A lot of us seek ‘location independence’ — but is this something that will bring us happiness?
What is ‘location independence’?
I think the notion of location independence means:
To be able to live anywhere you desire at a certain moment of your life.
For example, if I’m in LA, and suddenly want to live in Osaka, if I were ‘location independent’, I can instantly jump on a plane, and live in Osaka for however long I desire, without having to show up to my job or whatever.
My theory
This is my theory:
I don’t think we desire ‘location independence’– rather, we just seek independence for working for a boss, a company, or corporation, which limits our personal freedom.
My experience being location-independent
Technically I am currently location-independent. I can live anywhere, at any time, for however long I want (finances depending).
Personally I like this freedom of not having to be stuck in one spot. I have the option of living anywhere (if I choose).
For example the last 2 years, Cindy and I have lived at:
- Hanoi, Vietnam (8 months)
- Saigon, Vietnam (3 months)
- Osaka, Japan (1 month)
- Kyoto, Japan (1 month)
- Bay Area (San Jose with my mom, 1 month)
- New York City (technically based in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with my cousin for about a month).
I know for myself, I’ve been enjoying this nomadic lifestyle, in the sense that it prevents me from getting comfortable. To me, the source of a lot of my creativity comes from discomfort. Thus for myself, discomfort leads to creative ideas.
The upside of being rooted in one spot
Currently I am stationed at Cindy’s mom’s house in Little Saigon, Orange County. I really like being here right now, because with my current life goal of deadlifting 500 pounds– I need regular and close access to a gym. There is fortunately a gym I signed up for that is literally a 2 minute drive from the house. And this has been great, because I’ve been able to go to the gym at least once a day (every day); sometimes I even go twice a day! (I love the dry sauna at the gym to come up with creative ideas).
Thus, with my current goal of wanting to deadlift 500 pounds, it is actually better for me to be rooted in one spot for a while. Thus, if my 500 pound deadlift is my current goal, I actually would prefer NOT to travel right now, to NOT live intermittently or nomadically at the moment.
So perhaps the notion of ‘location independence’ isn’t an ultimate goal we should strive towards; rather, we should think to ourselves:
What are my current life goals, and what kind of lifestyle would actually allow me to attain those goals?
The upside of paying (very little money) in rent.
For example, we are currently living at Cindy’s mom’s house, and we are only paying $500 USD a month in rent (we technically don’t need to pay Cindy’s mom rent– but we feel it is the ethical thing to do).
Furthermore, here in Little Saigon, food is insanely cheap. I can buy 1 pound of ground beef or pork for only 99 cents!!! Even though I am a voracious meat-eater, even I cannot really eat more than 2.5 pounds of meat a day. Thus, it technically only costs me $2.50 a day to feed myself.
Cindy and my expenses right now are at an all-time low; which is great, because it means we are able to save a lot more money. Remember our formula:
The easiest way to stack dollars in our bank accounts is to reduce our living expenses to the bare minimum.
Do you prefer spending money, or saving money?
I’ve also discovered for myself this truth:
Saving money is more fun than spending money, and more challenging (in a fun way).
And because I make my money digitally (by selling HAPTIC products via our shop or because I teach workshops intermittently around the globe, it technically doesn’t really matter where I am– as long as I have access to wifi (anywhere in the world), and access to coffee (fortunately also everywhere in the world), I am good.
Intermittent living
I don’t think I’ve heard the notion of ‘intermittent living’ yet (we have the notion of ‘intermittent fasting’).
The basic idea is this:
Be location independent, but when you live in a spot, strive to live in that location for a more extended period of time– perhaps 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year.
I know for myself, I don’t really envision myself buying a house somewhere, and living there until I die at age 120. I have no idea where my future is going to lead me, but this seems to be the only certainty:
I will never be ultimately ‘settled’ in one spot.
What if location independence isn’t the goal?
If you’re starting your own photography business, or trying to get yourself off the ground, perhaps it is a good strategy to stay in one spot, and pay the minimum amount of money for rent or expenses. Ain’t no shame with living with your momma (I love my umma to death).
I also think the goal of being an entrepreneur is to maximize our freedom in life– our freedom of the hours of our day, and to maximize our free time. I don’t think it is to have the ability to live a ‘baller’ lifestyle (that shit gets old).
Thus perhaps if your goal is to have more freedom over your life, location independence isn’t necessarily a good thing — because if you are living an ‘location independent’ lifestyle, it is often more expensive! Airfare (plane tickets) add up, and generally speaking, if you are airBnb’ing or staying in hotels for a shorter period of time, your living expenses will be higher than if you just stayed rooted in one spot.
Do you want to just keep traveling for the rest of your life?
I also think the point isn’t to just keep living on a plane, jumping from foreign city to foreign city. I still love traveling, but the end goal of life isn’t to travel indefinitely. I think traveling is good to spark new creative ideas, and to open up your mind.
Thus, traveling is merely a means or a road in order to do what you truly desire– which is to create artwork, make an impact in the world, and to share your own wisdom and knowledge with others.
Ignore ERIC KIM
Of course this is just my personal thoughts, based on my personal experiences. I encourage you to challenge yourself, and think for yourself. You can safely ignore everything I say.
But this is what I really encourage you to do:
Determine whether your desire for ‘location independence’ is a “true preference”, or a “false preference” (all these internet bloggers have suckered us into thinking that this is the best lifestyle).
And also ask yourself:
If you did gain location independence, then what?
Location independence isn’t the goal; it is often something else. What is your end-game?
ERIC
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
Enroll in my Udemy Course: ‘Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship’: Create Your Own Future >Entrepreneurship Mindset
- How to Get Discovered
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- Disregard Success or Failure; Always Attempt More!
- In Praise of Stubbornness
- Success is Personal Bravery
- Why You Must Become an Entrepreneur
- How to Brand and Market Yourself as a Photographer
- How to Conquer Haters
- How to Accumulate Capital
- Why Be Different?
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- Don’t Play it Safe
- Why Blog?
- How to Be a More Productive Photographer
- How to Hustle
- True Productivity
- What Can Only You Do?
- Love Risk
- What is Success?
- Fill a Vacuum
- Think Big
- What is Your Dream in Life?
- 8 Blogging Productivity Tips
- Why Be Normal?
- How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure to Achieve Your Dreams?
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
- Don’t Sit Still!
- Bitcoin for Photographers
- Don’t Be Timid
- Why Start Your Own Photography Blog?
- Fill a Void
- 1,000 True Followers: How to Build Your Own Niche in Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: Why You Must Start Your Own Email Newsletter
- TURBO CREATION: Why a Maxed-Out MacBook Laptop is the Best Investment You Can Make for Photography Entrepreneurship
Life and Productivity Hacks
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- Life/Productivity Hack: Write (Type on a phone) While Walking on a Dynamic Treadmill
- ERIC KIM Life, Creativity, and Productivity Hacks
How to Make a Living from Your Passion
- Digital Nomad Photographer
- Build Your Own Instagram!
- How to Be More Ambitious
- Do It Your Way
- How to Measure Your Progress as a Photography Entrepreneur + Come Up With New Ideas
- How to Make a Living From Your Passion in Photography
Put a Dent in the Universe.
- Fear Disguised as Reason
- Distraction is the Enemy
- Innovate for the Sake of Innovating!
- Reality is Malleable!
- Stoic Entrepreneurship
- Against Self-Preservation
- The Purpose of Life is to Make New Stuff!
How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
- You Have No Limits.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
- Invest in Yourself
- The Secret of Happiness: Shoot for the Moon!
- Moonshot Thinking
- Why We Should all Be Photography Entrepreneurs
- Memento Mori Entrepreneurship
- Why it is Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- Why You Must Own Your Own Platform
- First Principle Thinking for Photography Entrepreneurs
- How I Became a Digital Nomad
- Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission!
- Spurn Pleasing Others!
- Create Your Own Niche
- How to Gain More Exposure For Your Photography
- Intense Focus
- How to Conquer Your Fears as an Entrepreneur
- Define Yourself
- Let Dissatisfaction Drive You Forward!
- It Doesn’t Matter if Someone Else Has Done it Before!
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
- How to Create Value as a Photography Entrepreneur
- Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
- Why You Must Ignore Nay-Sayers to Succeed in Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life
The Modern Photographer: Tips, Strategies, and Tactics to Thrive as a Visual Artist in the Digital Age
Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER is your new philosophical and practical primer to succeed as a modern photographer in today’s digital world.Business Mental Models
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
How to Monetize Your Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: INFLUENCE
- Should I Monetize My Passion for Photography?
- 10 Practical Photography Monetization Strategies: Pricing, Google SEO, & Entrepreneurship
- How to Make Money From Street Photography
Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
Take control of your own photographic destiny:THE MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER
- CREATIVE CAPITALISM
- How to Monetize Your Photography
- 5 Practical Photography Career Tips and Advice
- 10x Thinking
- How to Hustle as a Photographer
- How to Become Your Own Master Marketer
- The ‘T’ Technique of Success
- Go Ahead and Sell Out
- What is Your Unique Voice?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- What is Your Unique Angle as a Photographer?
- Photography Content Marketing 101
- Why You Must Become Your Own Publisher
- The Art of Cross-Pollination in Photography
Photography Entrepreneurship Articles
- Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Flickr
- How to Make Money From Your Photography
- Photography SEO and Blogging: How to Become Number One on Google
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
- Now is the Best Time to Be a Photographer
- PRODUCERISM
- What Is The Value of a Picture?
- Your Photographic Labor is Not Free
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 101
- Chapter 1. How to Make a Photography Blog
- Chapter 2. How to Price Yourself
- Chapter 3. How to Find Your Market
- Chapter 4. Why Teach Workshops?
- Chapter 5. How to Build Trust
- Chapter 6. How to Market Yourself
- Chapter 7: Why Should Someone Attend Your Workshop?
KEYS TO SUCCESS
- Why You Must Be a “Personality” in Order to Succeed
- THRIVE OR DIE.
- Impatience is a Virtue
- Create Your Own Category
- HOW TO DREAM BIG.
- Will Not or Cannot?
- Why Not?
- How to Think BIG
- How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
- How to Invest in Yourself
- The Two Camera Rule
- MEANINGFUL DIFFERENTIATION
- Advice For College Students
- How to Thrive in Uncertain Times
- CANNIBALIZE YOURSELF.
- DO AND GROW RICH
- Does Fear of Punishment Hold You Back?
- HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS
- How to Innovate
- How to Build Your Own Empire
- YOU ARE ENTITLED TO HARD WORK.
- PICK YOURSELF.
- OWN YOUR PLATFORM
- 10 KEYS TO SUCCESS
Table of Contents
Learn how to make a living from your passion:- Preface. BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
- 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
- Chapter 7. HOW TO BE BOLD
- Chapter 8. How to Sell Out
- Chapter 9. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
- Chapter 10. EXTREME ABUNDANCE
- Chapter 11. Photography Experience Economy
- Chapter 12. Why You Should Make Money for Your Photography
- Chapter 13. How to Become a Famous Photographer
Photography Business 101
How to Make Money with Photography
- 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 Have More Followers?
- 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