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.

Ryan & Salina Ward

When an opportunity arose to vend our first Monsterpalooza, we were so excited to showcase our work. Ryan had been working on bringing some of his ideas to life; Horror-themed Action figures, candles & decor. He had also been teaching me some of his techniques as I was preparing to showcase my first run of sculptures. Our first event was a hit! Read more>>

Judy Liu

I’m not sure exactly when I earned my first dollar from my creative endeavors, but I can say that I have had the thought to for years. In elementary years, inspired by trading card games, I drew my own trading cards to play with my sister. Then we had a phase where we got very into sock animals? That’s right. You take socks, cut them up, sew them closed, stuff them, and sew on faces. Our parents found themselves missing many a sock those days. Read more>>

Julietta Bekker

While earning my undergraduate degree in Spanish, I was fortunate to have opportunities for musical and artistic inspiration. The first time I was paid for creative work was as a member of a small choir headed by then-graduate conducting student, Mark Doerries. Doerries’ project, Luminescence, paired light design and music in a synesthesia-inspired multi-sensory performance at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. It was truly a stimulating experience for all of us. Read more>>

LE BohemianMuse

My journey as an artist took its first official step when I organized my very first solo exhibition in a friend’s house, long before I began exhibiting in galleries and art shows. This informal gathering was a delightful blend of my abstract paintings and photography. Reflecting on this early opportunity fills me with fond memories of the dedication and effort I poured into it. Read more>>

Moses Bravo

It was November 15th 2022 , and I finally got my big breakthrough as an r&b artist! Venue owner David Valdez of Guillermo’s down on 618 McCullough Ave, San Antonio, TX reached out to me to to ask if I could perform for an hour set “paid gig”. As shocked and suprised as I was I immediately said yes .So there I was performing at my first paid show with artist KLVN taking the photographs & DJ Joshua Hayden Scott on the 1’s and 2’s made for an incredible night. Read more>>

Ben Lechuga

Although I had already gotten paid for some sessions and guitar lessons, my first considerably well paid gig was the royalties check I got after my band DELTA opened a show for Dream Theater at an Arena in Santiago, Chile back in 2008. Not only it was mind blowing to be earning money as a musician, but the fact that it was because we played our own music alongside one of my favorite bands ever made it so much more special. Read more>>

Carmela

I was busking outside of a shopping center I used to go to growing up with my guitar case open. I was playing a Smiths song, “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” and a man slipped me a $50 bill. He said, “I saw Morrissey last night. This was too weird a coincidence,” and walked away. It was one of those key moments in my life where I realized how much music can mean to everyone, and how attached we get to our favorite artists. Read more>>

Kate Rees Davies

The first time I earned money as a creative, was when I booked an acting role on a HSBC Commercial in Sydney Australia in 2008. I hadn’t been acting very long but had signed up to a background work agency. I was called by them as they needed a British female to audition for the role. When I walked into the audition, it was like walking into a hall of mirrors, I’d never seen so many women who looked like me. Read more>>

Martian Angjaya

My journey into the world of filmmaking began in 2018 when I found myself on a movie set in Jakarta, Indonesia, assigned as a second camera assistant, with no prior knowledge or formal training in set etiquette or filmmaking. The presence of highly experienced film production crews around me initially left me feeling quite nervous. However, this experience of being thrown into the field taught me invaluable lessons about adaptability, self-reliance, and the importance of a problem-solving mindset. Read more>>

Daniel Ching

I earned my first check as a creative, as a guest dance teacher. I was a dancer before I became an actor, and I quickly learned as a dancer that guest teaching was a great way to help support myself, as well as a great way to pass the knowledge I’d learned on to others. My days as a guest dance teacher taught me that you really do learn just as much as a teacher as you do as a student. Read more>>

Deitra Leak

First dollar earned as a creative, was when I was living in Philly. I was non union and booked a docuseries called Unfaithful: Stories Of Betrayal. One of my first big bookings starting out as an actor. I was the lead in it, my name was Woodrina. It aired on OWN! I was soooo excited about that. Read more>>

Bailen Estrada

I think back to my first time getting paid for my creation often. Ever since I was young, Im talking 8 years old young, I would look up to “camera gods’ and just get filled with so much anger. I would get so jealous becasue I wanted to be like them so bad and was worries it wouldnt happen. I thought they were cebrities because they were getting paid and having fun. Flash forward 8 years later and I was hired to take pictures for a soccer tournament. Read more>>

Alex Michael Torres

My first paid shoot was a month after I signed with my first agency. They sent me on this casting where they were looking for real life soccer players for a sports beverage campaign. I told my agent that I haven’t played soccer since I was a kid but they told me to just go anyways. I ended up booking it and a week later we shot the campaign. Read more>>

Damiana Acuña

My first check as a hired film director came from a national commercial for a major brand, right as I was graduating from the American Film Institute’s Directing Program.
 I got an email from a lovely creative producer from a renowned production house, out of nowhere, to pitch me for the campaign. He had found my reel online, which I had put together with the few short films I had directed and had tried to get on as many websites as possible. Read more>>