You ever hear the saying, “It takes 21 days to create a new habit.”?
I believe this to be true. We all have the habits and ways of being we’ve created that make up the default way we operate and govern our lives. I wrote a blog post on expanding your default in the way of expanding your knowledge arsenal of shooting photographs.
That directly translates into everything else we do in life.
We are what we do repeatedly. I believe we can create new ways of being, and things we want to do by doing them daily for at least 21 days. Habits are things we do subconsciously, so if we do something repeatedly for that long every day we move it from our conscious to our subconscious, therefore making it something we naturally do.
For me, working out was a huge challenge for me. I hated it, and I still don’t love it. I now work out 4-5 days per week and it feels weird not to. I started by creating a plyo training workout that I could do in 25 minutes at my house. Plyo training is a shorter but more intense workout that does more for you in a short amount of time. Just what I needed to start my new habit – the idea of going to the gym just didn’t work for me. It was something small and palletteable that I designed into now something I naturally do. For some people, maybe it’s just putting forth the effort to even step into a gym and not even working out. Do it daily enough pretty soon it will feel weird not to, then you can take the next step and start working out. Now working out is a subconscious part of my life. Though it still takes effort, it is way more natural to me now.
Another example, is my recent #The100DayProject I joined with my friends. I decided to do a hand drawn type quote every day. It’s now become a habit that I am really enjoying, and a good practice for working in a different creative flow. I pick a quote daily that resonates with where I’m at and draw it. You can check out the project #OnkenDrawsType or follow me on instagram.
This also translates into our self talk. We are who we think we are, so if you want to be a better version of yourself or there are things that you want to change about yourself, the first step is believing you can. The second step is to become aware of these thoughts when they come up. Then it’s a conscious effort of changing the story we tell ourselves. We all have one or many. Next thing you know, new ways of operating become subconscious.
Do you have something you’ve been wanting to change about yourself? Most of the time it’s because of a fear or a story that you tell yourself. Step outside. Change the story, but repeat that change every day until you don’t have to consciously think about it.
LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE
CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION
You ever hear the saying, “It takes 21 days to create a new habit.”?
I believe this to be true. We all have the habits and ways of being we’ve created that make up the default way we operate and govern our lives. I wrote a blog post on expanding your default in the way of expanding your knowledge arsenal of shooting photographs.
That directly translates into everything else we do in life.
We are what we do repeatedly. I believe we can create new ways of being, and things we want to do by doing them daily for at least 21 days. Habits are things we do subconsciously, so if we do something repeatedly for that long every day we move it from our conscious to our subconscious, therefore making it something we naturally do.
For me, working out was a huge challenge for me. I hated it, and I still don’t love it. I now work out 4-5 days per week and it feels weird not to. I started by creating a plyo training workout that I could do in 25 minutes at my house. Plyo training is a shorter but more intense workout that does more for you in a short amount of time. Just what I needed to start my new habit – the idea of going to the gym just didn’t work for me. It was something small and palletteable that I designed into now something I naturally do. For some people, maybe it’s just putting forth the effort to even step into a gym and not even working out. Do it daily enough pretty soon it will feel weird not to, then you can take the next step and start working out. Now working out is a subconscious part of my life. Though it still takes effort, it is way more natural to me now.
Another example, is my recent #The100DayProject I joined with my friends. I decided to do a hand drawn type quote every day. It’s now become a habit that I am really enjoying, and a good practice for working in a different creative flow. I pick a quote daily that resonates with where I’m at and draw it. You can check out the project #OnkenDrawsType or follow me on instagram.
This also translates into our self talk. We are who we think we are, so if you want to be a better version of yourself or there are things that you want to change about yourself, the first step is believing you can. The second step is to become aware of these thoughts when they come up. Then it’s a conscious effort of changing the story we tell ourselves. We all have one or many. Next thing you know, new ways of operating become subconscious.
Do you have something you’ve been wanting to change about yourself? Most of the time it’s because of a fear or a story that you tell yourself. Step outside. Change the story, but repeat that change every day until you don’t have to consciously think about it.
6/02/14
How to change your norm by creating new habits
infuse your vision with a fresh breath of creativity and vitality
BOOK A BRAND PHOTOSHOOT
GET THE DETAILS
GET THE DETAILS
infuse your vision with a fresh breath of creativity and vitality
PODCAST
BRAND INTELLIGENCE
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE
LIFE INTELLIGENCE
masterfully aligning perception and reality through personal branding
masterfully aligning perception and reality through personal branding
You ever hear the saying, “It takes 21 days to create a new habit.”?
I believe this to be true. We all have the habits and ways of being we’ve created that make up the default way we operate and govern our lives. I wrote a blog post on expanding your default in the way of expanding your knowledge arsenal of shooting photographs.
That directly translates into everything else we do in life.
We are what we do repeatedly. I believe we can create new ways of being, and things we want to do by doing them daily for at least 21 days. Habits are things we do subconsciously, so if we do something repeatedly for that long every day we move it from our conscious to our subconscious, therefore making it something we naturally do.
For me, working out was a huge challenge for me. I hated it, and I still don’t love it. I now work out 4-5 days per week and it feels weird not to. I started by creating a plyo training workout that I could do in 25 minutes at my house. Plyo training is a shorter but more intense workout that does more for you in a short amount of time. Just what I needed to start my new habit – the idea of going to the gym just didn’t work for me. It was something small and palletteable that I designed into now something I naturally do. For some people, maybe it’s just putting forth the effort to even step into a gym and not even working out. Do it daily enough pretty soon it will feel weird not to, then you can take the next step and start working out. Now working out is a subconscious part of my life. Though it still takes effort, it is way more natural to me now.
Another example, is my recent #The100DayProject I joined with my friends. I decided to do a hand drawn type quote every day. It’s now become a habit that I am really enjoying, and a good practice for working in a different creative flow. I pick a quote daily that resonates with where I’m at and draw it. You can check out the project #OnkenDrawsType or follow me on instagram.
This also translates into our self talk. We are who we think we are, so if you want to be a better version of yourself or there are things that you want to change about yourself, the first step is believing you can. The second step is to become aware of these thoughts when they come up. Then it’s a conscious effort of changing the story we tell ourselves. We all have one or many. Next thing you know, new ways of operating become subconscious.
Do you have something you’ve been wanting to change about yourself? Most of the time it’s because of a fear or a story that you tell yourself. Step outside. Change the story, but repeat that change every day until you don’t have to consciously think about it.
6/02/14
How to change your norm by creating new habits
When you need a trusted creative partner in the room.
Take the Fit Check
Be seen at the level you’re stepping into.
Hey! I'm Nick.
PHOTOGRAPHER
BRAND ALCHEMIST
TEACHER
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia.
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.
Take the Fit Check
Start Here
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.
Explore the Partnership
Quiet. Precise. Highly Selective.
read the latest
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.
Your content strategy is not working because the problem isn’t content. It’s what’s underneath it. When your brand lacks identity and visual translation, posting more just amplifies incoherence. Here’s the trap and how to escape it.
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.
Your personal brand identity is not you. It’s a translation of you. When you confuse the two, you either freeze up or perform. Neither builds authority. Here’s the distinction that changes how you show up online.
The biggest personal brand photography investment mistake isn’t underspending on photos. It’s investing $50,000 in coaching, ads, and masterminds while spending $500 on visual identity. Here’s what that costs you and how to fix the order.
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.
The personal brand identity gap is the distance between your expertise and your visibility. When who you are doesn’t match how you’re seen online, it’s not a marketing problem. It’s a coherence problem. Here’s how to close it.
Most personal brands skip visual translation entirely. They jump from identity straight to content. But brand identity before website, before content, before the sales page is the order that actually works. Here’s the layer you’re missing.
Most personal brand strategy frameworks skip the foundation. Brand intelligence is built in four layers: Identity, Visual Translation, Content, and Business. Here’s why starting at layer three is the reason your brand feels off.
Your personal brand feels off but you can’t explain why. It’s not your logo or colors. It’s a coherence problem, a structural gap between who you are and how you’re seen. Here’s what to do.
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 […]
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.
