Month: February 2022

I don’t like buying things online. Why? I prefer to hold it in my hands to see how it feels in my hand before I buy it. 

For example, iPhone. Ironically enough I find the older generation and thinner iPhones far superior to hold in the hand than the new iPhone Pro models. iphone mini feels 1000x superior in the hands when compared to iphone pro. Also the additional weight and thickness of iPhone Pro is atrocious. And the flat side bezels feel sharp and uninviting to the hand, compared to the curved bezels of prior generations. Flat side bezel only works when the phone is small (iPhone 4-5, Mini). Flat bezel doesn’t work for bigger phones (iPhone Pro, and Max). 

Also, wisdom from Marie Kando — you only know how much you care for something once you hold it in your hands. 

Theory — hidden inner wisdom in our hands, palms and finger tips?

Lesson — let us use our hands more. 

Faster flow is better flow.

 Therefore when we think about “workflow”, strive for the fastest, lightest, and most streamlined approach. 

Treat this life like your first and last. No other life, no after-life, no *beyond* life. No uploading your consciousness to the cloud, or cloning yourself, etc. No life beyond 120 years old.

Treat each and every opportunity as it would have been only once; your first and last.

For example, even if you plan on having more kids, treat the kid you currently got as if he/she would be your last and only one.

Perhaps this is the best way to maximize existence?

One of my regrets is after getting an iPhone mini, giving it to Cindy and re-getting myself an iPhone Pro (refurbished). Why the regret? Reasons —

The iPhone Pro is a bizarre device. Doesn’t feel good in the hands, too big, too heavy, too thick (even the smaller ”normal” size). It seems Apple (after Jony Ive left) has totally prostituted the “Pro” label to maximize profits and drive sales and growth.

A true professional doesn’t need a ”Professional” phone— just a professional laptop (MacBook Pro).

Interestingly enough, the most *DIS-CLEAR* (difficult to see, discern what is going on in an image), the better.

Why is this?

When things are DIS-CLEAR, you must squint a bit, use your brain a little to interpret what is going on in the frame. Also use your imagination.

Perhaps this is why abstract art is so enthralling to me — I *must* interpret it.

Nota bene (take good note):

1. Blur is good
2. Out of focus is good
3. As dark as possible (monochrome) is good.
4. Don’t show everything that is happening in the frame.
5. *NOT* showing context is good.

We have New Years resolutions — why not daily ones?

The more you practice it, the stronger you become?

Stoicism >

Something I realized: often when I either give people advice, or try to help people, I try to give them the best solution. Yet, the best is often very difficult, complicated, and does not suit everybody.

Instead, perhaps it is better to just look at the person, their needs, and their desires, and just offer them the simplest possible solution.

Other words, better to offer a simpler solution which will render a higher compliance, then the “better“ solution, with lower or no compliance.

With photography, the secret behind creating a great photo is in the details.

Considering that everything is ephemeral, don’t get caught up too much on longevity, or making things “evergreen”.

The problem with creativity is that we think we could only become creative after we retire, after we become rich, etc. However, that day will never come. Therefore I say don’t put trust in tomorrow and the uncertain future, put trust and faith in today. Therefore, it seems the best strategy is to strive to maximize your creativity today, not tomorrow.

Some thoughts on how you could become creative today, not tomorrow:

1. Make more photos

This is the obvious one. I say that photography is the most efficient way of making artwork, and being creative. Creativity is not artistic ingenuity, creativity is having the propensity to create and make stuff.

Therefore, the goal is to create more photos. The more photos you create today, the more “creative“ you are.

2. You are the creator

This is one thing I discovered why comparison is so bad. You always judge your self-worth in comparison to others, rather than becoming your own ruler for yourself. Warren Buffett calls this the “inner scorecard“.

This is why social media is so pernicious: you rank your own self-worth as a photographer artist in comparison with others. But this is not good. It is as if a five star Michelin star restaurant would see itself as inferior to McDonald’s, on account of the fact that McDonald’s delivers more food every day.

A thought:

Higher numbers are worse.

For example, if we thought that the higher the number, the more superior, then Walmart would be the most successful Business in the world, Starbucks would be the worlds best coffee, and the Toyota Corolla would be the best car. However we know that the more rare, and the lower the number, the better.

For example, better to think, that a McLaren is a superior car to the Corolla, that Hermès is superior to H&M, and Café Vita is superior to Starbucks. Also, espresso is superior to Starbucks mocha Frappuccino‘s, even though more people drink Frappuccino‘s than espresso‘s.

Therefore, to increase your creativity and self-confidence as a photographer artist, it is subtractive. Subtract social media from your life. Delete Instagram, and post it all to your own blog instead.

3. Digital or analog, both is good

The bias is analog is superior to digital, and if one does it digitally, it is somehow “cheating“, or inferior. This is the general artistic snobbery we have when it comes to painting, photography, reading, writing, etc.

However, if you want to become the uber artist, the artistic genius — you must best leverage both.

For example, a simple way you could be creative is just to sketch and draw. You could just do it on a piece of printer paper with a pen or a pencil.

Or, you could use the procreate app on iPhone or iPad to make illustrations, and save them to your camera roll as images.

Some thing that I’ve discovered is very enjoyable is calligraphy, and I actually prefer to do it digitally. I cannot be bothered to walk around with a cumbersome piece of ink and pad to make calligraphy. zen brush 2 is my favorite app.

4. All writing is creative

Think about it: when you type something, write something, or voice dictate something, you create words, you create information, and you create ideas.

To me, the notion of “creative writing“ is counter productive. Better to think that all writing is creative.

Therefore, if you want to be creative today, just write something. Write it on a piece of paper, write it on a notebook, or just write it on your blog and publish it.

5. Publishing is creative

If you write something on your blog, or upload a photo, the second that you hit the publish button and send it into the world and the Internet metaverse, you just created something. My personal thought is that something doesn’t exist, until you’ve published it or shared it.

Also, perfection just means completion. When you “perfect“ something, it means that you’re just refining it. My typical thought is just make it 80% good enough in your own mind, and just publish and share it.

6. Just do it on your iPhone

After being a very long-term android user, one thing I’ve discovered that I really love about iPhones is that it is actually a very good creative tool. However, most people use the iPhone as a consumption device, rather than a creator device. Think about all the things you could create on your iPhone: you can create blogs by just shooting videos in selfie mode (even Kanye West said that the iPhone microphone was the best microphone on planet earth), you can write stuff using the iA Writer app, you can make your own podcast with the anchor app, you can make photos and black-and-white photos with the provoke app, look at these great photos from Brendan O Se.

There are 1 trillion ways you could create and be creative on the iPhone, why don’t we just use it?

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Creative resources

1. Creative books
2. Creative straps
3. Digital creative tools

Discover all creative HAPTIC products >

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Upload your creative photos

Your assignment is creative.

Go out and shoot any photo that you consider creative. Then upload it to arsbeta.com for honest feedback and constructive critique

Upload ^

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If this gave you any creative thoughts, feel free to forward to a friend!

Learn more about the art of creativity >

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ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER LINK

Rather than judging your self-worth in comparison to others, better to measure yourself according to your own inner scorecard, a concept I got from the investor Warren Buffett.

By filling the frame when you’re composing and shooting photos, you make stronger compositions.

Why laptop is better than iPad

You use iPad to import, and flag your photos, but you still gotta eventually airdrop it into your laptop.

Cut out the middle-man; just use the laptop.

Better to restore something old, and make it new, than just buy something new.

What mistake do we make as photographers? We don’t shoot enough photos of the scene.

If you shoot digital, small JPEG, and also you use small thumbnails (contact sheets) to review and flag your photos, then it makes sense to quickly scan all your photos of the scene.

There is really no downside to shooting more photos of the scene; only upside.

A realization —

Fear mongering starts from childhood, and persists into adulthood and beyond.

Then when the (fear mongered) kids become adults, they continue the cycle with their kids.

So what are we to do? Break the chain.

What if the opposite were true?

Treat others how you would like to be treated — only when applied to inter pares (to those whom you consider your equals).

With foods, restaurants, tools, and lifestyle things, better to abstain than partake in the mediocre.

More efficient and effective:

1. Quickly look through your photos, much faster.
2. You can better tell which compositions are stronger or weaker, when you see them as small thumbnails.
3. Perhaps a good way to know whether a photo is strong or not — does it pop out as a small thumbnail? If so, it is a strong photo.
4. When seeing photos as small thumbnails (contact sheet), you can quickly flag/pick/favorite photos you like.
5. You can better judge the compositions of your photos by quickly seeing the photo compositions edge to edge. You can get a better sense of the overall gist of the composition; whether triangle, leading lines, the position of your subject, the amount of sky in the frame, curves, arabesque, circle, etc.

The upside of paying for things and buying things and spending money on things:

It is a badge of what you personally care for, and believe in.

Why does marketing matter so much? Because marketing is a promise. Marketing is an ideal.

We don’t buy the thing for the thing — we buy it for the promise of a happier, greater, more productive and more beautiful life.

What we desire isn’t more mental stimulation, but physical.

Aesthetic ideal — for cars and humans.

The true luxury. To optimize yourself or your things, lifestyle and approach is a slave approach.

Photography is a full stack approach. Photography is not just the act of shooting the photo, but also making sense of it. After you shoot the photo, reviewing the photos, and internalizing the photos is very important.

What do I desire? To become lighter than air.

Perhaps the practical reason to be grateful is this: when you are grateful, you are more empowered. You realize that you actually have more options than you think you do.

Also, when you count your blessings, it gives you a sense of strength. You count up your possessions and your blessings, and your advantages, and you realize, I got this.

Also, it expands your mind and yourself. For example, if you count all the blessings of all the possessions you have, and the lifestyle you currently have, it allows you to move onto better stuff. Like focusing on your artwork, your creative work, and thinking higher and loftier turbo thoughts.

Let us consider, what kind of attitude do you desire to convey?

For example, with brands, we desire to purchase certain brands, because we desire to obtain that attitude. For example, we want the Lamborghini car because we want the Lamborghini attitude, which is audacious, bored, fearless, and ego driven.

Or, we want the Tesla because we want the Elon Musk attitude. Or we want the attitude of being futuristic, modern, progressive, and Advanced.

Or we want the muscle car, because we want the muscle. We want a loud, strong, and classic attitude.

Our desire to become hyper human?

What is the purpose of thinking? For me, thinking is my passion and joy. Interesting thoughts is what propel and motivate me.

You can learn something from almost every single domain. Cross pollination, and crossover thinking.

Productivity in order to feel worthy, and virtuous? Or productivity to allay your guilt?

Or productivity to feel “happy”?

Or like what chess grand masters say: to become a great chess player, first study the endgame and then work your way backwards.

In life, consider what your desired outcome is, and then work in reverse to figure out what you need to do in order to get there.

Or, in life, do what Jeff Bezos does with the regret minimization framework: consider yourself 90 years old on your deathbed, what would you regret in life? How can you prevent yourself from feeling that regret in life?

Or, think about how you desire to feel before you die. Then structure your life in such a way in which you will die feeling happy.

Or, how do you sleep better at night? Work your way backwards. Considering that coffee and caffeine takes 12 hours to exit your bloodstream, consider what your desired bedtime is, then just work backwards.

Or with money Welton riches, consider what your endgame is. Then work your way backwards.

Contrary to what some pretentious photographers may think, I believe that photography should be insanely easy. Better to automate the technical things, and the more you could focus on just shooting and having fun, the better.

Hate is information. When you hate certain things, and you hate certain behaviors, it is wise to use that information to your benefit. To change what you hate.

It seems that everyone wants to buy a house. Why? Notions of success, stability, etc.

But this is my realization: ultimately, a house and a home is a box. Literally and figuratively. Doesn’t matter if you rent or own, it is still a box.

Also, once you buy and own a home, it owns you. Also, imagine all the time you waste having to accumulate your house with stuff, and having to maintain it.

I think about Alexander the great: how apparently he said when he died, “look at my hands, they are empty. I want to let the world know that when I died, I have nothing my hands”. What he meant to say was his life was dedicated to expansion, building an empire, spreading Hellenism, and conquest.

Therefore the question you wanna ask yourself is would you rather be a Genghis Khan or Alexander the great, or would you rather be a sultan who sits on his throne, having the whole world attend to him? Or would you rather be king Leonidas, bare and free, or would you rather be a rich Persian slave?

For both kids and adults.

Or in other words, why it is so difficult to shoot interesting photos in Singapore or Irvine:

Embrace the ugly:

What we need more in life is not less, but more ambition.

Give a middle finger to self preservation. Instead, seek growth at all costs.

Also, become insanely picky who you share your energy, life and time with. Don’t give advice or don’t try to “help” those who you don’t think will take it or appreciate it or change. Become harder, more “cruel” and indifferent to the happiness, “well being” and thriving of others.

What to become more ambitious about? Maximizing your impact.

Also, don’t waste your money on things. Instead invested on maximizing your impact.

You will not die by eating only meat:

I wonder from an aesthetic perspective, we would be happier with just one. Just one car, one home, one neighborhood, one coffee shop, one camera one lens, one phone, one device, etc.

Just one hiking trail, just one park, just one pair of shoes, just one cryptocurrency, just one platform, just one focus, just one brand. Just one outfit. Just one color. just one exercise or type of lift.

The ultimate simplicity, and the ultimate Archimedes lever: just one?

Also do not forget, you are one, and you are the one.

And within the limit of one, finding novelty, variation, interest and challenge in just that one.

Occam’s razor — note that it is razor, not razor(s).

Also, when making an argument, you don’t need more than one reason to convince somebody otherwise. Just one ultimate reason.

In Marketing, just one call to action.

Also as a fun experiment, just one device. Only your phone, or only your laptop?

A decision making theory: you don’t need more than one reason to do a certain decision. Also, you don’t need more than one benefit. Avoid people and organizations who tout too many benefits, and also, beware people who offer too many reasons to do something and features.

Let me give you example when it comes to investing, I don’t think you need more than one good reason to invest in something. Also, cryptocurrency‘s or crypto coins which promise more than one benefit seem wise to avoid.

For example, bitcoin isn’t the fastest or the “best“ cryptocurrency, but, it does offer one big benefit: number one brand recognition. And that is all it needs.

If you’re interested in investing in cryptocurrency, just one big reason to invest in it is regarding counterfeiting. You cannot counterfeit cryptocurrency, you cannot counterfeit bitcoin.

“run faster, jump higher!”

“ Man, I won’t let you poison me so I threw it to the ground!” (Lonely Island through it to the ground song)

There is this very funny YouTube video, SNL sketch in which there is a random guy selling energy drinks, who says that the energy drinks can make you smarter, run faster, jump higher, etc. If he wanted to do better marketing, he should only stress one benefit.

Another example about college: the only good reason I think about going to college is potentially meeting your future life partner, your future husband or wife. When I was an undergraduate, that is how I met Cindy, my soulmate. I doubt I would have been able to meet Cindy online nowadays via online dating, as the algorithm would have never matched us. This is my critique of online dating— it matches people with mutual interests, and lifestyles. But, I think there is a hidden charm randomly meeting people who are very very different from you, people who you would never expect to click. For example, me and Cindy were seen as polar opposite in college, and when people found out that I was dating Cindy, everyone was so shocked.

“ Cindy‘s dating you????”

My response—

”I know… right??”

In college, Cindy was a sophisticated, suave, intelligent and deep one. I was seen as the joker, the unserious guy, and the guy who only chased pretty girls. But ultimately what found us together was this one really big thing: both of us are interested in growth. That one reason is sufficient into itself.

Don’t buy it if you need more than one reason to convince yourself to buy it

This is one idea I got from Nassim Taleb: you never need more than one reason to buy something, otherwise you’re just trying to trick yourself into buying something you don’t really need.

Well, if you’re thinking about upgrading or buying a new iPhone, you don’t need more than one reason. One good reason to buy a new iPhone is this: I broke my old iPhone. Or, my old iPhone is too slow now.

One should not upgrade the iPhone if one needs a cadre of multiple reasons: it is faster, has a better camera, has better battery life, and will help me become more productive.

When you need to conjure up multiple reasons to do something, you probably don’t really need to do it.

How to tell whether somebody is lying

You can tell if somebody is lying if they give you more than one excuse. If they give you multiple excuses for why they didn’t do something, or why they didn’t show up, or what they were doing, it is most likely a lie. A true excuse simply needs to just be one: I forgot, or I was doing this.

Just one.

A funny mini drama currently at the house: a family friend withdraws money from a Bank of America ATM machine, and much to her dismay discovers that one of the $100 bills which was dispensed was a counterfeit $100 bill. How did she find this out? It is when she tried to deposit the hundred dollar bill at the bank, the bank did not accept it.

I did my personal due diligence, and closely inspected the $100 bill, seeing if I could spot it being a counterfeit. Superficially, I kind of had a gut feeling that it was a counterfeit. Why? Although the paper felt pretty real, the color of the green ink seemed a bit off. The green color was too bright, too cartoony. Also when I inspected the printed text closer, the text didn’t seem sharp enough.

And this is the thought that came to my mind:

You cannot fake or counterfeit cryptocurrency. This would have never happened if it were crypto.

How much money do governments, economies, and individuals lose from counterfeiting?

It seems like a lot. And therefore, if governments and individuals use more cryptocurrency‘s instead of printed paper money cash, you would squash out counterfeiting.

Money as trust?

I’ve been wondered, what can we do with this counterfeit $100 bill. Superficially, it looks very real. If you gave somebody $500 in cash, and one of the hundred dollar bills was the counterfeit one, most people probably couldn’t tell. Then I started to wonder, the only reason we don’t give people counterfeit money when we know it is counterfeit, is because of ethics and a sense of trust, and mutual respect.

Something I’ve noticed: there tends to be some people who prefer to preserve what they already have, whereas others prefer to expand.

As a quick analogy, let me compare the difference between the Mandalorian and the new book of Boba Fett series. The reason why I prefer the Mandalorian so much is this:

The book of Boba Fett is about preservation. Boba Fett becomes Lord of his little feif and kingdom, and his goal is like the godfather, to preserve what he has. Whereas the Mandalorian is all about dis regarding preservation and self preservation, and instead embarking on this epic mission to return the child.

If you want to change certain behaviors, or increase compliance to something, you gotta make it insanely easy. Insanely easy for yourself and others.

For example, if you want to increase mask compliance, make it insanely easy by just leaving a bag of masks outside the front entrance to a place, with a big red and orange sign commanding people to put on a mask before they enter.

This is also why I like the “set it and forget it“ ethos: it makes cooking insanely easy, which is good because it allows us to do other things, and also makes it easier for us to eat healthier.

The best way to flex is not by becoming more high key and flashy, but by becoming more low key and subtle. For example, maybe it is a better low-key flex to get your Lamborghini in a very boring color like silver, instead of getting a bright and flashy color.

Maybe this is why matte black is so enigmatic to us: it is the most stealth like, and low-key color.

Super stock

Another thought:, cars have more charm when you keep the outside appearance more subtle and stock, and instead, you soup up the engine and that which is internal. This is what they call a ” sleeper “ . Better to be perceived as more common and ordinary, than to be considered unique and different.

In other words, deep down within your soul, you are in fact very unique and different, but your outside appearance looks very plain and ordinary. Compare this to people who on the outside dress very flashy, but their soul is actually very basic and ordinary.

Or in other words, be more impressed with a rich and successful person who drives a shitty car, then somebody who is of moderate wealth driving a flashy car. Or other words, I have never met a successful person who drives a BMW three series.

How to (scientifically) become stronger:

Maybe the best coffee extraction tool.

It seems in today’s world, the bias is that our worthiness is measured by how much we do. Typically, we all want to do more. Doing more is considered better.

But what if the opposite were truth? That in fact, doing less were better?

For example, I’ve observed at least with weight lifting, the fewer repetitions you do, the better. The trick is lifting a heavier weight for fewer repetitions is superior than lifting a medium weight many times. For example, better to squat 385 pounds once, once a week, then to do 100 bodyweight squats every single day.

Therefore I say, it seems the most optimal strategy is to do less, but with more intensity and strength.

What if having less range were better?

It seems nowadays, everyone wants more range with their electric cars. It makes sense because there are notions of “range anxiety“.

On one hand, if you want to do a very very long road trip, certainly the more range you have, the better. However, realistically speaking, and thinking about our every day lived lives, how much range do we really even need?