An Inspired Chat with Richard Carranza of East Los Angeles

We recently had the chance to connect with Richard Carranza and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Richard , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Who are you learning from right now?
Some of us learn and live. Others live to learn. I learn from myself and others on the daily. I live in the now and reflect back and analyze any decision or mistake I have made. They say to learn from your mistakes. I believe it’s important to learn from other’s mistakes as well. I learn a lot from the people around me. I still learn from friends, family, people at work, even strangers I come across. I learn from all types of people. You listen to the teacher and sometimes the student too! I learn from both individuals because I listen. The goal is to learn something new each day. If you have something worth saying, my attention is all yours. Everyone has a different perspective of the world we live in and how they walk it. I will always be curious of what others have to think or say of how they live the world. You learn from the person who owns a building in downtown and the homeless living right in front of it. You have to live to learn. If you are not living you are learning but, do not dwell in the past or live to know it all. Live some life and allow the chips fall where they fall. A reflection of one’s self can bring a wiser perception to all.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Richard Carranza a poet from East Los Angeles. My passion lies within the words we speak. I like to write, I like to share a story or a point of view from my eyes and time. I know I may not change the world with my words, but if I can change yours, my purpose is fulfilled. I write with the hopes of making a positive impact and empowering anyone else. I share what I see and think to spark your mind, to spark encouragement, to spark some inspiration. Maybe to spark an angle of perspective you didn’t’ consider before. We may not be the same but there are somethings we can relate on. I am a creative at heart. I am a story teller by nature. I have to paint your world with the words I feel. C-RICH

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I constantly moved around growing up as a kid. I can remember all the different schools I attended and how I had to adapt to each one in a new way. When I arrived in East Los Angeles at Griffith Junior High School I thought my moving days were over. I was under the impression I was finished having to start over and make new friends. That was not the case. It was my sophomore year at Garfield High School, and my mother decided to move once more. I had no choice other than to get up and go again. My mother wanted to meet up with my Grandmother in San Antonio, Texas. I continued the second half of my sophomore year at Fox Tech High School in the downtown area of San Antonio. It was then and there I was humbled real quick. I ate lunch alone for the majority of the year. I had one but maybe two friends at that school. Some of my own team mates on the varsity basketball team didn’t even like me. I knew I couldn’t finish my last years of High School like that. I had kept in touch with my old friends back in East LA. One of my best good friends Mike, told me to go back home and live with him and his family. I did just that! At the age of fifteen I told my mother I was leaving back to East LA to finish school. I took the next Greyhound bus out of San Antonio following the ending of the semester. I felt empowered because I was doing something no one I knew had ever done. I was fifteen years old traveling alone on the road back home, essentially getting adopted. I was powerful enough to decide my own fate with purpose and at a young age. I felt even more powerful when I did graduate. I walked the stage and was handed my High School diploma with Honors. It was a powerful thing to me because I accomplished what I set out for with the odds stacked against me. This allowed me to think and believe I could accomplish and conquer anything if I set my mind to it.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“you make it a lot further than you think.”

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My father was a character of essence in his own. My pops chose his own fate, although some of those decisions weren’t the smartest. In which led to many questions from his children. However though, despite his situation he found ways to not let it bring him down. I don’t recall him ever being sad around me. He was always trying to make you laugh or see things from a positive perspective. He always kept pushing on and having a good time wherever he was and with what little he had. Life will knock you down, but he proved to me you can keep going no matter what. “Every man chooses his own destiny.” That’s what my father would always say.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
In the early morning as the sun breaks when the world is still sleeping. I can gather my thoughts, time doesn’t matter.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: c_r.i.c.h
• Youtube: Richard Carranza
• Other: tiktok @chicanorich