I’m very lucky that I get to do something that has a simple message but reaches so many people.
Today I’m talking to returning guest James Goldcrown. I had him on in the early days of Nion Radio but James’ path has changed since then. These days he is known for the creation of the Love Wall. If you live in New York or L.A., you’ll recognize his murals because they’re everywhere and they give off this amazing vibe of love and positivity. His amazing layering of brightly colored hearts have gained him recognition that has led him to collaborations with TOMS Shoes, Sephora, and recently Rag & Bone.
James and I talked about his journey since our last conversation, the creation of the Love Wall, and how he has gone about turning it into a brand with global recognition. Plus he shares how he has used the murals and social media to create a brand presence and a wider reach.
Speaking of collaborations, I have also just released a special collection of crystal necklaces in collaborations with Made in Earth. I designed these pieces with different stones that all have their own unique energy and meaning. I have been working on these for a long time and I am excited to get them out in the world, so please go check them out.
The second you can be comfortable with who you are and what you are, everything else falls into place.
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Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How the power of social media launched James’ work [4:45]
- How James got his first legal mural job [8:20]
- James doesn’t believe in business cards anymore [10:55]
- James’ Instagram tips [11:50]
- Why it’s important to do pro bono work and raise awareness [12:40]
- Art is a universal language [16:35]
- When James’ Love Wall became a brand [17:30]
- How James got his first collaboration with TOMS Shoes [23:10]
- Stop talking and start doing [30:00]
- What James learned from TOMS [31:10]
- How to broker a collaboration deal [33:45]
- James’ plans for the future involve inspiring social change [37:00]
- How your personal journey aligns with your creative journey [42:00]
- What a normal week looks like for James [44:10]
- How he got to do Kygo album cover [50:20]
- James’ book recommendations [55:10]
Links mentioned:
- Get your hands on one of my Made in Earth necklaces
- Check out my previous interview with James
- Read Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Read Don’t Step on the Lines by Ben Richards
- Read The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Raold Dahl
- Listen to Pharrell’s podcast I Am Other
LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE
CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION
I’m very lucky that I get to do something that has a simple message but reaches so many people.
Today I’m talking to returning guest James Goldcrown. I had him on in the early days of Nion Radio but James’ path has changed since then. These days he is known for the creation of the Love Wall. If you live in New York or L.A., you’ll recognize his murals because they’re everywhere and they give off this amazing vibe of love and positivity. His amazing layering of brightly colored hearts have gained him recognition that has led him to collaborations with TOMS Shoes, Sephora, and recently Rag & Bone.
James and I talked about his journey since our last conversation, the creation of the Love Wall, and how he has gone about turning it into a brand with global recognition. Plus he shares how he has used the murals and social media to create a brand presence and a wider reach.
Speaking of collaborations, I have also just released a special collection of crystal necklaces in collaborations with Made in Earth. I designed these pieces with different stones that all have their own unique energy and meaning. I have been working on these for a long time and I am excited to get them out in the world, so please go check them out.
The second you can be comfortable with who you are and what you are, everything else falls into place.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/james-goldcrown-1″ title=”James Goldcrown – How to Create a Brand Out of Your Art” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/136_JamesGoldcrown_NIONradio.jpg” color=”de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How the power of social media launched James’ work [4:45]
- How James got his first legal mural job [8:20]
- James doesn’t believe in business cards anymore [10:55]
- James’ Instagram tips [11:50]
- Why it’s important to do pro bono work and raise awareness [12:40]
- Art is a universal language [16:35]
- When James’ Love Wall became a brand [17:30]
- How James got his first collaboration with TOMS Shoes [23:10]
- Stop talking and start doing [30:00]
- What James learned from TOMS [31:10]
- How to broker a collaboration deal [33:45]
- James’ plans for the future involve inspiring social change [37:00]
- How your personal journey aligns with your creative journey [42:00]
- What a normal week looks like for James [44:10]
- How he got to do Kygo album cover [50:20]
- James’ book recommendations [55:10]
Links mentioned:
- Get your hands on one of my Made in Earth necklaces
- Check out my previous interview with James
- Read Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Read Don’t Step on the Lines by Ben Richards
- Read The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Raold Dahl
- Listen to Pharrell’s podcast I Am Other
2/15/18
136: James Goldcrown – How to Create a Brand Out of Your Art
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
I’m very lucky that I get to do something that has a simple message but reaches so many people.
Today I’m talking to returning guest James Goldcrown. I had him on in the early days of Nion Radio but James’ path has changed since then. These days he is known for the creation of the Love Wall. If you live in New York or L.A., you’ll recognize his murals because they’re everywhere and they give off this amazing vibe of love and positivity. His amazing layering of brightly colored hearts have gained him recognition that has led him to collaborations with TOMS Shoes, Sephora, and recently Rag & Bone.
James and I talked about his journey since our last conversation, the creation of the Love Wall, and how he has gone about turning it into a brand with global recognition. Plus he shares how he has used the murals and social media to create a brand presence and a wider reach.
Speaking of collaborations, I have also just released a special collection of crystal necklaces in collaborations with Made in Earth. I designed these pieces with different stones that all have their own unique energy and meaning. I have been working on these for a long time and I am excited to get them out in the world, so please go check them out.
The second you can be comfortable with who you are and what you are, everything else falls into place.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/james-goldcrown-1″ title=”James Goldcrown – How to Create a Brand Out of Your Art” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/136_JamesGoldcrown_NIONradio.jpg” color=”de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How the power of social media launched James’ work [4:45]
- How James got his first legal mural job [8:20]
- James doesn’t believe in business cards anymore [10:55]
- James’ Instagram tips [11:50]
- Why it’s important to do pro bono work and raise awareness [12:40]
- Art is a universal language [16:35]
- When James’ Love Wall became a brand [17:30]
- How James got his first collaboration with TOMS Shoes [23:10]
- Stop talking and start doing [30:00]
- What James learned from TOMS [31:10]
- How to broker a collaboration deal [33:45]
- James’ plans for the future involve inspiring social change [37:00]
- How your personal journey aligns with your creative journey [42:00]
- What a normal week looks like for James [44:10]
- How he got to do Kygo album cover [50:20]
- James’ book recommendations [55:10]
Links mentioned:
- Get your hands on one of my Made in Earth necklaces
- Check out my previous interview with James
- Read Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Read Don’t Step on the Lines by Ben Richards
- Read The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Raold Dahl
- Listen to Pharrell’s podcast I Am Other
2/15/18
136: James Goldcrown – How to Create a Brand Out of Your Art
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Brand guidelines are static rules for the surface. A Brand Brain is a living codification of identity a team or an AI can generate from. The difference, defined.
We trained six styles of kung fu in one month. Sampling that widely taught me how a creative actually finds the practice worth years: breadth first, the pull as data, then depth.
Travel makes you more creative because unfamiliar places wake up your perception. Why the effect works, and how to bring the sharpened eye home with you.
Your brand photos lag behind you because you kept evolving and the images stayed frozen. Why the gap opens, how to spot it, and what closes it.
The kung fu school had rules: locked-in weekdays, dawn starts, push-ups for lateness. A month inside taught me that constraints you choose are what make depth possible.
A daily creative practice is making one real thing every day, however small, to stay in a proactive state. A working definition, and how to build one that lasts.
AI describes your brand by averaging your public record. How to codify one identity, repeat it everywhere, and get the machines to echo you back accurately.
I’ve photographed Justin Bieber several times and seen fame up close. His stripped-down Coachella set showed the thing I keep relearning about creative work: production amplifies, and only artistry carries.
You recover from creative burnout by treating it as a nervous system state: build real down-cycles, read your own signals, and return to the work you love.
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.
I spent a month training kung fu in Wudang at 47, the oldest and slowest learner in the room. What being a beginner again in midlife taught me about pace, comparison, and starting anyway.
You develop taste through thousands of reps of looking closely and deciding what works. A photographer’s honest answer on how taste gets built.
You make a personal brand more coherent by naming the identity underneath it, distilling a one or two word through-line, and bringing the four layers into agreement. The full path, in order.
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.
