WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…

A couple years back, I was on a mastermind trip in San Miguel De Allende and we embarked on a project with a few friends called the #The100DayProject on Instagram. Little did I know where the project would end up. The big mystery to me came in the form of two questions: 1. “What would I have the drive and interest to do for that amount of time” because longevity of a project depends on the passion behind it. 2. “What could I do for 100 days straight that I could in 2 minutes or 2 hours. My schedule is all over the place depending on where I am, if I’m on location for a shoot, or home in the office.

The answer to both questions manifested in the idea of doing hand drawn typography with positive quotes. It was something I’ve been interested in as of late, and is congruent with my previous career of graphic design.

Thus, I began my journey.

The project went through an evolution as I experimented with different pens, inks, papers, and styles of type. It was fun and challenging. I learned some interesting things through the process, but what stood out the most was by doing one thing every day, you see significant progress. You get better and better without even really realizing it.

You can check out the project here and see the progression: #OnkenDrawsType

I finished the 100 days straight, and decided to continue the project because it was so fun(just not every day). The amazing thing with developing a signature style is that now I’m getting commissioned to paint quotes in large scale in people’s spaces.

I also realized the impact it was having on my tribe of followers as people were commenting on how a lot of the quotes were what they needed for their day, or it was what they needed to hear. That was a big inspiration for me and now the project has evolved into me developing the concept of my new lifestyle brand, NION that embodies the lifestyle of creating your life through every moment and living your life in color. Learn more at NIONlife.com

If you’re interested in commissioning a quote of inspiration in your space contact me: [email protected]