ERIC KIM

April 2021

  • You Are Your Own Ideal User

    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!

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  • Pride in What You Paid For

    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…

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  • How to Optimize for Your Health

    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…

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  • Bright & Quiet

    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…

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  • Differentiation vs Equalization

    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…

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  • Photography is My Play!

    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…

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  • ALL CREATION IS GOOD.

    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!

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  • Anything Which Entertains You Is Good.

    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…

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  • The Best Design is Via Negativa

    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…

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  • CHICAGO CONQUER COMPOSITION Street Photography Workshop (May 22-23rd, 2021)

    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,…

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  • Photography Slideshow Motion Blogging Concept Idea Innovation

    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…

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  • Rhythm Photography Composition

    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!

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  • INSANELY EPIC AESTHETICS.

    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.

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  • No Aesthetic or Ethos is Forever

    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…

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  • Black is Boring

    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…

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  • The Zen of Having the Best

    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,…

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  • Flex Your Own Art!

    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!

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  • In Praise of the New

    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!

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  • Life Design

    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…

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  • Which Decision is Best for Your Photography?

    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?

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  • What’s the Best Life or Mode of Existence?

    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,…

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  • New Forward Facing Design vs Retrospective and Nostalgic Design

    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…

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  • In Praise of Having Children

    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:

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  • Carte Blanche

    ‘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!)

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  • Owning Your Own Opinion

    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!

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  • Why Make Photos?

    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…

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  • Uncorrupted Desires

    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!

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  • Strengthening or Weakening?

    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!

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