Meet Ethan Estess | Artist and marine scientist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ethan Estess and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ethan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To be honest, I was sick of working for narcissistic scientists and decided I wanted to do my own thing. I figured I’d have to work way harder being self-employed, but at least I’d only have to deal with my own insecurities and mood swings- not somebody else’s! I also knew deep down that I needed to pursue a career as an artist and that I was sacrificing that passion to purse a fun but predictable career as a marine biologist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first real job was as a marine biologist working for the Monterey Bay Aquarium studying tunas and sharks. It took me around the world and gave me incredible experiences in the ocean, but I didn’t feel like the myopic scientific research we were doing was actually amounting to any tangible conservation impact. I would spend years publishing scientific papers about tuna’s digestive system and like 20 people would read it. I was also neglecting my innate drive to build things, and I decided to skip out on a PhD program and try to make it as an artist instead. I draw on my experiences working as a marine biologist, particularly my travels in Japan, to inspire my creative works. I often used reclaimed fishing rope to create colorful patterns that may seem beautiful at first glance, but tell a deeper message about the way plastic marine debris and unsustainable fishing practices are impacting ocean wildlife. The early startup years were rough financially-speaking, but in recent years things have started to click and I’m busier than I would like to be. My goal is to craft a better work-family-surf balance but continue to elevate my artwork to the highest level possible. I’m excited to be unveil my first major public sculpture that will be installed on Main St. Huntington Beach in early 2024!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m actually based up in Santa Cruz, but I love a good old fashioned surf safari down the coast with my family in our beat up van looking for uncrowded waves, followed by a burrito or two. Do you need anything else?

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I didn’t really understand what art was about until I took a sculpture course with a professor named Terry Berlier at Stanford. She flipped a switch in my brain and helped me realize that art is about visual storytelling. Terry showed me that materials have lives, lifecycles, and memories, and that as artists our job is to create an emotional connection between the material and viewer.

Website: ethanestess.com

Instagram: estess.art.science

Facebook: Ethan Estess Art and Design

Image Credits
The golf ball wave sculpture should credit “Greg Long”