Meet Mark Travis Rivera | CEO, The Professional Storyteller, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark Travis Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark Travis, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
In many ways, becoming a full-time creative entrepreneur in 2023 has forced me to reckon with my understanding of resilience and what it means to honor my life’s calling. It could be that I was born prematurely or am stubborn as hell (hello, Taurus energy!), but giving up is not an option I allow myself to have. Throughout the last two years, when things felt impossible and doubt and fear began to weaken my faith in myself and the Universe, I would apply for a job here and there. The dread of working for someone else full-time brought me back to a dark place, a place that would require me to fragment myself to conform to a system that was not designed with my neurodivergent self in mind.

I often reminded myself that I could be a man who fears and a man of faith, but I couldn’t be both simultaneously. Faith requires us to take the leap even when we can’t see what’s on the other side, even when fear is whispering at us to give up and settle. So I leaned on my faith and trusted that within me were generations of my ancestors who endured hardship and obstacles and overcame them to build a life they could be proud of. As a first-generation high school and college graduate, I often had to navigate my life without a blueprint. Still, I realized that becoming the blueprint for future generations and breaking the cycles of generational poverty, shame, and dreams deferred was why I can’t and won’t give up. When you doubt yourself and fear the unknown, pause, breathe deeply, and remind yourself that you can do hard things.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional career as an artist began at a young age: I was 17 when I founded marked dance project, a contemporary dance company for disabled and non-disabled dancers in New Jersey. I spent the next decade of my life committed to breaking down barriers in dance, honing my choreographic skills, and embracing my calling in life. I am a professional storyteller and have been dedicated to my craft since I was a young child. While most kids often waver about what they want to do when they grow up, my middle school and high school yearbooks reminded me that I always knew I would go on to become a writer and that my goals were to graduate high school, college, and become an author. By 2017, I had accomplished everything I wanted to do when I grew up. I am blessed to have such clarity about my purpose and make a living doing work I love on my own terms.

I want folks to remember that I may not be the most talented choreographer, speaker, or writer, but talent will never be enough for people who want to be full-time artists. You have to think of yourself as a brand and nurture your creativity while navigating the business of what it means to be creative. Through my work as a coach, I know that many creative people struggle with the concept of being a creative and a business person, but those two things aren’t and shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. People used to make fun of me back in the day because I always knew, thanks to Oprah Winfrey, that I was my brand and carried myself that way long before social influencers and content creators became a thing.

Your art, story, and contributions matter, and you need to believe that deep down, there is a place for you and your work no matter how saturated the market is. Only YOU can create what you will make, and only YOU need to believe wholeheartedly in yourself to do the work you’ve been called to do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a big fan of the Beltline, especially on a sunny day, because I enjoy people-watching and the different things you can experience there. I would take them to some of my favorite food spots, such as Zocalo, Fritti, Barcelona Wine Bar—Inman Park, Delbar, Sebastian’s, and Sotto Sotto. I also love a good night out on the dance floor, be it at Blake’s, Bulldogs, or Banshee. You will definitely see me dancing. I am also obsessed with SoFar Sound and enjoy attending live music shows in unconventional spaces with up-and-coming artists. Oh, and of course, I would plan my best friend’s trip around High-Frequency Fridays because who doesn’t love a good DJ, artwork, and beautiful people crowded on the floor of the High Museum on a Friday night?

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
While there are many people to thank for my life and career, I want to thank my big sister, Jennifer, and give her a shoutout for all the ways she sacrificed her childhood to help raise me. My sister was six years old when I was born; as a disabled infant and child, my mom relied heavily on my sister for help. While I am sure there were times she resented me, my big sister has always had my back, even when we get on each other’s nerves. Like my mother, my sister became a teen mother to my eldest niece, Jailyn. Because of how my sister raised me, I knew she would make an incredible mom, but I wasn’t sure how her life would unfold due to becoming a mom at a younger age. Well, my big sister went on to become the hip but firm mother who would help pay my niece’s way through college and make a career for herself in the healthcare industry that would defy all the odds of an Afro-Latina who became a teen mom. She is one of my biggest inspirations and reminder that while our path in life may not be linear, we can and should defy the odds.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marktravrivera/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-travis-rivera/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkTravRivera

Other: https://linktr.ee/marktravrivera

Image Credits
Photo Credits:
Daniel D. Edwards, Clear Pathworks (headshot)
Lisa Nalven (dance photo with the person in a wheelchair)
Lynn Lane (dance photo of the one woman with a limb difference)
Kegan Marling (dance photo of the two women)