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.

Ben Roseland

The first time I really earned money from my artwork happened the day after I graduated from the Columbus College of Art & Design. I had just taken down my senior thesis show and carried my paintings across the street to the school’s student and alumni art fair. It was a one-day show, and I set up my work not really knowing what to expect. Read More>>

Jeannie Caryn

I didn’t grow up playing music — Unfortunately, I had been given a guitar at 14, but since I wanted to play piano, I only fiddled with it briefly. Silly kid! But later in life, the guitar found me when I needed it most. Read More>>

Laura Boughan

I sold my first painting 15 years ago. My mother is an interior designer and Kansas City, Missouri. She was staging a model home for the parade of homes and had an old canvas she wanted me to paint over for her to use in the staging. I was experimenting with a new style of art at the time. Read More>>

Kate Shanahan

Writing my first novel was a passion project. I’d had an idea for years, maybe even decades, that I wanted to write a novel with Sei Shonagon as a main character. Sei Shonagon was a writer in 10th century Japan, and her journal is full of witty and descriptive short scenes and lists, a bit like Buzzfeed, that feel relevant to a modern-day American. Read More>>