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

Hi Raspin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started Boulevard Magazine in 1981 because I love art, words, and community – I saw so much culture in LA, and the San Fernando Valley, that I wanted to curate it into a magazine. I thought let’s just do this thing one page at a time and the magazine enjoyed 32 years of success. In that time, I worked on a lot of music projects, and again, I decided to go for the dream and get my hands in the music publishing sector. My thought process about starting my businesses was just “begin and give it 150%. Stay focused on what I need to do today so that I can reach where I want to be.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
From a very young age, I just loved to sing. It was just what I did. My sister Lou gave me my first acoustic guitar. I wanted to learn how to play so badly so I taught myself! I started writing my own songs immediately. My Mom bought me my second guitar – my parents were so supportive of me. I fell in love with music when I was a kid – I suppose that even then it spoke to me on a deep, soulful level that even now I don’t fully understand.

I think I find the inspiration for my songs in human connection and conversation. I listen to people talk and I pick up phrases from them. Those conversations or phrases create a whole song in my head. I write political songs with hope. There has certainly been no shortage of inspiration in that area lately. Having a creative career has not always been easy, but I never gave up and did the work no matter how discouraged I felt. Don’t give up on the dream!

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?
I give my shoutout to divine order, and the many people have helped me along the way. My sister gave me my first guitar, and the rest is history! My favorite books are “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” and “The Prophet” – I try to live my life by those two works.

Website: https://www.raspinstuwart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raspinstuwart4/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raspin-stuwart-66435116/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/raspinstuwart/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaspinMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/raspinstuwart

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6AIePNkRZBW5IA7Y36OoYa

Image Credits
Fiorella Occhipinti Lance Marinelli-Spain

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.