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.

Vonté Malone

Well the first time I made money from my music I was really excited it wasn’t much but .. I was able to NOT only see what I was doing was the right path but also it let me know that if i work hard enough and put in the maximum effort I can actually quit working and make music full time for my self and that my hard work really did pay off Read more>>

Anna Warfield

The first dollar I earned as a working artist was in 2019. It was a notable turning point. When I was presented the opportunity to mount a solo exhibition I was giddy and ecstatic. But I also felt vulnerable and unsure of myself and my artwork. I had been making pieces at my dining room table and hadn’t shared the work widely with anyone outside of my family. Outside of academia, lacking a traditional studio, I felt like a phony artist. But I leaned into the opportunity. Read more>>

Jeff Mellott

So, I believe this was back in high school when I played the musical “you’re a good man Charlie Brown” and got paid to play the percussion book. It helped me to realize that my skill that I was working on had a real world value. It was motivating in the moment to realize that there was a path to becoming a musician and actually getting paid to do what I love. Read more>>

Hank Kimmel

After college, I worked as a writer at an Off-Off Broadway theatre company in New York City that produced cabarets of short skits that were often written on Tuesday and then performed on Saturday. For our first show called Slices, the Producer/Director asked me to be the M.C. She knew that in college I did some stand-up comedy (albeit not that well) and thought I’d be a natural even though I was strongly hesitant. Wearing a referee’s shirt, I approached center stage with no idea what I was going to say to this crowd of strangers. Read more>>

Byron Miller

It was kinda ironic because I made my first dollar through Facebook and to date they have paid me the most. Facebook was my first social media platform that I actually understood how to use and me friending everyone I potentially knew really worked out for me. I say that because I was instantly monetized when they rolled it out. It took one my cohosts telling me for me to take it serious. Read more>>

Oliver Sean

I was 13 years old and joined a band of 30 year olds during my summer holidays while i was away from boarding school. To me it was just having fun and doing what I do best – playing the guitar and singing my heart out! All we did mainly was rehearse songs at the drummers house and were hoping we would do a gig soon. Read more>>

Cue ColdBlooded

I’d have to take it back to like 2009. The 1st year I’d consider myself really pursuing this music thing more seriously. I was in the process of producing & writing for our 1st ever D.E. (The Domino Effect) project. We had a set one night at this underground spot called “The Fox Hole”, couldn’t have been no more than our 4th, maybe 5th show ever. That night they were having a producer’s beat battle after all the performances so Steve & my friends that came with us got me to jump in it. Nothing to lose right? Read more>>

Jen Olson

I picked up a paint brush shortly after the birth of my second baby. To say my motherhood routine was grueling would be a gross understatement. I was often foggy-brained from the kind of sleep deprivation I couldn’t even comprehend until it became my reality. My days were filled with nursing a baby, diaper changes, potty training, making food, cleaning up, making food, cleaning up, making food, cleaning up, again, and again, and again. Read more>>