Pasquale D'Silva

I met Pasquale years ago at a Forrst meetup in Austin, TX. He rolled up to the event bearing gifts by Johnny Cupcakes and was instantly swarmed by people. My first impression was that he had a bold personality and, obviously, funky hair. Pasquale has unique and undeniable talent. His approach to design is a reflection of his personality, creating playful and enjoyable experiences. Aside from his work as a designer, he's passionate about creating music.

Music has always been a large part of my life. Over the years I am constantly being drawn back to my passion for music and how it relates to technology. A few months ago, I found myself testing a bunch of music creation applications during my commute to work and Keezy was the one that stuck out to me.

Pasquale D'Silva is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Keezy, a unique new music company. He is a member of the talented Elepath team located in NYC.

How did you discover your passion?

Pasquale: My passion in Visual Art & Animation came from my obsession with animated films. In awe, I used to watch them frame by frame, trying to understand how they were made. I used to watch all the documentaries about the big studios (Disney, Warner, HB) and was blown away to see grown up employees get to play with characters all day. I knew I wanted to live in that world, so I became an animator.

Can you describe your greatest adventure in life so far?

Pasquale: I’d say my latest life adventure so far has been moving to New York, and starting a music company (Keezy) with my friend Jake. 'I’ve spent years helping other friends build their dreams, and now I’m on the most exciting and fulfilling rollercoaster ride of my life.' It’s always stimulating. I’m meeting and working with the most inspiring people I’ve met in my career. As a fellow artist, it’s insanely satisfying to get to make things for and with them. There’s no doubt that I feel more creatively enlightened than ever.

What is the last movie/documentary/podcast or book that really inspired you and why?

Pasquale: Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull, hands down. Ed has always been an inspiration, long before he wrote the book. His contributions to the computer graphics industry are outstanding. He’s the grandfather of so many technologies. Oh, and he cofounded Pixar animation studios. How can anybody top that? His book talks about the process of building the best animation studio in the world, saving the Walt Disney Animation company from doom, and teaches lessons in designing organizations. Everyone needs to read it. 'We’re replacing more and more jobs with machines. It’s not enough to be good at just one thing anymore.'

If you had one piece of advice for the next generation what would it be?

Pasquale: Don’t underestimate luck. Hard work is important, but increasing the space for serendipity is just as valuable.

How do you deal with adversity and challenges?

Pasquale: I go for the throat. There’s no point half-assing a challenge.

How do you spend the first hour of your day?

Pasquale: I read, watch videos, and play some music.

Studies show that people feel a deep connection and addiction to technology. How do you feel this is affecting humanity?

Pasquale: Mostly negatively, slightly positively. It’s a virus in many ways. People gorging themselves on news feeds… eh, pecking at news-troughs of meaningless information. We all know that curved-back iPhone posture you see people trapped in when they walk down the street. It’s the default now."