ERIC KIM

Create.

True Happiness and Human Flourishing is Achieved Through Creating:

What do you do with your life once you have all the perfect tools and conditions?

I currently have all of the ideal tools and living conditions in my life. What next?

It seems for me — focus on creating, thinking, discovering new knowledge/truths, innovating, self-development, and sharing of new ideas.

1. Ideal living conditions

The first is to have ideal living conditions. For me this includes:

  1. Living in a city (ability to walk around)
  2. Living with no drama/stress with roommates or family members (either living solo, or with just your partner — who is Cindy for me)
  3. Not stressing about rent (I only pay $600 a month for my AirBnb apartment here in Mexico City)
  4. Not worrying about food (street tacos here only cost .50 cents [for very good ones], and coffee is also super cheap)

Pretty simple.

2. Ideal tools

I currently have the ideal tools of creation:

  1. 13” MacBook Pro laptop (can process any videos I throw at it)
  2. 10.5” iPad Pro (reading ebooks, also typing on it, use for random photo-stuff)
  3. Lumix G9 Camera + Leica 12mm f/1.4 Lens (24mm full-frame equivalent) + RODE Video Microphone: Ideal setup for recording videos, and vlogging.
  4. RICOH GR II: Perfect ‘walk around’ street photography compact camera

Of course I can buy other tools, but they aren’t necessary — nor necessarily ideal (more equipment, more problems).

3. What to create?

  1. Videos/Vlogs (to upload to YouTube): Combination of thoughts via vlogs, recording street scenes, ‘street video photography’ — and thinking of new types of videos I can create (slideshows, etc)
  2. Words: Poetry, blog posts, books (printed or ebooks), other forms of written communication
  3. Technology tools: ARSBETA.COM — my photography feedback startup, and to build any other tools of the future to empower others.

4. Why create?

This is my basic theory:

Once you have the ideal living conditions, as well as the ideal tools– you got no more excuses. It seems the end-game is to create!

But why create?

For myself, a life without creation is a life not worth living.

What I mean by is this:

  1. When you create something, you exert your power and will upon the world. You become more empowered, because you know that you have the power to mould the world and reality according to your own artistic vision.
  2. When you create something (and share it), not only do you empower yourself, but you also empower others. For myself, it is my virtue to empower myself and to empower others. I desire to show my gratitude towards how much others have helped me in the past by contributing and giving back.
  3. I desire to show my gratitude for being alive by creating: Whatever you create is a manifestation of your gratitude towards life — both in terms of the life and world around you, and the gratitude of being born and put into this world.

In the past when we didn’t have any ‘means of production’ (tools of creating things), I think most people were quite miserable and disempowered. But the great thing with the internet and digital technology/tools:

Now you have the power in your own hands to create anything you desire!

5. What is ‘true’ happiness?

I will state that it is our ideal state when we are creating. If you are actively creating, desire nothing else. All we need is food, coffee, wifi, and the time, ability, energy, focus, and drive for us to create.

I believe the best two places to share your creations include your own self-hosted wordpress.org blog (create your own website/domain through 1and1.com), through YouTube (to host your video), and also strive to create your own web applications.

To become more empowered, create more!
ERIC