Dear friend, we are always told less is more — but at what point is too little too little?

I blog too much

One of my vices is that I write too much. I blog too much. I publish too much.

A lot of people have told me that I should probably blog less, edit more, and let my posts “marinate” more.

However, it is in my nature to blog, just like how it is in the nature of a dog to wag its tail.

What I’ve been trying to do is to be more concise with writing. To not drag on and on with my words— but to get to the point. To be as concise as possible, without losing any flavor of my “natural voice” — because I want this blog to be personal to you, rather than some identity-less media site.

Photography

One idea with photography — I’ve found the best way to be creative is through “creative constraints” — by limiting yourself to a certain constraint, you force yourself to be more creative.

For example, when you limit yourself to one camera and one lens, you have to make the best of what you have. The setup won’t always be ideal — but you are forced to innovate based on your limitations.

The same goes with your photography. A good idea: try to limit your website portfolio to only 3 projects. This will force you to only show your best work, to have some variety, and be “maximally concise.”

When it comes to writing emails, text messages, or communicating — try to say more with fewer words. Seek an economy of words.

Some tips to be ‘maximally concise’:

In trying to keep this post short, sweet, and “maximally concise” — I want to leave you with some practical tips:

1. When in doubt, ditch: When it comes to my photography, whenever I am not sure whether a photo is good or not, it generally isn’t. So as a general rule of thumb, when you’re uncertain whether a shot is good or not — ditch it (decide not to upload or share it).
2. Determine a fixed limit: When it comes to your photography portfolio, you decide your own limits. Perhaps only share 1 project, 3 projects, 5 projects, or 10 projects. Whatever it may be for you — try to stick within a pre-determined limit. This will force you to only show what you consider is your best work. As a general rule, less is more.
3. Limit your choices: I’ve personally found that the fewer choices I have in life, the more creative I can be. For example, I wear only black clothing — which allows me to worry about 1 less thing a day. More of my effort is spent writing, and doing creative work. The same goes with coffee— whenever I’m in doubt, I just order an espresso. It makes for a “choice-minimal” lifestyle which is quite liberating.

I’ve personally found that the golden number is 3. Triangles have 3 corners. In fairy tales and stories, there are always actors of 3: the 3 little pigs, the 3 wise men, the 3 musketeers, and the list goes on.

Even in photography, it seems that the best number of multiple-subjects is 3. There is enough variety in terms of your subjects, but also having 3 subjects allows you to fill the frame.

Keep it simple,
Eric

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