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.

Ammari Bourgeois

Oh, this story is so Noon + Moon—equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. My first paid floral gig happened because of my best friend’s boobs.

After her cosmetic surgery, she wanted to thank her incredible surgeon, Dr. Deniz Sarhaddi, with something more personal than a generic gift card. I had a coffee mug that said “You’re the tits!” on it. I made a small arrangement with some purple orchids in the mug —because if you can’t laugh post-op, when can you? Read more>>

Eerie Eric Fargiorgio

First buck I made was when I was in the art institute of pgh . We were taking a test about a topic I had no interest in or saw anything constructive coming out of it and I was of course doodling instead and in 1994 there was a group called “ the bloodhound gang” in one of thier songs they mention a “ sprinkle genie” is what leaves behind pee on a toilet seat , so I drew what I thought that would look like . I mailed it onto thier fan club with my info . A week later I get a call left on my answering machine from the bloodhound gang asking if they can use it .. Read more>>

Yulia Semchenko

My First Sale Wasn’t About the Money. My first sale was far from a success in the traditional sense — but I’ll never forget it. When I decided to start my own business, I sewed my first batch of jackets, bought expensive silk fabric, and made a few scarves. Full of hope and excitement, I signed up for my first craft fair. Read more>>

Trent Grayson

So in the beginning stages I had to work and plan to learn how to make clothes.This time it was 2020 year and I’m working 2 jobs, and still have admiration to learn how to make shirts. So i save my money I been stashing, looking YouTube videos how to make shirts , two items that i can start with to make shirts. One was a heat press to press the vinyl, dtf, and sublimation prints. Two circuit air pro machine they come in different volumes but mines is till this day is circuit air 2 , helps to make craft images of your choice with heat transfer vinyl. So I ordered my heat press through Amazon for $200 a Tusy Heat press , then went to hobby lobby an purchased the circuit air 2 for $200 so invested $400 in equipment so it was definitely exciting and anxious as well to start. Read more>>

Andrew Ramirez

First time we earned a decent payout was the first time we left El Paso to play out of town. That was back in 2016/2017, things are a little different in El Paso now. Read more>>