Rising Stars: Meet Jaylin Lane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaylin Lane.

Hi Jaylin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a 23 years old a black drummer, landscaper, hip hop dance instructor, dancer, big brother, son and a few other cool things on the weekends. I was born in west Texas, raised in Austin by my mother. My father passed away when I was eight due to a blood clot in his lungs. I started cutting grass when I was a little kid. I would often sit outside while our lawn man was cutting out grass. Maybe it was the sound of the mower, the stripes in the yard, or the before and after effects of a well cut lawn. but something always pulled me to watch the art unfold. I remember one year our lawn man asked if I wanted to help him one day in our yard and he let me push the lawn mower! It was a day to remember. Fast forward ten years or so and I find myself going door to door, knocking after knock asking my neighbors and friends if anyone needed their lawns mowed. My first mower wasn’t even mine. I rented an old one from my job at a commercial landscape company. It wasn’t the best at the time, it was dull, it was old, but it was something.

After about two seasons of mowing yards, I decided to create my own business, Straight Edge landscaping, while still working full time! Once I started my business and started taking initiative, that’s when everything changed, not overnight, over two years actually, was until May 2020 when I was able to leave my job and go full time with straight edge landscaping. With the pressures or covid, racism, discrimination in the workplace, and no car. Was it that I found the courage to leave my current situation and elevate to where I needed to be? Now in May of 2021, I have been afforded a truck full of tools and lawn equipment and a business that allows me to live the life I want to live. Like as a dancer for starters! Between the car, shows, practices, clubbing, or in a conversation, you’ll always catch me moving or listening to music. Like. Always… my dancer career started in middle school at Del Valle Middle School. I was always labeled hyperactive, class clown, ADHD, bad kid when all I really needed was an outlet. Shout out to Mindy Vance roe or mom for introducing me into the dance world, I was an honor guard for the school’s dance team (I carried their bags to and from games, got to perform in shows, and got to look cool in all black) so you can tell the job was legit. Throughout the years, I would learn more and more and grow a bit more and more as a dancer. At the time idk if I could label myself as a dancer, rather a kid with incredible rhythm and soul that likes to move! I would shut down talent shows and birthdays. Something in me always made me want to move to the beat of a drum, clap of a snare, or b flat of a piano. I wouldn’t know what a flat was if it wasn’t for band. If it wasn’t for drumming, God if it wasn’t for drumming… It started as young one. I would always beat on things with whatever I could find, for the longest time as a kid I would use wooden sticks from hangers and bang on countertops and buckets. My fondest drumming memory is truly where everything aligned.

It was my first year at DVMS 6th grade, the middle school and high school bands came to my elementary school and performed and I encouraged us to try out for beginner band as an elective in 6th grade when I say I was mesmerized, I knew I had to be apart of it not know what it was. Fast forward to the summer before 6th grade. I read on the pamphlet for the summer band schedule “percussion camp” not knowing everyone has to go through one year of beginner band first. So as I knock on the band hall door with my heart beating out of my chest, someone answers and I explain I’m here for the percussion camp, and they kindly tell me I have to leave and come back because I have not been through the beginner band yet. I then explained that I have no ride home because my mom dropped me off. I further explain that I’m a good drummer, unsure of who would allow me in for practice, they found the kindness to let me participate and it was the day my life as a drummer was altered forever. So many drums and auxiliary, my first year in middle school was spent living a dream come true on the drumline with a bass drum twice my size harnessed to my chest. To later become the only tenor player to do sextuplets across the drum with ease. This skill and talent flowed into high school where I found my new love marching band!

Looking back, the complexity, preparation, memorization, and practices associated with marching band made me appreciate the craft so much more. Junior year was a phenomenal year for me. After two years in dance class, I auditioned for the school’s drill team and made pre-drill for the jv team and was the first male on either team in 9 years. That year I ran for was crowned homecoming prince, high school was a blast, it was in hs where I first found and saw my creative ability first hand (to that scale) just by believing and doing whatever it takes to get the job done, working two jobs all through has to help be the man of the house for my mom and little sister. Senior year was rough, the thought of what came next threw me for a loop. But once I crossed that stage even when one month prior the principle himself threatened to not let me away due to too many tardies from getting off of work late and oversleeping, after high school off to tamucc to study finance, and participate and travel drum set drummer for the islander pep band! The dean gave me one of his ties after we rock out after winning a southland conference game! Coolest college drummer moment for me. I attended school for one year. Financial aid ran out, met some cool people and met some not so cool people and knew tamucc wasn’t the place for me. I had to get out of there, my life depended on it.

Following that year of college, I returned home and got a job with a commercial landscape company that my boss from an old job referred me to. Hands down the best and worst job I’ve ever had, I learned so much, not much about grass sadly but about people and business. I was often the last man standing when it was “too hot to work”, “I’m sick” when “I don’t feel like coming in today”. I was the one who pulled the full weight of a four-man crew by myself sometimes. It was no easy task but it showed me how much I’m capable of not only physically but mentally more than anything. This was the first job that gave me my first anxiety attack and mental breakdown. After two or so years of this, I told my mom and bestfriend I’m never going back to that state of mind, that pay rate, that situation as a whole. Since then, I’ve made it through a pandemic, snowpocalypse and Karen’s. I believe I can handle any obstacle that’s thrown my way. I would like to attribute this to time, preparation, mental toughness, counseling, breathing, assessing situations before acting or reacting and choices, life is all about making decisions. Just this week, I made in a two days what I used to make in a month and that’s on straight edge landscaping. This is a small fraction of my story. If you learn anything from me is that believe in yourself you’ll be surprised what happens when you take control of YOUR life and go after what you want. No, it’s not easy and the road to what you want may not be the smoothest or pretty but nothing is worth having in this life ever. The only thing separating you from your dreams is action and time.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Anything but smooth, it feels like I’ve seen it all, from flat tires on your way to work to missing a major meeting, breaking drumsticks and tools, running out of gas on the way to a job that you needed to get done so you could afford gas, underquoting projects and working for free, dealing with racism and discrimination, pulling hamstrings and so much more.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a dancer, I am currently a hip hop dance instructor at balance dance studios, a part of two great companies; early era collective and new genesis! I specialize in evoking emotion and expressing through dance. I would say I’m known for my smile personality and energy. What I’m currently most proud of is being a part of the FYE FYE – Tobe Nwigwe’s music video which was shot in Houston, TX on my birthday. As well as being a young black entrepreneur. My energy set me the farthest apart from those around me, I’m the life of the party, the protector, go getter, listener, and everything in-between.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking risk is hands down, what will separate the bad from the good and the good from the great. I love taking risks, mostly calculated ones, but it’s the ones you cant calculate that are often the most rewarding. Most recently was purchasing a truck not knowing how I was going to afford it, but all I knew was that it was a tool that I needed badly. Single-handedly the most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased at once. And it’s probably paid for itself three times over by now. Signing my 2nd-year contract as a hip hop dance instructor, doubling my teaching amount compared to this past year in a pandemic! I’m ready for that! While making it through my first fiscal year as a full-time business owner. Sound risky? Wait to you hear about my goals.

Pricing:

• Lawn maintenance starts at $45
• Choreography/performance rate $50/100hr
• Drumming $100hr

Contact Info:

• Email: jaylin.lane@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Landscape-Company/Straight-Edge-Landscaping-107851507650376/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylin_lane/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaylin.lane

Image Credits
Isaiah Vela, Montsho Jarreau Thouth, Jayda Robertson