Steven Spielberg is at the top of his craft. He’s 64 years old, he’s won 3 Academy Awards and he’s worth over $3 billion dollars. What keeps him motivated?

The three things, as described by a new profile on the director over at the New York Times, are fear, awards and people enjoying his work.

There’s a Norman Rockwell painting that Spielberg owns called Boy on High Dive, and in the painting a boy is at the edge of a diving board crouched, looking over the side scared. Spielberg said that picture represents the fear he feels before he starts filming a movie.

Although that feeling could apply to any filmmaker ever the piece points out that that emotion and picture embodies Spielberg’s upcoming films: The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. In Tintin a boy and his dog are faced with a fear-inducing threat. In War Horse, a boy bravely follows his horse into the hysteria of World War I.

Spielberg is also trying to catch up to the award numbers that Walt Disney and Francis Ford Coppola achieved. Spielberg has always been known as the guy who invented the summer blockbuster. He makes movies people want to see, but that hasn’t always converted into awards for him.

And the final piece is something that any artist wants: people to enjoy their work. As long as people enjoy Spielberg’s films he’ll keep making them. Just don’t give us any more movies like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Thanks. [NYT via Moviefone]

motivation, steven spielberg