Kayla Silber: The Story Behind Rosie & Raven

Some stories arrive slowly. Others burst into the world like they’ve been waiting for years. For Kayla Silber - creative director, augmented reality artist, and visionary designer - Rosie & Raven was exactly that kind of story.

Kayla Silber is a creative director and augmented reality artist with over two decades of experience across industries, including healthcare, beauty, and high fashion. Her work blends traditional symbolism, mixed-media collage, and digital animation to create artworks that reveal hidden narratives through augmented reality.

In 2025, she launched Rosie & Raven, a groundbreaking children’s book that combines storytelling, mindfulness, and augmented reality. The book received the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and was named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025.

Rosie & Raven

Rosie & Raven invite children into a world that comes to life on the page through augmented reality.

The story:

When Rosie, a kind-hearted fairy, becomes stranded outside her world during a snowstorm, she must rely on Raven — a lonely young girl — to help her return home. The only way back is through a fully bloomed rose, and together, they must uncover the secret to open the final late-blooming bud.

With AR illustrations, original music, and themes of empathy, courage, and wonder, the book encourages children to experience the story, not just read it.

Kayla is also conducting focus groups for children ages 6–8. Families interested in participating can reach out directly.

A Dream That Started It All

In 2016, Kayla had a dream she never forgot. She was holding an old, illustrated book, its first page decorated with a rose, but it wasn’t still. The rose moved and shifted in three-dimensional space, as if alive. Even in the dream, she somehow knew she had created it, though she didn’t yet understand how.

In 2018, she discovered Artivive at a tech show and began animating her mixed-media paintings. The dream returned, a small glimpse of what was to come, a seed waiting to bloom.

Over the next eight years, she developed a detailed creative process that merged symbolism and modern technology, assembling thousands of photographs and footage from her travels into surreal, immersive AR artworks. Yet one story still remained untold.

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The Moment Everything Came Together

On January 1st, 2024, just two days after a deeply transformative retreat, the concept for a children’s book came to her — fully formed.

That very night, Kayla began writing. For four months, she poured herself into Rosie & Raven, writing the manuscript, composing original songs, and allowing long-suppressed creativity to surface. The project became a homecoming, a reconnection with her inner child and the dream that had inspired it all.

Choosing the Independent Path

After completing the manuscript, she submitted it to publishers. Months of silence and gentle rejections followed. They couldn’t see what she saw.

Instead of compromising, Kayla decided to publish it herself. It meant more work, but it also meant total freedom, her vision, her art, her rules.

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From Book to Augmented Reality Experience

Over the next year and a half, Kayla refined Rosie & Raven into a fully realized AR experience. She even built a custom WebAR platform, so readers could access the magic without downloading an app, while still offering a full Artivive app version for a layered, immersive experience.

The final edition officially launched in July 2025.

From Tradeshow to Oprah

One month later, Kayla showcased the book at a New York tradeshow. During a live feature at her booth, the creative director of O Magazine walked by, right as cameras rolled. A messenger was sent to collect the book.

Five weeks later, she learned the news:

Rosie & Raven had reached Oprah and was selected as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025.

No agent.

No publisher.

No marketing team.

Just vision, dedication, and belief.

‍The Takeaway

Rosie & Raven is proof that when you trust your vision, nurture your creativity, and put in the work, even the wildest dreams can become reality. As Kayla’s journey shows, believing in your story is the first step to bringing it to life.

Check out Rosie & Raven on Kayla’s website

Check out Kayla’s interview with CBS

Follow her journey on Instagram

View her augmented reality art

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