A lot of people thought I wasn't doing anything because I was spending a lot of time socialising and going out, but I've always managed to get work actually done.

I always feel like the art's there and I just see it, so it's not really a lot of work.

But it's like the horror of being in a studio with a blank canvas. I used to always run out of ideas because there are so many possibilities and I would just think, well what am I going to do now!

Whenever I've been well-known or hitting the press, I've always had to get my credit card out to prove I'm Damien Hirst.

People always say that my work is sensational or shocking but there are truly shocking things you could do, and my sculptures don't go anywhere near that.

The idea of being a painter, I've always thought, is better than being an artist or a sculptor.