We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jay Lewis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I had always been interested in the arts since a young age. I also got very interested in music, in particular the guitar, by the time I was a teenager. I ended up going to college for wood sculpture and it soon dawned on me that I should combine these two things. One of my first projects was an electric guitar, which ironically has still never been actually finished. From there I knew I wanted to keep trying to make them better and better and I’m still doing that today.

Jay, 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?

JML Guitars is primarily a custom guitar making business, but I also make one off non-commissioned instruments when the time allows as well. I specialize in neck through guitars and basses, which is a much more complicated way of building guitars, but produces an instrument with a much stronger voice than your typical guitar. That’s a big thing that separates us from most guitar companies and makes us pretty unique. We also offer pretty much anything the client can come up with. Most guitar companies, even custom makers, only offer limited options. I grew up playing in underground punk and metal bands and never really could afford much more than the cheapest used guitar I could find. A big reason I started making them was to make myself a nicer guitar than I could ever buy. Since then I’ve tried to keep that mindset and make sure I keep my instruments as affordable as possible so that regular people can have a chance at owning one. I’m really proud that I’ve kept the business going for this long and being able to have the reach I’ve had in the industry. It’s always a little crazy to think that instruments I’ve made are all over the world.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I often get asked why I work so much. I think artistically minded people have an odd need to get those creative impulses out somehow. JML was an evening and weekend side-hustle for a long time before it really became profitable at all, and even then it was a side job. A lot of people would give up after a year or two of not making any money and working most evenings and weekends, but I knew that I wanted to make guitars and that practice was the only way to improve so I just kept going. It applies to other areas of my life too. I’ve played music in bands most of my adult life and it’s never been because I might make money, it’s always been a weird need to experience that feeling you only get from playing music. If you really love doing what you’re doing then it doesn’t feel like work, even when you do it 40 hours a week.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part is getting to see someone else use my creations as a tool to realize their own creativity. I love when a musician tells me that playing their new guitar inspired all kinds of new musical ideas. It’s a neat feeling to know that something you made can have an impact like that on someone else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://JMLGuitars.com
• Instagram: @jmlinstruments
• Facebook: JML Guitars
• Youtube: @JMLGuitars

Image Credits

Amanda Lewis
Jay Lewis