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. 

Kayla Martinez

Back in 2015 my mom had just came back from San Antonio. She hands me a spray painted heart and beanie and screams in excitement of the amazing artist she had met. She then ended her story with a,” I think you should try this mija! Read More>>

kyndall owens

The first dollar I earned from my art is something I’ll always remember. I was around 16, sharing my work mostly with family and usually giving pieces away for free. One day, I showed a lion portrait I had painted, and my cousin loved the piece so much that he asked about the price. Read More>>

Zoé Mahfouz

I earned money from several professions, doing stand-up comedy gigs, working as a TV actress, and creating live content on TikTok when I didn’t sell the IP of my videos to media networks, but the first money I ever won was in a video contest sponsored by Adobe and organized by the French media outlets Télé-Loisirs and Neon Magazine. Read More>>

Mikey Cook

I remember it like it was yesterday! The first ever dollar I made in my creative career was on YouTube! I was already monetized early into my creating on that platform, but I never reached a threshold to finally be paid by them. Then one day it happened, I received my first $100 check in the mail from Google Adsense, and that was when I knew something could be there if I stayed consistent. Read More>>