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.
Heidi Joy Delacruz
Delacruz Shoes- my first entrepreneurial venture, created during my high school days! I was always drawing and doodling on the edges of my paper (not always well received by teachers) and on my pants (much to my parents’ disdain) in high school and considered my style as my biggest way to express myself! Vans were kind of expensive, but I still wanted my own cool pair of shoes. This was many years before Vans even did offered custom shoes. So one day I asked my parents to buy me a pair of blank canvas shoes from Payless Shoe Source. I decided to draw and hand paint them, it was exhilarating to design my own custom shoes- even doing a different designs on each shoe. I signed the inside with “Delacruz Shoes” with pride and wore them to school. I’ll never forget the big smile and feeling of pride I had as the compliments rolled in non-stop from peers to teachers. Before the end of the day, I was asked multiple times if they could pay me for a custom pair- and I was just filled with such excitement that my work was not only appreciated but that it would be considered paying money for! Read more>>
Veronica Aguilar
That’s exactly how I felt about a year ago. I had decided to rent a studio space at a local co-op art building. It was much closer to home than the studio space provided by my school across the bay bridge in San Francisco, CA. It definitely felt like personal growth as I was now spending every day there working among other creative professionals with very unique styles and mediums. They along with the owner were so welcoming and knowledgeable. They were very willing to share their experiences in the art business. Read more>>
Hera Güneş Barlowe
I couldn’t sleep at night when I got the email telling me I got my first professional acting job. I kept repeating, “OMG, I’m gonna be working in Darren Aronofsky’s new film with Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz as my first background gig!”. It meant the world to me. I’ve always admired Aronofsky’s film. And I never thought I’d be able to experience being on his set as my first acting gig. What an honor and such a great memory for the beginning of my career. Read more>>
Johnnie Baltimore
My first dollar earned as a Jazz vocalist was with The Marc Payne Quartet. I met Marc at one of his shows. He invited me to a Monday night jazz jam session pretty soon after. I ran down a list of tunes I knew well and he chose “All of Me” in the style of Sarah Vaughan for us to jam to. I’d memorized Sarah’s entire scat solo, so I hoped to impress. The audience was locked in and showed so much love for us! Read more>>
Krishay Ramesh
Even though my first sale was when I was 5 years old and “sold” homemade mouthwash to my dad, my first earning happened when I made over $100 by monetizing my YouTube channel at the age of 8. That got me so much excited that I wanted to start selling my own merchandise. That set me off on my entrepreneurial journey, and after that, I ended up selling custom t-shirts, custom masks, and so on, leading up to my current stint as the campus manager for Fresh Prints. Read more>>
Joshua Gray
The first Dollar I earned as a creative was 50$ for my first live show performance of my career in Berkeley California at the Starry Plough. There were about 200 people in attendance. Initially I was nervous, not to perform, but to have my music judged by 200 people. My set was amazing and the host of the event grabbed the mic and screamed “A Star Has Been Born”! Read more>>
Lee
My first earnings as a creative came in a substantial amount—especially for a 24-year-old—when Lionsgate acquired my first two feature films in a two-picture buyout deal. However, that opportunity was built on years of independent work. Over six years, I self-funded and produced two micro-budget films, uncertain if they would ever secure distribution or generate revenue. Fortunately, Lionsgate picked up both in an amount that doubled both budgets. Read more>>