Leyco’s rise to fame has been an interesting one. He was born into an incredibly musically talented family in Lucena City, Philippines. His family moved to Queens, New York, when he was just three years old. By a very young age, he could already play the piano, clarinet, played in the school band and sang in the church choir.
In 2006, he picked up playing the guitar, and as of 2020, Leyco is fully adept in producing, writing, mixing and mastering his own music.
Before his creative career, Leyco was once a sponsored Monster Energy Athlete. When he was twelve, he received his first skateboard. From then on, he was enveloped in the world of skateboarding. His parents encouraged his many talents, and in 2011 gifted him his first camera which he was using primarily to gather footage to send off to skateboarding sponsors. This is when Leyco found his love for photography and being behind the lens just as much as sin front of it.
After a couple of years developing his skills in photography, Leyco won a social media contest hosted by Dan Bilzerian in 2013, and garnered worldwide attention. He used this social media push to set in motion his creative endeavors and hasn’t looked back since. He leveraged this attention to get his first paid client of Nordstrom and Cole Hann, photographing their in-store event of their newly released Zerograd shoe.
Leyco decided to try his hand at a formal education, and briefly attended college before dropping out in 2015 to pursue his true calling as a full-time creative. Shortly after this, he was hired as a full-time content creator for adventure travel company Sourced Adventures. In 2016, Leyco made the acquaintance of Angel Isidoro, or Shot2iLL as he is known, who introduced him to glamour, implied and nude photography. Today we spoke to Tristan Leyco about his morning routine and the core values that led to his success.
What is your morning routine? And what are your core habits?
Every morning I wake up and the first thing I look at is my bedroom mirror covered with mantras and positive affirmations I’ve handwritten with a marker. I truly believe that this practice of self-empowerment puts out positive energy into existence that inevitably leads you to worthwhile experiences and like-minded people who share the same values as you. Continuing back to my routine, I do my basic hygienic regime (brush teeth, skincare, etc.), check my e-mails/day-to-day schedule and eat a hearty meal. Next, I’d take online singing and dancing classes. Afterwards, I’d workout, shower and get ready for the rest of my day which often consists of multiple creative gigs.
What are the top 3 core values in life? Like “family, health and freedom” etc.
Security with oneself, the unending urge for growth, and the importance of philanthropic values. I believe the world is not a vessel to fill you up, we are vessels to fill the world up.
Make sure you follow Tristan on Instagram @tristanleyco to keep up with his work!
