We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Guillen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jacob, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I first became interested in surfboard shaping when I was a Senior in high school. I was born and raised in Orange County, but surprisingly never took up surfing until the age of 17. But once I did, I was obsessed. I surfed as much as I possibly could that whole summer leading up to my Senior year of high school. Once spring rolled around, I was still surfing just as much and falling more in love with it everyday, as anyone does with a new hobby. At my high school, the spring semester of your Senior year meant you were going to be focusing heavily on something called a Senior Project. Basically a project in which you choose a career path and make something revolving around that career path. I knew making a surfboard would be the perfect topic for my project. I had shaper walk me through my first shape and I was instantly sucked in. Having a background in more formal art mediums, like drawing and painting, shaping triggered a skillset I never knew I had. After high school I began to focus a lot my of my time on shaping, and began to improve my skills. Around this time I also started working at shop called Foam E-Z, where we supplied many board builders, around the Southern California area, with materials to shape and glass their own surfboards. That shop is the place that would have a major lasting impact on my career as shaper. It opened upon doors and introduced me to many people who would influence and teach me about the process of making boards. I never really had a mentor as far as shaping was concerned, but I always thought of this shop as my mentor. The people that come through who allowed me to learn from them, the trail and error of board after board along the way. I all shaped me into the person I am today. Through the years of working at the shop, I would learn more, and start to subtly lean into creating my own business. Growing a customer base, honing my craft and making connections to further my growth as business owner and surfboard shaper.

Jacob, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jacob Guillen. I own Guillen Surf Craft, a surfboard company based out of Orange County, California. I am the business owner and sole shaper for the company. The surfboards that I make are all handshaped. This means that each one of them is made from start to finish by me, without the use of a CNC machine, which is the industry standard nowadays for surfboards. Most customers come to me for custom surfboards of all kinds. I do not only shape a specific type of surfboard, I enjoy making all types. I am most proud of the skills that I have acquired through my last decade shaping, I believe and stand behind each and every board I make.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my opinion, the best way to support creatives is by being careful about what you are buying and supporting. Many people buy surfboards without thinking twice about where that board was made. If everyone was conscious about where the money they are spending is actually going and who it supports, I believe they would make different decisions. Investing in companies that are local and help your community to grow, especially for items like surfboards, is an investment back into your community.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to put good surfboards in the hands of people that will be legitimately happy to ride them. I don’t want my boards to go to waste, rotting away in someones garage forever. I want them to be used and treasured. I want my boards to make people want to go surf because of how much fun they have while surfing them. I want my boards to give people memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @guillensurfcraft
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-guillen-377764199/

Image Credits
All images taken by myself, Clayton White and Sofia Schultz