Month: February 2021
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SELF-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Extreme risk-taking to strive to become yourself:
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YOU ARE THE EXCEPTION.
In this short game of life, why not grant yourself great exceptions? To disdain the popular prejudices and virtues of our time. To form ourselves, to select our own virtues for ourselves, and to cultivate ourselves into something new.
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The Artist
What makes an artist or what is an artist? Someone who is passionate about aesthetics, and how he or she perceives external visual stimuli.
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The Philosophy of Regret
Certainly nobody makes it through life without experiencing or feeling regret. But what is regret? How can we positively channel it? What wisdom is there in regrets, and do we desire a life in which we don’t have regret?
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PHOTOGRAPHIC OPTIONALITY.
Or how every moment is a photo moment:
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In Praise of Digital Photography
It seems the art (photo) world sneers at digital photography, and somehow puts film photography on a pedestal. But what if digital photography (given COVID) is the only reasonable and logical step forward? And what would it take for us to rate digital photography as artistically and aesthetically *equivalent* to film photography, or perhaps even…
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Health is the Ultimate Luxury
Thought: We obsess over luxury cars, luxury homes, luxury lifestyles, luxury goods, luxury devices, clothes, etc … but what is *true* luxury versus ‘weak’ (unsubstantive) luxury? My belief: Health as the ultimate luxury. Health as defined via great sleep, great tranquility/peace/quiet, great physiological strength, clean air, bright light (lots of natural light), freedom from the…
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EXTREME ADAPTATION.
In these extreme times, the best way to approach life seems to be through extreme adaptation — to never plan a day or moment in advance, extracting the maximum from every moment in the day, and creating new values for ourselves and despising the values of the old (predictable) past. Towards a non-planning future. Instead,…
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Why Plan?
To plan is the current ethos of modernity. But why plan? Is it even a good idea?
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ANTI-BELIEFS
You best show your beliefs via what you are anti, more so than what you are “for”. Also you exhibit your true beliefs via what you decide *not* to do, *not* to say, and actions and behaviors you decide *not* to engage in!
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Exploit Your Current Position to the Maximum.
What if your present scenario and situation were in fact, the best?
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If You Have the Option, Choose the Riskier, More Exciting and Less Certain Route
Or in other words, how to extract the maximum from existence.
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RAW PHOTOS.
Not RAW like the file format, but RAWNESS, in terms of emotional rawness, directness. Your soul imputed into your photos. This means: More contrast (crush the blacks in monochrome) More chiaroscuro (dark blacks, deep shadows) Strong emotional content Personal photos (photos of things and people and moments you personally care for) Direct emotional impact.
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Self Speculation
A thought and realization: We often speculate too much on investments, future returns on certain gains, speculate with stocks and crypto, speculate with real estate, and speculate about money in general. But what if we speculated more in ourselves? For example, instead of putting so much money into crypto investments and speculations, investing that money…
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DETAILS.
What is the secret to intimate story telling through photography? The focus on the specific moments, and specific details:
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Take it Moment by Moment, Day by Day.
A new realization ever since becoming a father, and having a newborn child: Making long-term, or even weekly plans is not good. Best to take it moment by moment, day by day.
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Use Your Life as an Experiment to Self-Develop Yourself to Heights Never Seen Before
We speculate on investments, money matters, economic matters, and things *outside* of ourselves. But what if we instead put these resources to ourselves? To our own self-development? To use ourselves as experiments unto ourselves … to see how far we can soar to the heavens?
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OPTIMIZE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
What is the end? To focus on photography. Your photography. Perhaps then the simple idea: Optimize your life, lifestyle, living choices, city, neighborhood, etc to maximize your photographic optionality!
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Invest in New Developments
A thought: When you have the option in life, opt for the riskier, more interesting, newer developments. This can be in regards to life, lifestyle, homes (new luxury apartment buildings), new development neighborhoods, new economic developments, or perhaps the ultimate development … in yourself!
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The Joy of Existence
A thought when driving downtown the other day: Wow, how blessed I am to be alive, having the chance to experience the beauty of a city, the joy of photography, the joy of interacting with other humans! What a huge blessing (the greatest blessing of all) of just having being born! In other words: Let…
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STRESS IS A VICE.
Another modern societal critique: Stress is not a virtue, it is a vice. For example when you ask any working class professional or educated person, “How are you doing?” it seems 99% of the time they will respond with “busy, stressed, sleep deprived, tired, depressed, or anxious”. And somehow this is supposed to be virtuous.…
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You Don’t Need to Justify Yourself
Too often than not, we feel we need to justify ourselves, justify our decisions, justify our purchases and our lifestyle choices. In today’s world, it seems the apex justification is economic. For example, we justify our need to exercise and sleep “in order to be more productive at work, and thus make more money, or…
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Minimum Viable Thriving
In Silicon Valley we talk much about the “minimum viable product” (MVP). But how can we cross pollinate this concept to living?
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The Philosophy of Ego
Towards a new way of thinking about the ego:
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True vs False Passions
True passions: an unadultured passion you’ve had since you were a kid, teenager or high school/college student. For example my passion for working out, fitness, diet and nutrition, modding cars, photography, blogging, travel, new experiences, desire to become self employed. False passions: passions society superimposes unto you — for example, desire for luxury cars, buying…
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YOU ARE THE CAMERA.
You are the camera, the tool, the instrument. You decide what to photograph and what *not* to photograph. You don’t need to ‘buy’ a new camera if *you* are the camera!
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Why Review Your Photos?
Photos not reviewed aren’t worth shooting:
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The Philosophy of Space
Typically we are taught: “The more space, the better”. But through my life experiences, I’ve found this to be patently false. More often than not (due to complex scaling effects) bigger, more space, more heavy, more stuff is worse. In terms of space, let’s talk about living scenarios. The more space you got, the more…
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Good Homes Over Good Cars
If you have the option, always opt for a good home (your ideal apartment or living situation) over having a fancy car. If anything, because we spend so much time at home now, being extremely picky with our living situation and abode is more important than ever! Or in other words, optimize for your lifestyle…
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Exuberant, High Spirits
What do we desire? Exuberant, high spirits. Ideally, permanently elevated high mood and spirits.
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The Philosophy of Rationality
Rational — ratio, to compute (reor). Comes from PIE (hreh) to think, which is a reanalyzed root of her- (to put together). So in some ways, to be “rational” means: Make decisions based on a “well put together” series of thoughtful reflections. But this is to give too much credence to “thinking” or “rational thought”.…
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Certainty of Decision Making
Life is a series of decision making. But how do you know what the “best” or “right” decision is? You don’t. But I’ve discovered for myself, the happiest I am is when I have deep certainty in the decisions I’ve made, which are typically more emotional and subjective than “rational” and “logical”.
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Self Photography
All photography and art, knowledge and wisdom goes back to your self.
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Self Knowledge
Know thyself Oracle at Delphi The only and most meaningful knowledge which can be more accurately ascertained — your knowledge of your self. Self knowledge.
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TRUE DESIRES.
What is a “true desire”? A true desire: The self knowledge in knowing what is best for *you* and not others. Seeking your own greatest personal advantage in life. The knowledge and recognition that your own virtues and vices are subjective… and which only (and should only) apply to you.
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How “Logic” is Overrated
We are taught and trained that logic is supreme and irrationality is bad. But what if logic is overrated, and if we desire to live the best and most supreme life, we should harness our “irrational exuberance” to the extreme?
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Strong Desires for Your True Preferences
Obey your desires, especially the strong ones. And another thing: Ensure that your desires at the “true” ones — don’t get suckered into desiring “false” things you don’t truly care for. In other words, obey your strong desires for your true desires and true preferences. Ruthlessly shun false, fake, or the desires of others. And…
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Every Opportunity is a Photo Opportunity
Each moment in your day is the same and equal, which means: Leverage each and every moment to make photos and to document and record it all!
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What Does a Brighter, More Prosperous Future Mean or Look Like?
What is the end of our money-getting, our entrepreneurial hustle, our investments and speculations, etc? The hope for a better tomorrow and brighter and more prosperous future. But what does that even mean, and how is it manifested?
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How to Achieve Tranquility
I am currently in a state of deep and profound tranquility. Unperturbed, strong, calm, and zen. Many seek tranquility yet never get it. Why not? And how can we gain tranquility? Some thoughts:
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Each Photo You Shoot is Part of a Stream of Becoming
Photo by photo — each photo as part of a particle steam or wave. This means: It isn’t about a single photo, single moment, or even a contained photo “project” or set. All your photos as part of one continuum or stream:
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SHOOT WITH YOUR SOUL.
What is the secret behind making immortal photos? Simple: Shoot with your soul. You cannot fake love and enthusiasm, especially when it comes to your photos. Shoot with your entire soul and being, and impute all your artistic faculties, skills, techniques and powers to make the most aesthetically beautiful and powerful images.
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Love and Sacrifice
“Love without sacrifice is theft.” – Nassim Taleb What makes love so great? The level or degree of sacrifice we put forth in order to verify that love. The other night when doing the midnight shift taking care of baby Seneca — I remembered and thought: If having a baby were so easy, the profundity…
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Good Impulses, Bad Impulses
It seems modernity says impulses are bad. But there can also be great wisdom behind impulsive behaviors, especially when it comes to art. Simple thought: Impulses which come to our “base pleasures” are bad, or financial ones. Good impulses are related to artistic thoughts, philosophical or poetic thoughts, or anything around your artistic creation!
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Living an Entrepreneurial Life is the Best Life
Dear friends I am convinced: If you desire to extract the maximum from existence, live as maximally a risky, entrepreneurial and adventurous life as possible! Hypothesis: Much of our boredom, ennui, depression and existential dread comes from a life and lifestyle which is *too* predictable, caged, domesticated and static.
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How to Photograph Pregnancy
Going in reverse — Cindy heroically birthed Seneca Thien Anh Hanul Kim after an arduous 52 hour labor. For personal reasons, I wanted to keep the pregnancy photos “low key”, but now that Hanul is here and I also wrote about photographing his birth, I wanted to use this opportunity to review the last 9+…
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Mexico Color Studies by Savannah Condon
Some lovely color photos and words from Savannah Condon, straight out of Mexico:
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How to Become a Happier and More Productive Photographer
Simple ideas:
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How to Become a Thought Leader
A thought leader — Someone whose opinion, thoughts and ideas sway and impact and influence the crowd and society. For example, Elon Musk as meme lord of the internet and more recent Dogecoin advocate (I wonder when Elon Musk will tweet when you can buy a Tesla in DOGE?) Simple ideas:
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Why Photography is My Passion
Now that I feel like a billionaire, what is my final end and goal? Simple — photography. Ever since the birth of my son, my priorities include Cindy, Seneca, and my photography — nothing else really matters to me. I will even let entrepreneurial matters go to the side.