We recently connected with Sky Rivera and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sky thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I often feel as though I am misunderstood. I feel it amongst friends, family and colleagues. This is difficult for me to articulate because, as someone who is often so misunderstood, I have so many people who love and support me. However, those supporters may not always understand me. They love me enough to overlook what they don’t understand and have accepted our differences. That being said, I pour all of myself into my art. I put all of the mis-understandings into my writing and my poetry.
This fuels my drive because I know that there are people just like me, who feel so misunderstood. I know that there’s people out there who understand me. My goal is to bridge the gap and create more dialogue and connections between those who feel misunderstood.

Feeling misunderstood all the time can be very isolating. As human beings we weren’t created for isolation. No one wants to feel alone in a crowded room.

Sky, 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 writer/poet and a behavioral therapist my goal is to bridge the gap between people who are neurodivergent and those who are neurotypical. What I mean by that is, that I believe that awareness is key. With more awareness we can modify what the work force looks like or other social settings. We can adjust to others needs and accommodate everyone. We can learn something from each other and bridging the gap will help decrease the likelihood of more prejudice and open the door to more opportunities for many.

Through my poetry I write about mental health aspects in hopes to inspire and educate. I write with the hopes of being relatable. My content is easy to digest.
As a behavioral therapist, I thrive to show compassion and understanding each day with every client. I work with children who are neurodivergent. The purpose of my job is to provide support and assist children with their daily lives; in order to give them an opportunity to thrive in the adult world and become as independent as possible.

I have published my first book of poetry last year. You can find my book online through Amazon, book leaf publishing and many other retailers online. My book is called My Minds Eye.
I plan to publish many more on the topic of trauma, mental health, and other general life experiences.

I will continue to provide therapy for my clients. I am currently back in school studying to achieve my PhD. My goal is to open up my own clinic in the near future and provide more support for everyone no matter their religion, life style, gender, age, gender identity, financial status, etc.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thus far is seeing the positive reactions of others towards my work. Knowing that I have helped others through my book (other written works) motivates me and is so gratifying. My entire purpose is to reach others and help impact them in a positive and significant way. It has been a strong calling upon my life since I was a young child (single digit age).
I have received some great testimonies regarding my work.
This motivates me to continue to create.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I actually had to pivot with my first book. My Minds Eye was initially supposed to be published years ago, around 2009. However, life threw unexpected curve balls my way and I hit many walls. I encountered many closed doors. I almost gave up on my dream until 2021. I was finally in a position to prioritize that book and in 2022 I submitted my manuscript to Book Leaf Publishing. By 2023 it was finally published.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sky_the_creator @thereal_skythecreator
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093216413661&mibextid=LQQJ4d