Month: July 2021

The best way to not judge others — just don’t express any interest in others or ask about them.

Steel spineFeel the rhymes and untwist the twineNo need to cast pearls before swineOr compare mine with thineYour goal is to just shine and be greatNo need to state your mission statement in lifeThis…

Advice I would give myself if I started all over again:

I’ve always believed that ‘hope is dope‘ and we have always been indoctrinated in our society that hope is good. But why is it that all the ancients saw hope as a vice?

MAD MAX FURY ROAD (Black and Chrome edition, buy the iTunes version and the Black and Chrome edition is viewable as an ‘Extra’) as a true masterpiece of film-making, story telling, and cinematography:

What is the main principle of life? Movement. All great things come to us through movement.

Something I’ve been thinking a lot about: Zero waste. Truth be told, waste is just bad to me in terms of an aesthetic rather than environmental thing. I think the earth is powerful enough…

Whatever you pursue in life, it must be sufficiently difficult and interesting to you. If anything, difficult things are more fun and interesting! Something I also realized about working out: The workouts we do…

To better innovate, rather than figure out what to add, figure out what to subtract.

In praise of sleeper aesthetics, that is low-key aesthetics.

Advice I wish I could have given myself if I started street photography all over again: When in doubt, shoot 25% more photos than you think you should If your photos aren’t good enough,…

Full force.

Some Nietzsche (will to power) vibes: Perhaps we as entrepreneurs and innovators and creators have a lust to expand.

Work — our ability to do, create, move and reconfigure things to our liking.

The reason why I’m such a huge fan of baby carriers, like the baby Bjorn or the ergo baby is that I can live more in parallel with my son Seneca.

Monochrome for us in photography is to be conquered:

What do we lack in today’s world? Solo thinking, which means– to think by yourself, alone, without outside stimuli.

I was very humbled when Oliver Krumes wrote on why I am the best street photography teacher, and then I thought: Ultimately for myself, I think that to become a ‘great educator’ and a…

It seems the trend now is towards ‘zero’ — zero waste. Thinking about Peter Thiel’s “Zero to One” book as well on entrepreneurship. Then I thought about the notion of Zero– how beautiful it…

You have the power (and must) posit your own ideals for yourself– for your children (or future children) and/or yourself.

For those of us who are into cars, people into Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Tesla, McLaren, Porsche other hyper sports cars, this is what I have discovered: when we desire these sports cars or hyper cars,…

You cannot buy health, or well-being, but you could buy kettle bells.

FIRST SENT TO ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER > Dear friend, The thing I have been working on my whole life: What is the secret to photographic motivation? I think I have found (some) keys, which…

If you need or want more photographic motivation, stick to monochrome.

Life is a never-ending photo project:

Street photography is my passion, but also my trap. Why? For a long time, if it *wasn’t* street photography I wouldn’t shoot it. And this was bad, because I got stuck in a ‘Procrustean…

Something which has been on my mind ever since I was 18 years old: What is the secret and key to photographic ‘success’, motivation, and thriving? For example, I always found myself lacking motivation…

What is lacking in today’s world and society? Obedience & discipline. In which regards? Obedience to your partner/and/or spouse Obedience to your elders (your parent(s) [if they are good])/grand parents, or your parents-in-law Obedience…

A simple thought: The ultimate ‘squad’ to prioritize is your family. What is your family? In my thinking — you (yourself), your spouse/partner, and your kid(s). If you prioritize your family above all else,…

The only type of productivity which is good and spontaneous productivity. This happens from having overwhelming physiological energy and strength. For example, the energy you had after a really great night sleep. And perhaps…

Assuming that health is the ultimate wealth, and that health is more important than money, then begs the question: can money buy health? And if so, how can you use money to become more…

Better to make a “bad” photo than no photo Black and white affords more photo opportunities and photographic “optionality” RICOH GR III as the best camera Don’t become a prisoner to any photographic genre.…

Something I have discovered when it comes to art, design and creations: Did the creator put their soul into it, or did they just do it to please the masses or to make a…

Rather than seek to accumulate followers and likes on an external social media platform, why not just transform your own website and blog into your own social media?

A thought: We seem (philosophically at least) to desire an eternity for everything. This is why we don’t like the idea of death. Nobody likes to think that their life will (one day) come…

Our hunger and desire for different — to do or attempt new and different things, or to have new and different experiences. Why does this motivate us? Is it perhaps that our hunger for…

Our personal ambition: to become simpler and stronger. This could pertain to our lifestyle, or bodily physiological strength, or aesthetics, and the way we approach life. If you’re a designer, strive to design things…

It was all worth it, even for a single blissful moment. A single deadlift personal record lift, a single great photograph, a single sublime memory and experience.

You are the full-stack solution:

Low-key photography means: Extreme under-exposing of your photos (-2, -3 or more) to paint your images with as much black as possible, to make your photos as dark as possible … to make a…

What gives us great hope and motivation for ourselves and the future? The belief in becoming a great individual.

Perhaps it is best for us to think that there are not more favorable or less favorable photographic conditions. But better to think that all opportunities are ripe for out photographic undertaking.

It isn’t fashion, cars, watches or things we desire… but aesthetics. And if you think about it, aesthetics are quite ‘useless’ (most aesthetics don’t have a practical or pragmatic utility). So let us think:…

Media which pacifies us and media which motivates us:

I think this is the great secret to life: As artists, what do we tire of, and what *don’t* we tire of? First thought: We quickly bore and tire of aesthetics. We bore and…

An amalgamation of everything I wish I knew about street photography if I started all over again:

Dear friend, If you are hungry for an epic street photography adventure and experience, I cordially invite you to my upcoming ADVANCED DOWNTOWN LA STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (Saturday, September 11, 2021):

What is it that we *really* want in life and out of life? The hunger and desire for new experiences to test us, challenge us, provoke us and awaken us. An indoor and “safe”…

No street photography, no life.

I’ve heard both thoughts: Having goals in life is good (the common thought in America) and the other thought (having goals in life is bad, because it is anti-zen). Some personal thoughts:

Certainly there is a hierarchy of favorable or unfavorable life situations and scenarios. But it seems the trick to extract the maximum out of life and existence is to take your current (“inferior”) scenario…

A simple thought: Have your outward appearance and things you own be super low key, but barbell that by making your personality and art super high-key. Or as Andy Warhol said: “Look poor, think…

Life is too short for the boring. This is why Lamborghini design is still probably my favorite, because of the unabashed extreme and excessive nature of it. Anything that is restrained and pedestrian is…

When it comes to aesthetics, start with black and figure out how to add the colors later. Better to have black as a base and have a pop of color somewhere else. For example,…

The more you can extend what you decide to photograph, the better. The uber-photographer as the individual who shoots more of everything — tramples over all boundaries and captures all of life, embodied existence…

With our photographic aesthetics in monochrome, the best way: Under-expose your photos to make them as dark as possible. Or just think: “We must go darker”.

“He who starts is already halfway done.” – Publilius Syrus The best way to conquer ‘paralysis by analysis‘: Just start it. This means, better to start something (half-ass) and half-way, than to never attempt…

A realization: For myself, only visual things and artwork interest me. My fascination with forms, shapes, colors, lines, tones, textures, aesthetics, design, fashion, art, sculpture, photography, industrial design, the human body, architecture, 3D (virtual…

A thought: All of existence, your life will be worth it just for the sake of one interesting thought– a thought which excites you, motivates you, and uplifts you.

The best life and way to approach almost anything? Just do it in a ‘non-boring’ way, or consume things and produce things which aren’t boring to you! In this way, being easily bored is…

Perpetual photography is the goal. This means to never stop shooting. Imagine like having perpetual energy for your photographic and creative pursuits. This means always be shooting throughout the day, always be reviewing selecting…

Some thing I realized: all design is social. There is a certain sociology of design, which means there is some types of designs which are created for impressing others (public design) then there is…

The other day I went to an Amazon fresh store for the first time. It is truly an epic view of the future. Essentially they have carts that could way in automatically check you…

Will this last? Will this not last?

A simple thing I learned in life: health is far more important than money. Why? Simple — What’s the point of being a billionaire if you have the worst physiological pain and suffering in…

Don’t seek to obtain luxury brands and things. Rather transform yourself into the icon, brand, hero and cult of yourself.

A thought on my mind: what will future humans look like? Funny enough, it seems that future of humans will look like more of our ancestral hunter gatherers. For example when people become silicon…

What is the future of anything? It is a return to the classics. Or a return to more ancestral or minimal concepts.