We recently connected with Philip Trossarello and have shared our conversation below.
Philip, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’m not sure anyone really has a purpose; I preface that by the fact I’m like an Ant talking about what I think the subject of Geometry could be about. The meaning of the Universe is such a vast prospect with a lot of moving parts that I of course feel foolish saying anything I think is more than just speculation. BUT, in my own personal opinion at this specific point of my life: I think this place is just a giant playground.
While it doesn’t feel like that, because of War, rape, famine, disease, etc., it seems that the Infinite doesn’t really hold those things with as much emotional weight as we do as corporeal beings. So IF pain and suffering are acceptable in the Infinite’s eyes, and IF death is the one thing you can count on to ‘go back home’ at the end of the day, then this place is like a giant park where the Infinite split itself into little pieces and said, “go play.” But we, as the little pieces, are hurting each other on the playground, but that’s apparently acceptable because nothing lasts, even the pain, and everything ends.
SO if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck, and this place looks like a game or playground (if you strive not to have any attachments or expectations out of it, which is a big ask for a creature with a sensitive nervous system)…
It’s just that, if the Big Bang was the collapse of the last Universe and this current expansion is just one of the countless iterations before and after it, then it really shouldn’t be experienced with so much anxiety, worry, or animosity. I feel people put too much pressure on themselves with “shoulds” and “purposes” in that case. But again, it’s just a theory. not a belief.
I think belief is dangerous because it puts a circle in the sand and says, “everything inside this is true and everything outside is false.” But in my experience, Life and Nature are not so black and white and operate more in shades, gradients, and spectrums. SO I prefer to have my theories and be open to revision, however, I have no attachment or expectations of anyone else to do so.
That all being said if I had a purpose it would be to be a good Father to my Daughters: Charlcie Fayaway Trossarello and Melody Jane Trossarello, and good Husband to my Wife Rachel Eve Holmes-Trossarello. That I feel is a worthy enough cause as it is.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a Father/ Artist/ Reservist who’s just trying to capture the intangible and turn it into something people can feel. Whether I’m writing, performing, or developing a new creative piece, my work always starts with truth—zooming in on the micro-expressions, the subtle instincts, the small human contradictions that say more than the dialogue ever could. I don’t try to “play” characters; I try to magnify the parts of myself that align with them and let that expansion guide the performance. That keeps everything I make hopefully grounded and alive. I like to think about it like a hand and glove, or puppet; the character is the covering but it’s the hand that gives it life. So I just hope to bring my life experience to animate the characters I play.
What excites me most is the tension—the glass of water on the edge of the table. I’m drawn to moments where comedy, stakes, pace, and expectation collide. My process is a blend of craft, instinct, and curiosity, and I’m constantly exploring how small choices—blinks, shifts, micro-beats—create huge emotional impact.
Right now, my fist Self-made short film, “2 Scotts One Cup” produced by Ali Ramsaier and edited by Trevor Trantow, is making its way through the festival circuit. It embodies so much of what I love about storytelling: accent work, comedic rhythm, and emotional truth. As that project continues to gain traction, I’m also expanding my creative footprint with new work and collaborations that live in the same house, but different rooms so to speak.
I’m slowly working on a music Album called Sea Bones & Land Shells, a book named The Self Imposed Exile of Nicholas Worth, and branching out more into Digital Art with my original designs. My goal is to keep building a body of work that invites people to look closer.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, the three qualities that shaped my journey most were resilience through adversity, a wide diversification of input, and an almost compulsive habit of documenting inspiration. Adversity was the first real teacher—it forced me to grow a kind of internal muscle. When things got difficult, it sharpened my sense of who I was and pushed me toward choices that revealed character rather than convenience. Those hard moments didn’t just test me; they clarified me.
The second was diversifying what I fed my mind. I learned early that creativity can’t survive on a limited diet. The more perspectives, art forms, conversations, philosophies, and even random curiosities I took in, the richer my work became. New inputs collide with old ones and create unexpected ideas you couldn’t have found otherwise. Expanding what you consume expands what you can express.
And finally, consistent documentation changed everything. I write down every spark—ideas, images, overheard lines, questions, moments that strike me for reasons I don’t fully understand yet. Those notes become a personal archive I can return to, a place where half-formed thoughts eventually grow into full projects. My advice to anyone starting out is this: capture the butterfly ideas when they come; eventually they add up. Over time, those three practices create a foundation that keeps your creative life moving forward, even when motivation or clarity are a hard ask.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Right now, the biggest elephantintheroom is AI. I’m not afraid of it in the sci-fi apocalypse sense, but I am aware that any powerful tool can cut both ways. A knife can be used to cook dinner or to cause harm—it’s danger doesn’t define it, the user does. AI feels similar. It’s capable of amplifying creativity, efficiency, and access, but it also risks diluting human nuance if we stop valuing the very things that make art… art.
What I’m doing to overcome that challenge is grounding myself more deeply in things AI can’t replicate: lived experience. I’m leaning into the unique “flavor” only I can bring. I treat AI like a tool—useful, sharp, and something I need to handle with respect. If I stay intentional about how and when I use it, it stops being a threat and becomes a partner.
Ultimately, I think the best way to move forward is to keep creating with Technology not against it. Kinda like horses and cars, horses didn’t go away when cars came; they just moved into a different sphere. And in History I’ve never seen progress stopped or even really slowed by those who are reticent of the change, so I think the way forward is to swim with the changing tide, maybe.
Technology evolves, but authenticity doesn’t go out of style. We can be honest and say, at the end of the day, we’d create things just to create outside of the need for money. Let’s hope we can still create and earn a living at the same time, but if not, I really hope the new Generation elects to have UBI for everyone. It seems like that would smooth over all the constant upheaval of progress and job stability.
Contact Info:
- Website: Tross785.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tross785/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tross785
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-trossarello/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Tross785
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peejenem
- Other: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-philip-trossarello/, imdb.me/Trossarello
