Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandy Collora. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sandy, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
Generosity comes from being alive and seeing people in need. If it’s within my means to help someone, I will always do so. Being of service to your fellow man, is one of the greatest rewards life has to offer. I loathe selfish people, and will never understand why some people with so much– who have the ability to help so many, in so many ways, choose not to.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I paint. I sculpt. I make movies. I’ve been fortunate to work in the film industry most of my career, with people like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and the late Stan Winston. I’ve also been an athlete my entire life and have competed in many sports including baseball, football, lacrosse, freediving and surfing. I strive to stay physically healthy as being active fuels my imagination, especially being in the ocean, where I can be found most of the time.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Talent. I was fortunate to have a God given gift to be creative. My life sort of built itself from there. My talent and creativity do not define, art is what I DO, but my work is not who I am– not yet anyway. Perhaps when I retire and have time to focus more on fine art as opposed to the commercial side of things, my art will become more expressive.
Discipline. Pretty self explanatory. Like the famous Nike slogan– “Just Do It”
Aggression. I believe some men have a level of aggression that helps drive them. I see things every day that make me sad, angry, melancholy– I’m a very emotional person and I wear those emotions on my sleeve. That has a tendency in this world and culture that we’ve gotten ourselves into, to be a detriment to business, friendships, etc… but I cannot and will not change who I am for anyone or anything. I’m an aggressive guy. I was an aggressive kid. I liked to fight. I liked protecting the kids that got bullied and always looked out for the people who did not have the gift of aggression in them. I believe all successful men are aggressive.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
They raised me right. Most Italian immigrant families in NY where I grew up were similar. They DISCIPLINED me. There were consequences to my actions. Granted, it was the seventies, which was a very different time, but I believe it was the very harsh discipline, both verbal and physical, that I got from both my parents, made me a man aware that everything in life has consequences. They taught me that respect had to earned and those who earned it should be granted it. My father taught me how to make good, calculated decisions, but to be blatantly honest, my mother was the most influential and amazing person in my life. I am my mother’s son, in and out. She was an incredible human being. Unfortunately, she’s gone a while now, but everything she taught me, lives within me every single day of my life. My mom taught how to fight. To never back down to anyone or anything. To never quit. SHE is why I’m a successful man.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreatureArtStudio?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
- Instagram: @collorastudios
- Facebook: Sandy Collora
Image Credits
All C Sandy Collora Studios
