Meet Daniel Pinho

We recently connected with Daniel Pinho and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

One of my closest friends (also an artist) always says that music is about life, so when we find a hard time making music we can cure it my increasing the amount of life that we experience. I love this and agree wholeheartedly. Whenever I experience a creative block, I take a break for a day or two and focus on surrounding myself with friends and family and experiences that make me feel alive.

That said, I think it’s worth noting that it’s important to pay attention to where that threshold is for each person individually. There are many times when creating is “hard,” and we have to practice discipline as artists and push through those challenges. We can’t just walk away and go “experience life” to get away from the tough times. Finding that boundary and keeping my finger on it is part of the artist journey and experience.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m Daniel Pinho and I’m a musical artist, and currently I express myself through melodic house and techno. I come from a musical family; my grandmother was a concert pianist from Vienna, Austria, and I like to think I am embodying her legacy as an artist in the modern age. I believe above all else in consistency, and you can count on me to continue to make new music and put it out indefinitely. You can find my music in all of the normal places you find music; if you like it, please find me on your social media platform of choice and send me a message!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My three superpowers are discipline, knowledge of music theory, and my community.

Discipline: for whatever reason I’ve just been blessed (or cursed? haha) with this naturally. Everyone assumes that I got so organized and disciplined while I was in the military in my 20’s, but even in high school I used to make my bed every day, get up at 5am to go to the gym before school, etc. I think I enjoy a solid ritual (what most people call routine) as long as it supports my long-term goals. I’ve applied this concept to my health and wellness, my education, and my professional (non-creative) career, so it only makes sense that I’d apply it to my music career as well.

Knowledge of music theory: I grew up in a musical home so I was playing the piano as a little kid. I was REALLY fortunate in that my grandmother paid for me to take a year or so of private guitar lessons, during which I learned all about jazz theory and how to navigate songwriting from a music theory standpoint. I reflect back on that year or so as a pivotal experience for me as a musician. I learned so much and have leaned on that knowledge as a foundation on which I’ve learned more about songwriting and music theory.

Community: I have to say, if you’re just starting out, the number one thing you should focus on is community. Find an artist collective and immerse yourself in the creative experience. I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime and have learned SO MUCH from the artists I’ve met in the collectives that I’m fortunate to be a part of.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I sleep. I would say my default mode is to limit sleep in order to maximize throughput; typically I sleep about 5 hours a night, but occasionally (usually about once a week) I experience some level of existential crisis where the exhaustion just gets to me and I begin to question everything. Thankfully, through self-reflection, I’ve learned that it is just the exhaustion and that I should not listen to the self-doubt. Whenever I go through this, I just go to bed early and sleep for as long as I can. I can’t guarantee that this will work for everyone else, but in general I’d say each artist should practice self-awareness and learn about themselves so that they can recognize what they need when they need it.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where does your optimism come from?

Optimism is the invisible ingredient that powers so much of the incredible progress in society

Confidence
Stories of Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Learning from one another is what BoldJourney is all about. Below, we’ve shared stories and

Resilience
The Power of Persistence: Overcoming Haters and Doubters

Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made