Finding My Voice: From 1983 Cartoons to The Lecuyers Lounge
When I was younger, I started drawing and that's how I found my voice, by drawing and wanting people to say, "Wow, love that." That's it. I didn't speak much. I kept my head down and I drew cartoons. I was able to look at things and create.
And so when I got older, I turned to photography. That's how I showed my voice, by giving out amazing wedding photos, and I started my own business, Jayson's Photography, and I shot high end weddings. And that's how I got my voice, not by me really speaking all that much, but by me giving out a great product.
The Classroom Battle: Creators vs. Consumers
Then I turned to teaching to help people create, and the students loved my personality, but they didn't really want to learn anything. They would rather watch Netflix in class. Some of them created, but not much and didn't really put much effort. They didn't care because they wanted to consume. I wanted students to be creators and not consumers.
So after 10 years, I stopped the teaching because students didn't want me speaking, admins didn't want me speaking. I'd get in trouble for sitting down at my desk at schools like Pope Francis Preparatory School. I did paraprofessional work where the teacher did a lot of the teaching and didn't really help me learn what they were teaching, so I didn't really get to teach the students, so I just turned to humor. Made them laugh and the teacher would get mad at me.
Even as a substitute teacher at Belchertown High School, they told me to shut my mouth. The principal there, who calls herself Mama Bird, asked if I talked to the kids about TikTok, or about divorce, which I said no to. They wanted me just to hand out worksheets and shut the hell up.
Rediscovering Art, Disney, and Delivery
So I turned back to art, Disney art, and was Jay Draws Disney, so I got my voice back. I was online drawing for people LIVE. They would tell me what to create for no dollars. And then I turned to Disney. I went down to Florida and I was walking around the parks talking LIVE on Tiktok, so I got my voice back kind of.
And then I did Uber and DoorDash where I wasn't really speaking all that much, just delivering sugar to people's homes.
Full Circle: The Lecuyers Lounge
And now I've turned to my own program on YouTube called The Lecuyers Lounge, where I talk about everything and anything, and I create, I draw, and people can request a drawing for $25. I will draw it for them. That doesn't mean I'll ship it to them. If they want me to take a picture with my phone, I will send it to them if they'd like that, then they can print that out at home.
But I've always wanted to speak. So I turned to music in January of 2026. And this has led full circle to where I am now, where I use the music on my show, The Lecuyers Lounge, and I draw.
Everything has come full circle from when I started creating art in 1983.
What creative projects have you brought full circle in your own life?