How Raco Ruiz rebels with good vibes, thrives on his own terms, and shares it forward
Scrolling through social media, it’s easy to come across familiar content: life hacks, pranks, date ideas, and everything in between. But every now and then, something stands out. What if familiar places, like malls, had voices of their own? Or what if Jose Rizal spoke like a modern-day conyo? These offbeat, imaginative concepts are exactly what content creator and artist Raco Ruiz brings to the table.
For the 31-year-old, this playful approach to content goes beyond humor and creativity. In a fast-paced digital space often driven by trends and virality, he sees choosing lightness and authenticity as something more intentional. “In a way, rebellion ‘yung good vibes,” he told PhilSTAR L!fe.
But before the reach, virality, and recognizable skits online, Raco was already creating art in his own ways—through visuals, sketches, and drawings that came naturally to him at an early age.
Always creating
Raco credits his creative freedom to his parents’ hands-off but supportive approach, allowing him to explore visual art freely while encouraging him to pursue what he showed promise in.
“I think innate naman siya sa akin, so much so like, nung bata ako in grade school, akala ko lahat ng tao ganun. But I just really like creating visual art," he said. "What I appreciated, ‘yung approach kasi ng parents ko is ‘di ako pinagsasabihan na ano 'yung i-do-drawing ko, ano 'yung gagawin ko. They really just encouraged me to keep making, and if they saw na magaling ako in a certain thing, mas ipu-push lang nila akong gawin ‘yun."
Raco describes his art style as intentionally unpolished, leaning more toward instinct and playfulness than precision.
“My art style, I'd say unrefined siya, pero sadya,” he said. “Gusto ko 'yung kung ano 'yung nado-drawing mo without thinking of the rules, parang 'yun 'yung purest form ng art mo. Cartoons ‘yung art ko dahil I think wala masyadong rules kumpara sa realism.”
What Raco enjoys the most about making art is working with spray paint and acrylic paint. “Kahit mabagal, masaya ‘yung process, very rewarding.”
Raco's longtime best friend and fellow creative Jappy Agoncillo, who has known him for almost two decades, said this instinctive approach to creating has always been part of who he is, whether as a friend or as an artist.
“I think of all the artists I know and have worked with, he’s the most childlike in the sense that he’s very devoid of the doubt in your head that sets in when you’re older,” he told L!fe. “He creates freely, and acts on his ideas. I’ve known him so long, since we were barely teenagers, and he’s never lost that sense about him.”
It's the same for Raco's sister, singer Meg Ruiz, who said her kuya "doesn’t draw by the book but from his soul."
"I think his art feels so liberated and intuitive. His drawings or paintings really encapsulate everything he’s been through as a person, the media he consumes, and his sense of humor," she said. "He’s really intelligent and hardworking, and his sense of humor is a lot smarter than people know or realize."
Finding his footing
While he had a creative foundation at an early age, Raco admitted he lacked a clear direction for his career at first.
He earned his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies from De La Salle University—a program his mom chose for him. “Nung papasok ako sa college, wala talaga akong alam kung anong gagawin ko. I just lived in the moment,” he opened up.
He brought that same sense of openness into his early professional choices. Raco worked in a production house and an advertising agency—spaces that gave him technical and industry experience, but also made him realize the kind of work that suits him best.
“It’s not a field I would’ve stayed in kasi personally, in that 9-5 setup, [madali akong] nabu-burn out,” he admitted. “It’s not that it’s the wrong way to do things, pero hindi siya fit sa akin.”
Leaving that work environment eventually brought him back to something he had always been doing on the side: content creation.
“Hobby ko lang siya dati talaga eh. And this is what my friends would always ask, ‘Ba’t mo ginagawa ’to?’ Minsan pa nga discouraging ‘yung mga tao, like ‘Di naman nagva-viral content mo, ba’t ka gumagawa?’ I just said, pastime ko lang ‘to. Dahil hobby ko lang talaga gumawa,” he said. “Swerte lang ako na kahit hobby ko, napansin siya eventually ng millions of people, and nagulat ako na it reached that level.”
Behind these viral videos, Raco often turns to his Gen Z sister, Meg, for help with improving his jokes and keeping up with the latest TikTok trends.
As his content grows, so does his identity as a creator and an artist. He joins galleries to showcase his works, and in 2025, he mounted his fourth solo exhibit, No Worrys, featuring his famous character, Razzl, a clown that’s mostly a caricature of the anxious side of himself.
Raco continues to balance both creative paths. "I’ll admit, hindi sila madaling i-balance," he said, adding that when he feels burnt out, he takes a week-long break and stays at home. “It’s a sacrifice I’ve made na sabay ko na kahit hindi ganoon kabilis ‘yung growth, okay lang. I think I've reached a level where I realize and say, 'I’m so lucky I get to do this.'”
Staying positive as an act of ‘rebellion’
Raco's fun aura extends to the way he carries himself, both online and offline.
In 2024, he arrived at his art show dressed as a clown—a side of him that he attributes to a conscious choice to remain positive.
“In a way, rebellion ‘yung good vibes. Ang dali lang kaya maging bad vibes. Kaya I think if you're choosing to be optimistic, ikaw ‘yung cool, ‘yun ‘yung badass choice kasi mahirap siya gawin. Mahirap maging good vibes kung bad vibes yung mundo, ‘di ba?” he mused. “In a way, it's my act of rebellion to the world that's very cynical.”
His easygoing nature is something Meg has always loved about him, proudly calling him the “embodiment of a cool older brother.”
"He never forced me to see him as this authority figure that I must follow every order of; instead, he treats me more as an equal which has made us super close and made us feel like best friends, despite our big age gap," she said.
She also highlighted how Raco makes everyone "feel very seen, special, and understood."
"Like a natural comedian, Raco will always try to make people feel like they’re having a good time, whether by telling jokes, being the life of the party, or making you feel valid and understood in your conversations with him," she told L!fe.
Keeping it real and intentional
For Raco, staying true to himself also means resisting the pressure of trends and virality in today’s content landscape. “Sobrang toxic nung mag-a-adjust ka para lang sa views, na hindi na ikaw ‘yun. Hindi ka masa o hindi ka popular, parang magpapanggap kang ganoon para sa views. Sa ‘kin, no matter what you are, capitalize ka na lang dun.”
At the core of everything he creates—whether visual art or content—is a desire to encourage authenticity in others.
“You don’t have to change yourself just to be accepted,” he stressed. “Don’t chase fame or fortune. Chase what you actually want to do. The rest will follow.”
As a multi-hyphenated creative, Raco continues to bring fresh ideas to life—whether through relatable POV content, skits on how Big 4 universities or major Metro Manila malls would show off if they could talk, or the ever-growing world of Razzl the Clown and his No Worrys friends.
In the years to come, Raco hopes to continue creating while also being there for the next generation of creatives.
“I want to mentor, kasi I feel like so many people are misguided or misinformed about what they need to do. I want to guide the next generation of creatives on how not to lose their identity,” he said.
Raco Ruiz is hosting the second season of The Generations Podcast—a conversation about how different age groups see the world and why it matters—along with veteran journalist Luchi Cruz-Valdes and PhilSTAR L!fe's Gen Z columnist Angel Martinez. Catch it on YouTube and Spotify on April 22.
