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.

Shi’Darius Barrett

First dollar earned as a creative was in the motion picture “Papertown” directed by John Schneider and produce by the great John Greene. I found out about this film from my English teacher junior year of high school. My English teacher at the time was a huge John Green fan and brought it to my attention the film was looking for background. I hesitated no time to submit for casting and by the blessings of God could show up to set every day and miss school while filming my first feature film with a huge budget Hollywood budget. I learned about directing more when I was on set, being that I studied the details the director applied to each scene. I took those checks and bought something for my entire family that year. Every penny went towards Christmas shopping. This is bigger than me and for sure it’s not about me, it’s about the family. Now that is how I made my first dollar as a creative. Read more>>

Arielle Brochin

The first time I earned money on my art, was through a stranger purchasing one of my prints. I remember the feeling I got when the email came through on my phone, seeing someone I did not know, in a state I have never been to, purchase one of my prints. The feeling of knowing the related to my art so much they wanted to own it, was such a euphoric and surreal feeling. It’s what pushed me to keep going. Read more>>

Annika Egerstedt

I earned my first dollar as an aerialist when I was just 13 years old. It wasn’t much for the industry but for me it was my first money earned from a job. I worked as a performer at a charity event in Atlanta with my coach at the time and twin sister. This was also the job where I did my first double routine and first Lyra routine. Definitely one of my fondest memories and a great accomplishment. Read more>>

Jalen Christopher

I earned my first dollar as a creative back in 2021 when I created my very first commercial. The commercial was for a mobile car wash business called Vernon Mobile Car Wash. Vernon, a member of my church, owned this business and provided me with a job working for the car wash after I graduated college. I was appreciative of the work since this was during the tough times of the pandemic. After a year of working at the wash, I felt that I was in a creative funk. I noticed that Vernon’s car wash was growing but lacked the exposure the business needed to expand even more. I decided to create a commercial for the wash both for practice and to get back into my creative groove. Although I simply wanted to help, Vernon paid me for my work on the commercial. This is one of the many catalysts that spurred me onto my current career path. Read more>>

Jasmyn Nichols

The first dollar I ever earned as a creative was face painting with my grandmother for children’s parties, and other events. It’s important for me to note that she was the first person that noticed my talents when I about 5 or 6, and proceeded to take me to events with her for exposure, experience, and the money. Read more>>

Taylor Whitney

I remember the first paid studio session I ran as an Audio Engineer and how surreal it felt. Being from a very small town in upstate NY, the idea of working in a music studio was almost laughable. People would say “You’d have to move to LA to do something like that.” I always believed that I could make money doing music, but there were definitely times that it felt like my imagination. It wasn’t until I landed and internship at Subcat Studios in Syracuse that it started to feel like a real possibility. After being a runner and assisting sessions for free for about 5 months, I got booked with my first real paid session as an audio engineer. It was terrible. I remember it took me 20 minutes to just copy and paste a chorus in Pro Tools. Luckily, the artist really liked me and decided to be patient with me and continued to book sessions. From there, my client list grew and I ended up running hundreds of sessions at that studio. That first session will always stick with me though. I feel like it taught me so much just 4 hours. Read more>>

Erin Lewis

When I first thought about starting my crochet business, I never imagined the world it would open me up to. I had plenty of encouragement from family and friends, but presenting my craft to complete strangers felt pretty intimidating. My first craft market was at a friend’s coffee shop in April of 2022, and I just expected a couple of friends to come by to show their support. What I didn’t expect was the support and excitement from so many strangers who stopped by my booth and shopped with me! Those strangers have now become familiar faces I see at many of my events. They’ve commissioned me to make blankets for their babies, birthday gifts for their best friend, and even bandanas for their dogs. I could never have envisioned the amount of support my local community has shown me and my business. Read more>>

L.A. Sweeney

I must have been around 7 years young at the time, and riding the train with my dad, the first time I can remember cashing in on my Artistry. The subway cars at the time had these poles in the centre of every seated section which I imagine were meant for commuters to cluster around and hang on for dear life as the car rattled over the tracks. To a 7 year old who enjoyed singing her sentences and had an indifference for using things for their intended use, these poles became the centre of a grand stage where I could whip myself around and let the endless thoughts shake from inside my mind and assemble into a melody that would become the forced entertainment for the riders of the yellow transit line that I frequented. On the historical and trajectory setting day when I first became a paid artist, I was just bringing to a close the final note of my spontaneous original song of the day while circling the pole with one arm outstretched wide, when a woman, gentle in her movements and quiet in voice, leaned in to me and placed a two dollar coin in the palm of my hand, smiled and said “Don’t ever stop”. This was spectacular for many reasons, the first being that a two dollar coin (known better as the ‘toonie’ here in the north), had just recently been introduced into circulation, so seeing one was still exciting. The second, and probably more influential reason, was that a stranger, someone who had no reason to indulge my performance, had validated me as an Artist. This thing I was doing, was worth something to someone, so much so that they were willing to pay me for it. It’s been a few years, to say the least, since that day, and fortunately many paycheques in return for my Artistry since, and yet, I am still waiting for the dollar I will be paid that will top that one. There’s something very special about someone’s belief in you, especially when the stage they find you on happens to be in the centre of a humble subway car, ripping up and down the yellow line. Read more>>

Dan Wessels

I earned my first dollar as a creative playing piano for ComedySportz Chicago. This was a fast-paced comedy show where teams of comedians would take suggestions from the audience and improvise scenes and sketches (think “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, but with a competitive edge). As the piano player, I provided all the live music for the show, and needed to be ready to play any style of music to evoke different film, theater, and music genres, based on whatever the audience shouted out. Read more>>

DaSai Harris

The first dollar I earned as a creative entrepreneur holds a special place in my heart. It all started with my clothing brand, “$cvm Safely.” I remember vividly when my close friend Kris became the first person to make a purchase and support my vision. Read more>>

Tony Snegoff

The first show I ever did, thus the first dollar I ever earned… Was a show featuring people who had strange jobs… And one of the segments was a day in the life of a stuntman… I went to that audition, and won the job… And it was absolutely one of those learning on the job situations. I got shot, I fell down a flight of stairs, I crashed through a fourth floor window, and did a 40 foot Highfall, I ran across an alley and got hit by a truck, I got knocked through a wall, I crashed a motorcycle, Got blown up and off a motorcycle, I caught on fire, and then fell off a bridge into the ocean… All in one day… But the hardest part was the live interview in front of an audience on stage. So that’s what I did for my first dollar… Actually quite a few dollars. Read more>>

Jardley Jean-Louis

I can’t remember earlier than this, but I think my first dollar earned as a creative was as an illustrator’s assistant for a one person animation studio. At the time it was $15/hr and I got the opportunity to not only work on character and background design for animations, but he welcomed and wanted my collaboration on storyboarding, writing the script and doing light background animation work. It was an incredible period where I was given a well-rounded education on the different parts of production that would prep me for when I produced my own animations for clients. At the time, I think it was also the most I’d earned working and was and am really grateful for the experience. Read more>>

Anne Marie Herzberg

This past year 2023 , I sold my first painting. When I began painting (2017), my priority was to learn a new skill. Selling was not even a consideration. Therefore, when I was considered ( by a juried panel) for an artwalk competition in May 2023, I was excited, even a bit overwhelm. Honestly, I liked my work but always had a nagging thought that because I wasn’t traditionally trained and experienced, I was not really an artist However, my mindset changed when I presented a body of work among some very talented artists. Someone, who I didn’t know, bought my painting ! Read more>>

Marc Christian

One of my earliest memories of making money with music was a craigslist recording session. I did not have a musical reputation at all at this point so I would constantly post craigslist adds for anyone looking for a cellist haha. Read more>>

 Jamal Cristopher

The firsts dollar I earned as a creative was back when I first put my music out on streaming platforms like in 2014? 2015? Something like that. I don’t really do music anymore but that was a proud moment for me back then. Read more>>