Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Cummings.
Hi Jacob, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m an artist living in Echo Park. I grew up in a small beach town in Florida called New Smyrna Beach. I spent a lot of time surfing and skating. I was never that good though, so when I joined the 6th grade concert band, I was pretty hooked. I primarily played the saxophone, but because I went to such a small private school, there were much more opportunities to learn new instruments and play them in various bands. I participated in the jazz, marching, symphonic, and the Christian worship bands at my school. I got a little synthesizer when I was in the 9th grade and played it as much as I could – one time, I played this super weird rendition of the national anthem for a football game using loops and delays. Looking back, there were a lot of strange things that went along with growing up in the south, but feel lucky to be in a circle of people who allowed me creative freedom. Especially my dad. He’s a painter, graphic designer, “deadhead”, etc. who was always encouraging and supportive. I went off to Jacksonville to study music at the University of North Florida. I stuffed as many classes as I could and even had to pay more money in my last semester because I went over 140 credit hours. I learned much more about recording and also met a ton of great artists.
After graduating, I started the Sofar Sounds live concert series in Jacksonville. I was also touring with my close friend, Corey Kilgannon. We supported artists such as John Paul White of The Civil Wars and opened for Johnnyswim at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown LA. I moved to LA in 2019 and am still figuring out this crazy town. I work at Woon, a Chinese restaurant in Filipinotown. There, I’ve met a lot of great people and have found the coolest community that now feels like family. I often get to make videos and photos for them. I’ve been making videos for Cody Simpson and most recently filmed the making of his upcoming album at the Village Studios. I like to surf in Malibu when I have free time. I also like traveling up the coast and making music with my girlfriend, Laney Tripp :). I recently got into cycling and loved discovering LA on a bike. I can’t wait to continue learning and meeting great people!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve had a lot of struggles along the way. It seems like everyone has though, which is sometimes comforting knowing we’re not alone in our problems. When I was in 8th grade, my mom passed away from lung cancer. She suffered for a long time; before I was born, she had cervical and lung cancer. They removed one of her lungs, so the whole time she was raising my brother and I, it was much harder for her to do everyday tasks with only one lung. It was a tough loss for me to process in high school, and I think I’m still a little affected by it. But, there’s always someone I can talk to. “I get by with a little help from my friends” B-)
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I mostly make music, videos and shoot photographs. During college, I pretty quickly realized I wasn’t going to be a professional jazz musician, so leaned into the things that more uniquely interest me. That allowed me to loosen up on the pressure of practicing everyday and give myself time to have fun with cameras. So I think I specialize in having a knowledge in both sound and visual mediums. The two have always gone hand-in-hand to me. I love capturing honest human conditions in both a natural and unnatural way.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My goal often is to make the sometimes ignored things very beautiful and relatable. I get a lot of fulfillment putting pieces of me into my work. Or even trying to do that for others.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.jacob-cummings.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcup.c
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobcummin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDVJRT_Z9pB0FPtbe98LTw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-890353341
Image Credits:
Amber Maalouf Tucker Tripp Laney Tripp
