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Seek Your Own Personal Zenith
How high can you soar in your lifetime? Accumulate your strength, power, and influence slowly– while also constantly pushing your limits.
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## Better to Go Big and Fail than Go Small and Succeed
I was deadlifting at the gym today, and couldn’t lift a new maximum PR I was pushing. Thus, by not being able to lift the weight, I technically ‘failed’. But my ego wasn’t hurt at all. I just shrugged my shoulders, slightly lowered the weight, rested up a bit, hyped myself up a bit, and lifted that 405 barbell off the ground.
## 500 pound deadlift
One of my current life goals is to deadlift 500 pounds. It will take me a while. I lifted 410 pounds last week, and to add another 90 pounds to my maximum lift will take a while.
Biologically speaking, we grow slowly. Consider a newborn baby– how long does it take for it to reach full maturity? At least ~18 years of age. And at what age do we reach full mental maturity? Perhaps around 30 years of age.
Muscles grow slowly. Strength grows slowly, yet steadily.
—
## Slow growth in art
As artists, our skills also grow slowly. It takes us a long time for us to learn the technical skills of our art, and then the training we need to practice our art-craft, while also learning from the masters of the past.
I think about photography — and there are SO MANY things related with it. For example:
1. Technical understanding of how a camera works
2. Technical understanding of using *YOUR* camera (all cameras have different functions, dials, buttons, etc)
3. History of photography (knowing famous photographs from the past masters of photography)
4. Knowing *WHY* you shoot photos (your personal motivations for making images)
5. Building composition skills in photography (how to simplify a scene in your photos, and how to make strong compositions)
6. How to post-process your photos on a laptop, Lightroom, phone, etc.
7. Knowing your personal aesthetic: What types of photos look beautiful to you.
8. Technical expertise on sharing photos online, or printing them out.
9. How to market yourself as a photographer
10. How to stay inspired and motivated to keep shooting new photos
Photography is interesting, because it is super simple to start (iPhone). Yet it is infinitely complex– because there are SO MANY things in photography we must be able to master. And not only that, but the technology is constantly evolving in photography, which means:
> There is always something new to learn in photography.
—
## Why rush your growth?
We accumulate strength and grow slowly. From a biological perspective, you cannot rush the growth process.
You cannot force a redwood tree to grow taller faster. Of course, you can provide *favorable conditions* — like plenty of water, sunlight, and protection from pests.
The same applies to us as individuals — *we can create favorable conditions for our personal growth and development*, but there are certain limits to the speed and tempo of our personal growth and development.
—
## What are favorable conditions?
If you want to grow as a philosopher, artist, or individual– some things which help:
### 1. Not getting distracted by money:
> “Don’t stare at money too long, it’s Medusa.” – Kanye West
Of course money is important to buy our coffee, food, and pay rent. Yet– money is mostly a whack distraction.
The problem in modern society is that we use money as ‘experience points’ to quantify our progress in life, and our “successfulness” in life.
The ancient greeks (Homeric heroes) didn’t have money. How did they measure success in their life? They didn’t even really have a word for “success“. They just focused on being courageous, delighting in battle and war, and strength was prized above all.
I also found it interesting that in the movie John Wick, money isn’t that important. A few gold coins are traded for hotels and hit jobs, but besides that– money is irrelevant.
Or the Justin Timberlake movie, ‘In Time’ — wealth is measured by how much time you have.
If you want to focus on your own personal growth and development, don’t get distracted by money. Honestly, you will never have enough money. Even billionaires wish they had 25% more money than they currently have, in order to feel “secure”, or the feeling that they will have “enough”. I think it is a psychological bias– **enough is never enough**.
Thus my suggestion is this:
> REDUCE your expenses (easiest way to “increase” your money).
And then use your mental energy and human metabolism on your own personal development:
1. Develop your mind (reading philosophy, reflecting, thinking, consuming media which empowers you)
2. Develop your body (deadlift at the gym, walk for fun, and eliminate sugar and carbs from your diet)
3. Develop your artistry (keep making art, study art from the masters of the past, and keep innovating)
—
### 2. Not getting distracted by others
If you truly want to break new artistic ground, I believe strongly in ‘creative isolation‘. For myself, I made the biggest personal breakthroughs in my personal philosophy, life, and photography by the following:
1. Living abroad (outside of America) in Vietnam for a year
2. Not checking email for around 2 years
3. Self-employment (control over my schedule, mind)
4. Deleting Instagram (no comparison against others)
5. Indifference towards the photography or artwork of others
### 3. Not getting distracted by news
The news is toxic. Most of media is toxic.
The way the news works is through ‘fear feeds’ (Cindy Nguyen)– they want to create headlines which scare you. Most of us have ‘fear aversion’– which means:
> If I *don’t* read this news story, I might get hurt somehow.
Thus we end up reading these distracting news stories, which actually have nothing to do with us personally.
Furthermore, reading so much negative news (90% of news is negative) gives you a fucked up, pessimistic view of the world. You will never see in the news:
> BREAKING! NICE KID HELPS GRANDMA CROSS THE STREET.
Most people are more likely to click on negative (fear-inducing) news, when compared to positive (feel good) news.
And because the media earns dollars from online advertising, the more clicks and traffic they drive, the more money they make. And how do they get more clicks and traffic? The more sensational the news, the better.
For the last 5 years, I haven’t looked at a Facebook news feed (I installed a ‘Facebook news feed blocker’ on my browser). I also try to block all internet advertising (I have around 5 ad-blockers on my browsers). I have no subscriptions to any magazines (which are around 80% advertising).
For around 2 years, I went on a 100% news fast (no reading any news), and it was pretty miraculous:
> My mood was elevated, and I felt more optimistic and positive in my everyday life.
A week ago, I accidentally read some news, and suddenly was put into a really shitty and negative mood. Which was insane, because:
> Even small exposures of the news can really fuck up your mood.
Try it out; a 100% media/news elimination diet for a year. This can possibly be one of the best things you can do for your mind.
—
## NEXT
1. Study more biology to understand more physical principles of nature. I think we can learn more about being human by studying other animals and life in general, instead of reading all these nonsense modern business books
2. Stop reading the news, social media, advertising. Delete your Instagram
3. Focus on producerism (making stuff, instead of just consuming). Share your personal learnings and artwork on your own photography website/blog.
4. Make insanely great goals for yourself in your life. Go big, go hard, and know that often you must be a ‘lone wolf’ in order to achieve your own life goals. Don’t let your life goals be dependent on others.
5. Grow steadily and slowly, moment by moment, instant by instant, day-by-day. **Seek your own personal zenith**.
NEVER STOP GROWING,
ERIC
‘Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship’: Create Your Own Future >
Entrepreneurship Mindset
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- Don’t Play it Safe
- Why Blog?
- How to Be a More Productive Photographer
- How to Hustle
- True Productivity
- What Can Only You Do?
- Love Risk
- What is Success?
- Fill a Vacuum
- Think Big
- What is Your Dream in Life?
- 8 Blogging Productivity Tips
- Why Be Normal?
- How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure to Achieve Your Dreams?
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
- Don’t Sit Still!
- Bitcoin for Photographers
- Don’t Be Timid
- Why Start Your Own Photography Blog?
- Fill a Void
- 1,000 True Followers: How to Build Your Own Niche in Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: Why You Must Start Your Own Email Newsletter
- TURBO CREATION: Why a Maxed-Out MacBook Laptop is the Best Investment You Can Make for Photography Entrepreneurship
Life and Productivity Hacks
- My Ultimate Productivity and Life Hacks
- Life/Productivity Hack: Write (Type on a phone) While Walking on a Dynamic Treadmill
- ERIC KIM Life, Creativity, and Productivity Hacks
How to Make a Living from Your Passion
- Digital Nomad Photographer
- Build Your Own Instagram!
- How to Be More Ambitious
- Do It Your Way
- How to Measure Your Progress as a Photography Entrepreneur + Come Up With New Ideas
- How to Make a Living From Your Passion in Photography
Put a Dent in the Universe.
- Fear Disguised as Reason
- Distraction is the Enemy
- Innovate for the Sake of Innovating!
- Reality is Malleable!
- Stoic Entrepreneurship
- Against Self-Preservation
- The Purpose of Life is to Make New Stuff!
How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
- You Have No Limits.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
- Invest in Yourself
- The Secret of Happiness: Shoot for the Moon!
- Moonshot Thinking
- Why We Should all Be Photography Entrepreneurs
- Memento Mori Entrepreneurship
- Why it is Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- Why You Must Own Your Own Platform
- First Principle Thinking for Photography Entrepreneurs
- How I Became a Digital Nomad
- Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission!
- Spurn Pleasing Others!
- Create Your Own Niche
- How to Gain More Exposure For Your Photography
- Intense Focus
- How to Conquer Your Fears as an Entrepreneur
- Define Yourself
- Let Dissatisfaction Drive You Forward!
- It Doesn’t Matter if Someone Else Has Done it Before!
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
- How to Create Value as a Photography Entrepreneur
- Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
- Why You Must Ignore Nay-Sayers to Succeed in Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life
The Modern Photographer: Tips, Strategies, and Tactics to Thrive as a Visual Artist in the Digital Age
Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success
MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER is your new philosophical and practical primer to succeed as a modern photographer in today’s digital world.
Business Mental Models
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
How to Monetize Your Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: INFLUENCE
- Should I Monetize My Passion for Photography?
- 10 Practical Photography Monetization Strategies: Pricing, Google SEO, & Entrepreneurship
- How to Make Money From Street Photography
Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
Take control of your own photographic destiny:
THE MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER
- CREATIVE CAPITALISM
- How to Monetize Your Photography
- 5 Practical Photography Career Tips and Advice
- 10x Thinking
- How to Hustle as a Photographer
- How to Become Your Own Master Marketer
- The ‘T’ Technique of Success
- Go Ahead and Sell Out
- What is Your Unique Voice?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- What is Your Unique Angle as a Photographer?
- Photography Content Marketing 101
- Why You Must Become Your Own Publisher
- The Art of Cross-Pollination in Photography
Photography Entrepreneurship Articles
- Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Flickr
- How to Make Money From Your Photography
- Photography SEO and Blogging: How to Become Number One on Google
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
- Now is the Best Time to Be a Photographer
- PRODUCERISM
- What Is The Value of a Picture?
- Your Photographic Labor is Not Free
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 101
- Chapter 1. How to Make a Photography Blog
- Chapter 2. How to Price Yourself
- Chapter 3. How to Find Your Market
- Chapter 4. Why Teach Workshops?
- Chapter 5. How to Build Trust
- Chapter 6. How to Market Yourself
- Chapter 7: Why Should Someone Attend Your Workshop?
KEYS TO SUCCESS
- Why You Must Be a “Personality” in Order to Succeed
- THRIVE OR DIE.
- Impatience is a Virtue
- Create Your Own Category
- HOW TO DREAM BIG.
- Will Not or Cannot?
- Why Not?
- How to Think BIG
- How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
- How to Invest in Yourself
- The Two Camera Rule
- MEANINGFUL DIFFERENTIATION
- Advice For College Students
- How to Thrive in Uncertain Times
- CANNIBALIZE YOURSELF.
- DO AND GROW RICH
- Does Fear of Punishment Hold You Back?
- HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS
- How to Innovate
- How to Build Your Own Empire
- YOU ARE ENTITLED TO HARD WORK.
- PICK YOURSELF.
- OWN YOUR PLATFORM
- 10 KEYS TO SUCCESS
Table of Contents
Learn how to make a living from your passion:
- Preface. BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
- Chapter 1. How to Create Value
- Chapter 2. ZEN CAPITALISM
- Chapter 3. Scarcity
- Chapter 4. How to Brand Yourself
- Chapter 5. How to Build a True Following
- Chapter 6. The Blueprint to Success in Photography
- Chapter 7. HOW TO BE BOLD
- Chapter 8. How to Sell Out
- Chapter 9. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
- Chapter 10. EXTREME ABUNDANCE
- Chapter 11. Photography Experience Economy
- Chapter 12. Why You Should Make Money for Your Photography
- Chapter 13. How to Become a Famous Photographer
Photography Business 101
How to Make Money with Photography
- How to Charge More Money in Your Photography
- Why You Should Not Pursue Photography as Career
- Can Photography Make You Rich?
- How I Earn $200,000+ a Year From Photography
- How to earn $10,000 a month as a photographer
- Why you must be an expensive photographer
Photography Marketing 101
- Why Have More Followers?
- Why You Should Do Photography Work For Free
- How I Became an Internet Famous Photographer
- Photography Blogging Ideas
- Why You Should Promote Your Own Name
- How to Build a Following
- How to Stand Out as a Photographer.
- HOW TO GO VIRAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
- How to Master Marketing
- How to Sell Yourself
How to Hustle.
- Entrepreneurial Advice to My 18 Year Old Self
- How to Become Insanely Productive.
- 5 Lessons From Hesiod on Hustling
Entrepreneurial Principles
- It is Better to Beg For Forgiveness Than Ask For Permission
- The Free Way to Become Rich
- JUST DO IT.
- 7 Steps: How to Make a Living From Your Passion
- How to Do What You Love for a Living
- How to Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- How to Fail Big
- How to Invest in Yourself
- How to Be Bold in Photography and Life
- Mission: Cover Your Rent and Food
- 1,000 True Fans
- The “10x Principle”: The Only Difference Between “Success” and “Failure”
- Make More Value Not Money
- We Live in a Photo Utopia
How to be a Full-time Photographer
- How to Make a Living From Photography
- The 3 Principles of Making Money With Photography
- Advice for Aspiring Full-Time Photographers
- Don’t Go Into Debt For Your Photography
- How to Brand Yourself as a Photographer
- Trust: The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed as a Photographer
Photography Blogging
- How to become rich from photography blogging
- How to Make a Living with Blogging
- 50 Blogging Tips For Beginners
- How to Start Your Own Photography Blog
- A Photographer’s Guide to SEO, Blogging, and Social Media
How to Teach Photography
- How to Become a Photography Teacher
- How to Teach a Street Photography Class
- Why I Teach Street Photography Workshops
Social Media
- Why I Deleted My Instagram
- The Social Media Blackbook for Photographers
- Why Do You Need More Likes or Followers?
- Instagram is Going to Be the Next Facebook
- Don’t Trust “Free” Photography Social Networks