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.

Ren Cinema

I was 16 years old in high school, around that time I was very into making YouTube. I was in a very niche scene where people would edit video montages to Super Smash Bros for the WiiU. I went by the name “Stratus” and made some videos for my own channel, and two other channels called “False Hope” and “DMG”. I started to gain some views and traction through the Internet and grew that relationship with the audience through Discord, which became a business ground for me to work with other players, and frankly to meet some friends. There was a person who played the game at tournaments who went by Itheta, commissioned me to make a montage video featuring him and other professional players who focused on a character called Little Mac. Read more>>

Leah Wilczewski

Wow! First time I ever earned pay from being an actor was when I was about 17. At the time I was a few years into my professional career, but working in unpaid children contracts– kind of like unpaid internships (this is also where I learned the most of the basis on how to act in rehearsal rooms and work as a professional). Read more>>

Jose Antonio Torres

I was a graphic design student and even then I drew every day, not just the technical drawing or color theory assignments they gave us, using ruling pens to mark the painting area, which I then filled in with brushes. Every time we had to create chromatic circles of supplementary, complementary colors, towards whites, grays, and darks, I also occasionally took classes in Teresa Suárez Vértiz’s art workshop, located in an old house in the Miraflores district of Lima, where I would go to paint three or four times a week surrounded by great artists who inspired me greatly. Read more>>

Sonya Hensley

I used to follow my mother to the craft store. I started buying beads and plastic ties .I made some super cool key chains. I sold a lot of those it was so surprising and I’d get color orders.. I lived it Read more>>