ONKEN radio

I thought it was so cool that this toy could interact with all my other toys. Today I'm talking to a truly unique artist whose medium is Lego: Adam Ward. Adam makes sculptures and murals, does commissions, and worked on the Lego Batman movie. He has a series with Soul Pancake on YouTube called Brick […] The post 127: Adam Ward – How to Make a Living Playing with Lego appeared first on NIONlife™ .

Now more than ever I have to keep reinventing. Today I'm talking about one of the biggest things that we as creatives deal with on a daily basis: uncertainty. It is easily the most challenging part of a career as an artist or entrepreneur. Some days it's hard to imaging where your next job or […] The post 126: Nick Onken – How To Deal with Uncertainty appeared first on NIONlife™ .

You can come for a really sick lineup and know that you're getting some feminism mixed in there. Being a woman in the music scene is very different from being a man in the music scene. Playing classical violin is very different that playing rock violin. And Anna Bulbrook knows a lot about these differences. […] The post 125: Anna Bulbrook – How To Transition To A New Creative Career appeared first...

Creating moments is all about pushing yourself over that ledge into that uncomfortable zone. This past weekend, I was out in LA taking a workshop with my friends Quddus and Carmina (Camera Ready) about being in front of and behind a camera, interviewing, speaking on stage. I did this because I want to get better […] The post 124: Nick Onken – Throw Yourself Into The Fire appeared first on NIONlife...

What good collaboration should do is inspire you. Today on the podcast I'm talking to co-founder and creative director of Dannijo Jewelry, Danielle Snyder. Dannijo Jewelry has a unique aesthetic and breaks the mold that often restricts high end jewelry and accessories, and it has been worn by everyone from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift.  Danielle […] The post 123: Danielle Snyder – How to Build a Commun...

I've finished more books in the last month than I have in two years. Today I'm sharing a new discovery with you. I've never been much of a reader, but I love learning more and educating myself and feeding my brain. So I've found a secret to help me read books quickly. Listen in to […] The post 122: Nick Onken – A Secret Weapon for Reading Books appeared first on NIONlife™ .

If you can master the way that you think, you can manifest and create greater results in your life. Today I'm talking about a challenge that every entrepreneur faces, especially creative entrepreneurs. This question and idea came from the Nion Life Community, which you can join to connect with other creatives to ask questions, get […] The post 121: Nick Onken – 5 Tools to Deal with Fear appeared f...

I have a lot of drive and a lot of will power and I will stick to something and I will get it done. Today I'm talking to Jonas Blue, a major recording artist in the UK. Jonas is known for a tropical house cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car and his single Perfect Strangers, […] The post 120: Jonas Blue – Focusing on the Quality of Your Art appeared first on NIONlife™ .

Your relationships and your network are huge key components of success. Today I'm talking about a question that was recently asked by previous podcast guest Andy Murphy, who teaches neurlinguistic programming for peak performance, in my Nion Life community on Facebook. How do you make friends when you arrive in a new place? Creating a […] The post 119: Nick Onken – 7 Tips on Making Friends in New...

Whatever place you are in your career, I don't think the struggle lessens. I think it's just a different set of struggles. Today I'm talking to Emmanuelle Chriqui. You might know her as Sloan on the hit show Entourage, or from the film You Don't Mess With The Zohan and In The Mix. She also […] The post 118: Emmanuelle Chriqui – How to Balance the Highs and Lows of a Career in the Arts appeared fir...

It's about being self aware of your own limiting beliefs that challenge your vision. Today's topic was inspired by a question asked of a member of my Facebook group, Nion Community. How do you, as an artist, learn to trust your creative vision? What can you do to gain more confidence in your craft? Listen […] The post 117: Nick Onken – Trust Your Vision appeared first on NIONlife™ .

The whole secret to being an artist and building a career is just being prolific. I've been thinking lately about creative momentum, and how important it is. It's something I talked about with this week's guest, Eric Ray Davidson. He's a brilliant photographer who has been showing up more and more in the last few […] The post 116: Eric Ray Davidson – How Collaboration Creates Success appeared firs...

You must use every asset of knowledge, every skill, everything that you can do to help generate time and money for you to create the sandbox for you to practice your craft. I was hanging out with some friends the other night when we started discussing the age old question of art and commerce. It […] The post 115: Nick Onken – One for Them and One for Me appeared first on NIONlife™ .

Use everything you know to do what you love. Use it all. Today I'm talking to celebrity choreographer and creative director Luam. She works on events, concerts, music videos, galas, and more with celebrities like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Janelle Monae, and Kelly Rowland. The list goes on and on. I love Luam's story of transitioning […] The post 114: Luam – How To Transition From Corporate Life to...

To elevate your work, you must invest. Today I'm giving you a five minute takeaway about investing in your creative journey. It's important not only when you are starting out, but also as you continue to build your career, you have to constantly invest back into your art with time, money, and more. This conversation […] The post 113: Nick Onken – 3 Ways to Invest in Your Craft appeared first on NI...

If you put art or something creative out into the world, of course you want to see it do well. Today I'm talking to Jared Kleinert, a returning guest, and one of the youngest people I've had on the show. Jared has a new book out, 3 Billion Under 30, that he is self publishing […] The post 112: Jared Kleinert – How To Amplify Your Creative Project With Your Network appeared first on NIONlife™ .

I lucked out into loving what I did enough that I was willing to deal with the scrappy moments. Today I'm talking to Sarah Jones, an extremely talented actress. Sarah has been on Broadway in a one woman play with over 20 characters, for which she won a Tony award. She has also won an […] The post 111: Sarah Jones – The Creative Process On Writing A One Woman Play appeared first on NIONlife™ .

That's what creating your moments is all about - taking a proactive approach to life. Welcome to the first episode of 2017! What a year it has been - there have been a lot of amazing moments, but I have also been put through the ringer, just like a lot of people I've talked to. […] The post 110: Nick Onken – Twelve Things I Learned in 2016 appeared first on NIONlife™ .

Anything that could get me stronger, faster, smarter, more creative, I'm into it. Today I'm talking to my friend Matt Gallant, who is a poker champion, ex-rock guitarist, has a degree in kinesiology, and is the CEO of BiOptimizers. I really wanted to share with you some of Matt's tricks for mind and body hacking. […] The post 109: Matt Gallant – 5 Mind and Body Hacks appeared first on NIONlife™ .

People love to be appreciated. Lately I've been thinking a lot about showing appreciation and gratitude to those that help you. It's not something that I have always been great at, but it's something that my girlfriend Stacy does really well, and she has inspired me to think about it and work a little harder […] The post 108: Nick Onken – Showing Appreciation To Those That Help You appeared first...

Without a doubt music is what I've always wanted to do, music is what I feel like I was born to do, it's what I feel like I do best, it fills me, fulfills me, it fuels me. I'm super excited about today's guest, Alex Lacamoire. My girlfriend Stacy London and I have been on […] The post 107: Alex Lacamoire – What It Takes To Direct The Music For Hamilton appeared first on NIONlife™ .

The scope of your life, the size of it, is in direct proportion to how uncomfortable you're willing to be. Today on the show I'm talking to returning guest Jon Levy, who has just come out with a book about the science of adventure. Last time Jon was on the show we talked about his […] The post 106: Jon Levy – 4 Ingredients to Create a Successful Adventure appeared first on NIONlife™ .

"Social media is a time thief of anyone who wants creative greatness." Today on the show I'm talking about something that has been on my mind: Is social media killing your creative success? Lately I have found myself getting sucked down the creativity death trap that is social media - Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram - […] The post 105: Nick Onken – Does Social Media Kill Creativity? appeare...

I had no idea how it would evolve, I just went all in and I had no expectations, and I think that's the best way to do it. In this week's Nion highlight, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine that I met in Antarctica last year, Mark Van Der Heijden. When […] The post 104: Mark Van Der Heijden – How to Travel the World Using Your Talent appeared first on NIONlife™ .

My work is in this what's called connectivism, it's all about this intersection of art and networking. Today I want to introduce you to Gareb Shamus. Gareb is currently an artist but is also the creator of Wizard World Comic Con. He has since stepped away from the publishing and event business to focus on […] The post 103: Gareb Shamus – How To Connect People With Art appeared first on NIONlife™ .