Meet Jon Ayabe | Videographer & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Ayabe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success is being a genuine and authentic person. My business is still in the very early stages of development, so most of my work comes in through word-of-mouth marketing as opposed to just being generated by my business itself. Creative partners and clients alike would never put in a good word for me if I didn’t create a solid experience for them by being easy to work with and putting their needs and desires first above my own (a serving attitude). The creative industry gets a bad rep for being full of creatives using each other to further their careers. I’ve definitely felt the temptation to be like this myself as I seek to grow my business. It’s only through being human and actually seeking a personal connection with my clients and creative partners that I’ve been able to stick out enough to get hired.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I run my business with the philosophy of putting my client or creative partner first, always prioritizing their wants and needs above my own. A serving attitude if you will. Making this change was a game-changer for not only the success of my business but also my mental health. Before this change, I was always worrying about what niche fit ME best, what gigs or connections would help push MY career the furthest, ME, ME, I, I, etc. I was so focused on my own career that I started to stress a lot about how worth certain networking events or gigs were. I also worried I was taking too long to figure out my niche. It led to a lot of anxiety and selfish thinking, things that definitely didn’t set me up well to provide the best photography and videography experience to people. In one of the first few conversations I had with Eric Floberg (one of my mentor figures), he saw this attitude within me and called it out, using his own business philosophy and subsequent success as an example of why I needed to make this change. I resonated a lot with what he was saying, made the switch, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve become more empathetic and patient with clients and creative partners and have been able to serve them in a much higher impact way. I’ve also stopped worrying about figuring things out right away and have instead patiently let things play out before me. If I hadn’t made this switch, I’d be miles behind where I’m at right now success-wise and mental health-wise. And I know in this way I’ll be able to stay in the game for the long haul. IT’S. NOT. ABOUT. ME.

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?
Chicago often gets overshadowed by NYC and LA, cities that in my opinion receive more clout than they deserve. To me, Chicago feels like the happy medium between the 2 and is full of good spots to eat, drink, and visit. Some of my favorite restaurants include Gaijin, Etta, Kasama, Ramen Takeya, Parson’s, Conte Di Savoia, and Gino & Marty’s. I personally don’t drink much in general, but if you want to go crazy, Wrigleyville has a street with bars lining either side for a fun bar hopping time. The Bean and Sears Tower (born and raised in the Chicago suburbs so it’ll never be Willis sorry not sorry) are basic but must-sees if it’s your first time visiting. The lakefront has so many good spots for picnics, bike riding, and 4th of July fireworks viewing. Thrifting is also goated in the city, especially compared to the surrounding suburbs where I’m from. Chicago is unfortunately a very racially segregated city, but the cool thing is that summer festivals take over streets in each ethnic part of the city. It’s a super cool opportunity to try cultural food you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. If you wanna ball out, a skyline tour via plane or helicopter is pretty cool, especially at night (I’ve gone twice!). Bottom line, don’t spend too much time in the Loop. It’s so overrated in my opinion. Stick to the surrounding neighborhoods like Wicker Park, West Loop, Little Italy, and Chinatown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My business and creative mentors deserve the upmost credit and recognition. These people have single-handedly pushed my business and creativity further than I ever could’ve gone on my own. They chose not to gatekeep and be open and transparent with me, sharing their experience and knowledge that they had accumulated over the years, oftentimes even before I had a chance to prove that I was worth investing in. These people are Duo Tang, Berny Echeverria, and Eric Floberg.

Website: https://jonayabe.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonayabe/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonayabe

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jon_Ayabe

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonayabe