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.

Amir “Ra” Carver.

My first sale as a producer was an exclusive custom for Kentucky Artist, Mtvbilliam. The beat was then used on his 2022 project “The Phantom Menace” on the song “Lil Light of Mine”. Read more>>

Jiahuiyi Yan

Well, during my second year at Artcenter College of Art and Design, I had a opportunity to work as a concept illustrator on a group project sponsored by Ford Lincoln company, which marked my first earnings in this field. During this project, I was lucky enough to get to know my fellow transportation design students and a film director student, all under the prestigious banner of such a renowned company. The experience itself was truly a wild ride. The project revolved around a futuristic world powered and weaved by company Lincoln, and we were granted complete creative freedom in how we see that conveys the most human message for this renowned brand. It was a stepping stone in my journey as a concept illustrator, one that I will forever cherish and hold as a testament to the power of creative exploration. Read more>>

Iris

In the past, I have earned money by being a mermaid entertainer with my pod or acting during the seasonal events at a local aquarium and that was rewarding, however, I’m about to have my first individual paid gig for my business Iris Under Water and it is that much more special and rewarding to me. It means my dream of doing what I love, being happy, and supporting my family is becoming reality. Read more>>

Givens

The first time I earn money as a creative was working, as a keyboardist for my parents church. In the moment I didn’t understand the value of what was happening, but now I can see there is an undeniable grace specifically, black children who are pushed creatively and their adolescence in black churches creatively have. It’s the secret sauce for truly experiencing the depths culture and then having to climb out to create your own identity. In my experience from what I’ve seen, a lot of people reason the same environments, who then go on to be giants, creatively in their own rights Read more>>

Gary Paller

My first ever sale was a large painting from my 1977 MFA exhibition at the Frederick S. Wight Gallery at UCLA. Emeritus Professor Wight saw my works and contacted Richard Sherwood at the downtown Los Angeles office of the law firm O’Melveny & Myers. I was really excited that my painting would go into the collection of a prestigious law firm and so pleased to meet Mr Sherwood who was so kind – aside from him having his own collection, including paintings by such artists as Richard Diebenkorn and Balthus, he was also president and chairman of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I bumped into him several times since then, the last time being at Market Street Gallery in Venice, CA when he and his wife came to see my exhibition there in 1990. Sadly, he passed away a few years later. My painting now resides in the Century City office of O’Melveny & Myers. Read more>>

Gino Rosaria

In 2019 I released my very first radio single. Two days after it was released my radio promoter called me and said: are you sitting down? I got concerned thinking my single had flopped and all my hard work has gone to waste. He told me that my single was picked up by XM Radio and was charting on Billboard. I was excited but didn’t quite understand why asked me if I were sitting down. A few months later I received my first royalty check. Needless to say…It all made sense then. Read more>>

Kim Eshelman

I had a small loft in 619 Western, an iconic old building downtown Seattle where hundreds of artists worked, played, and hosted wonderful events amongst ourselves and publicly. First Thursday Art Walk would bring hundreds of visitors through the creaky old halls along with music, laughter, and a joyous appreciation of the art. Read more>>

Franco Galvan

Yes! Great story. The first dollar I earned as a creative. This was when I was 18 or 19. I was interning at PBS. I was called on by a great producer named Ron Kabele who became a life long friend and mentor. Anyway I heard he had a gig at NASA. This was so long ago but it was literally the first time NASA did a broadcast for the internet. It was this big thing with kids and astronauts. I agreed to go and intern for free. Read more>>

Jessica Vollrath

I was 17 when I sold my first art work. It was for the OB/GYN wing of a local hospital. The drawing was pastel and portrayed a woman with her baby tied to her back. I don’t remember what I sold it for. The money exchanged seemed far less important than the moment I realized that someone wanted to pay for something I had made. I considered myself a professional artist from that point on. Read more>>

Patricia Busso

A friend of mine asked if I wanted to sublet her artist’s studio for the summer and I jumped at the chance – both to have a workspace other than the almost closet-sized spare room in my house to work in as well as to have the chance to show my work to the public at First Fridays. My stomach was doing somersaults for 3 days after the the first open studios I participated in … I had sold 15 paintings! Now granted, they were not at high price points, but the fact that people actually were willing to exchange money for works I had created simply blew my mind. Read more>>

Tycho Dwelis

The smell of fresh paper and ink had always been a comfort to me. It’s the smell of potential, of words waiting to be read, of stories about to come alive. But nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the envelope I held in my hand – my very first paycheck as an independent author. Read more>>

John Wlaysewski

My journey from guitar player to music producer started in 2016. I had been playing guitar and bass for local musician and songsmith, Tracy Bonham & learning a lot about the music industry. She asked if I would Co-Produce her new album, which would be a 20th Anniversary re-record of her first record, The Burdens of Being Upright. Having never produced another artist’s music, I saw this as a great opportunity to level up in music. I agreed to work on the record and we ended up making Modern Burdens, a 2016 version of her 1996 album. It ended up being number 45 on the Rolling Stone top 50 records of 2016. Read more>>

Lindsey Barber

As a creative, your work is very personal. Whether you’re creating for yourself or a customer, the creator is responsible for bringing that vision to life. Because of this, it can be intimidating deciding to sell your art or even share it publicly. Read more>>

Sarah Hall

Everyone should marry their biggest fan. I was dating my now husband for nearly a year when I started painting. I went out and purchased supplies that I needed and later started my first painting late one July night. When I worked up the courage to show him, he gushed over my sad acrylic little painting. I told him I was going to practice until I was really good and start selling my art. He pulled $20 out of his pocket and said, “I want to be your first customer.” That painting has hung in his office for nearly six years. Read more>>

Heather Rae

The first time I was ever hired as a singer was for a Christmas ice show in a casino in Michigan. I was so nervous on opening night, I thought I was going to pass out. It was about 10 seconds before I was to go on and I turned to the sound tech and said, “I literally don’t want to be here. I don’t want to do this, I have no idea what I’m doing.” Read more>>

Chauncey Whipple

My first experience earning money from artwork was a lesson within itself. I was fifteen at the time and growing up I didn’t have a grasp of what being an artist looked like; I had no idea you could make a living through creating, honestly. All I knew was that I enjoyed creating and wanted to share my work with the world. The person that commissioned me was looking to get some cover art done for a new single of theirs; the artist was from Pittsburgh and his name was Mars Jackson My initial price was twenty-five dollars at the time; my family thought I was crazy for being okay with such a low rate. I didn’t understand that my time and effort was valuable, no matter how fast or slow I worked on a project. Mars didn’t allow me to lowball myself, he sent some extra money on top of the initial price and gave me some advice moving forward, He told me to never sell myself that short again and to value my time and art. My experience earning my first dollar as a creative trajected me further into the right direction and has continued to propel me as an artist. Understanding your worth and time is one of the keys to making a living as an artist; especially in today’s age. Read more>>