8/04/15
56: Todd Henry – How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur
If you try to create for everybody, you will reach no one.
As an artist, your style, your point of view, your lens is what people come to you for. It’s your voice, it’s what you have to say.
And you have to harness that voice. You have to cultivate it. You have to figure out what it should say. That’s what I’m talking about today with Todd Henry, the founder of Accidental Creative.
Todd is the author of three books, The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and his new book Louder Than Words, which is coming out next week. On today’s episode, we are talking about all aspects of creativity: the necessity of unnecessary creating, the interdependence of an artist and audience, and how artists push limits.
His company helps creative people build brilliant ideas, and he is an expert in imagination, inspiration, and vision. I can’t wait for you to hear him talk about owning and developing your creativity.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. Let’s go.
We always sacrifice effectiveness on the altar of efficiency.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/56-todd-henry-how-to-push-your-limits-as-an-artist” title=”How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur” artist=”Todd Henry” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/56_ToddHenry_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How he founded the Accidental Creative [4:05]
- Applying what he learned working with artists to working in the business world [5:15]
- The difference between pursuing creative careers in your twenties vs. your thirties [7:25]
- Why fear is normal [9:40]
- On falling into purpose paralysis [10:55]
- Why you need to include your stakeholders in the calculations when taking risks [12:30]
- On separating your work and your worth [13:55]
- Why you have to continue pushing into dark places every day [16:15]
- The importance of breaking out of your comfort zone and stretching yourself [17:30]
- What is unnecessary creating [18:35]
- How to balance your creative portfolio [22:30]
- Why you should emulate and experiment when you’re in creative crisis [25:30]
- Moving past the point of emulation [30:30]
- How to identify your crisis mode [33:50]
- The importance of creating common ground with your audience [40:00]
- Why he doesn’t like the phrase ‘find your voice’ [43:20]
- The three elements of an effective, resonant voice [45:30]
- Why you can’t create for everybody [51:30]
- Meeting your audience where they are and leading them where you want to go [52:15]
- Why following up success means abandoning the things that made you successful [54:45]
- How success and developing your voice happens in layers [56:50]
- On drawing battle lines when it comes to your artistic principles [1:00:00]
- Why you need a sense of what you’re trying to build [1:02:35]
- How art is about spending yourself on behalf of something you care deeply about [1:05:10]
- Inspiration is seeking out the people that inspire and intimidate you and learn from them [1:08:05]
Links mentioned:
- Listen to Todd’s podcast, Accidental Creative
- Check out the work of the photographers Todd mentioned, Jon Bob and Michael Wilson
- Learn more about Todd’s new book, Louder Than Words, out August 11th
- And check out his other books, Die Empty and The Accidental Creative
- Music Credit: Bring It Back by Kayoh
LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE
CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION
If you try to create for everybody, you will reach no one.
As an artist, your style, your point of view, your lens is what people come to you for. It’s your voice, it’s what you have to say.
And you have to harness that voice. You have to cultivate it. You have to figure out what it should say. That’s what I’m talking about today with Todd Henry, the founder of Accidental Creative.
Todd is the author of three books, The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and his new book Louder Than Words, which is coming out next week. On today’s episode, we are talking about all aspects of creativity: the necessity of unnecessary creating, the interdependence of an artist and audience, and how artists push limits.
His company helps creative people build brilliant ideas, and he is an expert in imagination, inspiration, and vision. I can’t wait for you to hear him talk about owning and developing your creativity.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. Let’s go.
We always sacrifice effectiveness on the altar of efficiency.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/56-todd-henry-how-to-push-your-limits-as-an-artist” title=”How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur” artist=”Todd Henry” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/56_ToddHenry_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How he founded the Accidental Creative [4:05]
- Applying what he learned working with artists to working in the business world [5:15]
- The difference between pursuing creative careers in your twenties vs. your thirties [7:25]
- Why fear is normal [9:40]
- On falling into purpose paralysis [10:55]
- Why you need to include your stakeholders in the calculations when taking risks [12:30]
- On separating your work and your worth [13:55]
- Why you have to continue pushing into dark places every day [16:15]
- The importance of breaking out of your comfort zone and stretching yourself [17:30]
- What is unnecessary creating [18:35]
- How to balance your creative portfolio [22:30]
- Why you should emulate and experiment when you’re in creative crisis [25:30]
- Moving past the point of emulation [30:30]
- How to identify your crisis mode [33:50]
- The importance of creating common ground with your audience [40:00]
- Why he doesn’t like the phrase ‘find your voice’ [43:20]
- The three elements of an effective, resonant voice [45:30]
- Why you can’t create for everybody [51:30]
- Meeting your audience where they are and leading them where you want to go [52:15]
- Why following up success means abandoning the things that made you successful [54:45]
- How success and developing your voice happens in layers [56:50]
- On drawing battle lines when it comes to your artistic principles [1:00:00]
- Why you need a sense of what you’re trying to build [1:02:35]
- How art is about spending yourself on behalf of something you care deeply about [1:05:10]
- Inspiration is seeking out the people that inspire and intimidate you and learn from them [1:08:05]
Links mentioned:
- Listen to Todd’s podcast, Accidental Creative
- Check out the work of the photographers Todd mentioned, Jon Bob and Michael Wilson
- Learn more about Todd’s new book, Louder Than Words, out August 11th
- And check out his other books, Die Empty and The Accidental Creative
- Music Credit: Bring It Back by Kayoh
8/04/15
56: Todd Henry – How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur
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
If you try to create for everybody, you will reach no one.
As an artist, your style, your point of view, your lens is what people come to you for. It’s your voice, it’s what you have to say.
And you have to harness that voice. You have to cultivate it. You have to figure out what it should say. That’s what I’m talking about today with Todd Henry, the founder of Accidental Creative.
Todd is the author of three books, The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, and his new book Louder Than Words, which is coming out next week. On today’s episode, we are talking about all aspects of creativity: the necessity of unnecessary creating, the interdependence of an artist and audience, and how artists push limits.
His company helps creative people build brilliant ideas, and he is an expert in imagination, inspiration, and vision. I can’t wait for you to hear him talk about owning and developing your creativity.
Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. Let’s go.
We always sacrifice effectiveness on the altar of efficiency.
[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/nickonken/56-todd-henry-how-to-push-your-limits-as-an-artist” title=”How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur” artist=”Todd Henry” image=”https://nionlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/56_ToddHenry_NIONradio_02.jpg” color=”#de4b9b” ]
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- How he founded the Accidental Creative [4:05]
- Applying what he learned working with artists to working in the business world [5:15]
- The difference between pursuing creative careers in your twenties vs. your thirties [7:25]
- Why fear is normal [9:40]
- On falling into purpose paralysis [10:55]
- Why you need to include your stakeholders in the calculations when taking risks [12:30]
- On separating your work and your worth [13:55]
- Why you have to continue pushing into dark places every day [16:15]
- The importance of breaking out of your comfort zone and stretching yourself [17:30]
- What is unnecessary creating [18:35]
- How to balance your creative portfolio [22:30]
- Why you should emulate and experiment when you’re in creative crisis [25:30]
- Moving past the point of emulation [30:30]
- How to identify your crisis mode [33:50]
- The importance of creating common ground with your audience [40:00]
- Why he doesn’t like the phrase ‘find your voice’ [43:20]
- The three elements of an effective, resonant voice [45:30]
- Why you can’t create for everybody [51:30]
- Meeting your audience where they are and leading them where you want to go [52:15]
- Why following up success means abandoning the things that made you successful [54:45]
- How success and developing your voice happens in layers [56:50]
- On drawing battle lines when it comes to your artistic principles [1:00:00]
- Why you need a sense of what you’re trying to build [1:02:35]
- How art is about spending yourself on behalf of something you care deeply about [1:05:10]
- Inspiration is seeking out the people that inspire and intimidate you and learn from them [1:08:05]
Links mentioned:
- Listen to Todd’s podcast, Accidental Creative
- Check out the work of the photographers Todd mentioned, Jon Bob and Michael Wilson
- Learn more about Todd’s new book, Louder Than Words, out August 11th
- And check out his other books, Die Empty and The Accidental Creative
- Music Credit: Bring It Back by Kayoh
8/04/15
56: Todd Henry – How to Develop Your Voice as an Artist & Entrepreneur
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
A month of kung fu training in Wudang, China taught me that the body learns at the speed of honesty rather than the speed of ambition. Here is what martial arts taught me about practice.
Creative coherence is when who you are and how you’re seen are the same thing. A short, clear definition of the term, its four layers, and why it makes a brand magnetic.
A magnetic through-line is the one or two word idea your whole brand becomes associated with. What it is, why it matters, and how to find yours.
Creative coherence is the state where who you are and how you’re seen are the same thing. Why it matters more than frequency, and how to build it.
Identity Alchemy runs in five phases: Deconstruct, Curate, Architect, Become, Express. A walkthrough of what happens inside each, and where people get stuck.
Identity Alchemy is a five-phase method for rebuilding who you are and how you’re seen so the two finally match. Here is the full process.
A Brand Brain is one authored source that holds your identity, voice, and frameworks so every AI tool writes like you. Here is what it is and why you need one.
Being great at what you do doesn’t automatically turn into income. Here is the expertise-to-income gap, why it exists, and how to start closing it.
A real brand team runs $30,000 to $70,000 a year. Here is the full breakdown of what each role costs, and the engine I built to replace it for $997.
Your AI sounds generic because it reads the whole internet and returns the average. Here is how to make AI write in your actual voice instead.
For two decades I made other people’s brands coherent while my own waited. Here is the Brand Intelligence Engine I built to finally close that gap.
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.
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.
