We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raw Toons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Raw, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Having grown up on wearing t-shirts from Town & Country, Dogtown Skateboards, Jimmy Z, HIC, and more. My goal was to create my own designs one day. I could relate to the graphics on those t-shirts more than the paintings in the gallery. I have always been focused on those type of graphics.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Born and Raised in the City of Gardena, I was exposed to all types of cultures. My city had a large Japanese American and Hawaiian population compared to any other city in the Los Angeles area. Its was a pretty even mix of all nationalities Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian. I am influenced by Bruce Lee movies, Star Wars, New York Graffiti Art, LA Gang Writing, Street Skateboarding, BMX riding- Hip Hop, Funk, Pop, Rock, and R&B. My style incorporates a mix of everything. I
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of my most important qualities is that I go out of my way to Be Original. When I came out with Plug The City my first product was doing hats for all the cities with a simple but clean style of lettering like the hats made in the late 1980s. Improved the designs from back then by adding the 3D puff to the embroidery. I noticed a lot of other brands copying my style.
After that I created another concept called “Graff-A-Bet” instead of using the letters from various sports teams to make a differ word, for example Gardena. I made each letter a different style representing one of the various types of graffiti on the walls of the 110 Freeway.
My last quality is perservance. In the t-shirt business, it takes awhile to build a following and keeping them interested. I am still working on that myself.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My friends and family have been my biggest supporters. I really appreciate them sharing my posts on social media to bring awareness to my brand. My wife especially for allowing me to continue my business, it takes a lot of time that I should be spending with the kids.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.plugthecity.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawtoons
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@whosthefirstchannel
Image Credits
Photo by Lorelie Ing
