Steve Simmons currently lives near Providence and Millville in Cache County, Utah.
What are some names of the books or other media you have created?
I did all of the writing and artwork for 90+ titles for Planet Archipelago, a TTRPG. I also have educational material I have written on the website Teachers Pay Teachers.
What inspired you to become a creator of media?
I has been drawing since my youth. I was president of my high school art club. Over time I have gone from oils, pastels, and watercolors to digital art and from creating western Americana and ghost towns or wildlife art to science fiction fantasy/medieval art for the game.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I have taught almost everything from a one-room school with eight grades and sixteen to seventeen students in the backwoods of western Montana to university classes in the humanities at Utah Valley University.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?
My uncle, Grant Simmons, was an early cartoonist for Walt Disney. He advised me to never become an artist. So I became a teacher instead and continued to do my artwork with some confidence I could support my family.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?
Have a day job. Learn to network and do not ever give up.
What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?
I have an entire alien planet to create, populate, map and explore.
What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?
I often create a picture first then write the story around the image. I am open to collaboration with other writers/artists who would like to explore the planet Archipelago.
In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?
Back in the 1970s I played D&D. I liked the sense of adventure, the social interaction, the problem solving, and the reading and math development but found the game dark, introducing young people to dangerous amounts of the occult, soft porn, and things that are in the realm of the adversary. Things which are not harmless. So I developed a game that kept the adventure and positive traits but cut out the dark content. Instead of magic there is lost alien ancient technology that can look like magic, and instead of magical creatures, hungry and curious alien animals.
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