Last week was impactful.
Not only on me, but waves were made in the world. Historic waves. Very rare is it that you see such a big artist step into activism and create a song performed and listen to by millions of people about a subject like Social Injustice.
If you haven’t heard Usher’s new song CHAINS, it’s a strong one, but beyond the sound is the message it’s carrying. The song is meant to make the public aware of the social injustice and police brutality. They created an interactive experience at chains.tidal.com where you have to watch the content to hear the song. In the experience, it shows the faces of victims of black lives that have been murdered in injustice.
Last week I got to photograph his performance on Tuesday at the Tidal show, where he debuted CHAINS. It was an amazing day, and powerful experience. He brought out the families of the victims in the video to see the show and have a special VIP experience. Who does that?
Usher cares about Legacy and making a difference in today’s world. He does what people of position should do to make the world a better place. Mentoring, giving back, raising awareness to causes and issues, etc. One of the few celebrities using their platform to create good in the world. Much respect.
The week ended with a chat at 92y with Usher and Harry Belafonte, legends and history being made. It was beautiful to see Harry as a mentor to Usher, speaking of his days with Martin Luther King and changing the world. Such a powerful conversation. Jay Z showed up to support as well which was huge.
I continue to be inspired by friends like this making an impact in the world. Using their art to create positive change. Experiences like this make me feel so blessed.
If you want to hear more of Usher’s perspective on life, check out my podcast interview with him at shoptalkradio.com/ep38
LET'S CONSPIRE & CREATE
CULTIVATING YOUR VISUAL UNIQUENESS AND STREAMLINING YOUR BRAND'S EVOLUTION
Last week was impactful.
Not only on me, but waves were made in the world. Historic waves. Very rare is it that you see such a big artist step into activism and create a song performed and listen to by millions of people about a subject like Social Injustice.
If you haven’t heard Usher’s new song CHAINS, it’s a strong one, but beyond the sound is the message it’s carrying. The song is meant to make the public aware of the social injustice and police brutality. They created an interactive experience at chains.tidal.com where you have to watch the content to hear the song. In the experience, it shows the faces of victims of black lives that have been murdered in injustice.
Last week I got to photograph his performance on Tuesday at the Tidal show, where he debuted CHAINS. It was an amazing day, and powerful experience. He brought out the families of the victims in the video to see the show and have a special VIP experience. Who does that?
Usher cares about Legacy and making a difference in today’s world. He does what people of position should do to make the world a better place. Mentoring, giving back, raising awareness to causes and issues, etc. One of the few celebrities using their platform to create good in the world. Much respect.
The week ended with a chat at 92y with Usher and Harry Belafonte, legends and history being made. It was beautiful to see Harry as a mentor to Usher, speaking of his days with Martin Luther King and changing the world. Such a powerful conversation. Jay Z showed up to support as well which was huge.
I continue to be inspired by friends like this making an impact in the world. Using their art to create positive change. Experiences like this make me feel so blessed.
If you want to hear more of Usher’s perspective on life, check out my podcast interview with him at shoptalkradio.com/ep38
11/10/15
What Usher Really Cares About
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
Last week was impactful.
Not only on me, but waves were made in the world. Historic waves. Very rare is it that you see such a big artist step into activism and create a song performed and listen to by millions of people about a subject like Social Injustice.
If you haven’t heard Usher’s new song CHAINS, it’s a strong one, but beyond the sound is the message it’s carrying. The song is meant to make the public aware of the social injustice and police brutality. They created an interactive experience at chains.tidal.com where you have to watch the content to hear the song. In the experience, it shows the faces of victims of black lives that have been murdered in injustice.
Last week I got to photograph his performance on Tuesday at the Tidal show, where he debuted CHAINS. It was an amazing day, and powerful experience. He brought out the families of the victims in the video to see the show and have a special VIP experience. Who does that?
Usher cares about Legacy and making a difference in today’s world. He does what people of position should do to make the world a better place. Mentoring, giving back, raising awareness to causes and issues, etc. One of the few celebrities using their platform to create good in the world. Much respect.
The week ended with a chat at 92y with Usher and Harry Belafonte, legends and history being made. It was beautiful to see Harry as a mentor to Usher, speaking of his days with Martin Luther King and changing the world. Such a powerful conversation. Jay Z showed up to support as well which was huge.
I continue to be inspired by friends like this making an impact in the world. Using their art to create positive change. Experiences like this make me feel so blessed.
If you want to hear more of Usher’s perspective on life, check out my podcast interview with him at shoptalkradio.com/ep38
11/10/15
What Usher Really Cares About
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.
NEXT post
PREVIOUS post
read the latest
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.
This personal brand audit takes two minutes and reveals exactly where your brand is broken. Four questions, one for each layer of brand intelligence. Most people fail at least two. Here’s the diagnostic.
Your personal brand identity is not you. It’s a translation of you. When you confuse the two, you either freeze up or perform. Neither builds authority. Here’s the distinction that changes how you show up online.
The biggest personal brand photography investment mistake isn’t underspending on photos. It’s investing $50,000 in coaching, ads, and masterminds while spending $500 on visual identity. Here’s what that costs you and how to fix the order.
I spent 20 years photographing personal brands. I watched brilliant people stay invisible because they skipped the layers nobody talks about. So I built the Brand Intelligence Engine to fix it. Here’s the full story.
Your AI content sounds generic because the AI doesn’t know who you are. It’s not a tool problem. It’s an input problem. Without your identity, voice, and brand intelligence loaded, every AI produces the same bland output. Here’s how to fix it.
Creativity as intelligence is the idea that creative work isn’t about expressing who you already are. It’s about constructing who you’re becoming. Most people treat creativity as output. It’s actually architecture. Here’s why that changes everything.
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.
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.
