Steve Ferrera is a sculptor from Berkeley California whose work crosses many disciplines including film, television, stop motion animation, children’s books, and collectible toys. Often inspired by mythology, religion, cartoons, and make believe, his curious and absurd creatures exist in their own cosmic events, lurking on the fringes of fairy tale and folklore.

In this episode, Steve discusses:

-Where his inspiration for his creatures comes from.

-His recent residency at the de Young Museum.

-Having to deal with distractions while working on your art.

-The idea of getting in the “zone” while sculpting.

-The power of getting up early and getting to work as quickly as possible.

-Some tricks that he does to keep himself focused during the entire day, like obsessing over the amount of time he has left in the day.

-The idea of rewarding yourself after you’ve gotten work done.

-The power in trusting your instincts.

-His best and worst creative moments.

-His advice for people who are considering transitioning from a full-time job to becoming a full-time artist.

Steve’s Final Push will inspire you to not wait for inspiration, but to just get to work and to keep filling your toolbox with new techniques!

Quotes:

“It’s hard to do something and then put it down and pick it up every ten, fifteen, twenty minutes.  It really breaks the creative flow.”

“I try to get up early and get into the studio as fast as I can and get to work.”

“I have all these weird little things to mentally trick me into staying focused.”

“You’ve just got to trust your instincts.”

“Just do it and move on, because if you second guess, things can just drag on forever.”

“Sometimes making mistakes is better than doing it right, because then you’ve experienced the other side where you don’t want to go.”

“It’s almost like a game for me.”

Connect with Steve:

Website / Instagram / Tumblr / Twitter