We were lucky to catch up with Chris Offutt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned through practicing and trying new things. When I moved to the Bay Area, I had a friend who was willing to spend the time with me. I learned on vinyl and quickly realized that I would need to learn on the other mediums as I wasn’t willing to carry on the crates required to play at clubs. Really being able to take direction from my friend was critical as well as not feeling like I was being watched every moment I was practicing. Those 2 things heightened my learning experience and made it a fun one!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I care deeply about my creative process and the process that goes into it. I’m dedicating to finding the best outcomes for whatever I am creating. I also enjoy being experimental and don’t necessarily need anyone’s approval before I put something out. Many times it’s presented as a finished product because it is and the joy of sharing is the point more than getting feedback.. I always seek out partners to collaborate with whether I’m producing or curating playlists. Really happy to be part of the Proton Radio family and curate 3 shows for them now…Integrated, Proton Featured Artist and Proton Amplified. Proton Amplified initiative is an ever-evolving platform showcasing artists historically marginalized by the music industry, including but not limited to women, BIPOC (people of color) and LGBTQIA+ folks.. It’s been such a joy to be able to support my community in this way and help lift others up. It’s also gotten my further into meeting beautiful souls who like me love what they do.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Probably the most exciting thing is when what I’m producing resonates with my listeners and I get that feedback. There is no better feeling!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Absolutely, You never know who’s checking out your page, unless you’re looking at the stats. So make sure you’re doing that and understand your audience and what keeps them engaged. Many people are on Instagram and Facebook, so be sure to develope something on both of those. Also remember that good content is king, so it’s not good enough to have a presence, you need to to actively post and manage. at least 3 times a week, otherwise, your profile doesn’t look active. I started with those 2 and built out from there.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djblackvelveteen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackvelveteenow
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackVelveteen
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/blackvelveteennow
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1bDXI5wtgyvo2b4Fkv762Y