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.

Taylor Custer Crosby

When I first started making jewelry and decided to sell it, my friends and family were my first customers. Of course they supported what I was doing so in some ways it seemed like their purchases didn’t really “count”. Although I was incredibly grateful and felt very supported by them. Read more>>

Chris Widener

The first time I ever got paid for a speaking engagement was to a youth retreat in Eastern Pennsylvania. As a youth director I had taken kids to the retreat before but had never been asked to speak. I always thought that the topics were kind of boring, or at least the titles made them seem boring. Topics like “self-esteem and you,“ didn’t really thrill the kids. Read more>>

Loren Scott

My very first sale was as a kidpreneur pop up at my local Boys and Girls Club. My mentor at the club saw that I had an interest in art and drawing but I had never pursued anything outside of my own notebook. She encouraged me to let her imprint one of my drawings on a sweatshirt and she’d sell them for me. Read more>>

Laura Lodge

My first watercolor painting was in the year 2000. I didn’t really have any goals as far as what I would do with my art pieces. It was just a basic outlet for creativity and fun. I had absolutely no plans to sell any of my art. As I dived deeper into this art medium, I began to spend a lot of time and money buying art supplies. I was like a kid in a candy store. Read more>>

Debra Jason

The first dollar I earned as an alcohol ink artist was indeed the start of a new chapter. It also happened quite by accident as I didn’t set out to start a career as an artist. Read more>>

Craig Thornton

I first sold some work at my solo art show at the Millet House Gallery a few years ago. I had original drawings as well as t-shirts and prints of my art available for sale. A mother and her two children had picked a print out of a few designs that I made for the show. They were my first customer. Read more>>