“A lot of times what’s on the other side of that risk is beauty.”
Welcome to today’s episode of NION Radio where we’re talking about the ways that I actively work to design the life that I envision for myself and the tools that you can use to design your life. Have you ever wondered “how did I get to where I am today”? When I was deciding what I wanted to do when I grew up, the combination of art and technology sparked my interest in design, so I started with this goal and worked backwards from there to figure out what it takes to get there.
These practical steps have helped me to realize my goal and to appreciate the joys and challenges of making a career from your art. Why is it so important to be able to separate yourself from your art? What does it mean to create your life by creating every small moment and how can we allow ourselves the space to make magic happen?
Listen in to learn about Nick Onken’s background, his path to creating art as a career, and his outlook on how to design your life.
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“I created that vision then broke it down in reverse and said, how can I get there?”
“A lot of times what’s on the other side of that risk is beauty.”
Welcome to today’s episode of NION Radio where we’re talking about the ways that I actively work to design the life that I envision for myself and the tools that you can use to design your life. Have you ever wondered “how did I get to where I am today”? When I was deciding what I wanted to do when I grew up, the combination of art and technology sparked my interest in design, so I started with this goal and worked backwards from there to figure out what it takes to get there.
These practical steps have helped me to realize my goal and to appreciate the joys and challenges of making a career from your art. Why is it so important to be able to separate yourself from your art? What does it mean to create your life by creating every small moment and how can we allow ourselves the space to make magic happen?
Listen in to learn about Nick Onken’s background, his path to creating art as a career, and his outlook on how to design your life.
[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/nionradio/176_-_Nion_Radio_-_Design_Your_Life.mp3″ title=”Design Your Life” artist=”Nic Onken” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/176_NIONradio_NickOnken_DesignYourLife_CVR.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
“I created that vision then broke it down in reverse and said, how can I get there?”







“A lot of times what’s on the other side of that risk is beauty.”
Welcome to today’s episode of NION Radio where we’re talking about the ways that I actively work to design the life that I envision for myself and the tools that you can use to design your life. Have you ever wondered “how did I get to where I am today”? When I was deciding what I wanted to do when I grew up, the combination of art and technology sparked my interest in design, so I started with this goal and worked backwards from there to figure out what it takes to get there.
These practical steps have helped me to realize my goal and to appreciate the joys and challenges of making a career from your art. Why is it so important to be able to separate yourself from your art? What does it mean to create your life by creating every small moment and how can we allow ourselves the space to make magic happen?
Listen in to learn about Nick Onken’s background, his path to creating art as a career, and his outlook on how to design your life.
[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/nionradio/176_-_Nion_Radio_-_Design_Your_Life.mp3″ title=”Design Your Life” artist=”Nic Onken” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/176_NIONradio_NickOnken_DesignYourLife_CVR.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
“I created that vision then broke it down in reverse and said, how can I get there?”

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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.
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.
Quiet. Precise. Highly Selective.

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This personal brand audit takes two minutes and reveals exactly where your brand is broken. Four questions, one for each layer of brand intelligence. Most people fail at least two. Here’s the diagnostic.

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I spent 20 years photographing personal brands. I watched brilliant people stay invisible because they skipped the layers nobody talks about. So I built the Brand Intelligence Engine to fix it. Here’s the full story.

Your AI content sounds generic because the AI doesn’t know who you are. It’s not a tool problem. It’s an input problem. Without your identity, voice, and brand intelligence loaded, every AI produces the same bland output. Here’s how to fix it.

Creativity as intelligence is the idea that creative work isn’t about expressing who you already are. It’s about constructing who you’re becoming. Most people treat creativity as output. It’s actually architecture. Here’s why that changes everything.

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Authority isn’t binary. You’re not either an authority or not an authority. Authority exists in levels, stages, and progressions. Each level has distinct characteristics, distinct positioning, distinct challenges, and distinct requirements for advancement. Most people get stuck at Level One. They’re visible, active, creating content, showing up regularly. But they’re not building actual authority. They’re […]
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.