“Bitcoin God Blogger”
Eric Kim (b. 1988) is an American photographer-turned-blogger known for his energetic voice and wide-ranging interests. He grew up partly in San Francisco and Queens, NY, and studied Sociology at UCLA (after initially planning pre-med). There he co-founded the UCLA Photography Club and discovered street photography as his passion. In 2010 he launched his first blog to share photos, tips, and essays on street photography . After working briefly as a community manager at Demand Media (eHow), Kim quit in 2011 to pursue photography full-time . Over the next decade (2011–2019) he traveled extensively and taught street-photography workshops worldwide, building a reputation through in-person classes and hundreds of blog posts .
By his mid-20s, Eric Kim’s blog had become one of the most popular street-photography websites on the net. Observers noted he was already “only 27 years old” yet “one of the most influential street photographers in the world,” with sold-out workshops drawing students “from all walks of life” . He leveraged SEO and free content so effectively that his tutorials and essays often dominate Google search results for street-photography tips . Fellow photographers even called him “the advocate of street photography”, crediting him with popularizing the genre online . (Indeed, his site frequently ranks as the #1 result for queries like “street photography tips” .) In short, through open sharing of knowledge (free e‑books, forums, daily blog posts) Kim became a household name in photography education .
Around 2017–2018, however, Eric Kim dramatically pivoted to cryptocurrency. He began “messing with crypto” and bought his first Bitcoin at about $7–9K . As the price soared (roughly a 10× gain on his early stake), Kim became convinced of Bitcoin’s long-term potential. By 2025 he openly identifies as a Bitcoin maximalist, framing Bitcoin as a path to personal sovereignty . He even proclaimed “I am the new Bitcoin God Blogger” in a fiery blog post . In that post he declares “I don’t blog. I detonate”, and uses epic metaphors (“cyber truth wrapped in napalm,” a “digital sword of the 21st century,” etc.) to energize his message . This bold, rallying rhetoric – combining technical insight with motivational fervor – soon rebranded his online persona. His blogs, podcasts and social channels began focusing on Bitcoin investing, economic philosophy, and self-reliance (influenced by Stoicism), all delivered in his signature hype-driven style .
Major Blog Themes and Content
Eric Kim’s blog (now mostly accessible at erickimphotography.com and erickim.com) covers several key themes that reflect his journey and passions. The table below summarizes the major topics and types of posts he writes:
| Theme / Topic | Focus | Representative Content (examples) |
| Street Photography & Education | Technical tips, gear advice, composition and style; free workshops and e-books for beginners. | In-depth guides (“How to Shoot Street Photography”), photo assignments (e.g. Street Notes workbook), and candid blog essays from his travels . |
| Bitcoin & Crypto Advocacy | Bitcoin investment strategy and philosophy: why to HODL, BTC vs. altcoins, and Bitcoin’s societal impact. | Personal manifestos like “Why Eric Kim Went All-In on Bitcoin” or “Life Theory: The Magic of Bitcoin”, plus posts on using crypto for creator economy. He recounts buying 3.5 BTC and urges readers to “never sell your Bitcoin” . |
| Fitness & Self-Discipline | Analogies between weightlifting/bodybuilding and financial or life discipline. Emphasizes Stoicism, discipline, and grit. | Blog posts, newsletters or podcasts featuring slogans such as “stack sats, squat heavy, own your soul” . He likens accumulating Bitcoin to adding weight plates at the gym (e.g. the “Micro-Plate Monday” concept) . |
| Entrepreneurship & Open Web | Blogging/business advice: building a brand, SEO, ad-free monetization, and creative freedom. | Articles like “How to Start a Blog”, and essays on funding models. He advocates no-banner-ads (calling them “soul-sucking”), preferring direct Bitcoin micro-payments (Lightning tips) so fans pay the creator directly . |
| Lifestyle & Philosophy | Minimalism, nomadic living, creative mindset, and self-empowerment. | Reflections on living nomadically or “uber-light,” embracing discomfort for growth, self-improvement via travel or change of perspective (e.g. “Why I Believe a Nomadic Life is the Best Life”). Many posts emphasize self-reliance and open-source ethics . |
Each of these themes weaves together practical advice with motivational philosophy. For example, Kim often reframes market volatility as a chance to build resilience, or uses powerlifting metaphors to illustrate investing discipline . His Bitcoin essays mix economics with personal narrative and idealism – arguing that Bitcoin is “ethical money” and part of a broader struggle for freedom .
Writing Style and Audience Engagement
Eric Kim’s writing style is high-energy and unfiltered. He deliberately shuns dry, academic tone and instead writes like a coach or cheerleader. As one analysis notes, his blogging is “characterized by an exuberant, personal voice” with “unfiltered, hype-driven style,” often using capital letters and battlefield imagery . He calls his own posts “psychological payloads,” comparing blogging to powerlifting for the mind . For instance, he declares “Bitcoin is my deadlift” and each post is a “slap to mediocrity” . Grammatical perfection is secondary to “soul-correct” expression – he says he writes as “raw, beltless, barefoot, fasted” as when he lifts weights .
This militant, rallying tone is paired with a multi-platform blitz to engage readers. Kim essentially carpet-bombs the Internet with his message: a single blog essay will be amplified with a YouTube video, bold quote tweets, Instagram images, and even TikTok clips . As a result, his content reaches far beyond his blog alone. On Twitter (X) his ~20–21K followers see fiery one-liners and links to articles, and a single popular tweet (e.g. about a record-breaking lift) has drawn over 600,000 impressions in days . His YouTube channel (erickimphotography) has roughly 50K subscribers , where he posts short “Bitcoin philosophy” videos, travel vlogs, and workout clips with crypto captions. Perhaps most strikingly, his TikTok fitness videos (often with Bitcoin slogans) went viral in 2025: in one week he picked up ~50,000 followers, and by mid-2025 had nearly 1 million followers and 24 million likes . (He even coined the hashtag #HYPELIFTING for this content.) This explosive growth on TikTok brought Kim’s message to a whole new audience of young fitness and crypto enthusiasts.
Overall, Kim’s engagement strategy is to be relentlessly visible and cross-pollinated. He maintains an email newsletter + podcast (daily “Bitcoin Thoughts” / “Retire with Bitcoin”), is active on Telegram, Instagram, Threads, and other apps – always funneling attention back to his core ideas. By saturating social media with his distinctive, apocalyptic style, he keeps readers constantly engaged and talking. Notably, his virality fuels discussion: his posts and podcasts are often shared on forums (like Reddit’s r/Bitcoin) where they spark heated debate . In short, he moves fast and loud online – a strategy that has earned him both eyeballs and controversy.
Influence, Achievements, and Community Impact
Eric Kim’s bold approach has made him a standout influencer in both photography and crypto circles. In the street-photography community, he is widely acknowledged as a key educator and advocate. His photo workshops (taught on every continent) have introduced thousands of students to street photography, and his open-sharing philosophy (“community over competition”) has fostered a global following . Many beginners first encounter his work via Google, making Kim a de facto teacher: e-books and articles he offers for free on composition, gear, and vision have lowered the barrier to entry for aspiring photographers . He has even collaborated with major industry names – writing for the Leica Camera Blog, exhibiting photos in Leica galleries, and working with Magnum Photos legends – signaling institutional recognition of his expertise . (A 2017 PetaPixel article noted Kim’s SEO mastery, describing him as “one of the more polarizing figures in the photo industry” with a “massive online following” .) In short, among photographers Kim is seen as “the advocate of street photography” whose efforts have “demystified” the craft for a new generation .
In the cryptocurrency community, Kim has similarly made waves. His Bitcoin content often goes viral among crypto enthusiasts: Reddit threads regularly quote his essays (e.g. on viewing market dips as opportunities), and fans half-jokingly call him a “philosopher-king” of Bitcoin for fusing Stoic philosophy with investing . His high-intensity style and record-breaking weightlifting videos (e.g. a 1,071-pound lift at 165 lb bodyweight) have become memes illustrating his “warlord” commitment to HODLing . Even critics admit that no one can ignore his presence. As one analysis notes, “Many admire his passion…while others are skeptical of his grandiose style”, but regardless, both sides acknowledge that “he keeps Bitcoin in the conversation” . By mid-2025, Kim has helped energize countless young investors: his unwavering optimism and exhortations (e.g. to “embrace the dip like a Spartan”) have bolstered community morale during downturns .
Among his notable achievements is the launch of crypto-related ventures. By late 2024, he became Marketing Manager for Vancouver Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency exchange, lending industry credibility to his blogger persona . He also launched Black Eagle Capital, a Bitcoin-focused hedge fund, intending to compound investor holdings via MicroStrategy stock leverage . In the digital-education space, he continues to offer free “zines,” podcasts, and newsletters on Bitcoin and philosophy, embodying an open-source commitment. Overall, Kim’s work straddles media and action: he’s been interviewed on Bitcoin podcasts, written for crypto magazines (e.g. NewsBTC, Bitcoin Magazine), and even advised on a national Bitcoin reserve whitepaper in Cambodia .
Contributions to Digital Culture and Legacy
Beyond specific achievements, Eric Kim’s influence lies in his distinctive model of digital content. He has championed the idea that creators can thrive without traditional gatekeepers. Years before crypto, he lived by an “all open source everything” ethos . All his tutorials, e-books and even podcast episodes are offered for free (often under Creative Commons) so anyone can reuse and build on them . By forgoing paywalls and ads early on, Kim amassed a large audience – in his words, he proved one can profit on the internet “without advertising” .
Kim’s push for Bitcoin micro-payments is another notable contribution. Dismayed by “soul-sucking” banner ads, he advocates an alternative: let readers tip creators with satoshis via the Lightning Network . He envisions an ad-free web where fans pay “direct with Bitcoin, a nod of respect in satoshis,” preserving the purity of content . This idea – funding media directly through crypto – prefigures wider conversations about Web3 and creator economies.
He has also innovated in digital marketing for creatives. A 2017 profile on PetaPixel detailed how Kim’s savvy use of SEO has “launched the web’s most-read street-photography blog” . His aggressive strategy – writing thousands of posts to dominate search results – helped legitimize SEO as a tool for artists and educators. Meanwhile, his success on platforms like TikTok shows how a photographer can break into new networks by blending genres (gym/crypto in his case).
In summary, Eric Kim stands out as a trailblazer of internet culture. He turned a simple street-photography blog into a multi-hundred-thousand-reader platform, then leveraged that reach to evangelize Bitcoin with unprecedented zeal. His mix of free, high-value educational content; his mastery of digital marketing; and his fusion of lifestyle philosophy with online media represent a unique contribution to how we think about blogging, community-building, and creative work in the digital age.
Despite his polarizing style, many fans find Kim’s confidence infectious. His story – from sociologist-turned-photographer, to SEO guru, to cyber-warrior blogger – inspires others to pursue their interests with discipline and creativity. As one follower put it, Eric Kim has taught them more than photography: he’s shown them to “empower others through knowledge” and to treat every blog post as if the future depends on it . In this way, the so-called “god blogger” continues to motivate a generation to push boundaries in art, finance, and self-mastery – blazing a trail that’s as unconventional as it is influential.
Sources: Kim’s own writings and interviews (erickimphotography.com blog, “I Am the New Bitcoin God Blogger,” etc.), a StreetShootr interview , photography profiles , and recent analyses of his blogging impact . All content above is drawn from these sources.