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.

Benjamin Roberts

My name is Benjamin C. Roberts and I am an actor. I am fresh out of college and been working professionally as a stage actor for the last 6 months. The first dollar I earned as an actor was in July 23 2023. I can remember it like was yesterday. From that day, it has set me up to where I am today. I was nominated to be apart of the KCACTF region 4 acting competition. I was selected for my performance is the Pulitzer Prize winning play Fairview by Jackie Siblies Drury. The character I had the honor to portray is called Dayton. He is one of the main characters in the story, who is has a happy family where he is both a father and husband. Read more>>

Arden Alexa

I was actually pretty young when I first earned money from music. I had entered a national art contest with the first ever original song I wrote titled “Our Time”. It was a song inspired by the beliefs that my parents had instilled in me from a young age; standing up for what you believe in and being brave in the face of adversity. I entered it into the contest with no expectations and promptly forgot about it (I had much more exciting things to worry about in 7th grade like what I was wearing to the next school dance), until my principal pulled me out of English class one day to tell me I had won the grand prize with my song. I ended up getting to sing the song at the awards ceremony and received a $500 check, Read more>>

Juliana Cervizzi

Many people have told me, “if you’re doing music for the money, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.” Of course, once you get to the big leagues, where the big money is, that’s a little different, but everyone who’s made it there has felt the feeling of living paycheck to paycheck, relying solely on the fact that they believe one day it would all pay off. That’s the mindset that I’m currently in. Although I’ve made a few bucks here and there from streaming or live shows, it’s safe to say that the piles of cash haven’t come in yet. However, around this time last year, on my final day of college at Belmont University, I got the opportunity to play the Bluebird Cafe for the first time. Me, never being paid to play a writer’s round before, as well as being all-consumed by the magic of the venue, I wasn’t even thinking about money while I was there. Read more>>

Catherine Freebersyser

Art has always been my outlet for expressing myself and an outlet of escaping from the world of reality. I love the joy that comes with being an artist and being able to make a handmade gift that someone can give to someone special in their lives, whether it is a family member, friend, college, or someone special. I will never forget the day when I was asked to fulfill my first commission. My boyfriend’s aunt texted me asking if I would be interested in helping out one of her neighbors, who is a realtor, by drawing a house of one of his good clients. My first response was overfilled with a mixture of joy, excitement, and thrill of the thought of someone wanting to pay me for my art. When creating the piece, it was filled with nothing but focus and drive, wanting to create something that they envisioned in their head. That’s one thing I love about commissions. Read more>>

Shannon Harfosh

During my Junior year in college, I interned at Make-A-Wish Foundation and was working on a creative project offsite with an agency contractor. While there, I unexpectedly sold my first piece of artwork. I remembered being surprised as one of the contractors noticed my desktop background. He commented on how much he loved the painting I had created of Kanye West. Before I knew it, he asked to purchase this piece of work. I had already gifted this to my boyfriend and so I offered to recreate this piece with the understanding that no two paintings are ever the same. He really liked this idea and so we moved forward with the commission. After I finished the painting, he informed me that he was starting a music and art-filled store called Sound Monkey Music and Variety in Upstate, New York. Read more>>

Cho Rong Yang

After graduating from college, I produced my very first show entirely on my own. It was held in a small photo rental studio in Seoul, and I took on everything—from choreography to planning, marketing, and casting. It was my first time producing something like this, and aside from choreography, everything else felt unfamiliar and overwhelming. The weight of leading a team was heavier than I expected, and at times, it felt isolating. Read more>>

Lina

The first time I made any money from my art was when I opened commissions for the first time back in 2018. I was nervous and had no experience with selling my art at that point, but I decided to take the dive. I was in school at the time and thought having a little money on the side would be helpful, especially since I was living away from my parents and wanted to branch out into a more professional space. Read more>>