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
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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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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.
Explore the Partnership
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read the latest
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.
You cannot pour from an empty well. Travel is how I refill mine. Here is why new places are creative input rather than a break from the work, and why output without input runs dry.
There is a difference between making something and performing the act of making it. Here is what I learned about the creative act, content, and why the resistance is the whole game.
AI can generate endless brand content, but it cannot construct the identity underneath it. Here is the real line between what AI can do for your brand and what only you can.
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.
