For me the biggest key to success is being able to master your mind.
Today I’m bringing you the first episode of NION Radio, formerly ShopTalk Radio. With the help of my girlfriend Stacy London, we’re turning the tables as she interviews me about how I got to where I am in my creative career, why I’m starting my own brand, and what NION is all about.
Starting from my childhood outside of Seattle, we are talking about all of the gritty details: my design career, when I first picked up a camera, how traveling has opened my eyes, the highs and lows of my career, how I found my own identity despite the confines of my environment, and how learning about emotional intelligence has helped me along the way.
Listen in to learn where the name of my brand NION came from, why I’m passionate bout living a vibrant life with your eyes open, and why I want to continue interviewing fascinating people that are creating great art and leading highly productive, rich, and fulfilling lives.
Thank you for your support of this podcast over the years. I’m excited to be continuing to push it to be helpful and inspiring for all types of creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists.
I definitely had to motivate myself to discover a bigger world.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/nick-onken” title=”How I Went From Struggling Artist To Where I Am Today” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/100_NickOnken_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- What is the essence of this podcast [4:20]
- Common themes amongst creatives [6:25]
- The importance of giving back [8:00]
- The difference between success and fulfillment [9:40]
- What drives my curiosity [14:10]
- How I started questioning my religious upbringing [18:30]
- What opened my eyes to travel [22:40]
- When I first picked up a digital camera [28:05]
- The importance of practice [37:00]
- What influenced my hunger for experience [48:40]
- Why it’s important to build your career as a photographer in a big city [49:50]
- How I created an awesome network [59:20]
- Why you have to have a vision for where you want to be [1:01:50]
- How to find representation [1:04:25]
- Why I moved to New York [1:10:10]
- Where Nion came from [1:13:20]
- What happened when media shifted in 2011 [1:15:05]
- Why you have to separate yourself from your work [1:20:10]
- How NION came about [1:24:20]
- The role collaboration will play in NION [1:30:30]
- How to not be cynical about the world [1:38:10]
Links mentioned:
- Check out Freedom Podcasting
- Read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
- Check out Lewis Howes’ interview with Tony Robbins
- Listen to the podcast episodes mentioned today: Stacy London & Emily Fletcher
- Check out photographer Jim Garner
- Learn more about Pencils of Promise
- Get a copy of my book Photo Trekking
- Music Credit: Yeah by Itro
LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE
CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION
For me the biggest key to success is being able to master your mind.
Today I’m bringing you the first episode of NION Radio, formerly ShopTalk Radio. With the help of my girlfriend Stacy London, we’re turning the tables as she interviews me about how I got to where I am in my creative career, why I’m starting my own brand, and what NION is all about.
Starting from my childhood outside of Seattle, we are talking about all of the gritty details: my design career, when I first picked up a camera, how traveling has opened my eyes, the highs and lows of my career, how I found my own identity despite the confines of my environment, and how learning about emotional intelligence has helped me along the way.
Listen in to learn where the name of my brand NION came from, why I’m passionate bout living a vibrant life with your eyes open, and why I want to continue interviewing fascinating people that are creating great art and leading highly productive, rich, and fulfilling lives.
Thank you for your support of this podcast over the years. I’m excited to be continuing to push it to be helpful and inspiring for all types of creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists.
I definitely had to motivate myself to discover a bigger world.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/nick-onken” title=”How I Went From Struggling Artist To Where I Am Today” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/100_NickOnken_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- What is the essence of this podcast [4:20]
- Common themes amongst creatives [6:25]
- The importance of giving back [8:00]
- The difference between success and fulfillment [9:40]
- What drives my curiosity [14:10]
- How I started questioning my religious upbringing [18:30]
- What opened my eyes to travel [22:40]
- When I first picked up a digital camera [28:05]
- The importance of practice [37:00]
- What influenced my hunger for experience [48:40]
- Why it’s important to build your career as a photographer in a big city [49:50]
- How I created an awesome network [59:20]
- Why you have to have a vision for where you want to be [1:01:50]
- How to find representation [1:04:25]
- Why I moved to New York [1:10:10]
- Where Nion came from [1:13:20]
- What happened when media shifted in 2011 [1:15:05]
- Why you have to separate yourself from your work [1:20:10]
- How NION came about [1:24:20]
- The role collaboration will play in NION [1:30:30]
- How to not be cynical about the world [1:38:10]
Links mentioned:
- Check out Freedom Podcasting
- Read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
- Check out Lewis Howes’ interview with Tony Robbins
- Listen to the podcast episodes mentioned today: Stacy London & Emily Fletcher
- Check out photographer Jim Garner
- Learn more about Pencils of Promise
- Get a copy of my book Photo Trekking
- Music Credit: Yeah by Itro
9/13/16
100: Nick Onken – How I Went From Struggling Artist To Where I Am Today
infuse your vision with a fresh breath of creativity and vitality
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infuse your vision with a fresh breath of creativity and vitality
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masterfully aligning perception and reality through personal branding
masterfully aligning perception and reality through personal branding
For me the biggest key to success is being able to master your mind.
Today I’m bringing you the first episode of NION Radio, formerly ShopTalk Radio. With the help of my girlfriend Stacy London, we’re turning the tables as she interviews me about how I got to where I am in my creative career, why I’m starting my own brand, and what NION is all about.
Starting from my childhood outside of Seattle, we are talking about all of the gritty details: my design career, when I first picked up a camera, how traveling has opened my eyes, the highs and lows of my career, how I found my own identity despite the confines of my environment, and how learning about emotional intelligence has helped me along the way.
Listen in to learn where the name of my brand NION came from, why I’m passionate bout living a vibrant life with your eyes open, and why I want to continue interviewing fascinating people that are creating great art and leading highly productive, rich, and fulfilling lives.
Thank you for your support of this podcast over the years. I’m excited to be continuing to push it to be helpful and inspiring for all types of creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists.
I definitely had to motivate myself to discover a bigger world.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/nick-onken” title=”How I Went From Struggling Artist To Where I Am Today” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/100_NickOnken_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- What is the essence of this podcast [4:20]
- Common themes amongst creatives [6:25]
- The importance of giving back [8:00]
- The difference between success and fulfillment [9:40]
- What drives my curiosity [14:10]
- How I started questioning my religious upbringing [18:30]
- What opened my eyes to travel [22:40]
- When I first picked up a digital camera [28:05]
- The importance of practice [37:00]
- What influenced my hunger for experience [48:40]
- Why it’s important to build your career as a photographer in a big city [49:50]
- How I created an awesome network [59:20]
- Why you have to have a vision for where you want to be [1:01:50]
- How to find representation [1:04:25]
- Why I moved to New York [1:10:10]
- Where Nion came from [1:13:20]
- What happened when media shifted in 2011 [1:15:05]
- Why you have to separate yourself from your work [1:20:10]
- How NION came about [1:24:20]
- The role collaboration will play in NION [1:30:30]
- How to not be cynical about the world [1:38:10]
Links mentioned:
- Check out Freedom Podcasting
- Read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield and Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
- Check out Lewis Howes’ interview with Tony Robbins
- Listen to the podcast episodes mentioned today: Stacy London & Emily Fletcher
- Check out photographer Jim Garner
- Learn more about Pencils of Promise
- Get a copy of my book Photo Trekking
- Music Credit: Yeah by Itro
9/13/16
100: Nick Onken – How I Went From Struggling Artist To Where I Am Today
When you need a trusted creative partner in the room.
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Hey! I'm Nick.
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Build authority from the inside out.
Emanate is a creative-direction-led photography experience for entrepreneurs, speakers, and thought leaders in a moment of expansion. This isn’t about better photos. It’s about aligning how you’re seen with who you’ve become. For seasons of rebrand, visibility, and next-level leadership.
Magnetic Authority is a self-guided container for people who feel visible, but not fully anchored.
If your message keeps shifting, your brand feels inconsistent, or your presence doesn’t match your capability yet. This is where you build the foundation before you scale.
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For founders, creatives, and leaders who want a trusted long-term partner. This isn’t coaching or traditional consulting.
It’s an ongoing creative partnership focused on bringing your personal brand identity to life.
Your brand. Your website. Your visuals.
All shaped as a direct extension of who you are. The work also includes a bespoke process of identifying and aligning the right experts when needed, so nothing gets built out of sync with your core.
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read the latest
Every personal brand stalls in one of three gaps: Identity, Signal, or Infrastructure. Most people have the third and spend years fixing the first.
A month of kung fu training in Wudang, China taught me that the body learns at the speed of honesty rather than the speed of ambition. Here is what martial arts taught me about practice.
Creative coherence is when who you are and how you’re seen are the same thing. A short, clear definition of the term, its four layers, and why it makes a brand magnetic.
A magnetic through-line is the one or two word idea your whole brand becomes associated with. What it is, why it matters, and how to find yours.
Creative coherence is the state where who you are and how you’re seen are the same thing. Why it matters more than frequency, and how to build it.
Identity Alchemy runs in five phases: Deconstruct, Curate, Architect, Become, Express. A walkthrough of what happens inside each, and where people get stuck.
Identity Alchemy is a five-phase method for rebuilding who you are and how you’re seen so the two finally match. Here is the full process.
A Brand Brain is one authored source that holds your identity, voice, and frameworks so every AI tool writes like you. Here is what it is and why you need one.
Being great at what you do doesn’t automatically turn into income. Here is the expertise-to-income gap, why it exists, and how to start closing it.
A real brand team runs $30,000 to $70,000 a year. Here is the full breakdown of what each role costs, and the engine I built to replace it for $997.
Your AI sounds generic because it reads the whole internet and returns the average. Here is how to make AI write in your actual voice instead.
For two decades I made other people’s brands coherent while my own waited. Here is the Brand Intelligence Engine I built to finally close that gap.
The Brand Intelligence Engine is an AI personal brand system that builds the complete infrastructure of a premium brand in three phases. Here’s exactly what happens inside, what it produces, and who it’s built for.
About the Blogger
I was born in a low middle class conservative religious family in the suburbs of Seattle. Art was and always has been my passion, and more than that a way of life. Starting as a graphic designer, I taught myself photography, built a commercial/editorial business shooting for the worlds biggest brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas and more. I've also had the opportunity to photograph the world's biggest celebrities like Justin Bieber, Usher, Jessica Alba and more. I've curated a lifestyle around creativity and have learned a lot along the way which I get to share here.
I was born in a low middle class conservative religious family in the suburbs of Seattle. Art was and always has been my passion, and more than that a way of life. Starting as a graphic designer, I taught myself photography, built a commercial/editorial business shooting for the worlds biggest brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Adidas and more. I've also had the opportunity to photograph the world's biggest celebrities like Justin Bieber, Usher, Jessica Alba and more. I've curated a lifestyle around creativity and have learned a lot along the way which I get to share here.
