No need to travel or escape yourself. Simply photograph and document your own life.

1. Let us assume you truly make photos to please yourself.
2. Then let us assume you love your life.

Then doesn’t it make sense for you to document/photograph your own life?

---

What if I don’t love my own life?

Now this is the trickier thing:

What if I don’t love my life? If so, what should I photograph?

My thought:

If you don’t love your life, don’t pursue photography thinking that photographic productivity will make you happier in life.

Instead, focus on your own personal happiness THEN pursue photography with a more fiery ardor!

---

How to become happier in your personal life

My thought:

I believe that happiness is a physiological thing (your physical vigor).

For example, when I am tired, jet-lagged, or physically exhausted, I also feel “depressed”. I cannot motivate myself to do anything, because I am so physically exhausted.

So perhaps as a very basic thing:

In order to be happier, focus on building your own physical strength.

How to build-up your physical strength/vigor

Things you can do:

1. Make sure you get a good night sleep (8+ hours)
2. Experiment with ‘intermittent fasting’ (no eating breakfast or lunch) as well as a ‘ketogenic diet’ (no carbs, sugar, starch) diet.
3. Drink more black coffee during the day (be very strict and no caffeine in the evening).
4. Everyday walk, and engage in some sort of physical activity (yoga, powerlifting, deadlift, squats, chin-ups, pushups, etc.
5. Ensure you eat enough protein/fat/meat in your diet.

---

When am I the most creatively productive?

For myself, I am most creatively productive once I have the maximum of physical power and vigor. My physical vigor and happiness seems to be a necessary precedent to my creative productivity.

For example, when I am the happiest in life and I want to share that happiness with others, that is when I am the most creatively productive! I walk more, talk more, shoot more photos, think more, and share more.

You cannot fake happiness and enthusiasm — just as you cannot fake hate.

Thus if you’re feeling exhausted, feeling depressed, and you want to make good photos– you will have a difficult time. Even if you do shoot when you’re in a depressed state; the photos will lack joy.

And do you want to create non-joyful images? Of course– this is up to you.

---

Photography as a philosophical exercise

The more and more I think about photography, the more I realize it is a philosophical exercise. Photography is a reflection of how you see the world and life.

But remember; life is more important than photography. Focus on maximizing your own personal happiness, THEN shoot that!

ERIC