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12/16/15

73: In-Q – How to Build a Career as a Poet

The more you stretch as an artist, the more space you have.

Have you ever heard a live spoken word performance? The kind that makes you nod your head and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?

That’s how I felt when I first heard In-Q. This man is an uber talented spoken word poet, and he is incredibly skilled as both a writer and a performer; So skilled, in fact, that he has performed with Cirque du Soleil, on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and even for the president. But he’s not just a poet. He’s also a talented songwriter who has written songs with Miley Cyrus, Aloe Blacc, Mike Posner, and Selena Gomez.

What I love about In-Q’s poetry is that he writes about the human experience, encouraging people to ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large. Listen in to our conversation to hear us talk about not only art, commerce, and making a living as a spoken word poet, but also about In-Q’s writing process and why he encourages people to express themselves.

I want people to realize that they’re all poets and they’re all storytellers.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/in-q” title=”How to Build a Career as a Poet” artist=”In-Q” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/73_IN-Q_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]

Some things we learn in this podcast:

  • How he realized he was more of a poet than a rapper [3:05]
  • How he jumped into the music world [3:55]
  • The value of thinking outside the box [4:30]
  • How poetry became his outlet [7:20]
  • Why he loves the Matrix movies [9:20]
  • Why he encourages people to express themselves [11:50]
  • What his day to day life is like [17:10]
  • How you can experience time differently [18:10]
  • Why he wants to break poetry into popular culture [21:30]
  • Why you have to know your why [22:50]
  • Why he doesn’t seek validation from anything external [24:20]
  • How art and commerce should coexist [26:50]
  • Why we think growing up means we stop learning [36:10]
  • Why he wants to do stuff he’s not good at [37:20]
  • Why capitalism and the priorities of society need to shift [41:00]
  • Why it’s not just about growth, but about how you grow [45:00]
  • What his writing process is like [54:50]

Links mentioned:

Connect with In-Q Instagram | Twitter | Website

LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE

CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION

The more you stretch as an artist, the more space you have.

Have you ever heard a live spoken word performance? The kind that makes you nod your head and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?

That’s how I felt when I first heard In-Q. This man is an uber talented spoken word poet, and he is incredibly skilled as both a writer and a performer; So skilled, in fact, that he has performed with Cirque du Soleil, on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and even for the president. But he’s not just a poet. He’s also a talented songwriter who has written songs with Miley Cyrus, Aloe Blacc, Mike Posner, and Selena Gomez.

What I love about In-Q’s poetry is that he writes about the human experience, encouraging people to ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large. Listen in to our conversation to hear us talk about not only art, commerce, and making a living as a spoken word poet, but also about In-Q’s writing process and why he encourages people to express themselves.

I want people to realize that they’re all poets and they’re all storytellers.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/in-q” title=”How to Build a Career as a Poet” artist=”In-Q” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/73_IN-Q_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]

Some things we learn in this podcast:

  • How he realized he was more of a poet than a rapper [3:05]
  • How he jumped into the music world [3:55]
  • The value of thinking outside the box [4:30]
  • How poetry became his outlet [7:20]
  • Why he loves the Matrix movies [9:20]
  • Why he encourages people to express themselves [11:50]
  • What his day to day life is like [17:10]
  • How you can experience time differently [18:10]
  • Why he wants to break poetry into popular culture [21:30]
  • Why you have to know your why [22:50]
  • Why he doesn’t seek validation from anything external [24:20]
  • How art and commerce should coexist [26:50]
  • Why we think growing up means we stop learning [36:10]
  • Why he wants to do stuff he’s not good at [37:20]
  • Why capitalism and the priorities of society need to shift [41:00]
  • Why it’s not just about growth, but about how you grow [45:00]
  • What his writing process is like [54:50]

Links mentioned:

Connect with In-Q Instagram | Twitter | Website

12/16/15

73: In-Q – How to Build a Career as a Poet

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The more you stretch as an artist, the more space you have.

Have you ever heard a live spoken word performance? The kind that makes you nod your head and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?

That’s how I felt when I first heard In-Q. This man is an uber talented spoken word poet, and he is incredibly skilled as both a writer and a performer; So skilled, in fact, that he has performed with Cirque du Soleil, on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam, and even for the president. But he’s not just a poet. He’s also a talented songwriter who has written songs with Miley Cyrus, Aloe Blacc, Mike Posner, and Selena Gomez.

What I love about In-Q’s poetry is that he writes about the human experience, encouraging people to ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large. Listen in to our conversation to hear us talk about not only art, commerce, and making a living as a spoken word poet, but also about In-Q’s writing process and why he encourages people to express themselves.

I want people to realize that they’re all poets and they’re all storytellers.

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/in-q” title=”How to Build a Career as a Poet” artist=”In-Q” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/73_IN-Q_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]

Some things we learn in this podcast:

  • How he realized he was more of a poet than a rapper [3:05]
  • How he jumped into the music world [3:55]
  • The value of thinking outside the box [4:30]
  • How poetry became his outlet [7:20]
  • Why he loves the Matrix movies [9:20]
  • Why he encourages people to express themselves [11:50]
  • What his day to day life is like [17:10]
  • How you can experience time differently [18:10]
  • Why he wants to break poetry into popular culture [21:30]
  • Why you have to know your why [22:50]
  • Why he doesn’t seek validation from anything external [24:20]
  • How art and commerce should coexist [26:50]
  • Why we think growing up means we stop learning [36:10]
  • Why he wants to do stuff he’s not good at [37:20]
  • Why capitalism and the priorities of society need to shift [41:00]
  • Why it’s not just about growth, but about how you grow [45:00]
  • What his writing process is like [54:50]

Links mentioned:

Connect with In-Q Instagram | Twitter | Website

12/16/15

73: In-Q – How to Build a Career as a Poet

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read the latest

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A magnetic personal brand comes from coherence and one clear through-line. Here is how entrepreneurs build one, in order, and the trap that keeps most brands scattered.

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Nick Onken portrait, Life Intelligence essay on nervous system regulation and creative recovery

Burnout is less a willpower problem than a nervous system running with no recovery. Here is what I learned about creative recovery from social media burnout and a reset in Costa Rica.

Elevated Realism brand portrait by Nick Onken, a subject looking unmistakably like themselves

Most brand photographers take good photos of you. Few capture who you actually are. Here is what to look for when hiring a brand photographer so your images match your authority.

Nick Onken portrait, Creative Intelligence essay on taste and the discipline of seeing

Taste is less a gift than a discipline you build through thousands of reps of seeing. Here is what twenty-five years behind a camera taught me about the art of seeing.

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Visual Frequency of Authority is the energetic signature your images transmit before anyone reads a word. What it means and why two people with the same credentials read so differently.

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. 

NICK'S STORY