191: 20 Things I Learned in 2020

“The universe is going to throw you cosmic bricks and they’re going to get bigger and bigger if you don’t listen to them.”

Hey, guys, welcome back to ONKEN RADIO (previously NION Radio), the podcast where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey!

Part of the journey I’ve been on in the last few months is consolidating my personal brand. Don’t worry — photography is, and will always be, a part of my work. But, if you follow me, you know I’ve been getting my hands dirty with a lot of other creative ventures, which include making hats, painting murals, and recording this podcast. These new endeavors are the result of the spiritual journey I’ve taken over the last few years to awaken deeper levels of my creativity and consciousness.

See, I believe that as we become a more true and complete version of ourselves, our work — our art — also reaches a more true and complete version of itself. This is Creative Alchemy in its simplest form. And it’s an alchemy that we get to participate in every day. 

As we enter a new year, I want to share six lessons I learned in 2020 as I pursued Creative Alchemy in my life. If you're struggling with any inner pain, trauma, or what’s going on in the world, this message will be a gold mine for you — because, I’ll be real, 2020 was a doozy for me. I felt like I faced the challenge of turning circumstances I didn’t want into something I did want every day. Along the way, I learned a lot, and that’s what I’m excited to share with you now! Let’s get started.  

Cosmic Bricks: Life’s Greatest Gifts

I've been handed some cosmic bricks over the last few years. Cosmic bricks are life-altering events that can knock you out or become building blocks for the next great thing in your life (sometimes, it does both). Here’s the catch: You decide what that cosmic brick in your life becomes by the way to think about it and respond to it. 

A few years back, my cosmic brick was coming out of a relationship and declining business in the same few months. It forced me into a space where I was questioning things existentially and trying to find the meaning of anything! Looking back, I realize this was the beginning of my awakening and catalyzed a series of shifts that led me to where I am today. 

You need to be on the lookout for cosmic bricks because the Universe is going to throw them at you. If you don’t listen to them, they will get bigger and bigger because the Universe is trying to trigger your awakening. When you get to the other side of pain or a cosmic brick, there is indescribable beauty. 

When you realize cosmic bricks are raining down on you and hitting you in the face, choose to be grateful. Gratitude will help you transmute those hard experiences into new feelings of possibility. And, when we live with the mindset of possibility, the cosmic bricks accomplish their purpose, and we are set free to create the life we want. 

You’re Allowed to Not Be Okay

This is something I've talked about before, but I think it’s worth talking about again because, as creatives, there’s a lot of not feeling okay. There’s a couple of reasons for this, but I think the biggest reason is that Creatives tend to be empaths. We feel a lot, and from that place of deep feelings, we create.

So let me ask you, “When was the last time you felt not-okay?” Whatever your answer was, that’s okay — don't hate yourself for not feeling okay. You are a spiritual being with a meat suit living on this crazy planet that basically just made it through hell and mayhem. You’re allowed to feel NOT okay. 

Now, this isn’t permission to stay in your not-okay feelings. Actually, it’s a call to action to ask yourself,