Life Without Photography is Not a Life Worth Living

A fun play from the Nietzsche quote: “Without music, life would be a mistake.”

Assuming photography is your primary art-form, a life without photography (your art) isn’t a life worth living.

Photography as a form of gratitude towards life

cindy red graveyard

Having photographed my grandfather’s funeral, I am 1000x more grateful for life. To be alive, to use my life to wander, explore, make meaningful connections, and to make art!

  • Busan, 2014 #grandfather

Life is short, art (lasts) long

“Ars longa, vita brevis.”

Hippocrates

Who is remembered?

  1. Great artists (Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Henri Cartier-Bresson)
  2. Great philosophers (Nietzsche, Seneca, Heraclitus)
  3. Great generals/kings/warriors (Napoleon, George Washington, Charles deGaulle, Bismarck)

Does it matter if you’re remembered or not?

Trace of my grandfathers Chinese calligraphy
Calligraphy by my grandfather, traced by me on iPad and Procreate.
Calligraphy by my grandfather, traced by me on iPad and Procreate.
Calligraphy by my grandfather, traced by me on iPad and Procreate.
Calligraphy by my grandfather, traced by me on iPad and Procreate.

Now this is a good question:

What are the practical benefits of being remembered?

Well, after you die, it doesn’t benefit you to be remembered. But for myself it seems:

If you strive to become great (as a consequence laving a legacy), you will live a more interesting, fun, and epic life.

Once again: it is the STRIVING towards greatness and leaving a legacy which is fun and interesting. Even if you’re the hardest hustler and most talented/smart person, it is not guaranteed you will leave behind a legacy. Leaving a legacy is part circumstance, luck, and having the right people write about you after you die.

Providence, 2019
iPhone street photograph

In praise of (fun) hustling

Ryan Holiday says it well:

You can control your effort in life; not the results.

You can control how much effort/hard work you put forth in life, but you cannot guarantee ‘success‘ (however you define this).

The secret of living the best life

So it seems the best life is:

  1. Select what you find great and worthy of you
  2. Maximize your effort into that endeavor
  3. Have fun, enjoy the process, and always DARE MORE!

ERIC

Happiness

Seoul, 2012

If you’re seeking more happiness and tranquility in your photography, read the articles below:

  1. 10 Tips to Be Happier and More Loving in Life
  2. How to Find Happiness in Your Photography
  3. How to Find Satisfaction in Your Photography
  4. 30 Tips to Conquer G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)
  5. 55 Tips to Be Happier in Life
  6. On the Shortness of Life
  7. Small is Beautiful
  8. Photography (and Life) is About Subtraction, Not Addition
  9. Why Envy Any Other Photographer?
  10. How to Be Happy in All Circumstances
  11. Desire the Life You Already Have
  12. Should You Shoot if You Don’t Want To?
  13. Live a Life of Leisure
  14. Good Enough
  15. 28 Lessons I’ve Learned From Life
  16. 27 Lessons I’ve Learned About Photography and Life
  17. 26 Lessons Life Has Taught Me About Street Photography
  18. Desire
  19. Good Enough
  20. Things I Am Grateful For
  21. How to Die Without Regrets
  22. 12 Scientifically Proven Ways to Have More Happiness in Street Photography
  23. Having No Choices is the Ultimate Freedom
  24. How to Be Grateful For What You Have
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