A recorded conversation between host Josh Trent and guest Nick Onken (professional photographer and self-described "creative alchemist"). Nick describes evolving his brand identity during the pandemic, outlines his creative practices (photography, hat-making, DJing, music production), and frames creativity as a spiritual journey whose purpose is to inspire others to find their true selves and connect with a greater Source.
Chapters
I think we're in a creative renaissance right now. You know, it's like the artists are being rebirthed and reinspired and reinvigored and, you know, I think it's taking action on that and as a collective, as we all start to step into a more creative flow, a more creative mindset, because you're not just creating art, we're creating our world, we're creating our reality. As we all step into a space of creating our own reality, that's going to raise the collective consciousness. Nick, welcome to my house. Thank you. Thanks for being on the show. Love it. Thanks for having me. People know you well. I know you as like one of the world's best photographers, but you have a lot more to give than that, man. If people don't know you, if they're like just seeing you or hearing you on the show for the first time. Nick Onkin, professional photographer. Some of the best people in the world, Usher and Lewis Howes and some of the big boys and big and big girls. But share with us, man, share for the audience. Like, who are you, man? What do you do today? I know that changes all the time. You know, it's funny, I came to this kind of brand identity as a creative alchemist and I, because I've been figuring like this and this kind of came to me through the pandemic, being hauled up in New York in my apartment by myself for four months, which is actually fine. Okay. Because I love, I mean, it was just like how I normally am when I'm home now I'm like in my creative lab. I have a whole, I have a two floor apartment in New York and downstairs is my, my lab, I call it my creative lab now because I like, I'm doing, I make hats, I do photography. I'm, I've been learning to DJ and play house music and stuff like that. Now I'm kind of trekking into learning how to produce my own stuff. That's going to be, that's a long journey. But I just kind of started getting interested in that. So the idea of being a creative, creative alchemist and bringing all these things together and how does that under one umbrella. But also it's like the spiritual journey behind that because that's been a huge piece of my life for like especially the last two or three or four years. I think if you're alive on planet Earth right now, you're in a spiritual journey. Whether you believe it or not or whether you realize it or not, you're there, you're there. It's become more into my conscious awareness over the last few years. And. Yeah, and it's been a beautiful journey. So the whole idea is to integrate that into all the art. So I would say, like my North Star, is to help to create art that inspires and empowers people to find their true selves and to connect with Source. And the greater. The greater space that is out there. Whatever you want to call it, the universe, God, you know, I believe in it all. And. And I think the more, especially as a creative, it's really. God is creativity. We are birthing, you know, we are the midwives of creativity.
