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
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







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

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.
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.
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.
Quiet. Precise. Highly Selective.

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.
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.