1. He was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
Rey Rey Rodriguez was born in the City of Rio Piedras, which is a part of the Municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, he travels worldwide but calls South Florida his home.
2. Rey Rey Rodriguez’s real name is Rey Paul Rodriguez.
Rey Rey’s birth name is Rey Paul Rodriguez. His nickname growing up was Rey Rey, so when he began creating art, he legally began doing business as “Rey Rey Rodriguez” so that his name would be more memorable, and to never forget his roots.
3. He was a high school drop out.
Rey Rey Rodriguez dropped out of high school at 17 years old. 10 years later, he would earn a GED, 2 associate degrees (an AS and AA), and a bachelor’s degree (BA).
4. He was introduced to art through poetry.
When Rey Rey was in the 8th grade, his English class assignment was to create a poem and share it in front of the class. His poem “War” received a loud applause, inspiring him to write more. Poetry would become both a passion and a form of therapy for him. He would continue to write poems, and began having them published in literary magazines while in college.
5. He was a Paramedic.
Rey Rey’s first earned college degree was for Emergency Medical Services. He began working as an EMT, became a Paramedic, and eventually retired to focus on his artwork, and his company, The Mind of Rey Rey®.
6. The demand for his skills forced him to start a business.
While working as a paramedic Rey Rey worked as a freelance photographer and did lots of pro bono work to build his portfolio. As his name began to grow in the art world and in the underground art scene, requests for his photoshoots were in such high demand, that he at times had to be booked a year beforehand. He was forced to make a decision between leaving the medical field and starting a business, or accepting less shoots.
7. His business name came from people calling him “crazy.”
Rey Rey’s personality earned him the name “crazy” by many. The unusual artist with the hyper, aggressive, driven, loud, always-on-the-go, never-stands-still personality made some feel uncomfortable. Many would say that they wondered how his mind worked. So Rey Rey took the name “The Mind of Rey Rey” as his business name.
8. He credits an ear injury for his success.
At a young age Rey Rey suffered an injury to his left ear that created a condition called Auditory Processing Disorder, a condition that causes all sounds to blend together making it difficult to concentration on information being heard. To combat this, he learned to read lips and body languages while taking in as much sound as possible in order to analyze all of the information given during a conversation. Rey Rey has said that these constant mental exercises helped his brain to move at a faster speed when creating art, reading, reflecting, problem solving, and has helped him to read people by focusing on their body movements.
9. He re-read The 48 Laws of Power as motivation.
After retiring from a comfortable job to focus on his business, Rey Rey would read Robert Greene’s book “The 48 Laws of Power” at night before bed, and would listen to the audio version while driving, working out, and while sleeping.
10. The Net Worth of Rey Rey Rodriguez.
According to “Net Worth Post” in 2020, Rey Rey Rodriguez’s net worth was listed as $900k.
11. He needs sound to fall asleep.
Rey Rey plays music, melodies, binaural beats, calming sounds, audiobooks, a movie or some other form of sound while in bed, because he can’t fall asleep in silence.
12. He can solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than 45 seconds.
While reading, working on the computer, or in deep thought, Rey Rey used to rotate Baoding balls in one hand, to better concentrate. After receiving a Rubik’s Cube as a gift, he began turning the sides of the cube instead of rotating the Baoding balls. Soon he began attempting to solve the cube, eventually becoming a speedcuber as a hobby.
13. He loves horror movies.
At around 5 years old, one night while adults were watching a horror film, Rey Rey sat on the floor of his bedroom, and through a slightly opened door watched, “The Exorcist.” The experience made him fall in love with horror movies till this day.
14. He has only had small dogs as pets.
The only pets that Rey Rey has been reported to have are 4 Chihuahuas.
15. His favorite sport is Mixed Martial Arts.
Rey Rey has photographed many of the most elite MMA fighters on the planet, and has always stated that only thing on TV he would pay to watch is a UFC event.
Rey Rey Rodriguez can be found at: themindofreyrey.com
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