How Should I Live?
I can speak for you, but this is how I like to live my life:
…October 2019
Immoral Photography
For us to make leaps and bounds in our photography and philosophy, don’t waste your energies on morals and ethics.
…Virtue for the sake of Virtue
After thinking a long time for a good definition for “virtue”, I think I got a good one:
Human greatness and magnanimity.
Generally we will call it “manliness” (but I want to take the notion further which also applies to women).
Why virtue? Let me explain:
…The Impulse to Photograph
Something which interests me:
What motivates us to photograph?
Meaning:
- What is the initial impulse which motivates us to photograph something?
- Are there more optimal conditions to photograph?
- How do we determine what (or what not) to photograph?
- How do we determine how many photos of a certain scene to photograph?
- Why photograph?
Practical thoughts:
…What I Truly Desire
What I truly desire in my life:
- Get stronger (physically): Desire to increase my “one rep max” in all my lifts.
- Getting more muscular: Continue to build my muscle mass while keeping my body fat percentage under 10%.
- Making great products which inspire, motivate, and empower artists, creators, and photographers (HAPTIC INDUSTRIES).
- Never running out of motivation and inspiration to make new art.
- Discover new levels and depths of truth (philosophical “truthiness”).
- Living to 120-140 years old with “hyper health”.
What’s interesting about these things: they are 100% dependent on myself. Perhaps this are the best life goals to have? To battle with physics, time, and effort/willpower instead of public opinion.
What do we Need as Photographers?
As photographers, what are we truly lacking, and what do we really need and desire?
My thought:
…We are lacking the strength, motivation, or the wisdom to encourage ourselves to go out and shoot new photos, with extreme joy and delight.
Why is Willpower Moralized?
So this is interesting to me:
Society scorns us when we have ‘weak willpower’. When we don’t have strong enough willpower to resist temptations, eating junk food, etc.
We are taught, “If you train yourself to have enough willpower, you can do, prevent, and achieve anything!”
…Physiology, Art, and Photography
To re-spark your passion for art and photography, focus on your body and physiology.
…Assert Your Own Opinion, Speak Your Own Truth
There is no ultimate truth, right or wrong.
Thus your task:
…Assert your own personal truth and opinions.
Why Calligraphy has Transformed my Photographic Life
Calligraphy (Zen Brush 2 app on iPad) has transformed my visual artistic life. Now I have another mode of artistic self expression and creation. I can BOTH make photos AND make calligraphs from my mind.
I encourage all photographers and visual artists to experiment with calligraphy — a whole brave new world awaits you!
…Why Calligraphy has Transformed my Photographic LifeRead More »
Become What You Desire
A realization:
We must think deeply on what we desire to become, in terms of our character, our personality, our body, and our mind.
More focus on self development of our body and mind, less concern for externals.
…
6 Dynamic Street Photography Composition Ideas
Ideas to make new street photos with more force, energy, and dynamism.
…Don’t seek to be understood in your photography or life
Listen on ERIC KIM PODCAST
A thought:
Many of us suffer distress because we feel like we’re “misunderstood” in our photography, art, or life.
But what if we should strive for the opposite; to strive to NOT be understood. Perhaps this is what makes us more enigmatic, interesting, and helps us succeed in life?
…Don’t seek to be understood in your photography or lifeRead More »
Preview: HAPTIC Haute Couture Line
One of the newest products cooking up in HAPTIC:
To be the first to be informed when this hyper-limited edition will be released, register intent by sending an email to hapticindustries@gmail.com
…4 Photography Motivation Tips
First sent to ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER:
Dear streettogs,
Hope you’re doing well! I just wanted to send you a quick email, with some quick turbo thoughts on how to re-spark your passion for photography. Practical tips to get you going in your photography again! Here are the basic ideas:
The Designer as Philosopher
When you design things, you impute your personal aesthetics, ethics, and philosophy into your designs:
…
The Best Photos are Your Photos
A thought:
Don’t worry too much about how “good” you are as a photographer (comparing yourself to others). Instead, just focus on making your own photos.
Less interest in the photos of others (even of the great master photographers). Ultimately your focus as a photographer is to make your own images, NOT to become anyone else.
…
The Photographer as Visual Experimenter
As a photographer you’re a visual experimenter. Your camera is the visual hammer — hammering out, and sculpting reality to your own desires!
…Transform Your Body into a Lamborghini
A thought:
Many of us desire fancy things like fancy sports cars, fancy clothes, fancy homes, fancy watches, accessories, cameras, devices, etc.
But what if instead of desiring these objects (totems of power), we instead decided to turn our own bodies into the things desired?
…Possible vs Probable
A thought:
We must think in terms of possibility (physics, first principles) not probability (being “realistic”).
Anyone can live a basic, comfortable, and mediocre life by simply following orders, being industrious, and listening to the rules. But if it is your ambition for a new type of elevation in life, you must think in terms of what’s possible (governed by the law of physics).
…
How to Motivate Yourself to Make New Photos Again
Never stop making new photos:
…How to Motivate Yourself to Make New Photos AgainRead More »
Making good photos on accident is totally legitimate.
I think “skill”in photography is a bit overrated. More fun and interesting to keep going out to shoot, experimenting, and letting randomness, chance, and chaos work in your favor!
…Making good photos on accident is totally legitimate.Read More »
Powerlifting while Fasting
I’ve religiously been intermittent fasting the last 2+ years (no breakfast and lunch, only dinner) with great success. A new level of energy, focus, and strength has been unlocked within myself.
Also a new discovery:
I’m actually stronger when powerlifting and in a fasted state.
Why is this so? My theory:
…15 Photography Motivation Tips
It ain’t a matter of being a “good” or “bad” photographer; it’s a matter of having fun in photography!
Some practical tips to help motivate you in your photography:
…The Beautiful is Good
When studying the etymology for the word “beautiful”, it essentially means “good”.
…No Morals and Ethics in Street Photography
An essay about morals and ethics in street photography. Essentially my point is this:
…To think too much about morals and ethics in street photography is counter-productive.
Zen Emptiness
Inspiration after looking at the “skateboard” skeleton frame of Tesla:
…The beauty of emptiness and negative space.
Art is Above Morals and Ethics
After grappling a long time with philosophy, I’ve discovered that art and philosophy is perhaps the supreme fields of study. Furthermore for us to not worry about living a “moral” or “ethical” life, but an artistic life.
…Monochrome Photo Abstracts
Something fun I’ve been doing:
Select monochrome photos I like then turn them into abstract illustration-images.
What is the benefit of this?
- I discover the compositional and visual “gist” of an image.
- Fun activity to keep my eyes and visual senses sharp.
- Deeper understanding of my images.
Image Dynamic Energy Force
Something I’ve realized about photos, art, images, and design:
What is most important is the dynamic energy the image sparks!
My current muses:
- Car design
- Animal design (sharks, Eagles, leopards, and other apex predators).
Shoot it or lose it.
Perhaps this should be our adage as photographers:
Shoot it or lose it.
This means that our fitness as photographers relies on us shooting on a daily basis. Like exercising on a daily basis, or eating on a daily basis, being creative and artistic on a daily basis.
Like good Aristotle said — we perfect ourself and skills through our habits. So if we make shooting new photos (all day, everyday) our habit, certainly we can reach perfection in our photography!
…How to Abstract Your Photos
Shoot in black and white, select a photo you like, apply extreme contrast (curves), inverse the image, Gaussian blur it, inverse it some more, then fill in and paint in the image:
…I Move
I move, I groove to my own tune
I’m the first mover, the air cleaver, the movement needer.
I love to dance. I’ve light feet. Protein heavy, fed with meat.
Smile and greet, soft bed sheets. Tidy and neat, yet chaotic and heavy.
Steady with my artistic production, steadfast and strong.
Life is short, art is long!
ERIC
Life is Fractal
To better understand growth, biology, life, composition, and energy — perhaps we should study fractals, science, math, and physics.
…Weakening or Strengthening?
Something to think about when it comes to aesthetics:
…Does it weaken you or strengthen you?
Photographic Thriving
If we think that happiness (eudaimonia according to Aristotle) is legitimate (happiness as human thriving), perhaps our happiness as photographer-artists is “photographic thriving”.
This means:
- Extreme optimism, joy, and fun in making new photos
- Deep appreciation for your past photos
- Deep joy in all parts of the photographic process (walking, shooting, selecting, processing, and sharing your photos).
So the practical question:
…How do we thrive as photographers?
Bang for the Buck Economics
More impressive saving money… or more impressive getting more bang for the buck.
…
Producerism is more fun than consumerism
To produce and make stuff as 1000x more fun than simply consuming, being passive, being “entertained”, and buying new things.
…The Poetics of Photography
Just finished reading “The Poetics” by Aristotle (loved it) and came across this idea from him regarding poetry and art. He states that poets attempt the following in their stories (in terms of their presentation):
- Things as they are (reality)
- Things as they are thought to be (perception)
- Things as they ought to be (philosophy)
Which makes me think: we as photographers also have a poetic sense. And the question is with our photography do we desire to show reality how it is (objective reality), how we think it to be (our personal perception of reality), or how we think it should be (our philosophy)?
…