Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raven Ritrovato. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Raven, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Earning a full-time living from my creative work is a constant but alluring battle. These last few years began very nerve-racking as my Senior year of college, trying to achieve my BFA in Graphic Design from Webster University, was something I had imagined for a long while. Although I did look very much forward to it, it was scary not knowing what was to come after, and even more startling is when you throw in a life-altering situation that impacts all of those around you. Senior-year plans had taken a turn from COVID, and I sadly missed out on incredible experiences that could have pushed me ahead in the Graphic Design world. While I would’ve liked to sulk as long as possible on this, I had no time to set myself back even further. I dedicated that year to job hunting and focusing on my grades while working on art as much as possible.
I was blessed two months before graduation to find a wonderful position as a production artist for a printing company. While it wasn’t the most amazing commute from home or the best pay, it truly was the most impactful job I needed coming straight out of college. I spent two great years with the company, meeting amazing people and learning so much about graphic design and the printing world. However, I learned while working there that time is extremely valuable. I was happy to have this job, but with all the time I spent commuting, I knew I could be creating, so I began searching for something that would suit those needs more.
Job searching at this time was even more challenging with where I lived, and with being scammed by multiple fake jobs, I didn’t know how to feel about what life was handing me, but I kept pushing through. My husband and I, at this moment, also agreed that our finances weren’t suitable for us to continue renting where we were and decided to move back in with his parents. We are beyond blessed to have great parents willing to support us, but with this came another setback to my art career. Having to box up all my creative tools and share a smaller home with parents while only having a stuffed basement as a work area so that I wasn’t burdensome to them made workflow decently harder and allowed me to misplace my tools a lot more than I already was. Especially now that I would be living even further from my job at that time, this all became a decent weight on my shoulders.
Shortly after moving in, after months of filling out job applications and cover letter writing, I finally found a position as a Graphic Designer/Marketer for an internet company that would be right near where we are living. I was beyond ecstatic, and now in the past few months of working here, I have obtained the freedom of creativity and have had to push myself to learn new skills I never would’ve thought I’d need. While I would love to create my fine art full-time, I am happy that life has led me to a job where I have a voice and do not feel I am wasting so much time. With this, I am also using all my spare time to build up my personal art business and have now had a handful of great opportunities to help grow my art. I am also now spending as much time with my family as I was missing while living so far from them and getting to build a home that allows us to stay close.
Although I could’ve been in a completely different position if life had played out as I planned it to, I feel it is better to have gone as it has. I am happy to be where I am now and look forward to what these next few years bring seeing what just three years have already brought. I get down at times, as all people do, but I know that God has a plan, and while I’m still confused about what that plan is, I feel it’s already made me strong by having to build myself up rather than have anything handed to me. I am still at the beginning of this battle, but looking at where I am now, I am more determined, understanding there is still so much more to come.
Raven, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a graphic designer and fine artist, I pride myself on the extensive work I put into both fields. I aspire to be an artist who gets to work with many mediums, especially those that involve natural elements and color. I have developed a deep appreciation for the beauty of organic and flowing shapes, which are reflected in my current work. I believe that my connection to nature plays a crucial role in my evolution of art, as I draw inspiration from the wilderness around me. This connection breathes life into my art and allows me to create captivating and meaningful pieces. With this, I also prioritize being involved in my community as much as possible, as it fuels my creativity in truly inspiring ways. As a kid, I drew often but didn’t become too conscious of it until high school. I never practiced my skills often and didn’t know about the elements and principles of art, but one thing that drew me in was figure drawing, particularly the female form. Even though my work was not always clean or detailed, I took this in stride in my college years to improve upon my talents. With this determination and the support from my husband and those around me who saw potential in me, I was able to enhance my craft and explore graphic design. Thankfully I received my BFA and was granted many amazing experiences because of it.
Much of my work today still includes the female form, along with the integration of flora and fauna that flow through the page. Living in the woods and caring for animals, I try to make my art something that makes me feel as alive as I do when I’m outside. I work primarily with acrylic paints in creating murals and painting on organic materials along with charcoal, leather, and anything else that brings me joy at that moment. My objective is to find people who want to bring nature indoors and add something unique to their space that will take them out of their everyday lives and transport them back into nature.
I am proud to say that I had the opportunity to showcase some of my artwork in an Aerial Dance Exhibition. This exhibition aimed to help participants engage with and appreciate art more naturally while bringing community members together to partake in showing their work. This experience allowed me to reflect that many of us are drawn towards the artificial side of life, with our dependence on the internet and desk jobs. We often forget the importance of things that help us thrive, such as sunlight and feeling the Earth under our feet. Although I don’t always practice what I preach, I strive to continue creating pieces that push me toward a more natural way of living.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
What I think society can do to best support artists is to supply more opportunities for single or groups of artists to have space throughout their community to broadcast their art and engage with the town. I find murals here and there within towns around me, but when working in Cuba, MO I realized just how much it brightened a town to have illustrations moving throughout the streets. I’ve also appreciated seeing towns that give a building for community members to create art within. This would create a great opportunity for a new attraction that town members or tourists could walk about and donate to. Another thought is we as a community should also work ourselves into normalizing semiweekly street markets that bring us together to sell goods, art, and advertise services. Farmers’ markets are some of my favorite things to stop by for fresh produce and to be able to see art from those around my community would liven up these events even more and allow tourists to see what our town looks like as a people rather than just buildings and farmland.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are many rewarding aspects to being an artist. I would say it would be that I have a constant therapy session anytime I start to sketch, or the heartwarming feeling to know that someone is thinking of me and reaching out to try and collaborate when art opportunities arise. However, one thing I love is going to art events that allow me to find art from a diverse range of creators. While I do like to have pieces of my art to fill my space, it is so nice to incorporate as much of others’ art in a way to commemorate the events I attended and transform my space into a miniature museum with pieces I wouldn’t even think to make.
Contact Info:
- Website: ravenritrovato.com
- Instagram: ravenreneeritrovato
- Linkedin: Raven Ritrovato
- Twitter: @ravenritrovato_
- Email: [email protected]