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.

Eve Carton

I draw since always. like a lot of children. around my 20’s, it become a dream to live from it. I was too shy to say that I pretend to live from it, and that my draw and paint were supposed to be sold. So when people ask me “what do you do for living?”, I answered “ho nothing” . But one day ,at the swimming pool where i used to swim twice a week, a lady which who i started to talk weeks before, ask me this famous question ; “what do you do for living?”… I was tired to lie, so i said the truth : “im a painter”. “Hoooo” she said, “I love art, im a collector, where can i see yours ?” Read more>>

Brian J Hoffman

It must have been at some point in my senior year of high school. I was going on an informative job interview with an Art Director at a reputable publishing company. I didn’t have a professional portfolio but just what one would expect when applying to art school for college. As I proceeded to show him my various watercolors, pastels, charcoals, scratchboards, etc., a bystander on her way to an errand approached me from a distance to marvel at my 3-month long intensive ink pointillism piece of the Beatles. She mentioned her husband loved them and offered me $60 for a copy and not the original. It was a truly validating feeling and gave me an inkling that I could become somewhat successful at the art game. Read more>>

Nolcha Fox

The first dollar I earned was for a short story accepted by a new horror magazine (it collapsed a couple of months later, but at least I was paid). I was astonished. I should have been more astonished — that was the most money I ever made from a submission. I was also elated. I could write creatively after a couple of decades of writing technical manuals for a living. Retirement was looking rosy! Read more>>

Twila Burlew

The first dollar I earned from my creative work is something I’ll never forget. It was back when I had just started learning the art of balloon twisting. I had used my last $50 on a balloon starter kit and had been practicing for weeks, burning through 300 balloons and countless hours trying to perfect basic designs. The company I was working with had set me up to do restaurant gigs, where I’d twist balloons for tips. Read more>>

Nacho Suave

First dollar I earned as a creative was selling these demos at my high school under the pseudonym Ghetto-T. I think there was like 4-5 songs. I was selling these at $5. 2 people grabbed a copy from me. Looking back now I’m glad I didn’t sell any more than those 2 because people probably would’ve told me that it sucked. Which at the time it kind of did. It wasn’t until years later when I dropped The Ignacio EP under the new pseudonym Nacho Suave that my cousin bought a copy through my Bandcamp for funny enough. $5 Read more>>