Month: April 2021

How do you know whether something is ‘good’ or not? Simple: Imagine yourself as your own ideal and optimal user … and design based on that!

We often think: Oh… if I just got all this for free, I’d be so happy. We wish to get ‘sponsored’ and to get free things. And I think many people desire to get a huge inheritance, etc. But in actuality, the best life is in which you pay for everything. Why? By paying for…

When it comes to life decisions, optimize for your health. In terms of your abode, living situation, neighborhood, food and diet, exercise, people and friends and city community. You can do this by investing your money, time and resources towards your health. Your health reigns supreme! Simple ideas: Optimize for your sleep Optimize your stimulants…

My new favorite aesthetic: Bright and quiet. What does this mean? With cars, I hate loud cars. Ideally electric or hybrid car. The best technologies REMOVE loud noises (BOSE noise canceling headphones) With color, white and bright is good! Black accents and chrome accents are good. With homes, optimize for bright light (huuuuge windows and tons…

In life, ask yourself the question: Do I strive to become more similar to others, or more different? And also: Do you derive your pride from owning the same totems of wealth and success as others, or do you prefer to be radically different? I say in life, strive to become *more different* from others…

A beautiful 2021 awaits us:

Why health is the ultimate wealth, and how money without health is useless:

Why follow your intuition? 

How did children and kids learn? Via playing. Even dogs play with one another! In modern society we are taught that to play is a vice, and to work is a virtue. Even now, kids playtime is continually cut down and down to prioritize (boring) academic work. But moving forward … if we desire to…

My photo diary:

When in doubt, just make and create it. Don’t worry about the worth or value of it — enjoy the process of making it, and keep creating and keep sharing it!

As I have hit all my life goals, have reached financial freedom, etc … I have a very difficult time entertaining myself. Almost nothing holds my attention (entertain as ‘en+tenare’ — something which holds your attention). And in fact, ‘entertainment’ is not base. Epic poetry and deep philosophy tends to be the most entertaining to…

A design epiphany: The best design is “via negativa”. For example, the best designed shoes aren’t the ones that “look” the coolest, but the ones that DON’T cause pain! With cameras, the best designed camera has the LEAST amount of superfluous buttons, features, and the LEAST amount of confusion in the UI/UX (also the least…

Our photographic motto:

Ever since having my first kid, my photography has flourished. Why? I always have something great to photograph!

Dear friends, Spring (and summer) of 2021 is in full-bloom. I am super pumped to share that spots are now open for my CHICAGO CONQUER COMPOSITION Street Photography Workshop this upcoming May 22-23rd, 2021). If you (like myself) have felt cooped up from this pandemic, desire to explore, shoot, and re-spark your passion for photography,…

What are you? A visual poet. You’re creating visual poems with your images and photos!

A thought I had while watching Justice League (and thinking about films in general): Why is it that we prefer films movies over still photos? Because we prefer motion! Seeing moving images or things actually motivates us to move as well! Then I was thinking: is there a possible way we can take all of…

Why are stripes, dots and black and white great in terms of photography composition? Because it obeys musical theory — beats, rhythms (think about treble and bass in photography applied to musical and photo composition theory). In other words, think piano keys!

Is there any car cooler than the Lamborghini SIAN? Insanely epic aesthetics — give us a new hope and belief in more phenomenally epic, beautiful, and mind blowing futures.

What is my personal passion and interest in life? Not merely to do more, learn more, think more, experience more, and adventure and attempt more … but to *become* more!

A thought and realization: There is no perfect aesthetic, ethos or approach to anything in life. No matter how good or perfect something you discover or create, sooner or later you will either bore or tire of it, or change your mind. Thus the goal is to always delight in the new, to strive to…

I don’t know about you, but the trend of “all black everything” is starting to bore me. For example all black cars — it is a boring trend. Better to opt for more bold, vibrant and audacious colors! And with clothing and fashion — perhaps best to opt for the outlandish and loud than the…

iPhone as great for photography workflow. Some thoughts:

Why do we want to have the “best”? My theory: We desire to have the best things in order to not think about it anymore, the zen of not having to explore any further options (no longer needing to “optimize” or “betterfy” your tools), and to focus on what’s truly important to you — adventure,…

Rather than flexing your knowledge about artists x, y, z as a form to flex your “wokeness” — better to disdain other artists and to flex your own art work!

What is a life without the new? Not life at all. True life thrives on the new! New adventures, new sights, new tools, new films, new music, new fashion, new ideas — thrive in the new!

Do you define the aesthetic or does the aesthetic define you?

Processing your photos as a creative and artistic act — it is an artistic thing that you do!

What’s the most important thing to design, designate, control, modify and transfigure in existence? Your life! What does this include? This includes where you live, in which neighborhood you live, the type of apartment or home you live in (the size, the concept, the design aesthetics etc). And the most important thing — figure out…

Thinking more about the philosophy of decision making, specifically around photography — ask yourself: With this certain life decision … how will it affect my photography? Which decision is most optimal and best for my artistic and photographic creativity and photographic productive output?

Extreme restfulness: Ability to sleep (no insomnia), to sleep deeply, and to wake up excited, well rested and pumped to take on and seize the day! To always have some sort of questions or thoughts on your mind — creative pursuits still lingering and things you’re still curious about. Excitement and enthusiasm for the day,…

My critique of much of modern design: It is focused on the nostalgia of the past and retrospective because it is “cool” and sells, rather than the substance of it. For example, there is no reason why modern digital cameras need to look like old school rangefinders. There is no more film cartridge or 35mm…

It seems the millennial trend is to *NOT* have kids, or to desire to *NOT* have children. But I can say (as a millennial, or ‘Generation Y’ kid, born in 1988) that having children is one of the most blessed things you can do, experience and witness in life:

‘Carte Blanche’ — the phrase in French (blank slate, blank piece of paper). Why is carte blanche so beautiful? When things are new, clean, pure, and un-tainted … then you can truly re-challenge yourself, re-innovate, and re-create yourself and the future (and past!)

The greatest gift — to own and command your own opinion, to not water it down, and to propagate your thoughts as widely as you can!

This is something I think about a lot: How to augment your life experiences, intensify them, make more sticky photos, and to live a more artistically productive life?

For me the primary reason to make photos: I have a poor memory, and when I look at my old photos, it resparks great joy in my heart and breast! Perhaps then for us photographers, forgetfulness or having a poor memory is a great blessing in disguise! Also perhaps our forgetfulness of our past memories…

Do you remember your pure, uncorrupted desires when you were a kid, a teenager, high school student or naive and optimistic college student? Perhaps the best way forward in life is to stick to your pure uncorrupted desires and aesthetics/ethics as a kid, and use your adult resources and wisdom to advance!

 Some thoughts and ideas:

When deciding to do x, y, z ask yourself: Am I doing this as a means to strengthen myself or to weaken myself? Also consider — whenever you do x, y, z, does it strengthen or weaken you? All things that strengthen you is good, anything you do which weakens you is bad!

Strange bias in today’s world: Millenials and many people no longer want to have children. Why this bias?

The philosophy of male beauty:

Is it possible for us humans to have desires which are not mimetic?

Or why the “panda” approach is best:

I cannot say for certain that great design uplifts, but I can certainly say that ugly design depresses us:

It seems many of us desire this pipe dream: To discover the best design things, the best design objects, etc … and to ‘get them all’. But towards what ends?

Which do you strive towards? For me — the artistic!

How to motivate your muscles? This is our artistic and creative inquiry:

Great design — not about accuracy or precision. Instead, the visual impression it gives you:

Building upon the notion of boredom: Perhaps the solution is to figure out what to keep consistent, and what to make novel. For example, consistency in your tools and equipment and car, and make the novelty having new adventures, making new art works, and new attempts.

A thought while looking at the new McLaren Artura hybrid super car: Assuming you buy the best car which exists… how long before you bore of it? Which makes me think more about boredom in general: Boredom of our devices, cars, cameras, tools, phones, laptops, etc Boredom of our home, city, neighborhood, etc Boredom of…

Or in other words, optimize your life in such a manner which causes you to live maximally brave and fearlessly. This can mean own possessions which you’re not afraid to fuck up, break, scratch or dent. Having a phone you’re not worried about breaking and ruining is better … so you don’t need to baby…

Why create? My thought: The supreme mode of existence in life is supreme prolificness, joy, and motivation with your creativity.

Why extremes are better:

A thought in a half awake state, which got me up this morning: The joy of life is that there is no end. For example, with consumer goods. Perhaps the ideal isn’t to strive to have a “perfect” device which you keep forever, and are forever satisfied and happy and pleased with it. Instead, to…

This means: Strive to position yourself in street photography in such a manner in which you enjoy street photography as an independent pursuit for yourself — to enjoy the process of going out and making photos, the joy of interacting with strangers, the joy of being on the streets, the joy of the chase, the…

A life with street photography is a better life. Why? My thoughts:

Life is too short for boring design. The best design increases your adrenaline, excites you, and motivates you to do more, aspire to create beautiful things, and to be grateful towards life and everything in-between.

In life you have the power to dictate your own purpose in life. Your own higher purpose in life. A purpose so high and mighty that you are willing to forgo everything else. Assuming you don’t believe in a (conscious) afterlife, and think that life is devoid of inherent meaning (nihilism) then this is the…

When to expend your strength, when to conserve your strength?

Refuse to do anything, or participate in any type of activities which rob you of your peace, tranquility, flow of thoughts, and mental zen:

FREE MOTIVATION ON ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER > Thought: As spring is in full bloom, ask yourself — “What new photo adventures await me?”

We are proud to announce that PHOTO WALLET is here, and available to order (right now) in the HAPTIC SHOP. If you desire one wallet for your everyday life and photographic adventures, PHOTO WALLET is for you. 

What do we desire the most? To design our life in such a way which elevates our mode of existence and living to a newer, more epic height.

If story telling in your street photography is your goal, some thoughts for you:

How will your passion for street photography manifest? Some thoughts:

Finally a long time after my life experiences (the last decade+) I’ve realized this: With any design objects, tools, things, phones, laptops, cameras, clothes, homes, etc … it will never fully satisfy you. There are objects, things, tools, equipment and lifestyle which are superior than other things, and I believe there are some things which…

Low-key photos are photos that skew towards the dark end and the darker side. The opposite of ‘high key’ photography (very bright photos). Low-key photos are more dramatic, dark, and mysterious. I say that a low-key photograph is around 80% dark, and 20% bright (80% black, 20% white). The benefits of low-key photos:

One of the most difficult things in modern life: To make a decision, to stick with a decision, and to *NOT* second-guess your past decisions, or to *NOT* have regrets. Some real thoughts: