1. Owning things is stressful: I have to maintain whatever I own. I might have a Lamborghini, which is cool…but the cost and stress of maintaining it, changing the oil, etc is stressful.
2. Owning a Rolex watch is cool, but you might feel fear that someone will chop off your wrist, or rob you, or even kill you for your watch.
3. I don’t like the extra attention: When I wear my grandfathers old school 1950s era Rolex Perpetual Oyster watch, people don’t look at my eyes when talking to me. They keep glancing at my wrist. It is really annoying and distracting.
4. I like not wearing a watch because I am not a slave to time. Time is my slave. Also, I write a lot, and don’t like something on my wrist getting in the way. I also stress out to be more careful, because I don’t want to scratch it. Even if I owned a Lamborghini, I would be stressed at the parking lot that some idiots will scratch it, or key a penis into it (my friends used to do this in high school).
5. More physical weight: I like to shoot with a RICOH GR II camera because it is light. I hate shooting with a DSLR purely because the weight hurts my shoulders. Even at this point, a Leica camera is too heavy. I like to travel light, because I can walk longer, with less fatigue.
6. More devices, more shit to charge. Fuck owning an Apple Watch, I don’t want another thing to charge at night. Traveling with a bunch of cables and adaptors is annoying.
7. More tech, more stuff to update. Having to always update devices is annoying.
8. More cameras, more stress of not knowing which one to shoot for the day. Having one camera, one lens is more zen and less stressful. I know exactly what 1 camera to shoot with (this is why I like integrated, non-interchangeable lenses). Less decision anxiety. This is also why I like wearing the same all black outfit everyday. More energy and focus on creative work.
9. Buying new stuff to upgrade: You buy a new laptop, the stress of what to do with your old one? Donate it? What if the person you give it to doesn’t appreciate it? Sell it? The stress and time to list it to sell, then ship it, and the regret of not getting as much money for it as you would like. With technology, I hate upgrading, because of the stress it entails. But at the same time, I’m suckered by technology to want to upgrade. Funny thing: I love buying new gadgets, but ultimately it makes me feel more miserable.
10. Often when I buy new stuff, I always find something wrong with it. I get very bad buyer’s remorse. I’m never satisfied with my material things.

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I’m not anti-owning stuff. Rather, it is good that I own an iPad, a Ricoh GR II, my clothes, and other stuff.

Some stuff is good. The tools of living do indeed make life easier, with less friction.

My MacBook laptop helps me be more productive, and create, and produce.

So for me, when it comes to buying a digital tool, my suggestion:

Buy the most powerful, expensive, digital tool you can afford. Then you can use it for a longer time. If you can use a digital device for 3-4 years that is good.

This is good because it will lead to less waste. If you upgrade less often, it is better for planet earth, and your wallet.

It will save you time. There is always dozens of hours necessary to do research before you buy something. The less often you need to waste time doing that, the better.

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Another idea: own less stuff, but own more CASH in the bank.

CASH IN THE BANK is freedom. The more cash you have (liquid), the more months you can live without going to your job.

For example, if you have 6 months living expenses under your belt,

1. You have peace of mind that in case you lose your job, you won’t be homeless for 6 months.
2. Better yet, you can QUIT your job and have 6 months of “chilling”

Another random idea: do you realize you can live in Saigon, Vietnam for only $500 USD a month? If you hate your job, and have money in the bank, you can live here, making art, for a long ass time. To be honest, if I were a single bachelor, this is exactly what I would do: save up a bunch of money working in America, then moving to Saigon, Vietnam. Super fast wifi here, the best coffee shops, and great food.

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Don’t listen to me, do what makes you feel good. For me, it is all about knowing yourself. For me, it is being a ZEN CAPITALIST.

ERIC KIM knows that owning shit stresses him out. Therefore, he (tries) to own less stuff.

Figure out what works for you.

Conquer gear acquisition syndrome, aka: GAS