Part of PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
I’m not 100% sure about the secret to success in photography, business, entrepreneurship, and life, but I know the secret to failure is timidness.
Don’t be a jellyfish
Kendrick Lamar has a good line, comparing other rappers like jellyfish, with no spine.
If you want to succeed, you need to be BOLD. Boldness, courage, strength, and infallible belief in yourself is the only way to win.
What is BOLDNESS?
To me, BOLDNESS is not fearing death.
To be BOLD: don’t hesitate. Jump before you look.
Of course, you want to make “calculated risks.” For example, don’t just quit your job because photography is your passion. You gotta actually make money before quitting your day job.
To me a calculated risk is:
Know your maximum downside, and adjust accordingly.
For myself, I am able to be bold when blogging and sharing controversial ideas, because nothing can hurt me. Unfortunately, if there is anything I learned from the Trump election it is this:
As an entrepreneur or artist, there is no such thing as “bad press.”
Essentially, all press is good press.
If you want to succeed, you need attention. The new movie “Okja” (great film) got all this free press, because the director released it on Netflix the same time it was released in theaters. Apparently it broke all these legal rules, but the controversy led to the popularity of the film.
Even Kanye West would post all this controversial shit on Twitter, and engaging in “Twitter wars” with other artists. But this helped him build all this hype for his “The Life of Pablo” album. And it became one of the most popular streamed albums of all time.
How to harness controversy
Some folks call me (ERIC KIM) one of the most controversial photographer bloggers out there. I agree.
Why am I controversial? I just say what’s on my mind, and cannot be controlled. People like to watch me, and read my stuff, because I go against the grain. I just say what’s on my brain.
Controversy has been good for me. Some controversial blog posts:
- why I shoot in P (program) mode
- why I gave up digital for film
- why I prefer jpeg over RAW
- how I earn over $200,000+ a year from photography
- why I deleted my Instagram
- why I give away my photos for free
They have brought the name ERIC KIM in the face of millions. Even my YouTube videos of me shooting flash in Hollywood, and the video I did with Kaiman Wong on Digital REV got more than 80% hate. But 20% of people liked it. And 20% of thousands of people is better than nothing.
Of course all this negative hate got to me. There were days where I would lose my mojo, self esteem, or self belief. After people accused me of just biting off Bruce Gilden, I didn’t pick up my camera for almost a month. I did a lot of self questioning and felt really shitty about myself.
But like Nietzsche says, “What doesn’t kill me, only makes me stronger.”
Put on your Adamantine Armor
To be BOLD, put on adamantine armor. Adamantine is the mythical steel that powers Wolverine.
I like Wolverine as a symbol of strength, power, and inspiration because of this reason:
Wolverine feels pain, but doesn’t die.
So when you get hated on, or when reality shoots bullets at you, you will feel the pain. But you have the strength to overcome and keep hustling forward.
So know that the more bold you are, the more chances you take, the more you are going to expose yourself to the hate of small men.
And like a Spartan warrior, you will laugh, and keep marching forward.
You are a Stoic Photographer.
BE STRONG,
ERIC
PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101
Learn how to make a living from your passion:
- Chapter 1. How to Create Value
- Chapter 2. ZEN CAPITALISM
- Chapter 3. Scarcity
- Chapter 4. How to Brand Yourself
- Chapter 5. How to Build a True Following
- Chapter 6. The Blueprint to Success in Photography
How to Make Money with Photography
- Why You Should Make Money With Your Photography
- Photography Experience Economy
- How to Charge More Money in Your Photography
- Why You Should Not Pursue Photography as Career
- Can Photography Make You Rich?
- How I Earn $200,000+ a Year From Photography
- How to earn $10,000 a month as a photographer
- Why you must be an expensive photographer
Photography Marketing 101
- Why You Should Do Photography Work For Free
- How I Became an Internet Famous Photographer
- Photography Blogging Ideas
- Why You Should Promote Your Own Name
- How to Build a Following
- How to Stand Out as a Photographer.
- HOW TO GO VIRAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
- How to Master Marketing
- How to Sell Yourself
How to Hustle.
- Entrepreneurial Advice to My 18 Year Old Self
- How to Become Insanely Productive.
- 5 Lessons From Hesiod on Hustling
Entrepreneurial Principles
- It is Better to Beg For Forgiveness Than Ask For Permission
- The Free Way to Become Rich
- JUST DO IT.
- 7 Steps: How to Make a Living From Your Passion
- How to Do What You Love for a Living
- How to Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- How to Fail Big
- How to Invest in Yourself
- How to Be Bold in Photography and Life
- Mission: Cover Your Rent and Food
- 1,000 True Fans
- The “10x Principle”: The Only Difference Between “Success” and “Failure”
- Make More Value Not Money
- We Live in a Photo Utopia
How to be a Full-time Photographer
- How to Make a Living From Photography
- The 3 Principles of Making Money With Photography
- Advice for Aspiring Full-Time Photographers
- Don’t Go Into Debt For Your Photography
- How to Brand Yourself as a Photographer
- Trust: The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed as a Photographer
Photography Blogging
- How to become rich from photography blogging
- How to Make a Living with Blogging
- 50 Blogging Tips For Beginners
- How to Start Your Own Photography Blog
- A Photographer’s Guide to SEO, Blogging, and Social Media
How to Teach Photography
- How to Become a Photography Teacher
- How to Teach a Street Photography Class
- Why I Teach Street Photography Workshops
Social Media
- Why I Deleted My Instagram
- The Social Media Blackbook for Photographers
- Why Do You Need More Likes or Followers?
- Instagram is Going to Be the Next Facebook
- Don’t Trust “Free” Photography Social Networks