Danny Skinz
Co-Founder | Creative Strategy, Systems & Ecological Design
Early Influences & Creative Roots
I am a visual artist, creative strategist, and systems builder living on the North Shore of Oʻahu, and a co-founder of Haleveda.
I grew up in Miami in the 1980s, shaped by a vibrant convergence of cultures, street art, and the emerging language of hip hop. Graffiti and design became my earliest teachers—training my eye, sharpening my instincts, and teaching me how to read environments, adapt quickly, and create meaning within constraint. Those formative years cultivated a way of thinking that is intuitive, lateral, and deeply systems-oriented.
That creative foundation carried me from Miami to New York City, where I worked professionally as an Art Director and Graphic Designer. Immersed in the heart of hip hop culture, I collaborated with some of the genre’s most influential brands and iconic foundations. This period sharpened my ability to communicate clearly, build visual systems, and translate complex identities into coherent, impactful design—skills that continue to inform all of my work today.Â
From Creative Practice to Healing Path
Over time, my curiosity expanded beyond visual expression into deeper questions of how people live, heal, and organize their lives. Love, yoga, and time in nature gradually redirected my path—leading me into ecological design, permaculture, and eventually Ayurveda. These disciplines offered language and structure for principles I had long understood intuitively: balance, flow, rhythm, and intelligent use of energy.
Ayurvedic Training & Lineage
My formal Ayurvedic training began at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, where I studied under Dr. Vasant Lad. From there, my studies carried me to India, where I continued my training directly within a living Ayurvedic environment. During this time, I was invited to take on the responsibility of overseeing key aspects of the daily functioning of the ashram and facility, while simultaneously participating in intensive Panchakarma therapist training. This dual role—holding both clinical immersion and operational stewardship—deepened my understanding of Ayurveda as a living system. It strengthened my leadership capacity and refined my ability to balance people, process, and purpose, ensuring that healing work could unfold with integrity, organization, and care.
Stewardship, Systems & Leadership
I am a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor and trained permaculturist, and I approach Ayurveda as both a medical science and a systems framework—one that applies equally to human health, ecological design, and organizational sustainability.
Within Haleveda, my role is to translate vision into form. I help design and steward the creative, operational, ecological, and infrastructural systems that allow healing work to be sustainable, embodied, and enduring. I thrive at the intersection of imagination and execution, ensuring that inspired ideas are grounded, functional, and resilient.
Living Practice
Though my medium is never stagnant, I remain an artist at heart. Design continues to be one of my core languages—whether expressed through visual work, spatial thinking, regenerative systems, or strategic problem-solving. I am energized by challenge, devoted to refinement, and committed to building structures that honor both human potential and the natural world.
Outside of my professional work, I am nourished by surfing, growing food, and the lifelong practice of self-realization.
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CREDENTIALS, ACHIEVEMENTS & LINEAGEÂ Â
- Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner
- Certified Panchakarma Therapist
- Certified Permaculture Designer
- Advanced study in India with Dr. Vasant Lad
- Co-Founder, Hale Veda™
- Founding contributor, Āyurveda for the People™
