We were lucky to catch up with Steve Eubanks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Steve with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I think my work ethic really comes from two, almost opposite influences. The first seems pretty obvious. Like anyone, I want to live up to the expectations of others. Some of this, I’m sure, is the ongoing influence of childhood and school-days; that natural desire to make your parents proud, to get a gold star from a teacher, or just for someone to tell you, “well done, mate.” And I’ll admit to some of that, even to this day. I still want to live in a way that makes my parents proud. I want my children to admire me, and I enjoy receiving the respect of colleagues and peers. But at some point, as I made that awkward and difficult transition from childhood to adulthood, I added another layer to my perspective on taking pride in my work.
That second influence is a more internalized assessment. What does it take to convince the man I look at in the mirror every morning that I’ve lived up to HIS expectations? Whether it’s building a custom guitar, attending to the needs of my family, or just taking care of my lawn. In work, in play, and in service to others, do I set the bar high, or low? And then do I give 100% in my effort to reach that bar? Over the years, I’ve discovered that there are times when I have to dig deep to be sure I do all I can to live up to the expectations of people who’s expectations matter to me, and to ensure that I can look myself in the eye and be happy with what I see.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
At heart, I am a builder. I love to transform raw materials into useful and beautiful things. For the last fifteen years or so I’ve been building and customizing guitars and ukuleles. I turned what started as a hobby into a small business here in Southern California called CalStyle Studio. The focus at CalStyle is building instruments that are a reflection of what I have come to love about California – the style, culture, beauty and people that make it so amazing.
I love to experiment with my own designs, but what I love most is to work with a musician that has a vision for the instrument they want to play, and to help them realize that vision in reality. The collaboration between the musician’s art, and the builder’s art results in something neither of us could have accomplished on our own. And the pride I experience when I see and hear a musician express themselves using an instrument that I put in their hands can hardly be described. It’s incredible.
As much as possible, I source the materials for my instruments from here in California. Many of my builds feature urban timber that is harvested in SoCal through our partnership with Street Tree Revival in Anaheim, CA. Street Tree makes some of the most beautiful woods available to local builders and makers, keeping these trees out of landfills. My designs often include references to the incredibly diverse beauty of California, from designs inspired by the surf community, the high Sierra wilderness, the Mojave and more.
Each year I build a special instrument to donate to the annual Switchfoot BroAm charity auction. Switchfoot is a San Diego based band with deep roots in the community, and their foundation supports a number of San Diego charities through their annual BeachFest concert and benefit party.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
There are so many lessons I’ve learned along the way. I guess this comes from taking lots of chances and making lots of mistakes. I’ll mention three that apply both as concrete skills I’ve had to master, and as lessons that have applied more broadly to my life as well. The first is precision. It turns out, making things is not that hard. In fact, just about anyone can cut up pieces of wood, glue them to each other, screw in some hardware and call it a guitar. What distinguishes a pile of scrap from a bad guitar, and a bad guitar from an average guitar, and an average guitar from a piece of art is (at least in part) down to precision. How close does the final product match what was intended? Are the tolerances tight? Are the angles correct? Is the finish perfect? Precision comes down to putting in the time and effort to execute the vision without cutting corners or accepting almost-good-enough.
Which brings me to the second skill – patience. And yes, patience is a skill, at least for me. Patience is something that I’ve had to learn through years of trial and error. You see, I love to build. And when I get a chance to build something new or interesting, I get really excited, and I want to do everything all at once. But precision can’t be rushed. Over time I’ve learned to slow down, take a second look, and maybe even a third. It might take longer to get to the result, but the result of patient work is always more satisfying in the end.
Which, of course, leads to the third skill – persistence. Patience is not just a matter of going slow. It’s also wrapped up in the discipline required to stick with something until you get it right. As a builder and artist, failure is a constant, if unpleasant companion. Rarely do I try something new and get it right the first time. Trying, failing, learning and trying again is ultimately the cycle of success. And beyond the workshop, life can be like that sometimes. You need to persist through the cycle, and have patience to take time necessary to get you to precisely the outcome you’re trying for.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Right now I am looking for one or two guitarists to collaborate with on design projects, and demo performances. I’d like to build relationships with a couple of musicians who would lend their creative input to my design process, and who would be willing to record instrument demos in exchange for a custom built signature instrument of their own. Interested musicians can contact me via email at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Website: http://calstylestudio.com
- Instagram: @calstyle_studio
- Youtube: @calstyle
