We recently had the chance to connect with Robert Panico and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Robert, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’ve always preferred my own metaphor that I’m sailing. Life is the ocean, my boat is my body, and my captain is my consciousness. I can pull into ports and take in all of life’s experiences. Some days the ocean is full of wind, some days I’m adrift, and other days there are storms. Other boats can also come into my drift and sail along, or pirate what my boat is carrying. I usually stay along a general heading, but the ocean is vast and full of surprises.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been writing music, stories, and filming videos since I was 5 years old. My passion for these arts has never waned a day as I continue my craft professionally. While I love my day job as a producer editor, at night you can find me composing music for various including web series, shorts, and standalone albums. My latest, “Twilight Liminal”, is an instrumental EP album that scores the post-sunset sky as it shifts into the star field above. I’m currently continuing to score a stop-motion animated sci-fi action-comedy called “Red Shark” and I also have a sequel album in the works that leans more into the synthwave genre.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
100% my parents. They allowed me to experiment with art, to have fun, to explore, and – most importantly – to be unapologetically myself. There was also the healthy balance of discipline and hard work. This yin and yang of work and play is core to the arts, and I was lucky enough to be trusted to balance both. Not every kid’s parents hands their 5 year old the expensive family camera to freely make stop-motion shorts, I’m one of the fortunate ones for sure.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Absolutely nothing, I would actually sit and observe and take notes. I think as we grow up and take on more responsibilities, we let go the free-willing adventure of the day-to-day. But it’s not just circumstance that puts us there, we drill it into our adult selves every hour that we have to “get serious”, “grow up”, “quit playing around” when really we need to tap back into that sense of discovery and this kind of genuine way of feeling feelings.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
Hats off to the late great David Lynch. His philosophy of embracing initial sparks of an idea and running with them are so crucial to both the creative process and life itself. We oftentimes tend to over-analyze things in life and I am no exception to this by any means. But when we do that, we miss the beauty of the moment. Film and music are ephemeral art forms, they pass by quickly. The real joy comes with being hit with a feeling and taken on an emotional journey. Sure, we could pause and examine every frame/note, but the flow of the art is what really makes our brains glow. Lynch understood this intrinsically and applied it not only to his art, but to the actual process itself. He would meditate while filming a scene and whatever his mind found *in the moment*, he applied. What you get is something truly original, oftentimes bizarre, but purely genuine. And I think at the end of the day, we’re searching for authenticity.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I have, and I will continue to do this for the rest of my life. Obviously, receiving positive feedback and praise is validating and I appreciate every single friend or stranger that has complimented me on any work I’ve put my passion into. However, there have been plenty of video or music projects, either completed or unfinished, that I put my all into that nobody ever experienced or will ever because I haven’t shared. But with those pieces, the process of the craft was my goal and I’m so incredibly lucky that I love every step of making this kind of art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robertpanico.com
- Instagram: @robpanicomusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-panico/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/scorpiusmusic
Image Credits
Photo credits: Brent Coble and Sara Jalali Panico
