We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tony Vallejo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tony below.

Alright, Tony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

As a creative we tend to be our biggest critic. Whether we fully believe in what we are doing or even if it is “good enough” taking a risk is one of those things that we you have to do in order to chase your dreams. Sometimes people won’t understand your “why” or even like what you are putting out but in all reality it’s all about the intent that comes from within. From someone who has fallen down plenty of times, I always made sure to fall on my butt so I could continue looking forward. I’ve had the closest people ask me “are you sure you want to do that” and my heart always said yes because i knew deep down even though no one saw exactly what I saw, I saw it and had a little bit of “proving” to do.

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?

My name is Tony Vallejo but I am better known as Tony Mayne, the consistent guy, that one native kid or better yet, that guy who is always smiling from cheek bone to cheek bone. I am currently 28 years old, born and raised on the south side of Chicago with the love and support from my mom, sister and grandma. I learned early on that I had an imagination like no other. I was that kid who turned a stick into a sword, used my staircase as a toy battle zone and till this day my imagination has allowed me to be where I currently am. Art is something I have always been connected to because although I wasn’t the best drawer, painter or even artist, I was allowed to create something from my mind and use my hands to put it into the world.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, the CTA (Chicago transit authority) was my way of getting around to school, downtown and back home. When looking out the train cart or bus window, I noticed early on that we were surrounded by graffiti art and I always found myself asking “how and when did they do that”. Fast forward to high school I myself started painting the world as my canvas and I was HOOKED. It never clicked that i was a vandal or a self centered A-hole who was destroying someones property but I was rather an artist who was speaking to a discord of artists through my art.

Once I left Chicago to attend Fort Lewis in Durango CO, I realized real quick that graffiti + a small city was not the move. I was going to school for graphic design and communications so one day i put two and two together and told myself I would create a clothing line, still get to see my art out in the world and I have full control of pushing a positive message which became my clothing line “CONSISTENT”

Consistent is really an acronym for Creating Only New Styles In Society To Evolve New Talent. It is that everyday grind and some, long days longer nights, you have to be consistent in order to make things happen.

For the longest time I wanted to make t shirts that not everyone had access to. The mall has always been my enemy because I never liked wearing what others already owned. Once I started creating pieces for consistent I was able to make stuff that I would want to wear but also wanted the person who invested their hard earned money on a positive representation of who they are. The root that I can assume everyone can connect with when it comes to my brand is “I am consistent”. That right there speaks volumes because I myself always felt like we are walking billboards and we want to wear what we represent. Don’t get me wrong though, when I first started this journey I had the wrong mindset. I wanted to make millions, sell out in 0.5 seconds and be recognized by everyone and some. It is safe to say none of that came true but rather I learned early on that if I had that kind of mindset I myself wouldn’t even want to support that.

Once I figured out my reasoning and stayed true to my goal of pushing consistent, I reached an audience who I now call the Consistent CLAN. A unit of one, a dedicated audience of underdogs who were willing to strive past their comfort in order to remain consistent and allow their entity to live forever.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being both an artist and creative is the idea that I am paying homage to my younger self. My younger self is my idol and someone I look up to because that was someone who lived life carefree and just wanted to make cool things. Being able to create and have people become connected to it is super weird but powerful because really anyone can do it and anyone can always do a better job. I believe it comes from love and my audience feels that. At the end of the day I laugh because little Tony Mayne is behind the magic, I myself big Tony Mayne just makes it happen.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At the end of the day, when all is said and done I want my goal for Consistent is to inspire creatives, entrepreneurs and dream chasers to be that push to go for it. What ever you want to do in this human experience, as long as it doesn’t hurt someone physically , go do it and make it happen. I want to inspire that kid who wasn’t the best at math, that doodler who drew on every worksheet to stick to your roots and do what makes you excited. I believe that if you want to be the best at something, you have to give 1000% and some. Be the best at what ever you can, do the research, ask questions and be consistent in the process. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be disciplined.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.consistentclan.com
• Instagram: personal IG: @tony_mayne business IG: @consistentclan

Image Credits
Jay Ryyse (@ryyse_creations) Eric Ortiz (@eo_ot) Sebastian Berlin (@filmbyberlin), @dopeitsmoo (Micah Lucero)