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
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 […]
You had the insight. The breakthrough moment, the realization, the epiphany, the profound understanding. Deep knowing about who you are, what you offer, and how you’re different. Life-changing clarity about your positioning, your value, and your authority. Then what changed? Actually changed? Behaviorally, practically, visibly? In how you show up, how you speak, how you […]
You are established. Actually established. Years in business, real results created, genuine expertise developed, actual clients served, tangible transformations delivered, proven value demonstrated. You’ve built real authority through real work over real time with real outcomes. But you don’t look established. Your brand doesn’t show it, your presence doesn’t reflect it, your positioning doesn’t communicate […]
Connor Beaton leads men into their shadows. Not the surface-level masculinity work. Not the “alpha male” performance. Not the toxic patterns disguised as strength. Shadow work. Carl Jung. Integration. The parts men hide. The parts they fear. The parts that control them when unexamined. His brand needed to reflect that depth. That willingness to look […]
You keep rebuilding. New brand, new colors, new photos, new messaging, new positioning, new website, new everything. Every six months, every year, every time it feels wrong and stops working. Hoping this time fixes it, this time solves it, this time creates the authority and positioning you need. It doesn’t. It never does. Because you’re […]
You know things. Real things. Earned through years of experience. Patterns most people miss. Insights that could transform how your audience operates. But nobody knows you know them. You’re the hidden expert. Competent. Skilled. Valuable. Invisible. The shift from hidden expert to recognized authority doesn’t start where most people think. Not with better marketing. Not […]
Devotion isn’t soft. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever practice. Most people think devotion means passion. Excitement. The feeling you get when inspiration strikes and everything flows. That’s not devotion. That’s infatuation. Devotion is showing up when inspiration is gone. When the work feels mechanical. When no one is watching and there’s no immediate reward. […]
You redesign your logo for the third time. Still doesn’t feel right. You hire another designer. Try different colors. New fonts. Different aesthetic entirely. Still wrong. So you conclude: “I just need better branding.” But the crisis isn’t your logo. It’s not your color palette. It’s not your website design. The crisis is deeper. You […]
You can be visible without being recognizable. Most people confuse the two. They post constantly. Show up everywhere. Maximize exposure. They think: “The more people see me, the more my brand grows.” But visibility isn’t the same as recognition. Visibility is being seen once. Recognition is being remembered. Visibility is impressions. Recognition is identity. You […]
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.
