ocean Beach Farmers Market later that year (2021). Now I’ve been at the OB Market ever since, and I sell my art at local coffee shops and other community events, and Sea Hive Station. I love meeting people who have purchased my art and hearing them tell me how much joy it brings them. Read more>>

Lachlan Mckillop

The first dollar I ever earned as a creative has a funny story behind it. One day in class, my teacher, who worked for Fremantle Media at the time, announced she had extra roles to cast for Neighbours. My heart racing, I shot my hand up, breaking every Guinness World Record there was for speed! I was selected to appear in about 10 episodes as an extra. I can’t recall my exact age, but I was around 12 at the time. When I arrived on set, I was rushed to the extra room to put on the school uniform they provided to me. Once dressed, we were called to set one by one, learning how to act like regular humans, drinking coffee at the café, walking when the actor delivered their lines, and even throwing a ball in the courtyard. Read more>>

Alexandra Forgues

This was a very exciting time for me. The first paycheck I got from my craft was as a nurse on a mini-serie. It was an independant project, I was barely there for a day and I think I made less than a 100$, but when you walk out, you get that immense satisfaction of having earned money doing what you love. Honestly, it didn’t even feel like I had come into work from how much I genuinely enjoyed my time there. but I left with my head held high and so deeply proud of myself for simply making it this far and being paid for my art, even if it wasn’t a lot. Read more>>

Fiona Mcmahon

Before I was a small business owner I believed I could only make a living by working for someone else as an artist. I thought it was way to hard to work as an independent artist and sell my own work so I was hesitant to start. However I’m so glad I did! It’s been a learning curve and it’s not easy but it’s not impossible at all! The only thing that was stopping me from selling my original art was myself, I believed no one would be interested in it but I was wrong. When I got my first sale I couldn’t believe it, someone used their hard earned money to buy one of my silly doodles. I was over the moon! Since then I have had a consistent flow of sales and I still sometimes can’t believe people want my silly little art pieces. Read more>>

Abraham Kabba

The first dollar I earned from creating content was on a platform called “Byte” created by Dom Hofmann, who also created vine. I was doing well on the platform and they decided to role out a partner program for creators after a while, which I was then invited to be apart of. After a month I got probably a little less than $100 dollars, and I remember feeling really motivated and proud that my work was being recognized. It was a very important motivator for my career. Read more>>

Hanne Kah

The first dollar you earn from your creative work is something you never forget, especially when it comes in a way that feels like the start of a new chapter. While I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I first got paid for my music in Germany—since I started my career so young—I do remember, vividly, the first time I earned real money after starting to tour the U.S. last year. It was 2023, and I had just played my very first festival in the U.S. The experience itself was exhilarating—standing on stage, playing my music to an audience that had never heard of me before. The energy was unreal, and as the crowd responded, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. After the show, I got paid, and that first U.S. dollar felt different from any payment I’d received before.  Read more>>

Tatum Mcamis

When I was 7 I signed my talent contract with Talent Trek Agency in Knoxville, TN, less than a few months later I auditioned for a role in a commercial for a university in Tennessee and was selected! It was so cool to have a wardrobe on set, get hair and makeup, and then see myself on TV! People were constantly texting my mom saying they saw me on tv, it was the best feeling! The check in the mail was just an added bonus! Read more>>

Sarah Noelle Eastep

My very first acting role is special for a lot of reasons. The project was for the art collective Meow Wolf, which was building a new installation called Omega Mart in Las Vegas. If you know anything about Meow Wolf, which I did, you would know just how weird the script would probably be—and it was very, very weird. It was also my first self-taped audition, and we “broke some rules” but apparently it worked. I was told I was cast from thousands of submissions. I also met with an agent the day after I wrapped filming, who later signed me after seeing the my performance. A lot of good things have come from this project; taking the chance, sending a really weird audition video, and putting in the time and work was well worth the effort. Read more>>

Susanna Booth

I have been so fortunate to have friends all along in my creative journey who have been supportive and even commissioned paintings, even when my skill needed improvement. However, I will never forget my first sale to someone I didn’t know. In 2019 I was so appreciative to be able to display my art in a charming tea shop in Ann Arbor. The management kindly allowed me what was basically a rotating gallery in the front of their store. I had a painting series of six 3*3″ canvasses. It was inspired by my love of the movie La La Land. I got a call while I was at the dentist one day that the entire set had all been sold to one buyer. The feeling that someone had found my work meaningful enough to make a part of their life, touched me deeply and it still does anytime I sell a piece. Read more>>

Cece Liu

I started out posting tennis videos on social media because I had seen a couple of my friends doing it and getting sponsored by well-known companies. Since I was in a sports program for high school, I trained in the afternoon and would use clips from my practices. I would direct message and email all types of health/fitness brands in pursuit of becoming a tennis ambassador for their brand. Almost one year after I started posting, a supplement company responded to my pitch with “What are your rates?”. I had no idea what that meant at the time so after a quick Google search, I realized that they wanted to work together on a paid basis! I was so excited, I ran to tell my mom and get her input on what I should charge. She told me to ask for one hundred and see the consensus. The brand accepted immediately and that was the first dollar I earned as a creative! Read more>>

Samuel Gibson

The first time I was paid directly for my art was for a feature I did earlier this year. A producer contacted me on Instagram and told me he enjoyed my music. I checked his page out, and he had good production quality. We started talking, and I was fully sold on doing a verse for him after he sent me the beat. I did a record for him that I hope drops soon because I believe it’s one of my best verses. Throughout my process as an artist, seeking acceptance was a primary motivator for me, so having someone seek out my craft and solicit a verse from me was surreal. I would get people to stream my music in high school. Still, the money that accumulated since 9th grade was stuck in my distributor, so funny enough, my first earnings from music ended up meaning more because I worked myself into a space where I was talented enough to sell myself to others on a one-on-one instance. I still had to get past the validation seeking I gained from being paid, though. The collaboration from that work is fantastic, but I think the relationship I earned from it was more valuable. Read more>>