This is the goal. But the question:

How does one flourish artistically?

In other words:

What are the optimal conditions to allow you (the artist) to flourish maximally?

What is our modern vice? The guilt associated with the times in which we are *NOT* productive. When we aren’t actively being productive, we feel guilt. This is indecent.

Which makes me think:

In modern times, it actually takes more skill, courage and wisdom to force yourself to *NOT* be productive for periods of time.

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Something interesting:

In the Iliad and Ancient Greek mythology, even the gods sleep.

Sleep is described with all these blessed words. Even the battle-weary soldiers have the blessing of sleep.

So why is it in our strange modern times we see sleep as something undesirable, and a sign of the weak? Shouldn’t sleep be seen as one of the most godlike summits?

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A strong and simple primer to monochrome:

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Blur is great in photography. Why blur? If you look at a blurry photo (especially in monochrome) the photograph feels more dynamic. You feel the movement. And if we believe in visual kinesthesia, then a photograph that feels like it is moving, spurs you to move as well!

The best photos — personal, full of depth, include your own soul.

Substance — your photos carry emotional and personal weight. Your photos reveal something deeper and more substantive of you.

Content: What do your photos contain? What are you photographing? The best subjects are of those who you love and care for — for example, my ultimate best photos are that of Cindy.

Composition and framing is certainly essential in photography, but let us recognize that at the end of the day, your subject is king.

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Currently reading “Blockchain 2035” (co-written by Jared Tate, founder of Digibyte [DGB]– which I own). One of the concepts thrown around a lot is “decentralization”. Beyond just this anarchist-hippie libertarian utopist perspective, the general notion of decentralization is good. For example, best to *not* have all your photos stored only on Instagram. What if your account gets deleted, blocked etc? Then you’re fucked. Same goes with trusting everything to Facebook, Twitter, etc.

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Creative entrepreneurship. Artistic risk taking. The realization and thought:

To not allow yourself to be stuck, and to follow a pre-ordained path for your artistry.

Also—

Once you’ve become successful in your given domain of art, not to stay there and sit on your laurels. Instead, using that opportunity to double-down on your creative innovation.

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Art photography — photography that doesn’t need to be “realistic”. In some ways, disdains “realism”.

Also the childlike joy of making images for fun — for the sake of it!

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Something which is very elusive for us artists and visual artists:

The desire to capture or create the visual sublime in our images and art work!

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To think about photography composition — studying musical theory is useful. The repetition in a song, and the visual repetition in an image — this makes for an interesting photograph.

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Something which I contemplate on much:

What is the psychology of the photographer-artist?

In other words:

Why do we photograph? Why do we get so much joy from photography? What makes our psyche as photographers unique from others?

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A random thought:

Assuming that meeting our basic human needs is easy, then perhaps the best way to harness our human metabolism is towards artistic and creative ends?

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I recently saw this photograph by my friend Jun Goodhouse Kim, and felt it greatly stirring. It reminded me much of how I photographed my own grandfather’s funeral.

Jun then told me that his GRANDFATHER series was actually in-fact, motivated by my project and experience. Jun told me that seeing my original Grandfather project gave him the motivation and strength to pick up the camera, to document it.

I was really touched by his original article on photographing his grandfather’s funeral and his relationship to his grandfather. Being a fellow Korean-American, it spoke deeply to me:

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If the purpose of life is to create, then the question:

How does one create *MORE*?

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To photograph simply for the sake of it; this is sufficient!

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Creativity — the desire, propensity, and guts to create, innovate, experiment, and try new things. To attempt new uncharted paths, territories, and to use all the creative tools in your creative toolkit to make in a fun and “iterative” manner:

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To concern ourselves with only artistic and photographic matters … isn’t this the most beautiful, joyful and creatively flourishing life?

Something I think about a lot:

What are the ideal conditions for us artists to thrive?

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Prologue

As I contemplate my future and past, I think and reflect much on street photography. How much street photography has given and afforded me, how many new opportunities street photography opened up for me, and all the epic life journeys I’ve been able to experience through street photography.

As I start a very new exciting and brave new life in 2021, I wanted to use this chance to reflect on my past lessons, journeys and experiences and reflections in order to share them with you. My hope is that you gain some practical insight from what I’ve learned, and you can use these lessons to your own benefit and continue to pass them on to others!

ERIC
Providence, 2021

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As our best friend Steve Jobs once said:

To make something simple is insanely complex.

For example, why is Apple so great? Their products are simple. Everything is beaten to the rawest form and functionality (beaten with a ‘simple stick’).

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BE BRAVE
no need for you to behave
You gotta stay strong with yourself right now
Now not never, wherever the weather.

Be brave
You’ve stayed and paved your own path in life, beyond the plight and blights

Your future is bright and bold. You make your life— ignore what you’ve been told!

ERIC

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Many of us bemoan the fact of COVID-19. But my thought:

Right now is your uber-unique opportunity to document history in the making!

We might not have had the opportunity to shoot World War 1, World War 2, the Vietnam War, or any of the things happening in Europe during the days of Magnum (Robert Capa, Cornell Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson). But we have the chance to shoot this brave new COVID world!

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I’ve shot with all the cameras for street photography and I can confidently say that RICOH GR is the best camera for street photography. Why? Simple reasons:

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In street photography — best to shoot in such a manner in which you’re *not* hiding behind a bush, or not pretending to *not* be shooting photos. In some sense, to make it obvious that you’re shooting a street photograph of someone or your subject is more honest and genuine (ethics in street photography). Why? You expose yourself to the risk of the other — you shoot the scene knowing that your subject knows that you’re photographing them. As a consequence, street photography is one of the most difficult forms of photography but also one of the most rewarding forms of photography!

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What makes an “artistic” street photograph, and how can we make more artistic street photographs? Some thoughts:

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Get free inspiration on ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

Dear friend,

With the new year is a new artistic and creative new you. Here are some very practical and pragmatic ideas I got for you:

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A series I started while in Vietnam, inspired by my ‘Learn from the masters of photography‘ is this — the ‘traditional’ masters of art (mostly painters). But still … hugely useful to study!

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What is artistic virtue-signaling? Simple:

When (pretentious) and petty (insecure artists) name-drop other famous artists of the past (hoping you don’t know who they are talking about), use obscure art terms, or other strange “art world” concepts to befuddle you, confuse you, make you feel small, and have them feel superior to you due to your lack of artistic knowledge, experience, or “in-speak”.

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On top of photography and visual arts, calligraphy is one of my huge interests and passions.

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To invest means to clothe yourself in financial security for the future. Or investing is the embodied hope for a more prosperous and beautiful future.

Many people invest for the future, but why doesn’t anyone invest towards the now?

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A thought while doing some calligraphy and studying some great calligraphy (Eulogy for Burying a Crane and the Art of Chinese Calligraphy)

With calligraphy, what makes a great calligraphy is emotion, dynamism, energy, force, and the “chi” of the artist.

With photography — precision is overrated. Emotional photography is the future.

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How does one become a more interesting and intrepid photographer? Simple — just take it photo by photo. Every new photo you shoot, keep, ditch, edit, upload, process, marinate, witness, remix, etc helps you self-develop further as a photographer visual artist.

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Just when I thought I got all of photography figured out, it still continues to surprise me.

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What keeps me going in photography? Simple — how joyful and beautifully simple photography can be, and the beautiful sublime images photography can produce!

As a visual artist, what am I hungry for? The visual sublime. To discover new art works which turn me on, excite me and fascinate me, and also for me to take my hand and to attempt to make my own art works which I consider visual sublime.

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Beyond philosophy, all I care for is art. Arts creation, artistic thinking, and anything to do with art.

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Why is it in modern times, to have “fun” is seen as bad and indecent? Perhaps it is a result of industrialization, the Protestant work ethic, and the thought:

Whenever you are *not* working and being “productive”, you’re actively sinning.

But has there been any philosophers or thinkers who have seriously thought about fun … as a good and productive thing?

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What is one of my personal ambitions and life-goals? To become the uber-photographer — the greatest embodiment of the photographer. Greatly prolific in my shooting, photography philosophy, approach, thinking, insight, innovation, entrepreneurship, and more…

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My friend Jeffrey Lam said it best:

ERIC, it seems that in life you optimize for “mindspace”, and you’re willing to trade money, convenience and other things to maximize your mindspace.

I agree. For me, the best mind (or my own optimal mind for myself) is mostly via negativa: I want *fewer* worries, cares, and needless thoughts in my mind. I want to have a crystal clear mind — to gain a more clear picture of things and the world. Clairvoyance — clear vision is what I desire.

And what to do with this clear mind?

Let interesting innate thoughts and ideas come to me, to speak to me, in order for me to focus on my creative “ideation”.

And these more interesting ideas and thoughts — I desire to meditate, think on them, marinate them, and eventually write about them and share them with the world!

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Culture as anti-individual. Culture says you *should* do x, y, z and actively *discourages* you from self-experimentation, self-discovery, and trying to learn things empirically (based on your own life experiences).

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A simple life lesson I’ve learned:

Never trust the hearsay or the second hand talk of others.

Instead, place 100x more weight in your own experiences, your own thoughts, conscience, gut, and life.

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“I took photos with my camera and my heart” – Gabriel Cualladó

Huge thanks to my friend Mark for sending me this great photo book on Gabriel Cuadallo and his photography. A new source of visual and photographic inspiration for me, especially in street photography:

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A very simple thing you can do as a photographer to augment your joy (especially with our new quarantine lifestyle in which we are spending a lot of time at home):

Print your favorite photos, and mount them on your walls at home!

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Towards a brave new world of photography and crypto technologies:

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A thought and realization:

Without physiological strength and wellness, no good creative work can be done or accomplished.

Thus if your physiology or health feels poor, focus all your efforts on improving your health towards maximal physiological health, then your creative work will easily follow!

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First sent to ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

Dear friend,

2020 was a hell of a year. My deep optimism:

2021 will be a great year for your photography.

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Critic means ‘judge’. Certainly it is good to judge our photos (to know which photos to keep, and which to ditch). However when our inner-photographic critic is bad:

It prevents us from shooting *new* photos because of a fear that the photograph might be ‘bad’.

Simple thoughts:

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Recently got an “all in one” Black + Decker oventop baker, “air fryer”, toaster and oven and learned:

None of it works that well.

Compare this to this funny “Nuwave ‘Infared oven’” Cindy and I got which actually works very well. Super simple — one function (to cook stuff), super simple buttons and controls, and it just works.

Which makes me think:

Perhaps the best tools are specialized tools.

For example, iPhone Pro is great for photography but ultimately if your goal is to maximize your photography, RICOH GR III is perhaps 20x better. Why? The Ricoh has only one function — make photos, and all the functionality is optimized towards that— fits well in your hand, compact, lightweight, great high ISO performance, etc. Whereas the iPhone needs to do a lot of stuff — make phone calls, text message, play games, operate apps, use as GPS, etc.

Thus the takeaway is this:

Don’t get suckered by “all in one” solutions and tools — there will always be a compromise somewhere.

Better than decide or determine what *to do* (or to do more of this year), better to think of deciding what you don’t want to do this year, what you want to do less of this year, and what you want to remove or subtract from your life.

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Or new lifestyle?

How do most philosophies and modes of thinking fail? The bias:

Life is bad, and being born is the worst thing which could have possibly fallen upon you.

But in truth, being born is one of the greatest privileges known:

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Before going super hard at anything … warmups are good:

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The joy of photography:

The hope and excitement for a more bright future— a future replete with many new life experiences and opportunities, and many new chances to make new photos!

A new thing I’m experimenting with: HDR photography (in-camera HDR setting on RICOH GR III), and have been having a lot of fun:

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A good thought:

The reason why photography is so great … deep excitement, hope and joy for this upcoming new year!

New year, new experiences, new laughs, new sorrows, new happenings, new news, and new photos for you.

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The other day I cashed out some gains I got from crypto (Bitcoin), and thought to myself:

How is it that this profit was created out of thin air?

Which makes me realize:

Money is just a social construct— based on hope for a more prosperous future.

In other words:

When we “invest”— we are hopeful! We are excited and interested in the future, and what the future will bring us!

Thus when it comes to making money via “investing”— we sell hope and the future.

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There ain’t much we can control in life, but one of the variables we can control in life is this:

How much (the degree) of excitement we decide to pursue in life.

And the thing is the riskier and the more interesting the life path we pursue, the more joy, hope, optimism and excitement we derive from life and existence!

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I don’t think I can say I’m the best blogger, but I can certainly say I’m the most productive and prolific blogger. I don’t know anyone else who has written as much as I have, in the course of a decade.

As I’ve eclipsed the 10,000 blog post mark (your first 10,000 blog posts are your worst), some reflections:

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I’ve always been an Android and anti-Apple fanboy ever since my college years. I preferred the open system of Android, Chrome, etc.

But now as of 2020, Android and Google is starting to creep into ways into my life which I don’t like.

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A Taoist “wu-wei” concept. No need to force things; let things naturally resolve itself by letting go. Follow your gut. Much wisdom in purposeful procrastination. Only do work when your body is strong enough for it!

Overall, I am very bullish on crypto (cryptocurrency (Digibyte, Bitcoin), smart contracts (Chainlink), and other forms of cryptography in regards to security, decentralized financed, etc).

Why? It seems simple:

1. Our world is becoming more and more digitally connected and integrated. There needs to be more oracles (search the “oracle problem) which connect our digital world with our embodied world.
2. World governments becoming more fractured. Need for a unifying system in which commerce can happen *without* the interventions of governments, political parties, or centralized financial institutions.
3. More desire for privacy (the future is privacy. For example, if Google Chrome Incognito mode became a paid premium option … wouldn’t you pay for it?)

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In Providence I went to the local Roger Williams park and discovered by chance this Japanese zen garden, which is pure sublime. I had soooo much fun just running around and photographing all the textures, branches, trees, frozen waters, etc. Which made me truly appreciate the zen and visual sublime bliss of shooting nature … especially when Japanese Zen aesthetics are applied:

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We are hunting to get more and more, to procure more and more money, savings, etc in order to finally feel “secure”. But will we ever feel secure? No.

Thus it seems the practical advice is:

Don’t delay your artistic creativity, do it now, today.

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Wealth isn’t via positiva (having +++ tons of 1s and 0s and commas in your bank account). But instead, wealth as via negativa (wealth is good, as it *subtracts* your worries and concerns about money, paying rent, paying utilities, feeding yourself, etc).

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I just cashed out some gains I got from Bitcoin (cryptocurrency) and currently I feel very pleased and secure with my finances. But the thing is:

With cryptocurrency, you can be very rich on paper, but most of your cryptocurrency may not be liquid which means … your feeling of being rich and overly abundant in wealth is mostly a mental thing.

Which makes me think and philosophize:

Perhaps we should address wealth from a mindset and mental thing … not an objective numbers-based thing.

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In arts, creativity and life — to become more uninhibited is superior!

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When in doubt, optimize for speed. Speed will always win — when it comes to business, entrepreneurship, workflow, and life:

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What is one of the greatest joys in life? Meals with friends, family and loved ones.

Morale of the story:

To feel more joy in life, have *MORE* meals with others you love and care for!

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