The joy of tinkering

Bayer x Eric Kim. Don’t waste your mind.

To me, this EMPOWERED ME. I loved figuring out how stuff worked. I still remember lying in bed, reading these DK ILLUSTRATED books, of mechanical boats, castles, and other stuff… deconstructed. It made me realize,

It’s actually not that complicated. I can build this.

In high school, my mentor and friend Eric Moon taught me how to build a custom PC. He showed me how to buy the shell on NewEgg.com, how to Choose the processor, ram, hard drive, graphics card, and even how to “pimp” it out with cold cathode lights, colorful led fans, etc. Anyways, it was great, because it taught me that computers were not that complicated.

What I learned “pimping my own ride”

Tesla Model 3 Rims by Eric Kim

My first car at age 15 was a 1991 Nissan Sentra, XE, 4 door, white, with 5 speed manual. I had great pride in that car. I took it apart. I took apart the entire interior, dash-board, and spray painted the ugly brown interior into black. I replaced the sagging headliner. Thank god for Internet forums.

AMG CONCEPT X ERIC KIM

I upgraded the intake with a short ram and KN filter. I upgraded the headers, with a SS AUTOCHROME stainless steel version from eBay/China. I got a new downpipe, and 2 inch mendrel bend exhaust and magnaflow muffler from a Chinese mechanic in Oakland. I advanced the timing, to squeeze a few extra horsepower, and upgraded to 91 octane premium gas.

Mercedes AMG ENGINE by ERICKIM

I spray painted the rims, fixed the paint on the side mirrors, the bumpers, etc.

Sure, my car was a piece of crap, but I loved it. Why? Because I BUILT IT MYSELF, instead of just buying a new BMW like some spoiled kids at school did.

Regalia final fantasy car by ERIC KIM

My lesson:

Building something is more fun than buying it. And you have more pride, control, and feel cooler.

Deconstruct everything.

I’ve been deconstructing social constructs, money, economics, and products.

The fun thing: I realize that it isn’t a big deal.

For example, I’ve been drawing currency. I realized that money is just a man-made concept, aka, FIAT (faith based) currency. Money is just pieces of paper…yet we kill each other over this shit?

Vietnamese Dong by ERIC KIM. 500,000 VND is roughly $20 USD.

Vietnamese Dong by ERIC KIM. 50,000 VND is roughly $20 USD.

Cars are cool. I love the design. But ultimately, they are just LEGO bricks put together. To waste $50,000 of your hard-earned cash in your job, to “buy success” and a status symbol is silly. Better to buy a junk car, and build it from scratch.

Unfortunately we have lost control with technology. You cannot make your own iPhone, iPad, or MacBook laptop. We have traded convenience, portability, lightness, coolness, of these Apple products… instead of building our own junky devices.

How to be happier

Chroma.

Some life lessons:

If you desire a material thing (car, camera, watch, house, etc) Just DRAW IT. Drawing it is more fun, faster, and more meaningful than just buying it.
If you want to buy something you cannot afford, Google how it looks inside. Examine the guts. Then you will find out, it isn’t a big deal.
Examine yourself and your own guts: Contemplate that you are nothing but skin, bones, flesh, blood, and a little breath. Your death awaits you. So why waste your life doing shit you don’t wanna do?

So what is the purpose of life? Certainly not to buy stuff.

My idea:

The purpose of life is to CREATE ART. To always be excited don’t, and JOYFUL of living. To appreciate life. To appreciate your loved ones. To remix art you’ve already seen. To empower others.

Life is simple, limited, and short. Don’t waste it.

BE STRONG,
ERIC

MAKE MORE ART

eric kim photography black and white leaves flash

Re-discover you inner-child and feel like PABLO PICASSO:

See all articles >

EXAMINE THE GUTS.

The joy of tinkering

What I learned “pimping my own ride”

Deconstruct everything.

How to be happier

MAKE MORE ART