If you want to discover more inspiration and motivation, you need some sort of visual distractions (in embodied reality) via human beings, random textures, variation of environment.

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Ideation:

The art of coming up with new ideas.

Why ideation? Why ideas? A world and society without any new ideas is a society on the decline.

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What is the purpose of food?

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‘Adrenaline in me like I got injected (BIG SEAN).

The more we can live with adrenaline, the better.

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No deadlifts, no life:

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Theory:

Our mood is mostly hormonal. Thus if we can identify the specific activities, substances, or lifestyle things which affect our hormones in a certain way… then it means:

Our moods are easily within our control!

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Ever since Covid hit, I’ve been gymless for many months. Just got a new membership, and hit the deadlift, squat, heavy dumbell press. After quarantine my strength is still surprisingly good! Max 455 deadlift before COVID, and I just did 415 (pretty easy), squatted 3 plates and a 10 on each side (felt easy), and 100 pound dumbell with good effort.

Since this week powerlifting again, I’m less agitated easily. My mood is far more balanced and zen-stoic calm.

I read a theory from Nassim Taleb about testosterone:

The higher your testosterone, ironically your mood is *less* variable, and cortisol (stress) affects you less.

Then the theory:

If you desire to have a more stoic and zen calm in life, increasing your testosterone (via natural methods like powerlifting and consuming more fatty red meat like beef) is massively advantageous!

FIRST SENT TO ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER >

Dear friend,

The thought to inspire and motivate you:

Ask yourself… ‘Why do I make photos?’

From this answer, all the other answers will come easy.

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The better we understand *why* we make photos, the more motivation we can give ourselves to actually shoot!

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Real gratitude:

In fact, your life is great. And you feel deep gratitude for the greatness in your life.

False gratitude:

Your life is actually quite shitty, but you play the ‘sour grapes’ idea in your mind, trying to trick yourself into thinking that your (really bad) situation isn’t *that* bad.

Why is this difference important?

Well, let us say you’re in an abusive relationship. To simply say ‘oh my situation isn’t that bad, he doesn’t beat me *THAT* bad’ is unacceptable. We must not be fooled. And to have false gratitude will prevent us from actually changing our real life situation for the better.

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The simple goal in life:

How can we live more?

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When I am looking out, and I see some of these things, it motivates me to shoot photos:

1. Juicy colors
2. Interesting or novel scenes
3. Textures
4. Interesting looking people
5. Witnessing a scene which is unfolding before my very eyes, and within a few seconds I can make a certain photo composition which “completes the frame”.

Life with photography is far richer, more vibrant, more joyful and superior to life without photography.

If your goal is to augment your happiness in life, deeper integration with photography is supreme!

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Simple personal truth I’ve discovered for my self:

A life with a gym has made my life 1000x happier, more interesting, and great than life without a gym.

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What do we desire out of life? To live well. To live maximally well.

What does this mean?

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There are many things which are unlimited and many things which are limited and having bounds.

Limited and bounded: the maximum extent of human life (maybe 130 years?)

Things which are unlimited: digital things, energy (in a practical form), etc.

Then the question arises: how to maximize and leverage things which are unlimited while being mindful of what’s bounded in our life?

In life, your basic needs will be met. Also, even if you acquire all the best tools, fashions, equipment, clothes, cars, watches, homes, etc … what is the end of all of it?

To me, it seems the best strategy in life is this:

Harness your body, mind, and gut as a tool to create new art works, to discover new truths which will have positive utility for mankind, and to help evolve humanity forwards and upwards!

There is no such thing as “good” breathing and “bad” breathing, and we also don’t need to force ourselves to breathe.

So why judge our photos in a similar vein? Why not enjoy photography as seamlessly and effortlessly as we approach breathing; subconsciously, unconsciously, and without force and effort?

The best photos are effortless. You shoot as you see things, with no hesitation, self censorship or judgement.

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The best entertainment is challenging, enthralling, dangerous, cruel, tragic and beautiful all in one.

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Disregard notions of having to make a “good” photo. Better to take a “bad” photo than no photo!

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Certainly there is no such thing as ultimate truths, but it seems that our attempt to seek *some* interesting personal truths (which can be applied to a sub-section of society) is very interesting and important!

And if you cannot seek your own equals or find your equals, just go at it alone, and find your equals as you go along!

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Thought:

With us men, there seems to be some sort of male hierarchy based on physical strength.

For example at the gym, the question is:

Can you deadlift over 4 plates? Can you squat over 3 plates? Can you bench over 2 plates?

This seems to be the very basic bar in terms of strength. Either you are above it, or under it.

If you are over it, you become part of this elite club. If you cannot, you are just another ‘rando’ (random) individual who is just sort of a hobbyist.

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Gym as a great zen temple. Also a great place to socialize, meet new folks, shoot the shit, walk around in big areas when you’re trapped at home all day, and getting a great gym pump.

Photo idea:

Photograph really up-and-close macro photos of food.

Food is insanely interesting to photograph, to see all the valleys, shapes, textures … especially in porous materials like bread.

When looking at sourdough bread (high contrast monochrome) up close and personal, think about the fractal pattern:

Bread up close and personal is no different than a Rocky Mountain cliff from afar!

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Or why IRON MAN 1 is so great:

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The only way to live.

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In other words:

Limits are bad.

The feeling like not having heavier weights to attempt a 1-rep max. In powerlifting, it’s always the thought of increasing your one-rep max even further is what makes it fun. If your gym had a limitation on the maximum weight, it would lack all interest! All records are there to entice us to try to break them!

The first Iron Man film: one of my favorite Marvel films of all time. Why?

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The ideal feeling and outlook towards life.

Photography is all about framing, position of yourself and your camera, and how you compose the scene:

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As I get older, it seems I prize reliability more and more. The “best” less and less.

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We want to super charge and turbo charge our vehicles, devices, etc… but why not turbocharge ourselves?

The new goal:

TURBO HUMANS.

The goal:

Maximize the strength of your own soul to the max.

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In life, a thought:

Don’t make irreversible decisions.

Strive to only make decisions which are short term and not permanent. Decisions which can be reversed are best!

Before attempting or achieving anything in life, the most important thing:

Like yourself above all others!

In other words, position yourself in a way in which you would not trade spots with any other human being on the planet!

TURBO PHOTOS FOR YALL:

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FIRST SENT ON ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

The more I think about it, the more I love photography and am an advocate for it.

Some thoughts:

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Park as optimal place for zen, body and mind disconnect.

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What makes great photos? The details!

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The great joy of photography:

It is free and unlimited, especially digital photography!!!

Imagine the Supercharging network, but for us photographers:

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On increasing your creative ISO:

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Life is far more fun and interesting when you are RAW and unedited!

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The goal; maximize your muscular strength, your muscular sense of well-being, and the feeling of the ‘pump’ in your muscles growing!

The feeling of growth or the personal *perception* of growth is what brings us great pleasure!

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Color photography is a stronger visual stimulus!

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I’m very sensitive to light. I love natural light (especially I prefer homes with a lot of natural light, and huuuge floor to ceiling Windows). In fact I’ve realized, if I could optimize for just one thing in a home, it is having maximal light.

A thought:

Perhaps my predilection for photography comes from the fact I’m very sensitive to light, and love it so deeply?

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To maximize clarity for hands and textures and any textures in general, black and white is king:

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The joy of street photography: just going on nice random street walks. Walking around on the streets, enjoying your flaneur-like pace, no hurry or rush. Keen observation of the environment around you, while shooting street photos of scenes you enjoy!

Our desire for stronger visual stimuli–

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DIGITAL DEFENSE:

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Don’t do anything until something internal within yourself prompts you to do so!

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The goal is to enter a state of creative flow. But how do we achieve this? Some thoughts:

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A very simple yet essential entrepreneurial principle:

Always choose and optimize for control than engagement.

Better to own your own website and blog and publish there, than to publish on Instagram or Facebook. Sure InstaBook will give you more likes, views and “engagement”, but you lose control and power.

Control, power, and maximal self autonomy is the goal!

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Why color photography? Color photography contains more information and stronger visual stimuli for us and our viewers.

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A tragic life is a more meaningful and beautiful life.

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It all comes down to force. Your mind, ability to force and change things and move things (and people!)

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Photos shot from the excellent book ‘How to think about war‘ by Johanna Hanink (Brown University, published by Princeton Press):

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How does one progress, evolve and find inspiration as a photographer-artist? My thought:

Perhaps we need stronger visual stimuli.

Stronger visual stimuli from the real world (embodied reality), maybe from virtual reality (two eyes), perhaps from cinema and movies and music videos, photos, illustrations, paintings, sculpture, dance, theater — it is all good!

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TURBO THOUGHTS FOR YALL:

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Anything you can do to drive the evolution of photography forward is entrepreneurship. To take personal risks *not* to just make money (or make more money), but to truly evolve and drive change and progression in the whole field of photography!

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Any single thing you can do to make you more active, social, and out on the streets… the better!

That means buy things that help encourage you to be out more, interacting with others more, etc!

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