Meet Rex Ravita | Rug Tufter & Textile Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rex Ravita and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rex, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I graduated college with a Bachelor’s in Broadcast Journalism right in the middle of the pandemic, and work was hard to find. After spending countless days applying for every job I could, I decided I should get back into creating art. I’ve always been a creator; experimenting with different mediums just out of pure enjoyment. When I discovered rug tufting during the pandemic, I fell in love with the process because it gave me something to look forward to doing everyday. I got a really great response on my first few pieces, and from there I just kept creating more and more rugs and that’s when more people started to pay attention.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up, I had a pretty chaotic childhood. My parents were in and out of prison, and I didn’t have a lot of oversight which kind of forced me to grow up fast at a young age. Because of this, I had to predominantly rely on my own instinct to move forward in life. However, I never let my past dictate my future or hold me back in any way, even today. I’ve overcome so many challenges and persevered through things I used to think were impossible. Ever since I was a child, if I felt like doing something, I just did it without any reservation or regard for what anyone thinks; which is exactly how I created my rug business. I discovered rug tufting and just decided to give it a shot. It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning and most definitely didn’t come to me naturally, but I eventually got the hang of it. I want anyone reading this who has a similar story to never let their past hold them back in life. Instead, let it be the driving force for your success and perseverance, and if there’s ever anything you want to try, don’t let your past failures hold you back, just do it!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anytime my friends visit, I always take them to Deep Ellum. It’s definitely the most artistic pocket of Dallas and has so much to look at and do. There’s murals everywhere and it just has such a different vibe than the rest of Dallas. I also really loved the AT&T Discovery District and Bishop Arts District.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My journey as an artist started at a young age thanks to my grandfather. He was an extremely skilled, self-taught artist that worked with every medium you could imagine. He was constantly working on projects ranging from building birdhouses to painting a mural in each room of the house I grew up in. He has always been the person I look up to most in life, and I feel very lucky that I was able to witness his wisdom and artistic ability in my most formative years. I credit all of my artistic passion and ability to my Paw Paw Wayne Fountain.

Website: rexravita.wordpress.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/rexrugsupply

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rex-ravita-ii-995629186/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rexravita

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rex.ravita.9/