Meet Jay Abuan III | Artist, Musician, Business Man & Philanthropist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Abuan III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
In relation to careers, one piece of conventional advice that I disagree with is the saying, “Always have a plan B.”

I strongly believe that it’s dangerous to have a “Plan B.” This notion of having a “safety net” can play a negative roll in your career. It can also be the reason why you don’t succeed. With no safety net, you will have no choice but to think out of the box for every possible solution for your problems. Mix that with patience and diligence, you have a perfect recipe to find the solutions. This will lead you to eventually finding success.

Finally, in my own journey, being broke and hungry were strong motivators in my career. It forced me to engage in critical thinking, an important trait to obtain in business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart from many artists is that I dabble in different creative avenues. Art has always been fluid with me, whether its fine art (painting, tattooing, drawing etc); multi-media, or music. With this list, tattooing has been consistent with me throughout the years, it pays the bills and it funds the rest of my creative projects.
Life in general heavily influences my personal art whether it’s writing a song about relationships, creating a music video of my views on politics, or painting a juxtaposition that would stimulate ponder. In review, I have had moments of joy in the completion of any project, but as I look back at the total body of work thus far, I am proud of all my creation, conveying my entire life beautifully.
Tattooing on the other hand is a service I provide to the public. Clients explain their ideas, then I design their artwork and permanently tattoo it on their skin. It is when any of the tattoos that I’ve done are submitted into competition and win that I get excited and proud about. Recognition is great, and it motivates me to continue in this creative journey.
My career as a tattoo artist started in the fall of 2002. I completed my apprenticeship and tattooed in shops until I opened my own in 2014. As of today and going back to my apprenticeship days, I have learned the valuable lessons of tattooing, art and business. These times were some of the most challenging parts of my life. Sucking as an artist for many years humbled me. I easily got discouraged and wanted to quit. In some instances, even considered calling up my old job to hire me back cus it got so bad. In business, when I first started, I had no clue on what I was doing. I stumbled flat on my face all the time, I had no mentors, I had a lot of nay sayers. So I was definitely swimming against the current so to speak. Again, I got discouraged many times I wanted to quit, and in some cases, even considered calling up my old job to hire me back again, lol. But I didnt. I kept on, kept making mistakes and I kept learning.
You know, anything worth having is not easy to obtain right? That was a constant reminder to myself to get back up on my feet and keep going, keep learning, keep drawing, keep tattooing, keep getting better, keep my head down, wipe the tears, and keep grinding.
In tattooing, and in art, I needed to learn the fundamentals. Light, color theory, composition, juxtaposition etc. It’s as simple as if I was going to be good in art, I had to learn art. So besides the classes I took in college, I drew and painted a majority of my time. This practice definitely helped me in my success in tattooing. In business, I learned the importance of customer service as a young adult, so when it was time to open up my business, that was a practice that took priority. Second was programs and organization. Applying programs in place and being organized were some of my early challenges as a young business owner. Once I implemented them, it made my business run smooth like butter. Finally, the financial obligations such as taxes is an utmost importance, so being financially educated was something I needed to learn early on.
What do I want the world to know about my brand, me and my story? Well…I hope my story inspires people. I know there are many people out there that want to chase their dreams but are scared. They don’t know where to start, they don’t have financial backing, no support from love ones etc. I get it I was there at one point. Just remember that this is your life, your journey, not theirs. Life is short, so start chasing, start grinding while you still can.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I would get all the touristy stuff out of the way. Theme parks, sightseeing and shopping, get it done in the first few days. Then we will spend the rest of the week lounging and hanging out at beaches like Seal Beach to have a picnic, Huntington Beach for bonfires; Lakes like Spring Valley Lake In Victorville and hang out in the boat; Porches and backyards in familie’s homes; Restaurants like Auntie’s in Whittier for breakfast, Fogo De Chão in Brea for great Brazilian, and the bar 8Eightyeight in Fullerton. Focus on eating great food, having beverages with little umbrellas and enjoying each other‘s company.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wanna give a shout out to all the people that I have crossed paths with. Everyone. People that I don’t talk to anymore, and to those that I still do. You all have helped me one way or another get to where I am today.
Shout out to God. I want to thank him for making himself known when times got tough and helping me see the power of prayer.
Finally, I want to thank Me. Thank Me for not quitting, thank Me for not listening to the naysayers, thank Me for not complying to the typical but instead followed my heart.

Instagram: @lambertandgunn

Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/brokenmirrors_official

Facebook: /lgsocal, /keoticimageart

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lambert-and-gunn-tattoo-studio-whittier

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxJgOrIRqwUmnAGCdMAZs-Q?si=KRZZeW7JLVl7q9_Q

Image Credits
David Rocha
Anthony Panameno