When Rayvon Griffin-Bright, the visionary founder of RayvonCreates, sits down to chart her decade-long entrepreneurial odyssey, she brings more than just her camera—she brings a wealth of wisdom. Imagine transforming your passion into a thriving business, battling adversities with grace, and still having the audacity to dream bigger. That's exactly what Rayvon has done, and in this heart-to-heart, she unveils her aspirations for a home studio renovation that promises to be a haven for budding photographers.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to triumph over the hurdles of entrepreneurship, this is the episode for you. Raven gets real about the leap from graphic design grad to business owner, the grit it took to shift from part-time gigs to full-time passion, and the resilience needed to create a space of diversity and representation in a field that often lacks both. Her story isn't just inspiring—it's a masterclass in what it means to forge your own path in the face of personal and professional challenges.
Lastly, brace yourselves for an announcement that has us on the edge of our seats with excitement. Raven and I tease an upcoming collaboration that's set to make waves in the creative world. So, stay tuned to our socials for all the thrilling details, and remember, whether you're an entrepreneur in the making or a seasoned vet, this conversation is a treasure trove of insights that'll inspire you to live with intention, persistence, and an unyielding zest for your craft.
When Rayvon Griffin-Bright, the visionary founder of RayvonCreates, sits down to chart her decade-long entrepreneurial odyssey, she brings more than just her camera—she brings a wealth of wisdom. Imagine transforming your passion into a thriving business, battling adversities with grace, and still having the audacity to dream bigger. That's exactly what Rayvon has done, and in this heart-to-heart, she unveils her aspirations for a home studio renovation that promises to be a haven for budding photographers.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to triumph over the hurdles of entrepreneurship, this is the episode for you. Raven gets real about the leap from graphic design grad to business owner, the grit it took to shift from part-time gigs to full-time passion, and the resilience needed to create a space of diversity and representation in a field that often lacks both. Her story isn't just inspiring—it's a masterclass in what it means to forge your own path in the face of personal and professional challenges.
Lastly, brace yourselves for an announcement that has us on the edge of our seats with excitement. Raven and I tease an upcoming collaboration that's set to make waves in the creative world. So, stay tuned to our socials for all the thrilling details, and remember, whether you're an entrepreneur in the making or a seasoned vet, this conversation is a treasure trove of insights that'll inspire you to live with intention, persistence, and an unyielding zest for your craft.
Hey guys, welcome back to Living in Purpose. On Purpose podcast, I'm your favorite podcast host, jamie Hansel, and today we do have a special guest Now. Last week, I know, I promised an interview, but I did not realize it was five Sundays in this month. So that's why we're here today for our new interview, for another interview, and I'm really excited. Now I'm not going to introduce her at all, like 0%. I'm going to let her do the fullon introduction of herself, because I feel like she is an amazing person. She does so many different things and so many great things. So I want her to go to introduce herself.
Speaker 2:
So I will give you the floor name is raven griffin bright and I am the owner of raven creates.
Speaker 1:
We are a photography and makeup company located on the north side of jacksonville. Now, if you're not connected with her or myself, we will have all the links in the description boxes. Wherever you're listening, all streaming platforms. If you are watching us here on youtube, same thing. Description box will have all the links you need our website, her socials, whatever you need. We got it to be listed below. Now I know you said that you have a photography and makeup company, um, that you offer both of the services. How long have you been doing?
Speaker 2:
that. So april 14th will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary 10 years y'all.
Speaker 1:
That's crazy. That's a whole decade y'all. Just just to put in perspective, that's a whole decade. That's amazing. I think out of all the interviews I've done or completed honestly the length of my podcast, I don't think anyone I had on here has done what they're doing for that long. So that's definitely a milestone. I think that's really amazing and I feel like what better person to have on the podcast to help us out with some things rather than someone who's been in their business or in their industry, in their field, for 10 long years. That is a great thing.
Speaker 1:
Now, before we keep it going, I do just want to remind you guys, if you are watching this here on YouTube, go ahead and click that subscribe button. Make sure you're sharing with your friends and family and let's get into it. Thank you so much for giving your introduction. As you guys can see, like just a queen okay, she has so much going on and so much going for herself and she a lot of stuff she already accomplished. But before we get into more of what it took for you to get to where you are, what, what, what are the things that you kind of did to get to that place? As an entrepreneur, I would love to get a little bit of insight about any future goals or aspirations you currently have. I mean, I know you've done a lot in this 10-year time frame and you have so many accomplishments, but do you have anything else you're trying to add to the list or trying?
Speaker 2:
to accomplish. So right now I have a home studio and that has been my homestead for the last six years since I moved back to Jacksonville. And right now, now that I've moved out and we're in our new house, I want to be able to renovate that Okay and then make that to be able to kind of foster the new generation of photographers be able to have it rented out when I'm not using it and add that onto like a peer space type of platform.
Speaker 2:
So that is my immediate next goal of saving up and getting all that stuff together. So within the next six months to a year I can make that a whole new transition I think that's a great, that's a great goal. Yeah like all together.
Speaker 1:
We're talking about a lot of different things that you can accomplish with that, so not only for like your personal business but, like you said, even offering that up to a lot of photographers out there that a lot of one of the biggest problems that we have is not having a studio space for the ones who want to shoot in studio, not having the ability to kind of do that studio type of space immediately right out the bag. Everybody can't, you know whether it be afford or even have the time or the effort to put into creating a studio. So that's amazing. And for those of you who don't know what Peer Space is, it's kind of like airbnb, but like for professionals. So like, if you need to rent out a place for maybe like a like, for instance, for us photographers, you need to run out of space to do a lifestyle shoot or something like that. It's things like that.
Speaker 1:
So the fact that it would be a full-on studio would be amazing. I think that's a great thing. So can't wait to see that and see the notification. Again, make sure you guys are following along on the journey and following her on her social media so you can see the update whenever that do come. So now that we know a little bit more about your goals and aspirations, we let's go backwards a little bit and I kind of want to hear about your journey as entrepreneur or just basically what inspired you to even start your entrepreneur journey.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so my business was my senior class project in college. Um so I was a graphic design major in business administration, and photography itself ended up being like an elective.
Speaker 1:
And.
Speaker 2:
I finished the graphic design program before I finished my business program, so I did grad shoots and stuff.
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
And then the website and design for like clubs around campus for just extra money. But when I realized I graduated and I was going to the design firms because you can tell me I wasn't going to be a designer at a you know, like one of the major companies, but I was interviewing and I really just it was white men with brown hair is what it and I went to several agencies and I was like that was the majority and I just I look like what I look like and I'm extra and I, you know, like my makeup and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:
So I kind of got a little bit discouraged. But right before I graduated I was like we're going to make a shake. We're going to try it. We're going to jump straight into it. I ended up getting a part-time job. I'm working at a before and after school program, but I always told myself I would never get a full-time job, because I want to make sure that this is my focus. So I started. Everything got my website together, was doing flyers and ads, and it literally just kind of took off from there.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that is so lit. What I love about what you said was that you walked in and basically everybody looked the same and nobody looked like you, right, um, but I love how you're like okay, I love how you're like okay, I want to create the space that I don't see, because I feel like a lot of times when I do speak to anybody, um, especially people who want to be entrepreneurs or they're kind of like dibbling, dabbling with entrepreneurship and like a nine-to-five or whatever, their one major thing is always basically like oh, I don't know like where to start or you know who to be connected to or where to go and whatever. And I love that part of story because it's like, yeah, you were trying to go somewhere to figure it out, but then you ended up creating your own brand, obviously your own company. But it's deeper than that. It was more into creating your own space where you felt, honestly, not necessarily valued, but you felt like you were just as equal.
Speaker 1:
Because everybody know, when you go into a space where you don't see yourself anywhere in the room, it's very intimidating, not because you feel less than, but because you don't really feel accepted or welcomed into the space Because if I was it would be more people that look like me in that space, exactly. So that makes sense and I think that's great. But I know that's kind of like a little challenge. But once you started I know you said you never would get a full-time job because you wanted to make sure you were able to put in the time and the effort and the energy to what you wanted to do within that time or within that plan, or even now. What challenges have you kind of experienced and how did that go? It's been so many challenges.
Speaker 2:
I feel you. I feel you. Currently, I could write a dissertation on challenges. But to be honest, so going from orlando and then moving back to jacksonville, there was a culture shock, right, um difference with that. I ended up moving back to Jacksonville back in 2018. And one of the reasons I moved back is because I had a contract with Duval County Public Schools and I was doing Picture Day. So I had about six schools under my belt and I was doing Picture Day by myself.
Speaker 2:
So my mom and my nana would come on the actual day, but all of the school scoutings, the processing of the images, the print delivering and all of that stuff. I was doing that on my own and it was absolutely nuts, but covet is what made me stop yeah, doing the school system because I was like who germs?
Speaker 1:
germs.
Speaker 2:
It's too much, I didn't want my nan and my mom being exposed to that. Doing the transition of going from Orlando to Jacksonville and then I got a part-time. When I first moved back I had three jobs. I worked at the YMCA, I worked for the city of Jacksonville and I was doing Raven Create. So I was literally gone Gone From 7 am I had to be at work at the YMCA. I worked there till 1. And then I had to start my city job from 2 to 7.
Speaker 2:
And then in between, like my downtime and and stuff I'd be editing and doing everything, and then I would be full-fledged clients on the weekend, so I was grinding it out yeah, that when you look in the dictionary next to grind. You see her name I was grinding it out and I did so. I came back in the summer, I worked for the Y the entire summer and then I was just like it was absolutely chaotic.
Speaker 2:
So then I was like, okay, and then I stayed with the city. So I worked for the city for two years after that and that's when I went full time. So the city was interesting. That was a whole ordeal. I ended up leaving the city. I got sexually assaulted on my job. That was one of the biggest motivations. Oh no, I need to leave. This is telltale.
Speaker 1:
I need to leave.
Speaker 2:
I ended up working for the city for eight more months. At that moment I I was like, okay, I need to save up. So I, when I tell you I was saving, saving, saving like I was, like I am going to be full-time like I have no other choice, so I quit my job. It was august of 2019, okay, so I made the announcement september 1st. I was like, hey y'all, your girl needs some coins.
Speaker 1:
You gotta book me, so I was like, please support.
Speaker 2:
And then it was going really good six months and that's when I started doing the makeup and stuff too, so I was gonna make up a photo and I was booked solid, crazy. And then I ended up doing the jacks bridges program, okay, and january of that year it started, and then 2020 hit with march and everything got shut down and I was just like, oh, is this not the time? Like I haven't been doing this for six months. I'm like, is this, was that did?
Speaker 2:
I make the wrong move, so it was. That was probably the most stressful of like okay, you don't know how long you're going to be shut down, right, I do not have another source of income. What are we going to do Now? Luckily, I was a pretty good saver.
Speaker 1:
Right.
Speaker 2:
So I had a little nest egg and that's when TikTok really started popping off and I'm like okay, Everybody was in their houses.
Speaker 1:
I was born in a house.
Speaker 2:
I was in a house, so I decided I was like, okay, this is going to be the time for me to learn how to use TikTok and do makeup videos and all that kind of stuff. So that's what I would do. It would just be me and my cat in the house, because my husband he was my boyfriend at the time he worked on the road Right, so it was literally just me and the cat in the house and I was just like we're going to figure out a TikTok.
Speaker 1:
Let's do this.
Speaker 2:
Let's do this TikTok skirt, and then I'm like I really.
Speaker 1:
I feel, like.
Speaker 2:
That's when the makeup really started picking up, with the packages together.
Speaker 1:
So 2020 was a little sketchy, but 2021 was lit yeah, he's outside.
Speaker 2:
We was. We was all like 2021 probably was one of my best years of just like. Now it's coming together. Now I see what's going on right and then we hit the scamming roadblock oh yeah and we're still fighting that we're figuring that out.
Speaker 2:
Yes, still fighting that, but overall I'm a, I'm a, I don't give up. Personally, so I'm just like I. When I get to a problem, I literally will sit and like okay, well, quitting is not an option, so what are? We going to do how are we going to get past this? And I I allow myself to feel the feelings. I think that's one thing that people feel like as an entrepreneur you're supposed to be.
Speaker 2:
Oh, you know, we're going to get through it. We're going to be cheerful all the time and I'm like, nope, some days I'm not getting out of bed. We're going to be sad a little bit. We're going to put on our music and we're just going to feel the feelings and then I'm gonna wipe my tears, I'm gonna get up. Okay, now we're gonna, you know, kick butt and keep it moving.
Speaker 1:
Well, I guess you kind of started going into my next question yes which was just how did you, or not how did you?
Speaker 1:
but it's how you stay motivated to do what you do, because obviously you've been doing this for 10 years, yes, and that's a very long time for anything, whether it's a business, a hobby, whatever, but especially being that it's a full-time business, um, now, that is a big responsibility and, like you said, sometimes you have those days where you just can't. So what do you do in those moments where you may not necessarily can take that break? You still kind of have to maybe do a shoot, do some, you know whatever, do some videos or whatever, but you're not really how do you kind of motivate yourself to kind of do that still?
Speaker 2:
I think about like how intentional my clients are. I'm like, out of all the makeup artists, out of all the photographers, this person chose me right, and I have a lot of out-of-town clients too, and that was something I wasn't even asking people where they were coming from. I'm just like, oh. And then people like, yeah, I flew in from Texas.
Speaker 1:
Oh, I came down from North Carolina. I'm like, oh, you came to see me. For me, like okay.
Speaker 2:
so to me, giving my clients that experience and being able to like. These people trusted me to do this. They paid their money, they're excited, so I want to make sure that they have the best experience that they can with me. So I put my feelings in my pocket.
Speaker 1:
I see you later.
Speaker 2:
I put my feelings in my pocket and I allow you know, seeing how happy they are being able to calm their nerves and you know, know, seeing how happy they are, right, being able to calm their nerves and you know, have been a part of such a special, pivotal moment for them is what really keeps motivated to do it. And then keeping a therapist on the roster, yeah, it's also, you know, a very helpful thing. So you know, shout out to my therapist, but it's amazing being able to have somebody to vent to.
Speaker 2:
That's not necessarily. You know your family, right. You know some things get heavy and it's always a thing where you know the family and the spouses of entrepreneurs definitely get the heaviest part of that burden. So having that extra person, that I can really just be 100% candid with is very helpful as well.
Speaker 1:
I think that's great. I think, like I said, we've done plenty of interviews here. I don't think anyone has ever mentioned a therapist and that's actually a great mention. That's an honorable mention to have a therapist. I'm still on the search for mine, just for personally, but also for business things too.
Speaker 1:
It like it gets crazy. Okay, y'all, if you are one of my nine-to-fivers, that tune in. Thank you so much for still listening or watching or whatever, even though this is more so entrepreneur edition, um type of episode. But it gets crazy as entrepreneur. It gets crazy like it gets wild. It get really wild and sometimes it takes a lot like not just physically sometimes you know what she was saying our collab if you haven't seen already, um, you probably see more by the time this comes out but it took a lot of time, a lot of time and energy not to even execute what we're doing, just to create the scene of what we wanted to execute, um. So just, that's just an example. Right there where it's a lot. It's physically draining, but mentally, dealing with so many different people, it's very draining it is.
Speaker 2:
It's a lot, and I'm an introvert yeah. So it's really yes, so then having to put your extrovert out. Like okay let me not be nervous.
Speaker 1:
I do do better with the one-on-one.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think that makes it a little bit easier, and the fact that when you come to my studio it really is a personal experience, so that is a better environment for me, yeah.
Speaker 1:
I think I like that too Because you which you know if you're one of my past clients that brought your entire family. I love you, I love everything okay. But yeah, sometimes it's overwhelming when you bring grandma and mama and boyfriend and best friend and you know it's a lot. I'm all for supporting and sometimes you need your hype man, but hype men like multiple Sometimes, speaking from a photographer's point of view, it's a lot sometimes because you kind of feel like you've got to do all the things.
Speaker 1:
Like you've got to be the host. You're like, yeah, I'm trying to do my, do my job, and like also calm your nerves and show you what to do and a lot of other things. But now I'm like are you okay? Right do you need this?
Speaker 1:
sorry like I'm saying sorry for tripping over you when I'm working, but that's just some things where it just, you know, for some of us it's a lot to do, for us, like mentally, it's a lot for us to take in um in in turn. At the end of the day, we feel drained, we feel. So I think it's really great, um, as far as mentioning the therapist and having someone that you can say whatever it were, generally say whatever to, to kind of release what all the tensions that you've kind of accumulated over however long it has been um. So I think that's great, I think that's awesome.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for giving us a little insight of what it really means to be an entrepreneur and how that feels for you and how it felt for you from starting out. Thank you so much for giving us some insight into how you stay motivated and inspired through it all, through these 10 years, giving us insight to your journey. We've done. I feel like you've given us a lot to munch on right. You've given us a lot to take in as entrepreneurs that have been in the game for whether it's one year, one month, three years, five years, but even the ones who are possibly even just now starting out. So, with that being said, if you could give like one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs or someone who's just now starting out, what would that advice be? What would you tell them?
Speaker 2:
Live within your means. Do not get caught up with social media, the gurus, the flashy lifestyle marketing. Live within your means. Just because you have a line of credit doesn't mean you need to spend it, and these interest rates are insane right now. It's a beautiful start, with small beginnings and being able to build upon it. It is literally a marathon, not a sprint. And being able to build upon it. It is literally a marathon, not a sprint. And do something that you actually love to do, not because you think it will get you a lot of money. You will get burnt out. That's true, burnt out. So I think that is what has really kept me afloat, especially with all of these trying times, and now we are in a recession that they won't call a recession Right, I know it look like one smell like one, act like one, but we're not.
Speaker 1:
You know, everybody was like you don't ask us, we won't tell you.
Speaker 2:
But yes, those are the key things to really keep you afloat, because you could literally make tens of thousands of dollars one month and then a couple hundred or a thousand dollars the next month. It's really just cyclical, yeah, and you have to be able to weather through it all if you're really going to be able to last right in this journey.
Speaker 1:
I think that's great advice, honestly, and the only reason why I say that is because I feel like that's something that you can use all the time yes, like it's not just something for the beginning, it's not just something for the middle or even maybe like the end of your journey.
Speaker 1:
this is something that will help you, no matter how much money you make right, or how little money you make. Um, I feel like that's just something that all the way around, will just help you out. And I think a lot of times as entrepreneurs, like we want that lifestyle of saying oh, like, you know, I'm a six figure, you whatever, like that's been a thing of social media Like six figure, six figure, like everyone's like, oh, like, buy my book to how to make six figures and whatever else and it's like okay, but I feel like people are only desiring that type of lifestyle because they want to spend more, like they want to.
Speaker 1:
You know it's not really that balanced. So I you know it's not really that balanced. So I think that's great advice. But we thank you so much for being on the show. Thank you for having me. Oh, the show. Well, I guess, technically it is a show. I mean technically.
Speaker 1:
Technically it is, but it was great. We did do another collaboration just this past week and it's really exciting. It was really fun. So, as you guys know, I'm also a photographer, so we it was really fun. So, as you guys know, I'm also a photographer, so we collabed and we did some makeup. I know I'm not a makeup artist, but, but I did do some makeup with. So we were I did my makeup, she did her makeup and we actually collaborated. I'm not gonna give too many details. Yes, I want you to actually go.
Speaker 2:
Same links that I told you.
Speaker 1:
That's gonna be listed everywhere in the description and all the details. Make sure you're going to follow her Also, follow myself here on the podcast, just because I don't want you guys to miss it. And I think it's really going to be great and it's just the collaboration of the century. And then, yeah, no pressure, though no pressure, but I really want you guys to see it because it was just really fun and really good experience, really great experience. We had fun literally all day. And then here we are, here for another collaboration on another level.
Speaker 1:
So, you know, just collab after collab, but per usual, guys, I always just thank you for listening in wherever you're listening via the podcast. If you're watching us here on YouTube, thank you for sticking this thing out with us. We are new here on YouTube, but we are figuring this thing out. So, like I said, don't forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook at Living in Purpose, on Purpose Podcast and I know the whole situation with the TikTok ban and all that is kind of going, but still go follow us on TikTok at Living in Purpose Pod. I believe it's new new for that too so just click the link in the description. I really appreciate you, guys, but per usual, live life on purpose.