Month: July 2021

How do we put our minds into motion?

Perhaps I am the first person to have thought and considered this:

Rather than thinking about what is the best ‘car’ in general … perhaps better to think about what is the best car for thinking?

To get full engagement out of life … for things we care about, perhaps this is the secret to living the best and fullest life. And that is why living a more ‘dangerous’ life is good — we actually must use our faculties to FOCUS.

This is why powerlifting is so much more fun and interesting than bodybuilding-styled pointless repetitions. The element of danger is what makes powerlifting (one rep max) so fun and interesting.

Or also perhaps in street photography; the joy of street photography is that we must harness all of our faculties (conquering our fears, our ability to interact with strangers and fellow human beings) is what gives us full maximal engagement.

Ironically enough, the fewer choices and options we got, the *MORE* creative we will become.

Lesson:

If you desire to be more creatively productive, perhaps better to SUBTRACT and GET RID OF superfluous tools, equipment, gadgets, tools, cameras, etc from your life … and to maximize the use of just one.

Our pride and joy is to be uber-unique — uber unique in what we drive, what we own, what we wear and how we interact with the world.

Our greatest hate is when we see someone else similar to us. The distaste of seeing someone drive or own the same car as us, wear the same brands as us, or live like us.

Zen as a means not the end.

Photography is the most effective when you subtract from the frame. That’s when you’re shooting a scene, strive to subtract superfluous elements from the frame. The fewer distractions in your photos, the better.

To find joy in shooting by yourself, for yourself without social media, likes, followers or other ways to metricate yourself.

If the goal is to be more creatively productive, here are some practical ideas:

CREATE CONTENT YOU WISH YOU CAN CONSUME.

PODCAST

Zen friend is always there
Regardless of the weather or the modern day cares
Zen daring goes far
Triple motor speed in the Tesla car

Shards and rags
Guns and mags
60fps, no lag.

Tag, you’re it. You’re lit.

No need to get with the times or find meaning in rhymes
Our only impetus is to create great.

Wipe the slate clean, carte blanche
Your wings are wide, fly high like the stars.

ERIC KIM

What is creative daring? To dare convention, to dare your own past ‘style’, and to create with the bold audacity of a child — unrestrained, wild, and naively pure.

In today’s world there seems to be this mania towards ‘productivity’. And what is ‘productivity’ according to modern thoughts?

To always be doing something, in order to become more virtuous (like a machine, in the spirit of ‘Taylorism’), in order to produce and create more in order to make more money.

Thus the modern goal of productivity is money-making.

But what happens once you become a crypto billionaire, and money is no longer a concern to you? Then it seems more of a focus on our artistic endeavors, our creative endeavors, our health, and the desire and hunger to explore more, become more, and to become stronger, wiser, and more bold.

Next time you incur an injury or wound, rather than bemoaning your foolishness or regret a “mistake”— better to instead think:

This injury can and will be a benefit to me — it will help me address my weaknesses or inefficient movements in order to make me stronger than I was before the injury.

For example getting wounded with a standard deadlift form helped inspire me to start doing sumo deadlift form — which both increased my one rep max and got rid of any back weaknesses. My back as stronger now than it was before.

Or knee pain and injuries— teaching me to focus on building hip and abductor strength, and to focus more on stretching, which will and has made me stronger.

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It’s all profit.

Perhaps the uber-Stoic way to approach life:

All injuries, pain, suffering is here for us to benefit and profit from — to make us stronger.

iPhone as the ultimate creative device — how come nobody has truly discovered the insanely awesome powers of this miracle device? And instead just using it for basic email, texting and time wasting games?

Just gave away my iPad Pro to my mom, who has been making great art works with Procreate app. Which leaves me without an iPad — just my laptop and phone.

Been doing some sketches with iPhone and procreate and zen brush 2– and there are some upsides of having a smaller canvas:

Aesthetics aren’t that much of a concern to us. Focus on pure performance.

To build is our joy:

Our motto in photography: to never stop shooting, to never stop exploring, never stop moving, never stop drinking coffee, and to never stop exploring and desiring more.

Excelsior, ever upwards. The joy of the architect in creating and building things, always to strive for more, to strive to always build more and go higher.

And this is also why I understand about people who work in construction, that is the joy in constructing new buildings, and it seems that the goal is to keep building to no end. Thus realize that happiness is not a final state, but the act of creating, actively building more, higher and greater.

Seeing change through the act of modification — this brings us great joy as artists! The joy of customization, change and modification.

Happiness not as a state you must achieve, but the active flux of always aspiring for more.

Better to create your own cult(ure) than to just join one:

Much to my disappointment, the Ricoh GR 3 didn’t have an integrated flash. I think the stunted me a little bit creatively. However after around poking around the App Store and I discovered the Provoke Camera app. It’s built in the spirit of Daido Moriyama, that is high contrast black-and-white. It works really well with the iPhone, and especially shooting with the flash on the Provoke cam with the ultra wide lens might be a very interesting new creative outlet for me and other street photographers.

ERIC KIM WRIST STRAP MARK II: The apex strap for RICOH GR III (or Ricoh GR II/I) streettogs — optimized for the little ‘loop’ strap. Always have your RICOH ready, fast draw (JOHN WICK STYLE) to never miss the decisive moment:

Instead of seeking the turbocharged or supercharged car, or even the tri-motor PLAID Tesla Model S, or a hypercar, or a McLaren, or a Lamborghini, or the uber-fast sports car of your dreams, isn’t it better to turbocharge or supercharge yourself?

This means:

1. More intermittent fasting (eat your dinner as late as possible). Don’t break your fast until sundown (Ramadan style, every day, all day).
2. More black coffee during your waking hours. Also figure an optimal time to cut your caffeine intake so you can sleep better at night (for me, it seems cutting coffee at 9am is ideal). Best to drink coffee between 6-9am.
3. More working out during the day. Instead of seeking to drive fast, perhaps better to hit the gym and powerlift (deadlift, squat, heavy dumbbell press), or just go for max reps for chin-ups at home (get a chin-up bar that fits over your bedroom door frames), or get a kettlebell and go for max-reps one-armed swings.
4. Optimize for sleep, not ‘productivity’. If you sleep well, you will inevitably be productive. Sleep is godlike— even the Greek gods of the Iliad sleep. If Tom Brady goes to sleep every day at 7:30pm, and doesn’t drink any coffee or caffeine during the day … can’t we?

Our obsession with brand-named things, ‘brands’, consumer goods, etc.

For example, we want the Porsche 911 Turbo, but what is a ‘Porsche’ anyways? It is just a dude’s last name. Same with Lamborghini — it is the Lamborghini *SPIRIT* we desire, not the Lamborghini itself. And once again, Lamborghini as a man’s last name.

What should we desire instead? To promote ourselves. Our own name. Our own brand.

Your name– first and last.

At home? The gym? The streets? The mall? The coffee shop? In nature or the wild outdoors? In front of your laptop? Inside VR? Inside your car? Where?

Our joy in street photography is the joy in the riskiness! Thus rather than trying to avoid risk and confrontation in street photography, delight and joy in it!

A simple formula to life:

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In terms of aesthetics, not “all black everything “, but harnessing both black and white.

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For example, best to start with a black base or a black background, and add the white afterwards. Even Leonardo da Vinci said start with a black canvas. So start with a black canvas, then add accentuating white afterwards. In photography this means to shoot your photos as dark as possible, and have that one glimmer of a subject or a figure outlined in a silhouette in white.

Perhaps it takes more skill or a compositional ingenuity to make interesting photos in the boring suburbs, then make interesting photos in an interesting city.

Something I learned about street photography or just photography in general, just photograph like it’s not a big deal. For example if you see strangers just photograph them and shrug it off like it’s not a big deal. This is kind of a hybrid between asking for permission and not asking for permission, in the sense that if you treat photography like it’s not a big deal, other people won’t treat it like a big deal, which means others are less likely to get offended confused or scared when you photograph them.

Or in short, Street Photography and Photography is not that big of a deal. So don’t treat it like a big deal, and others are less likely to treat it like a big deal.

It seems that many of us desire to find satisfaction or joy in material things. So for example, the desire to buy a new exotic sports car, or even certain clothes and fashion items. However, it seems that the true joy is the joy of creating it, making it, customizing it, and making it in general. For example, better to buy a basic car, and modify it then to buy already a hyper sports car. Also with design, better to design it yourself then to pre-purchase the design of someone else. Also with design objects which are also tools, like cameras, find less joy in the design, just take the simplest design possible of a camera and just focus on making your creative art.

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It seems that now that Jeff Bezos has retired from Amazon, he is working on his side passion projects which include blue origin and his charity ventures. Which makes me think, once you become the worlds richest man in the world, what next? Then it seems perhaps the end goal in our aim should be to only pursue our passion projects.

So the million dollar question that is what is a good photography project to work on? I say only work on a project that you internally personally care for, assuming you will not get any likes followers or make money or gain fame or notoriety for it.

Shooting now:

Our personal motive:

To explore embodied reality, to test our courage when photographing strangers, the joy of interacting with strangers, and to discover new cultures, peoples, and compositions (street photography as compositional art with human beings and human bodies).

I’m seeking a new photographic and visual bliss.

This is my personal passion in photography art, and visual art. To seek a new photographic bliss. This means to discover new techniques approaches and philosophies which will take my visual explorations to the next level.

PODCAST

Yes, you can shoot street photography in the suburbs. Technically if you think about it, a suburb is still urban, just sub urban. As long as there’s human beings around, whether it be on the streets, in the neighborhood, at the local Costco, it is all street.

PODCAST

Creativity is curiosity, the same curiosity that you had when you were a child, when you were pure and unobstructed by conventions and notions of “good and bad “. Thus the uber artist is a child.

Harness everything towards your creative output!

Rather than desire what you don’t have, rather, best to extract the maximum of what you do got. For example let’s say you live in the boring suburbs, strive to make the most interesting photos in the suburbs. If you’re poor, harness the few resources that you do got and maximize it. For example, I have some friends who started off shooting street photography on their iPhone because they couldn’t afford any other digital camera, but that became their thing and help them become a great photographer. Aikbeng Chia (ABC) as one of my favorite photographers who was one of the early pioneers for iPhone street photography with IPA (Invisible photographer Asia).

See yourself as the creator, which means you take any of reality’s clay and mold it to be your artistic creation.

What’s our entrepreneurial lifeblood? Our level and degree of ambition. And this we can control.

So perhaps in life rather than seeking more satisfaction and zen, perhaps better to seek more ambition, challenges, heights, summits, epic attempts and newer braver and more daring goals in life!

In our lives, let’s just focus on photography. Photography as the ultimate visual bliss for us photographers. And also the joy of experience of embodied reality.

Some thing I discovered when it comes to the philosophy of design. Designers often grapple with a question: form or function? Perhaps that is not the right question. Perhaps the better question is focusing on ethos, that means thinking about the underlying philosophy, mood, attitude or aesthetic gist of something. Or the way things should be.

I just finished rewatching 7 Samurai by Akira Kurosawa and some thoughts on the upside of monochrome films:

First, it forces you to use your imagination to interpret and experience the film. The abstraction of a monochrome film is more mysterious and requires more focus and input from the viewer.

Second, monochrome films tend to be more classic. Classic films that have stayed relevant to today are more likely to be worth watching and studying.

Also, monochrome films seems to be a better way to study composition. “Every picture a frame” (YouTube channel, great concept and idea). I love to screenshot compositions which inspire me, and then use the MacBook screenshot tool to sketch on top of the images.

Perhaps the best car is a zen car. A car which allows you to NOT think about your car, to not second guess the goodness of your car.

Perhaps it must be electric or hybrid. Definitely not just a pure gasoline car.

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At the moment, I think the most zen car is probably a maxed-out Telsa Model S (Plaid) — black on black. Why? It is a ‘sleeper’ — it is waaaaay faster than any other hyper car or sports car in production (acceleration is only 1.99 seconds from 0-60 — puts other cars to shame). And black on black is ideal, because it is the most long-term robust color scheme (black is boring, but typically black is always in style, long-term).

Or the other option: the hilarity of a ‘murdered out’ black on black on black Prius (Nightshade edition). A more affordable option.

Perhaps the most fun car (gasoline) might be a black on black Civic Type R. Manual transmission, and the highly great practicality of a hatchback design (fun car to drive, and to get groceries). Probably the best ‘bang for the buck’ and unique import Japanese sports car.

Some quick thoughts: first of all, perhaps best to shoot in high contrast black and white monochrome. This immediately abstracts the world around you which allows you to focus on shapes textures and other details which might be shrouded by color.

Also, approach photography from a carpe diem perspective. This means that no matter how uninteresting or boring your lifestyle or neighborhood or society or town where it may be harnessed to your benefit.

Strive to make very interesting photos of very boring subjects.

The more you live to yourself, the less concerned you need to be about ethics. However, the more you live in society and with others, the more you must concern yourself with ethics.

Thus, don’t think about ethics for ethics sake, rather, think about ethics as a social tool. Or perhaps a social technology, to best thrive in the world with others and in society.

The sociology of ethics.

How does one become a good role model? Simple: focus on the notion of an “anti role model“.

The general gist is this: strive to be the opposite of bad attributes you see in others.

For example, rather than thinking of how to become a “good” parent, think about how to not be a bad parent. Or in another words, strive to be the opposite of bad parenting.

In my personal example, I probably had the worst father figure growing up. Thus in order to become a good father figure, I just strove to be the exact opposite of what my father was. So in other words, as long as I’m the opposite of my father, I will become a great father.

And the interesting irony is this: sometimes it is the bad role models which help you become a more positive person. In fact, I found more motivation to not become my father then emulating “good” role models.

To take this analogy further, one should not helicopter parent the children. In fact, it is pain suffering and injustice which perhaps gives children a stronger moral compass. Even at a early age, I knew the injustice that my father did towards my mother. And I knew that one day when I had a wife, I would do the exact opposite of what my father was to my mother. So when I think of how my father used to curse at my mom, physically assault my mom, and mentally destroy her, I strive to become the zen-stoic husband and father that I am today.

Contemplate–
I cannot relate
With you other guys
Other backstabbing thoughts in disguise

Contemplate means to think
Breathe deep, stand back and reflect

Don’t neglect your own passions and thoughts in life
Harness the strife and the pain, to gain more gains
And to train away the pains

Disregard what the masses say are cool or lame
Or blame
Or shame
Know that your game is to go forth and be bold
What can you control in life?
Your courage, no more, no less

Beat your chest, thump loud and brave
Never cave — you pave your own way.

ERIC KIM

A thought:

For the time being, I don’t desire more excitement in my life, rather … I seek more peace, calm, tranquility and ZEN in my life, in order to focus on my writing, thinking, poetry, contemplation, blogging, vlogging, photography, and turbo-thoughtting.

Shoot every day as if it were your last:

In praise of the film 7 samurai by Akira Kurosawa:

1. First of all, the film is hilarious. The jokes in the movie are heart-warming.
2. The character development is fantastic. Each character in the film has depth, and growth and change throughout the film.
3. Strong differentiation between the characters of the film. Especially the ‘outcast’ samurai (Mifune) who steals the show.
4. Phenomenal composition. No other film has so many ‘screenshottable’ scenes. The fact it was shot in the 1950s blows my mind– the ingenuity of the compositions, framing, and the triangle compositions.
5. Great story. You cheer for the underdogs, and the building of the 7 samurai team is a great narrative.
6. Sweet relationships between the samurai, which brings a huge smile to your face.
7. Beautiful use of light.
8. Strong philosophy here — lots of great quotes. For example the badass Samurai with the scar on his face– ‘A man only interested in testing his own limits’. A good inspiration for myself. Also — the inspiration of being a Samurai (becoming a masterful individual, solo).

“Every day should be passed like it were your last.” (Publilius Syrus)

If we treat the same philosophy to photography —

1. Always shoot whatever is in your life, no matter how ‘boring’. Don’t wait to travel– shoot today, shoot now (carpe diem photography).
2. Every day, process, filter, and workflow your photos and share them.

Traveling with Seneca:

Probably the best interview I’ve had (thanks to Martin for the great questions):

PODCAST INTERVIEW AUDIO

Peep it– thanks Martin [About Photography YouTube]

The more you share, the better:

We share our cars (Uber, Lyft), we share our homes (Airbnb)— why not share our lives with others? For example more co-op communal living with friends, borrowing one another’s cars, going grocery shopping for others, sharing points with one another. Isn’t this a far more fun, effective and meaningful way to live?

Family photography– one of the most under-rated genres and approaches in photography.

And yes, to photograph your family is legitimate. And disregard the notion:

If I want to be regarded as a ‘serious’ photographer, I cannot shoot my own family members.

Note the success of photographer Sally Mann and her family photos. Your family is art.

My passion: monochrome.

My thought on what makes a successful photographer:

An individual who retains his/her own pure child-like vision and childlike enthusiasm for photography, and to shoot without any concern for the external world.

A photographer who only shoots for his/her own internal world.

Success as a photographer and photography entrepreneur:

Have an extreme vision — which is so radically bold and ‘insane’, but interesting and starkly different (extreme differentiation) from the herd!

To make a name for yourself, it is simple:

Strive to become as extremely different from others as possible.

For example, the success of CYBERTRUCK. Or having an extreme vision.

It is impossible to stand out if you’re just a clone or an iteration of other things and people. Thus it seems that ‘creative isolation‘ is quite useful, and seek more inspiration from the classics and the past, than the modern and trendy.

Never stop shooting:

• MY NEED FOR STRONGER VISUAL STIMULI
• ERIC KIM PHOTOGRAPHY INSPIRATION
• How to be Inspired
• Eternal Creation in Photography
• How to Create Mood in Your Photography
• How to Find Inspiration
• Why Do You Need “Inspiration” to Shoot?
• How to Find Inspiration In Your Photography
• 101 Inspirational Street Photography Quotes

Motivation

If you’ve hit “photographer’s block” or need some motivation, read these articles below:

• How to Overcome Photographer’s Block
• How to Overcome Boredom with Photography
• Never Stop Growing as a Photographer
• Just Shoot.
• 5 Things to Do If You’ve Lost Your Passion for Photography
• How to Have Unshakeable Confidence in Yourself
• Don’t Give Up On Your Dream
• Don’t Waste Your Potential
• Unlock Your Potential
• Empower Others With Your Photography
• Why You Shouldn’t Follow Your Passion in Photography

Motivational Videos

This means:

No matter what, everything in society, life, money, things, happiness and stuff is ALWAYS in comparison to others socially.

SOCIOLOGY by KIM

1. Mimetic Desires
2. Interest in Humans or Objects?
3. Social Stochastic Resonance
4. How to Live Bravely in Today’s Brave New World and Society
5. Arousal
6. Is Humanity on the Decline?
7. Social Innovations
8. Society *Shouldn’t* Be Fair
9. Why Society Doesn’t Want Free Thinkers and Free Livers
10. Our New Soft Society
11. HARD SOCIETY

Sociological Theory

• TOLERANCE AND INTOLERANCE
• POST-MONETARY SOCIETY.
• Simulated Universal Basic Income
• DIGITAL CAPITALISM
• Capitalism 2.0
• SOCIETY 2.0

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Photography and Sociology

• Street Photography Sociology
• Visual Sociology through Street Photography
• How You Can Apply Sociology to Your Street Photography Projects
• 10 Things Sociology Has Taught Me About Street Photography

Typically my pride has been:

I do not want to be like anyone else.

My pride —

Not to wear the same things others wore, not to rock the same brands others rocked, and to sort of become an ‘elitist’ through minimalism, simplicity, and just following my own zen–stoic mind.

Certainly this is a partly vain pursuit — you always compare your uniqueness in comparison to others. But my realization:

No matter how much we would like to think, we are social creatures (sociology of comparison) which means — we will inevitably ALWAYS compare everything when it comes to social matters.

So what are we to do about this? I say just accept it, and perhaps do simple things:

1. Drive a different car for the sake of driving a different car
2. Use a different phone from others for the sake of it
3. Use different tools, apps, and productivity apps for the sake of it
4. With clothes, shoes, and fashion matters– despise having the same brands, outfits, or concepts as others (strive for extreme differentiation here).
5. With music, art works, and other aesthetic matters — seek inspiration from the past, or from the obscure which you love.

PHILOSOPHY by KIM

Philosophical Essays

• Children & Purpose
• Thoughts on Becoming a Parent
• Where Does Our Desire to Upgrade Come From?
• WE ALWAYS NEED SOMETHING FURTHER TO ASPIRE TO.
• Self-Task Yourself an Awesome Mission in Life
• Differentiation vs Equalization
• My Passion to *Become* Something More
• No Aesthetic or Ethos is Forever
• What is Your Higher Purpose in Life?
• IT WILL NEVER SATISFY YOU.
• How to Decide
• Things You *Want* to Do vs Things You *MUST* Do
• Towards a More Beautiful Mode of Existence and Future
• EXTREME GRATITUDE.
• AMAP (As Much as Possible) or None.
• Why or How Does it Matter?
• The Philosophy of Time and Events
• How *Not* to Resent
• FORWARD LOOKING
• DOMAIN FLEXIBILITY.
• The Miracle of Human Growth
• EXTREME ADAPTATION.
• Why Plan?
• You Don’t Need to Justify Yourself
• The Philosophy of Ego
• True vs False Passions
• How to Achieve Tranquility
• On Making Your Own Philosophy
• The Purpose of Life is to Create New Life
• Think On!
• The Wisdom of Doing Nothing
• Congruency
• My Thoughts on Meditation
• The Philosophy of Purpose
• Emulate Yourself
• Good Fear, Bad Fear
• For the Betterment of Humanity or Just Yourself?
• What you *really* believe in and care for is manifested through your actions (or non-actions)
• Why Culture is Your Enemy
• YOUR EXPERIENCES ARE KING.
• LIFE IS INHERENTLY GOOD.
• Artistic, Physical, and Philosophical Muscles
• All New Experiences are Good Experiences
• What is the Purpose of X?
• UTILITY.
• Philosophy is a Luxury
• The Attempt is More Interesting than the Result
• Joyfulness vs “Happiness”
• Effectiveness Over Happiness
• Self Actualization
• MAXIMAL ENGAGEMENT
• Life & Pain
• On Living Every Day with No Regret
• Learn as if you’re going to live forever, live as if you’re going to die tomorrow
• Live Every Day Like it Were the Last Day of Your Life
• Self-Determination
• FALSE GRATITUDE vs REAL GRATITUDE
• HOW TO LIVE MORE
• THE UPSIDE OF TRAGEDY
• Satisfaction is a Sucker’s Game
• Supreme Repose
• WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? According to ERIC KIM
• STUBBORN, FLEXIBLE
• EVERYTHING HAPPENS AS IT *SHOULD* HAVE HAD HAPPENED
• Good Addiction, Bad Addiction?
• What is the Best Life?
• The Philosophy of Thinking
• The Philosophy of Conspiracies
• Conspiracies
• Growth
• Skepticism.
• What Do You Really Want Out of Life?
• Seem or Be?
• Learn Through Pain
• Respect Yourself
• In Praise of Elitism
• Why Independent Thinking?
• I Will Never Die
• Bitter is Better
• The Genesis of Nihilism and Existential Dread
• The Ethics of Personal Enrichment
• Good vs Not Good
• Punished by Privilege
• Abstinence Over Moderation
• Just Leave Others Alone
• You Can Only Critique that Which You Truly Understand and Love
• ERIC KIM Critique of Metaphysics
• Only Trust Philosophers Who Deadlift
• Heuristic: If Someone Talks Shit About Others Behind Their Back, Most Likely They’re Also Talking Shit About You Behind Your Back
• Virtue is a Privilege
• What Are Your Life Goals?
• Honesty
• Why I’m Anti Moderation
• No Spite, No Malice.
• Ascending Life or Descending Life?
• Double Edged Sword
• Ignorance.
• Why I Don’t Trust “Nice Guys”
• Why You Must Share Your Opinion
• Selfish Isn’t Evil
• Wisdom is the Goal
• YOU ARE KING.
• MASTER YOURSELF
• What is “Good” for You is Often what is Bad for You
• Care.
• BITTERSWEET
• ONE REP MAX
• Morality and Ethics is the Snare
• BY HELPING YOURSELF, YOU BEST HELP OTHERS
• Insanity is Good.
• Think Deep.
• PHILOSOPHY IS THE FUTURE.
• Open Mind vs Closed Mind
• ENTHUSIASM IS GENIUS
• Towards a More Critical and Rigorous Line of Thinking
• How to Encourage and a Foster Independent and Free Thinking
• What is the Purpose of Life?
• WHY PHILOSOPHY IS SUPREME.
• Elitism.
• I Cannot Form an Opinion About Somebody Until I’ve Met Them in the Flesh
• ALL GENETICS ARE GOOD GENETICS.
• Happiness vs Freedom
• The Birth of a Hater
• My Way Isn’t the Right Way
• Walking as an Existential Thing
• Why I’m So Tolerant
• Mortal Gods
• THE HUMAN SPECIES
• Why I’m So Skeptical
• Just Follow the Money
• Why Selfish?
• WHY WE CANNOT BLAME OTHERS
• Why Are We So Anti Elitism?
• What Actually Interests You?
• How to Become Yourself
• SELF HATE
• Optimistic Fatalism
• Death is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
• FLUX.
• How to Think for Yourself
• FLESH
• How to Live the Best Life
• Why Live a Life Without Regrets?
• Why Plato Ruined Art and Aesthetics for Us
• Self Respect
• Hypocrite vs Contradict
• Ideals vs Reality
• Spaceship Philosophy
• What is Your Ideal Life?
• MY EXTREME GRATITUDE TOWARDS LIFE AND BEING ALIVE!
• Critique of Utilitarianism
• Don’t Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated
• The Eternal Recurrence of Tragedy and Joy in Life
• Elite Asceticism
• Why I Don’t Like Numbers
• Action and Reaction, Cause and Effect
• The Antidote to Nihilism: The Philosophy of Nothingness
• ERIC KIM Notes on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• EXPLOIT CHAOS.
• WHY I DON’T BELIEVE IN GENETICS
• Self-Wisdom
• The Future Belongs to the Fearless
• INDIVIDUALISM
• Why Live Forever?
• THIS TOO WILL PASS.
• Why Education?
• How to Become Yourself
• Things Shouldn’t Go Back to the Way They Used to Be
• Why Am I So Cruel?
• The Great Joy of Existence
• Virtue for the Sake of Virtue
• NO DISDAIN.
• INTELLIGENT IGNORANCE
• A LIFE WITHOUT PAIN, DIFFICULTY OR TRAGEDY ISN’T A LIFE WORTH LIVING
• BITTER IS BETTER.
• EXPLOIT THE BEST FROM TRAGEDY AND LIFE 
• DISREGARD FOR SELF-PRESERVATION
• PAIN.
• WHAT IF EVERYTHING IS NOT GONNA BE ALRIGHT?
• Tomorrow is Never
• Life is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
• EMBODIED REALITY
• BLACK SWAN
• THINGS WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THE WAY THEY USED TO BE
• What are you *really* afraid of?
• HAPPINESS ISN’T THE GOAL
• Philosophy is King
• Why is Selfish Evil?
• YOU’RE CONSTANTLY IN A STATE OF BECOMING
• ENTITLEMENT A SIN?
• NARCISSISM
• BE BRUTALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF
• WHY FREE WILL?
• OBEY YOUR OPINION
• EGO IS GOOD.
• WHY IT IS GOOD TO BE INTO YOURSELF
• Seek the Good Pain
• Anti-Perfection in Photography, Art, and Life
• Can You Become an End into Yourself?
• WHY I LIVE
• Why I Hate Decline
• Why I Eat
• Why am I So Positive and Optimistic?
• EFFORT IS ENJOYMENT
• Never Stop Gaining
• TRUST YOURSELF
• A Life of Maximal Personal Independence
• What Do You Desire to Become?
• What Do I Want from Technology?
• Stratified Society
• Do You Love or Hate Reality?
• On the Brian, Body and Mind
• I’m Maximally Happy, Now What?
• Care over Fame
• ACTIVE NIHILISM
• Never Stop Subtracting
• How to Live a Happier and More Epic Life
• A Risker Life is a Better Life
• Only Work on Things You Can Imagine Doing for Eternity
• How to Maximize Your Happiness
• Influence
• The Gladiator Makes His Plans once He Enters the Ring
• Meditations on Meaning in Life
• There is Nothing More Interesting than Human Beings
• Is Hope a Vice?
• EGO
• Why Be Unique?
• Happiness is Metabolism Health and Strength
• You’re the Hero
• Is Productivity a Virtue or Vice?
• Why Do We Prize the Rare?
• The Joy of Uncertainty
• How Should I Best Use My Time and Life?
• A Life Without Pain or Suffering Isn’t a Life Worth Living
• Free or Unfree?
• What Do You Really Care For in Life?
• Anti-Satisfaction in Life
• Why Think?
• The Eternal Return
• Only Do What is Best for You!
• Truthiness
• Why Be Happy?
• Permissionless Living
• In Praise of Unconventional Wisdom
• Become the Change Which You Wish to See in the World
• Happiness
• Beyond Freedom
• Idolize People, Not Stuff
• What Makes You Stronger? What Makes You Weaker?
• Why Hate?
• The Secret of Happiness
• You’re Constantly in a State of Becoming
• Life is about Choices, Not Obligations
• Anti-Nihilism
• First, Do What is Best for You.
• Live Dynamic
• How to Prosper
• Is the Point of Life to Be Satisfied?
• SUPREME EFFORT OF WILL.
• How to Become more Idealistic
• Thrivival 101
• Create Yourself
• Non-Small
• Inspiration
• How to Live a Heroic Life: Dare the Heights!
• Human Augmentation
• Prune
• Happiness: Do What You Want to Do (And Don’t Do What You Don’t Want to Do)
• Avoid Vain (Empty) Pursuits in Life
• Modern Slavery
• Kill the Leeches
• Wisdom Augmentation
• Why We Need Friction in Life
• Straight Line Philosophy
• What’s Your End-Game in Life?
• Create Your Own Happiness Today
• Desire Both Pain and Pleasure in Life
• Try the Impossible
• SELF-RESPECT
• Anti-Social Extrovert
• Never Blame Anybody But Yourself
• Human Flourishing
• Simpler, Not Better.
• How to be Free
• Embrace the Extremes
• Cultivate Your Own Culture
• COURAGE.
• Thrivival
• Inner Power
• How to Live a Purposeful Life
• My Definition of Happiness
• Why Change is Good
• Why Work?
• How to Live the Happiest Possible Life
• The Two-Pronged Approach to Maximize Joy in Your Life
• You Always Have Another Option!
• INFINITISM
• Never Stop!
• What is Your Self-Directed Purpose in Life?
• Live Today Like it Were Your Last
• Do You Photograph to Live, or Live to Photograph?
• ARTIST-PHILOSOPHER
• Live Life to the Fullest!
• In Praise of Selfishness
• Why You Must Be a YAY-SAYER to Succeed in Entrepreneurship and Life
• Why I Love Walking
• Live Life Like a Video Game!
• Simple Luxuries in Life
• Treat Your Life Like a Fun Experiment!
• Only Prove it to Yourself
• You Don’t Always Need to Feel Joyful to Live a Fulfilling and Meaningful Life
• Life is Too Short to Be Bored!
• Money Cannot Destroy Boredom
• How to Find Inspiration in Life
• Why You Must Ignore Haters to Succeed and Win in Life
• An Active Life is a Happy Life
• My Simple Joys in Life
• Never Stop Striving
• How to Motivate Yourself in Life
• How to Be Optimistic in Life
• How to Dictate Your Purpose in Life
• In Praise of a Dynamic Life
• PURPOSE.
• How to Enjoy Life
• Photography Therapy
• How to Conquer Regret
• Take Your Play Very Seriously.
• How to Prosper
• Memento Vivere
• Destroy in Order to CREATE
• Trust Your Body More Than Your Mind
• Make Photos to Make Meaning in Your Life
• Seek Knowledge, Not Information
• The Purpose of Human Life
• How to Overcome Impedence
• Why I Love Death
• How to Be Centered in the Eternal Now
• How to Be Happy
• Why Do You Care What Others Think of You?
• Why I’m Happy
• Why?
• Why I’m So Prolific
• How to Reduce LAG in Life

Masters of Philosophy Â»

• Seneca
• Marcus Aurelius
• Publilius Syrus

Personal Philosophy Â»

• You Are the Light of the World
• Your Soul is a Diamond in the Rough
• Why Live?

Stoicism Â»

• How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer
• How to Use Photography as Self-Therapy
• How to Free Your Soul From Disturbance

Zen Philosophy »

• How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
• Zen in the Art of Street Photography
• How to Find Tranquility in Your Photography

Life Lessons Â»

• How to Conquer Your Fears in Life
• Conquer Yourself
• How to Focus

Learn more: Start Here >

You’re not just a photographer– you’re a creator. When you make photos, you create *BEYOND* yourself. This means:

You take embodied reality, and make something new, fuller, and more interesting with your photos!

MASTER MOTIVATION

Seek to supersede yourself and become more:

• Create *BEYOND* Yourself
• Let Your Curiosity Drive Your Photography
• LOVE YOUR PHOTOS.
• Abstract Monochrome Photography
• SHOOT WITHOUT THINKING.
• Just Have Fun With Photography
• Wu-Wei Effortless Motivation
• CONSISTENCY x NOVELTY
• Easily Bored?
• Face Photography
• How to Become More Self-Motivated in Your Photography
• YOUR OWN PHOTOS ARE THE BEST PHOTOS.
• On Sharing Your Favorite Photos
• UBERABUNDANCE.
• Peak Photographic Productivity
• When to Review Your Photos
• Serotonin and Photos
• The Photos You Have Yet Shot are Your Most Important Photos
• 3 Tips How to Master Photography
• Do You Like Your Own Photos?
• The Beauty of Mundane, Everyday Moments
• Reasons Why to Be Optimistic About the Future
• A Photography-Full Future
• The More You Shoot, the Better
• How Many Photos Should You Shoot Everyday?
• Why Do We Love Motion?
• Now is Your Chance to Shoot History in the Making
• Photo by Photo
• How and Why Photography Remains So Interesting to Me
• How to Conquer Your Inner Photographic Critic
• Thoughts on HDR Photography
• New Year, New Photos
• Why Exhibit Your Photos?
• Photography is Visual Poetry
• What’s the Purpose of Art?
• Why Do We Photographers Have Such a Hard Time Staying Inspired and Motivated?
• On Becoming a More Optimistic Photographer
• Philosophy of Weather
• How to Become a More Optimistic Photographer and Human
• You Are a Creative Photographer
• JUST SHARE YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS WITH OTHERS.
• What Motivates Me to Shoot?
• How to Maximize Yourself to the Fullest
• HOW TO MOVE AND MOTIVATE PEOPLE
• Autotelic Photography
• The more I go out and photograph the world, the more interesting and beautiful the world becomes
• Why Photographers Have Such Low Self-Esteem
• ERIC KIM MOTIVATION
• Why Am I So Unmotivated?
• EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY
• WHY ARE YOU SO UNMOTIVATED?
• Movement is Motivation
• How to Motivate Myself to Make New Photos
• Never Stop Optimizing
• How to Help and Motivate Others
• Feed On Your Own Photos; Let Them Nourish You!
• Competition is for Suckers
• A Future Without Travel
• How Google Can Improve Your Photography
• DEVELOP YOURSELF.
• NEVER STOP MOVING!
• How I Self-Motivate Myself
• Every Day the Sun is Birthed Anew
• A Life Without Photography Isn’t a Life Worth Living
• WIN.
• 8 Practical Photography Assignments for You
• Tabula Rasa, Blank Slate, Carte Blanche
• RELENTLESS
• LIFE IS THE ULTIMATE RPG
• HYPER VIGOR
• FRESH AIR PHOTOS
• WHO IS GONNA THRIVE IN TODAY’S BRAVE NEW WORLD?
• ARTISTIC OPTIMISM
• PASSION, not Discipline
• Better Bad Photos than No Photos
• The Empowering Feeling of Failure
• To Be Human is to Move
• Enjoy the Process
• Better Bad Photos than No Photos
• Why Keep Making New Art and Photos, Indefinitely?
• Photography Motivation: What if There is Nothing Interesting to Photograph?
• Move First, Motivation Later
• Motivation Follows the Action
• In Praise of Heroes
• 5 Tips How to Boost Your Creativity
• How to Have Inspiration to Take Photos in the Suburbs
• Anything that Motivates You to Move is Good!
• The Productive Photographer is the Happiest Photographer!
• Make Today Count!
• How to Break Through Photographer’s Block
• The Joyful Photographer
• The Dancing Photographer
• The Kaizen Process of Gradual Self-Improvement in Photography
• It is Your Duty to Make Beautiful Pictures!
• Making Pictures IS Happiness!
• NO EXCUSES.
• The Pomodoro Photography Technique
• The ABC of Photography
• Just Shoot It.
• How to Change the World With Photography
• How to Find Inspiration in Photography and Life
• How to Overcome Resistance
• Create Against the Past
• How I Motivate Myself to Make Photos
• Wear Your Camera Like a Necklace or Bracelet
• Have Your Photos Come to You
• How to Level Up in Your Photography
• How Not to Give a Fuck of What Others Think of You
• How to Overcome Procrastination in Your Photography
• How to Reinspire Your Photography
• What is Your Mission in Photography and Life?
• How to Overcome Photographer’s Block
• Be a Photographer Now
• How to Overcome Boredom with Photography
• Never Stop Growing as a Photographer
• Why Do You Need “Inspiration” to Shoot?
• Just Shoot.
• 5 Things to Do If You’ve Lost Your Passion for Photography
• How to Have Unshakeable Confidence in Yourself
• Don’t Give Up On Your Dream
• Don’t Waste Your Potential
• Unlock Your Potential
• Empower Others With Your Photography
• Why You Shouldn’t Follow Your Passion in Photography

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