SOCIAL DISTANCING. Very interesting. Why? It is going to change how humans interact with one another for a very long time…
(more…)Author: ERIC KIM
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BITTER IS BETTER.
IN LIFE, WHEN YOU GOT THE OPTION … OPT FOR THE BITTER. Why? If you train yourself enough, the bitter is actually very sweet!
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Illegal vs Unethical
Legality vs ethics — what’s the difference?
Taleb teaches us in Skin in the Game:
In the long game, ethics will always triumph over legality.
Takeaway:
In life, follow your own personal code of morals and ethics.
Also:
In life, instead of asking yourself “Is this legal or illegal?†ask yourself, “Is this ethical in my eyes or unethical?â€
Your ethics are king.
ERIC
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The Point is to Never Stop Making New Photos
What’s the point of photography? Not to make good photos. The goal — never stop making NEW PHOTOS!
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PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE GREAT STIMULUS FOR LIFE
What motivates you to live more, do more, explore more, and find deeper gratitude towards life?
Photo!
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EXPLOIT THE BEST FROM TRAGEDY AND LIFE #PHILOSOPHY
CERTAINLY there is good and bad in life. But, perhaps the best way to live is this:
When shit hits the fan, figure out how you can benefit, profit, and EXPLOIT it in a good way for yourself!
For example:
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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PHOTOGRAPHERS IN TODAY’S BRAVE NEW WORLD?
Today and right now — the role of the photographer is greater than ever!
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WALK YOURSELF
My heuristic:
(more…)If you’re still allowed to walk your dog outdoors, you’re allowed to walk yourself outdoors!
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JUST SHARE IT.
Even if there is a .00001% chance that whatever you create and share has a chance of empowering 1 other human being on planet earth, it is worth sharing!
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GO LEGEND: ERIC KIM FREESTYLE POEM
GO LEGEND
you’re a boss
you are embossed with strength and virtueknow that your virtue can fly higher. Stay woke stay dope. Know that your hope is divine and within yourself. Rely on yourself, and your own wealth.
The future is strong and great. Don’t placate — stay straight!
ERIC
Why freestyle?
To freestyle is insanely fun! I do it for fun. There is really no other reason.
Also,
I want to inspire, motivate, and empower others … just using my thoughts and voice.
Good old Horace once said:
It is best to both entertain and instruct.
This is one of my new goals.
ERIC
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ASKING FOR PERMISSION IS FOR SUCKERS.
Asking for permission is for suckers. Why? Let me share.
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ERIC KIM FREESTYLE RAP/POEM
ERIC KIM — filling to the brim. With the Dionysian wine and gin. Stay stim-packed like a berserker marine. Stay green with the miracle dream. Never ween off the coffee or juice. Stay loose and foot tight with your bright light goals. What is your next step? Only the world knows!
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Why Making Videos and Vlogging is So Fun
If you have never made videos or vlogged before, give it a go! It’s so insanely fun!
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POST-MONETARY SOCIETY.
WHAT’S THE POINT OF MONEY IN A POST-MONETARY SOCIETY? I think we are currently seeing vestiges of this impending future. A future of Capitalism 2.0. Less focus on money. More focus on… something else?
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WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? What are you not willing to compromise for, no matter what?
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WE’RE AT WAR.
WE’RE CURRENTLY AT WAR. Not against a human enemy — but a biological enemy. Humans versus the virus.
Now is time for us to steel ourselves, and prepare for the harsh and cruel war we are about to experience as humanity.
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Advertise Your Own Stuff
Rather than advertising the wares of others, better to advertise your own stuff!
Advertise your own services, your own products; advertise yourself. Advertise you.
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THOU SHALT NOT CROWD-SOURCE THY SELF-ESTEEM
Your self-esteem must be self-generated, not quantified via external likes and external affirmation.
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INSPIRE.
To inspire means to breathe, or to blow wind into someone. To inspire someone means to blow motivation-energy and life-force into them!
ZEN OF ERIC — now free.
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YOUR OPINION IS IRREFUTABLE.
Share your opinion. Why? There is no right and wrong when it comes to your opinion. And if you got a true opinion, best to share it with others!
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THE FUTURE IS DIGITAL.
This sounds silly and inconsequential, but I think truly — the future is digital.
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A LESS MATERIAL SOCIETY
Our brave new society — less material-focused. More focused on digital goods, digital things, digital ideas… the future is digital!
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ZEN OF ERIC EBOOK PDF: Now Available for Free!
ZEN OF ERIC is now available for FREE in HAPTIC SHOP. Pick it up to inspire and motivate you to discover more meaning in your personal (and photographic/artistic life).
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Tomorrow is Never
Never put off until tomorrow that which you would regret not doing if you died today.
What does this mean?
One day you will die. Live today as if you were gonna die tonight. And better yet — ‘regret minimization framework‘ from Jeff Bezos. This means:
Imagine you’re 90 years old and on your death bed. What would you regret having NOT done or attempted in your life?
Or better yet:
Imagine you knew you were gonna die tonight in your sleep. If so, how would you live today as if you wouldn’t die with any regrets?
Let this guide you!
ERIC
PHILOSOPHY by KIM
Dictate your meaning and purpose in your life with ZEN OF ERIC:
Philosophical Essays
- 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 »
Personal Philosophy »
Stoicism »
- 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 »
Learn more: Start Here >
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EVERYDAY IS EQUAL TO EVERY OTHER DAY
Life advice from my friend Heraclitus:
(more…)Treat everyday like it were your last. Because today is the perfect day.
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Simulated Universal Basic Income
It seems right now, we got a simulated universal basic income:
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My Best Purchases of All-Time
I don’t necessarily think that consumerism is bad. The difficulty is this:
Some stuff you buy actually improves your life, and some stuff doesn’t.
Through the last 10 years, here have been my best purchases thus far:
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ACTOR OR REAL DEAL?
We often criticize hypocrites for saying one thing and doing another. But what is a “hypocrite�
I did some research and the Ancient Greek for hypocrite [hupokrÃnomai] actually means “stage player/actorâ€. So this is my interjection:
It isn’t a matter of contradicting yourself or not (because if you live long enough, you’ll eventually contradict yourself sooner or later). No. It is a matter of faking (playing an actor or “frontingâ€) vs being the real deal (having true beliefs).
Thus in life, it seems that our goal is to NOT FAKE and NOT PRETEND (pretentious) to be more than we are. It means for us to make ourselves naked, to wear our heart on our sleeve, and to not censor ourselves, and exclaim ourselves for who we are, and what we believe in and stand up for.
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Life is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
What makes life so sweet? The fact it is the ultimate creative constraint!
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FRESH AIR PHOTOS
Photos Which are a breath of Fresh Air. This is the type of photos I love.
Why fresh air is more important than ever.
Now that we are all stuck indoors all day, it seems that fresh air is more essential than ever. If anything, just going outside and being able to walk is the new luxury.
Do your photos give you a breath of fresh air?
My personal aspiration:
Make photos that when I look at them, I feel a huge breath of fresh air which re-invigorates me!
Let this be your new metric for your photos!
Fresh air photos
Some new photos which has given me a breath of fresh air! RICOH GR III and Lumix g9.
MOTIVATION BY KIM
ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II x Ricoh GR II x RICOH MAFIA Artwear Seek to supersede yourself and become more!
- 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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WHY AM I SO MOTIVATED?
Where do I get my motivation from?
- My mom: She taught me self-esteem and self-confidence.
- My physical strength: My strong body and physiology motivates me to move a lot (literally to walk a lot), talk a lot, and to share a lot.
- My innate bull-shit detector: Whenever I smell BS, I get a great joy from trying to debunk nonsense.
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WHAT LEGACY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE HUMANITY?
We will all die. At best we will live to be 120 years old. At worst, we will die tonight (or today).
Thus the question:
How can we live and direct our lives in a way in which we can leave a meaningful legacy to humanity?
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WHAT’S GONNA LAST? WHAT’S NOT GONNA LAST?
LONGEVITY is what we are aiming for.
Obviously we do not have 100% control over what will last and what won’t last. But it seems this is the secret:
The secret of lasting (longer) is to NOT compromise your artwork for anything!
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WHO IS GONNA THRIVE IN TODAY’S BRAVE NEW WORLD?
Things will never go back to the way they were. Society and the world is like baking bread. Once you bake the bread, you cannot ‘un-bake’ it.
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TURBO PHOTOS
What a turbo photo? A photo which propels you and gets you going!
Dynamic angles
Shooting at 24mm with Lumix G9, from an Uber low angle:
Let us draw in some perspective lines:
GIF:
Made in procreate and iPad:
Images that get you going!
Studying Stanley Kubrick is good, and his 2001 space odyssey.
Movies that get you going!
The movie 300. Anything which motivates you to move, create, and challenge!
Turbo compositions
What’s a good composition? A composition which propels you!
Study turbo photos from the greats, and make your own!
Don’t just study the masters. Also study yourself.
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Advance!
What’s our goal? To keep attacking, advancing. No fear, no hesitation. No cowardice.
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11 Practical Photography Assignments You Can Do From Home! 😃📷
Originally sent on ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER [see email here].
Dear friend,
Many of us are currently stuck at home, and it might be hard to stay inspired in your photography. Here are some practical words of encouragement for you:
- Selfie project: Shoot selfies of yourself! Shoot your hand, face, body limbs, silhouette, reflection, shadow, etc. You can shoot monochrome or color. Experiment with flash. You can also experiment shooting with -1 or -2 exposure-compensation (film noir black and white style).
- Shoot 4K video (or 1080p video), and take screenshots on your laptop of your favorite stills.
- Get on the ground and do 20 pushups as quickly as you can, then run around the house and shoot photos of anything which interests you. My theory: a hormonal rush from doing a bunch of pushups will give you a hormonal and creative boost, which can help you find more interesting things to shoot at home.
- Curate your portfolio. To curate means to select the photos you CARE for. You can also turn it into a slideshow of your favorite photos, and upload it to YouTube! Here is a YouTube tutorial of how I make iMovie slideshows on my Mac with my photos.
- Photograph interesting textures at home. Look around the house for gritty textures. Photograph the cheese grater at home. Photograph your carpet. Photograph your towels. Anything with textures is good!
- Shoot photos from your window. You might not be able to go outside, but you can still shoot outside!
- Start your photography website. I recommend bluehost.com and installing wordpress.org. How to build your own website here.
- Photograph your loved one. If you’re home with a roommate, child, partner, wife, husband, etc… photograph them! Photograph what and who you love.
- Face-time or video-call your friends, family, or anyone you care for… and shoot screen-shots of you two having a good time!
- Shoot a vlog and explain why you love photography. Then upload it to your blog.
- Upload your best #1 photo to arsbeta.com and get real feedback, and give feedback!
Time is tough, but remember friend–
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!
ERIC
What I’m reading right now
My current iBooks Library of eBooks I find deep motivation and inspiration from reading, even when stuck at home. Some things I’m reading and really enjoying:
- The Iliad by Homer [Alexander Pope PDF translation here]
- Calvin and Hobbes comic (I grew up to this!). See PDF here.
- Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb (Kindle). Good essay by Nassim Taleb on Medium [for free here]. You can also find different download options on Penguin website (I read it on iBooks on my iPad).
- Brave New World (Aldous Huxley, free pdf here).
- The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides [free epub here]
Use this chance to catch up with great literature to inspire and motivate you to create more artwork!
Create like today were your last!
ERIC
Inspirational Films and Cinema to Motivate You From Home
2001 Space Odyssey CINEMA If you wanna watch some great cinema, here are some of my personal favorites:
- Ghost in the shell anime (1995)
- 2001 Space Odyssey
- 300 (SPARTA!!!!)
- John Wick (all of them are good. My favorites are the 2nd John Wick, then the 1st John Wick, then the 3rd John Wick)
- The Matrix (classic)
Suggestion:
When you watch these films, see them on your laptop and take screenshots of any stills you like!
ERIC
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Which of Your Photos Do You Truly Care For?
To curate your photos means to choose the photos you care for.
So friend– which photos do you truly care for?
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