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.

Kevin Dawson

The first money I ever earned as an actor was when I was part of a traveling cowboy stunt show. I was fresh out of college and heard about the company through an audition forum. I got to travel out of state, do three shows a day, and handle firearms while playing a stereotypical loudmouth western antagonist. It was all so exciting and I definitely think it was a pretty unique first steady paycheck as an actor. Read more>>

Olga Khaletskaya

As a self-taught artist, I grew from a beginner collage artist to a professional commercial illustrator, now working with agencies, magazines, and clients around the world.
The journey of a freelancer—especially a self-taught one—means constantly facing fears and finding the courage to take on new challenges, even when they feel frightening. No matter how many years you work—one, five, or twenty—there will always be firsts. New experiences bring excitement and uncertainty, again and again. Read more>>

Stephanie Ochieng

My first ever dollar earned from using my voice, was while I was in Los Angeles. A friend Musical Director called me in to help layer harmony vocals for his church praise team. For me, I’ve always been involved in church ministry and it was always about giving back but it felt humbling to see a friend step in and acknowledge the financial worth of my gift, without having to ask for anything. Read more>>

Henrí Charlemagne

I had a crew Natural Elements and did a a ton of free work with them. Then I was approached to produce a new duo out of queens Capone n Noreaga and I got my first check for one of my creations. Read more>>

Rollupdenn. P

The first dollar I ever earned as a creative was one of the best feelings ever. It was my first ever paid gig, my close friend Cyco Tha King put me onto this booking agency for local shows in the city (Columbus, Ohio) because he said I was too dope to keep doing open mics. The venue was at the legendary Skully’s Music Diner in the short north. I got my ticket link, my flyer created, and sent it out to everyone in my contacts from my phone and posted on all my social platforms over the span of 2 weeks. The day of the show, I made $200+ and that was one of the largest crowds of supporters I gathered off of putting myself out there and straight hustle. Read more>>

Mariah Leggett

Technically, my first dollar was paid in high school when I was paid to do a portrait for my mom’s friend. While that was an awesome feeling and I don’t want to take away from that experience, nothing compares to my excitement from the sales of the summer of 2020. Over 10 years later… almost 2 years after I began sharing my art online, one of the people that had been following my journey reached out about buying a couple of my paintings straight out of my sketchbook. She purchased two original paintings, and expressed a strong- liking for a third, and I was so excited that someone was so interested in my work that I just threw it in with the other two. Read more>>

Simar Singh Sethi

The first time I earned money from my creative work was in November 2023. I was still at SCAD, finishing my BFA in Visual Effects, and doing freelance work on the side. My first client was a good friend who owned a clothing brand, and he asked me to create a 3D advertisement for Instagram. It wasn’t a huge project, but the idea of making money through my art was exciting—I felt like I was finally stepping into the real world as a creator. Read more>>

Isaak Elker

I earned my first dollar playing at an early age. In my hometown of Rochester, MN they have a street fair every Thursday in the Summer called ‘Thursdays on First.’ Hundreds of people come out to look at all of the vendors, get food, and enjoy live entertainment in the plaza. Read more>>

Jade Glasgow

My first paid gig as a hula hooper arrived unexpectedly. A good friend reached out to ask if I could cover their spot in an evening of performances to raise money for a local theater. While I wanted to help out, there was a small problem; I had never hooped for an audience before, and I had only one week to prepare choreography for two songs. I debated briefly whether it was an absolutely crazy idea to say yes, then decided to accept the challenge. I spent every evening after work that week running the choreography over and over again. On the night of the show I arrived at the theater feeling incredibly nervous, and I was so intimidated by the crew of seasoned performers that seemed so prepared and at ease. Read more>>

Brian Burke

(I’ve earned money in the past as a musician/singer/songwriter, but this story focuses on my newest creative adventure of painting.)

Towards the end of the summer of 2021 I helped organize a block party with friends and neighbors. A local public art non profit, HarborArts, donated some leftover paint from a mural project that we put out for local children to play around with. I ended up with the leftover paint. It was taking up space in our kitchen so after a while I started to “get rid of it” by drying it out with cat litter. After doing that with one gallon I felt bad about wasting such pretty and bright colors. I realized I had leftover plywood from carpentry jobs so I set up a table on our stoop on our little side street and started playing around with a roller. It was very fun so I kept going. Read more>>