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.

David Kammerzell

I was 18 years old and looking forward to going to art school. How I was going to make a living as an artist wasn’t something that I had really thought through. All of those starving artists stories definitely made a scary impact on me. But making a living doing art was a years-down-the-road-kind=of problem. And I really didn’t have any other vocational interests. So art school here I come. Read more>>

Reed Barton

It was one of those late summer evenings where the sky never seemed to end, and the setting sun warmed the air in a pleasant way. There was an abundance of kindergarten-aged kids racing around the backyard, and their parents were perched near the porch in lawn chairs. It was my friend Bradley’s younger brother’s 5th birthday party, and our “ little two man garage band”, which was also unnamed, had been asked to set up our equipment and play some songs for everyone. Read more>>

Matt Verges

I was hitchhiking across America from Missouri to California and back. I had some friends in a band out there in Santa Cruz, so the plan was for me to stay with them for a bit. They were about to put out their first record on a bigger label, and their cover artist dropped out at the last minute. I volunteered, and drew the album cover in one afternoon while hanging out with my buddies in the pirate radio station they ran out of their basement. It felt great. Read more>>

Javon Rustin

When I first started getting paid for performing poetry it was because I was opening up for Rage Almighty, a very well known poet and one of the best writers/performers in the country. He invited me to his shows when he traveled, hopefully because he liked my poems but definitely for a ride bound to be more adventurous than public transit (there was always an adventure). Me being new to Dallas in need of friends and something to do was most often free to go. He told me to make some CDs. Read more>>

Benny Muniz

The first dollar 3 Exits to Hattiesburg ever earned was back in 2016 at a Houston venue called Super Happy Fun Land. Super Happy Fun Land is a venue at which every young band in Houston should perform; it has the potential to be the CBGB of Houston: a budding punk and indie venue with no air-conditioning and a charm unmatched elsewhere. At Super Happy Fun Land, we thought we had finally made the big leagues, we were getting paid to perform and we had fans there to watch us sweat and do what we think we do best. Read more>>

Erin Hanson Hanson

The first big commission I ever did was when I was 12 years old. I was asked to create an album cover for my childhood friend’s dad. He wanted a very specific image: an Incan girl walking down a winding trail from the mountains to a distant Incan village, carrying two large pails of water on her shoulders. Read more>>

Jency Weeks

My first paycheck as an actor came as quickly and as randomly as my career started. After having my daughter, I needed something to make myself feel human again and give me that drive I had been missing after working in college athletics. Cooking isn’t my forte, reading puts me to sleep, knitting wasn’t a popular hobby yet and the amount of 20 year olds who wanted to learn how to play bridge or Canasta was slim to none. Googling hobbies on the internet I ran across improvisation classes. Read more>>

Veronica Winters

The first time I sold a painting was a total surprise. I was a part-time student at Tulsa community college and participated in a show there with my watercolor painting I painted in class. I believe one of the instructors at the college bought it. It was my first $75. It felt both surreal and exciting that someone would like my work that much. It gave me hope and opportunity that I could be a real artist some day. Read more>>

Andrea Rector

I grew up in Jacksonville, FL until the age of 11. My younger sister, Megan, and I had a bit of an entrepreneurial streak and we enjoyed coming up with ways to make a little money. One such endeavor was sitting at the end of our driveway and selling drawings we had made. Now, our house was on a small cul-de-sac with about 3 or 4 other houses, so hardly anyone ever came by. But we did have an amazing mail carrier (who we called “the mail lady”) who would buy a drawing from us every single time. I don’t remember how much we sold them for – maybe 5 cents – so I doubt I even made a whole dollar! But it was the first money I ever made from my art and definitely got me hooked. Read more>>

JamesJimJimmy Phillips

When first I was emboldened to display work for sale,, A generous Gallery Owner agreed to display my work. After a brief stare at my little piece on his pedestal, I was planning a return trip to show my wife. Before we returned, I was informed it had sold. I was happy, but what I really wanted at the time, was to walk in with my girl, and puff up my chest. Read more>>

Jacques Kindle
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Initially, I was shocked when I started making money from my content. I had been creating content for a couple of years, not monetizing it as the main goal, but to express myself creatively through comedy. So once I started making money from content creation; that was very eye-opening for me, and I began to research best practices that not only would improve the quality of my content but would also grow my comedic brand. Read more>>

Alexandra Hulsey

The very first dollar I made is pretty funny. When I was about six or so, my friend Tori and I would collect small rocks from the flowerbeds in our neighborhood and paint on them. We’d illustrate faces, plants, and abstract lines. We then would sit on my porch and sell the rocks back to our neighbors. The first official gig I had that wasn’t assisting, free work, or stealing rocks was taking pictures for a wedding. I was probably in middle school. I shot on film, winged it, and they turned out okay. I learned a lot about working through social anxiety and photographing multiple people, and that wedding photography isn’t for me. Read more>>

Omar Payton

I made my first dollar from music in 2017 after releasing my 1st EP. The years prior I was creating music and simply marketing it with no return on investment. My first show in 2017 was at a venue in Miami where the event was showcasing new talent. Each talent on the card received $100. After my performance I received $100 in cash and that made me extremely happy to be able to do something I love and make money from it. That moment removed all doubt from my mind that it was impossible to make money from music unless you’re a major artist or signed to a record label. That moment proved to me I can make a living from my passion. Read more>>

Tae Silvers

This has to be one of the best feelings in the world. The interaction actually happened organically. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I’ve been working on promoting My music and clothing brand on multiple social media accounts. This day a fan of mine reached out on Tiktok asking to buy the shirt I was wearing in a video I made. It shocked me because at the time I barely had any clout or publicity, and they still wanted one. I did get to send him a shirt to his house through the mail. Read more>>

Lyrical

Oh wow, my first little piece of change! Lol! I had just released my first album Adjective of Poetry, in 2012, and it was getting a little steam. A lady reached out to me on Facebook and said she loved my song “So Addicted”. I was shocked, because of all the songs, I didn’t expect her to say that one. She was having a valentine/birthday bash and it was a lingerie party. She said “girl that song nasty I like it” lol She said she would like to pay me to perform it. I immediately said yes, Read more>>

Benjamin Johnson

I had earned some money here and there as a touring musician, but my first meaningful amount was when I went out on a limb and booked the drive in theater for the release of my film, Fanboy. I had no idea if anyone would want to see it, but we ended up selling out 5 screens which was one of the thrills of my life! Read more>>

Marcy Rodsky

The first time I earned as a working musician was when I booked my first gig in a local roadhouse outside of Ft. Worth. The guitar player was friends with the bartender, so she booked us. We did a full night of I-IV-V’s because that’s all they could play. The audience was completely indifferent which was fortunate for us. Thankfully, they did not pummel us with longnecks! The client was happy that she could bag the bartender and I was thrilled to have my first gig! Read more>>

Diego Tario

I was 15yo the first time i sold a piece of art or better said traded. Growing up I had the privilege of having older brothers who could draw that I would mimic and older neighborhood friends that were emerging tattoo artists. It was a Jesus Christ drawing I had drawn from memory traded in return for my 1st tattoo which I also drew. Thats the moment I knew there was value behind the craft. That Jesus was then later tattooed on another friend. Read more>>