Earning that first dollar is incredibly special and a moment many never forget. We asked some very talented creatives from the community to tell u s the story of the first dollar they earned from their creative works.
Josi Miller
The first time someone paid for my pottery was in 2020. I was just getting back into pottery because I was back in Indiana for Covid-19 at my family’s home. My pottery teacher from my childhood asked if I wanted to mix used clay in exchange for studio time and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a chance for me to get out of the house and into a creative space. Read more>>
Nico Dymynd.
The year was 2013, I was a recent college drop out , still living in my college town. The town was filled with college students and not enough jobs to go around so I’’d started doing hair in my living room to make a ends meet. In that time I was still hanging out with my friends and hitting the social scene, I was the friend that was always responsible for everybody’s make up. No matter the occasion I always knew it would be my job to help my girls get their faces together for the night ahead and at the time that’s all make up was to me. Read more>>
Clare Umberger.
I’m not going to lie, I had to ask my mom about this one! I started in the industry when I was 3 years old so I don’t even remember my first dollar earned. This question sparked a lot of fun stories from my mom. I guess I went to some diaper castings when I was little – did not get those. But my first paying gig was for children’s Halloween face paint! Unfortunately, no pictures of that to share. I was reminded that I auditioned for movies like The Polar Express, didn’t get that one either. Read more>>
Ommeni Richardson
The very first dollar earned as a creative was on Sunday, April 15th, 2022 in the late afternoon. After spending the morning with my father and brother scavenging at yard sales, I made a three-dollar purchase of a craft box. On the way home I began putting things together. We had visitors stop over and my aunt purchased a few pairs of earrings within minutes. I felt an immediate drive to create, sell, and repeat. It was quite a euphoric and purpose-defining moment! Read more>>
Luis MacKinney
This is a very interesting topic for me. I remember the very first $50 I earned from the first painting I sold. It was at the very first festival where I was invited as an artist. Of course I wanted to sell the pieces I had brought, but I had absolutely no expectations for the event in terms of selling my artwork. The lack of expectations helped tone down any disappointment the rainy day seemed to bring. This was a street festival, but attendance was naturally low because of the rain. However, just before it was time to wrap things up, a family came into my tent to shelter from the rain. Read more>>
Jon Savitt.
The first time I made any kind of money from my creative work was actually in 7th grade. I recorded a horrible music album on Garageband. I played the piano, drums, and guitar — I might have even sung a bit — and recorded everything on my laptop. It was so bad. Horrible. Like unlistenable. I had no right to do this. Read more>>
Chelsea / Kim Pike / Grewing
The first dollar we earned was at the first vendor event we attended in Louisburg, KS at Louisburg High School. We had attended plenty of arts and craft fairs, but this was our first time as an exhibitor. We were primarily selling macrame earrings, but had a handful of other items including bracelets, purses, and other gift items. Leading up to the event we continued to question whether or not we would sell anything. The entry fee was $50 and we were hoping we didn’t waste what little money we had and a whole Saturday. Selling start time was 9 am. Read more>>
M’Lynn Suwinski
At age seventeen, I was given the opportunity to create a commission for a preview of the movie “Solo” at the Sandy Megaplex in Sandy, Utah. Of course, I was over the top excited. My long time friend, Camille Grimshaw recommended me to the organizer. I was in line at Petsmart when she called me to ask if I might be interested. Of course, I agreed; nervous and unsure of what to expect. I had only ever paid to chalk, never been paid to do so. I showed up, after completing another chalk piece that weekend in Bountiful Utah, to complete my first ever chalk commission! Read more>>