Conversations with Rhyver White

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhyver White.

Hi Rhyver, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Introductions are always interesting for me, I truly am a woman of many layers. (As we all are layered I’d like to think?) So, allow me to introduce you to a multi-hyphenate artist, a visionary, an entrepreneur, a modern-day Renaissance woman, and a loud and proud LA native. My artistic career has been a rollercoaster, diving into everything from theatre acting (Boston University, Accademia del’Arte, and current MFA student at LAMDA) to artist representation (United Talent Agency, Luber Roklin Ent., Entertainment 360) and most recently, authorship (Yours Truly, Unapologetically Me…coming soon!)

After taking a sabbatical from artist representation, I began cultivating some entrepreneurial ambitions through my experiential/interior design and production studio, A Raw Design Studio, co-hosting my podcast, Hear Us Out, which focuses on providing the music and media blueprint for navigating the entertainment industry, and I’m one of the cofounders of the nonprofit, Eden At, where we champion the development of artists/creatives of color. Though my path has been “unconventional,” my mission remains consistent: to amplify the experiences and narratives of underrepresented communities by creating platforms and support systems for artists to bring their creative visions to fruition.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As I reflect on the various stages of my journey, two of the biggest challenges I’ve faced were overcoming my fear of being great and learning to trust the process. The reality was, I really needed to accept, trust, and understand that the path laid out before me is already written. My job is to follow it and trust that things will always work out as they are meant to, because if things were supposed to go another way, they would.

As a multi-hyphenate artist, who is still growing to understand the depth of her creativity and how to “make it make sense,” there have been so many moments where I doubted my gifts because I didn’t know how things were going to work out, I didn’t know how the bills would get paid, or if I even had the strength and courage to keep moving forward when it felt like there were so many reasons not to.

There was a moment back in 2020 that I define as a true catalyst for me. I had just experienced three deaths in my family over the course of about 6 months, and it felt like navigating the grief amplified internal feelings I pushed down to remain in grind mode. I just remember feeling so depleted and lost, I couldn’t avoid how I was feeling anymore. I had been working in entertainment representation for a few years at this point and while I enjoyed my job and the perks, I felt like I was hitting the ceiling, but I couldn’t really define what to do next. In my heart, I wanted to dust off my fine arts degree and get back to acting and creating, but it just didn’t seem…”practical.” I explored other entertainment companies, but nothing truly felt aligned.

I eventually reached a point where my cup was truly empty, I had nothing left to give so I gave it up to God. In 2022, I stepped out on faith, left my job, and committed to living a passion fueled and purpose driven life. My path to purpose has not only required tremendous sacrifice, but it truly pushed me to make a conscious effort to deepen my faith. I had to embrace taking ownership of my gifts and my purpose, accept that things may not always go according to my plan, and trust that regardless of where the path takes me, things will always work out.

“Be patient, the vision will come, it will all make sense…when it’s meant to.”
– Me to me (continuous work in progress)

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in bringing passion fueled, purpose driven visions to fruition. Whether I’m on stage or on a set bringing life to the words of another writer, providing guidance and insight to other artists on their journey, or designing/producing an experience or project, I’m most grateful for my calling to live an unapologetically authentic life for myself which in turn allows me to be a resource for others.

From creative development to arts education, I’ve been blessed to be part of the founding teams for several creative entities dedicated to providing artists of color with the resources needed to focus on their development, opportunities to apply their learned lessons, and a safe space to build the foundation for their artistic and creative careers. The journey hasn’t been easy, but when I see the fruits of my labor, it always reminds me that every moment I worked through the challenges was, and always is, absolutely worth it.

When I think about “what sets me apart,” a quote from Nipsey Hussle immediately comes to mind:

“I’m not going to lie and portray this ultimate poise like I been had it figured out, nah I just didn’t quit. That’s the only distinguishing quality from me and whoever is going through this or went through this or is gonna go through this is I didn’t quit. I went through every emotion with tryna pursue what I’m doing. I think that what’s going to separate whoever going to try to go for something is that you ain’t gone quit. You’re gonna really take the stance of ‘I’m going to die behind what I’m getting at right now.’”

Faith has shown me that with God, all things are possible. Wisdom has instilled trust in the process, for His plans won’t always resemble mine. Legacy has inspired me to never quit.

Stay tuned, I’m just getting started.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I consider myself an extreme ambivert, while the nature of my work requires me to exercise the social butterfly aspect of my personality quite consistently, I’m actually low key introverted and very private. I’m an in the house girly through and through, don’t get me wrong, I love a good outside vibe every now and then and I’m obsessed with traveling, but I can be quite shy depending on the setting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rhyverwhite.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/rhyverwhite
• LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/in/rhyverwhite
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heyhearusout

Image Credits
Image 1: Yana Mazurkevich
Image 2: Angela Tayler
Image 3: Milan Smith
Image 4: Momodu Mansaray