It ain’t about work-life balance, but work-life integration.

My work is my pleasure and passion, and my life is my work. The two are yin-yang and inseparable.

Is this the key to the most happy and creatively productive life? I think so.

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Something I think about:

Discovering new methods in life which proves certain POSSIBILITIES.

And also, something I think about:

What is more important, striving towards new possibilities or what is “optimal” or best?

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Don’t strive to criticize, change, or critique others. Instead, strive to formulate your own opinions, and share them with others!

Share your own opinion without censoring yourself. Strive to reach your ideal followers.

A thought on success:

Don’t strive to accumulate trillions of followers for the sake of it. Instead, strive to accumulate your IDEAL followers.

What is an ideal follower of yours? Let me share:

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Strive towards artistic purity. That means, do it purely for yourself. Strive to master your own art, for yourself, with disregard for others.

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Something I think about a lot:

What is truly holding us back?

Is it lack of time? Lack of resources? Lack of ideas and inspiration/motivation? Lack of money? Lack of intelligence? Lack of courage? Lack of the proper tools and devices?

What is it that we lack?

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I’ve always been curious how others work. I cannot speak for others, but let me invite you into my mind and my personal creative working process:

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When we think of ‘creativity’, we often think of being “creatively original”. However, a better definition of creativity is ‘propensity to create’, or “the tendency to create (a lot) of stuff”.

So why this term ‘creative productivity’? Well, my thought:

When we tell others to be ‘creative’, they think we mean to say: “Do this in a novel fashion which has never been done before.”

This line of thought is paralyzing. Better to say:

“Be creatively productive! Just make a bunch of stuff! Perfection can be damned!”

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What’s the purpose of life and our human metabolism? Not to consume, but to create!

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The super human: synthesis of monster and child?

Sweet, naive, open minded, curious, and friendly like a child but also having the ability to turn into a monster, a beast, and a chaos?

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All black clothing, but white skin. Black cars with white accents, or white cars with black accents. Black and white photos or black ink on white paper.

What mysteries can black and white uncover?

A thought:

Perhaps life is more interesting and enjoyable when we strive towards infinite gains, in a slow and steady manner.

For example when it comes to powerlifting, I love the idea that as long as I keep eating, training, and giving it all of my courage, my “one rep max” will continue to grow indefinitely; infinite gains, although slow and steady. For example, striving to increase my one rep max by 5 pounds every week, or every other week (forever).

Infinite money?

It ain’t about how much money you got; I think it’s more enjoyable to think about your money always growing. Better to grow your money infinitely higher, slowly and steady, instead of earning tons of money in few chunks.

Better to get lots of steady serotonin daily (or weekly), instead of in infrequent (but huge) chunks

For example, I know I will live a long time, and I also desire to live a long time. If this is the case, then I want to feel maximally empowered as much as possible. And it seems to get infrequent but massive gains is frustrating. Better steady, consistent slowly, and infinitely more than inconsistent gains.

Should we work with human bias, or try to override it?

It seems philosophers and psychologists say:

Humans are dumb and defective because we get suckered by our “bad” or “irrational” human biases.

But what if there is insane amounts of wisdom in our folly and “irrationality”?

Thought:

Should we give more respect and credence to “irrationality”?

A good way to live life:

Simply avoid being a sucker (however you define this for yourself).

For example, when it comes to economic matters or purchasing decisions– don’t get suckered. Don’t get suckered into buying things which are contrary to your own personal preferences.

What does it mean to get suckered?

It is all subjective. My definition is this:

If you get tricked or fooled into doing something contrary to your own personal benefit, you’re getting suckered.

Obey yourself

Don’t let others try to superimpose their code of ethics or morality upon you. Stay firm, and have the courage to state:

These are my personal preferences, only for myself. My preferences aren’t for you, nor are your preferences for me!

Lesson:

There is no such thing as being “smart”, but there is such thing as being a sucker.

Thus in life, the best way to be “smart” is to avoid being a sucker!

I love faces:

Share YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR IDEAS, use the word “I” more often.

Focus on you:

Who are the best people to surround yourself with? Your equals.

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Don’t let others lord over you; lord over yourself!

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Media and entertainment is good when it empowers and motivates us to do stuff. Entertainment and media is bad when it pacifies us.

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Creating is good for ourselves, our ego, and our sense of changing and altering the world.

Creating as the ultimate joy!

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If you want to achieve your most epic self, you MUST become self-employed.

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How strong can you become? Test your own strengths as a point of personal curiosity for yourself.

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Don’t let anyone talk down on you, or discourage you from attempting your own epic life goals:

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For more joy, create more!

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This Taoist notion that I follow and love:

Never do anything that your body, gut, or instinct doesn’t do intuitively. 

This means, more faith in yourself, your instincts, and your own animal like predilections than to force yourself to do what is “responsible”, “necessary”, and “productive”.

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Striving for perfection is paralyzing. Better to produce and make a lot (quantity) rather than aim for ‘quality’.

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I’m so motivated because I’m in hyper-health, physiologically thriving, through powerlifting and sleeping a lot, through intermittent fasting, and eating lots of meat.

Also, the child-like curiosity in creating new things!

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Creativity isn’t this superpower you’re born with (or not). Creativity is having the DESIRE or the motivation to CREATE and make stuff!

Also, creativity is something which can be trained (like our muscles)!

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To conquer photography, we must kill all prior notions of photography, and declare to ourselves:

I shall become the most epic photographer of all-time, and build up all my creative/visual faculties to the maximum!

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The future of art and philosophy: photography.

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What is the best camera? Currently it is the RICOH GR III, then probably iPhone Pro. Let me explain:

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“Unless you expect the unexpected, you will not find it, for it is hidden and thickly tangled.” – Heraclitus

This is what makes street photography so fun — discovering compositions which are hidden — in plain sight, in everyday life. Your challenge as a street photographer is to find it!

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With sketches:

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Side by side:

Forcing compositions, when there isn’t an obvious composition there

Another fun game — finding and discovering a composition which doesn’t obviously exist, but we make it anyways!

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So what is your goal? As a street photographer, discover those hidden compositions in everyday life!

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An image is something you see. An idea is also based on the notion “to see”. Thus as a photographer, you’re both an image maker AND an idea maker.

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Sad thing — I’ve seen a lot of street photographers come and go. It seems they’ve run out of inspiration or motivated. Here is what has been my secret to keep going!

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Better to be misunderstood than understood.

People who aren’t easy to read are more interesting?

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Epic attempts are more interesting than how much you can ultimately lift or do.

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An idea as image:

Read more

My thought:

To maximize your impact and change in the world, embrace MAXIMUM SELFISHNESS, and barbell ‘maximum altruism’ on the other end.

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What is the best life? The life of the maximal self-independence, and maximal self-augmentation.

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My thought:

In life, we always want to feel that our power, influence, and strength is ASCENDING. It brings us great dismay when we feel our power is descending. 

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There are no ultimate morals or ethics in street photography:

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In order to MAXIMIZE your productivity, you must SIMPLIFY your life to the maximum as well!

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The point of simplifying your life isn’t in order to become a more ‘virtuous’ person. To simplify your life is a highly pragmatic matter:

The more you simplify your life, the more you can maximize your personal creative productivity.

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Practical tips on how to become a more productive artist and creator:

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To blog, vlog, and log yourself on the internet —

To share your stream of constantly becoming with others.

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To photograph yourself means:

1. Select a certain aesthetic to convey your personal aesthetic tastes, moods, or attitude towards life.
2. Only photograph what you consider beautiful. Or if you want to photograph what you consider ugly, do it with intent.
3. Don’t strive to make “good” photos. Strive to make HONEST photos that reveal part of yourself and your own soul.

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There is the saying “You are what you eat” which means:

If you consume nutritious foods, you shall become powerful. If you consume bad foods, you shall become weak and fat.

Perhaps we can approach this attitude to photography —

If you are what you photograph, by photographing what brings you joy will make you more joyful and happy!

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What is the worst thing holding us back?

This obsession for views, likes, and followers.

To truly thrive as a photographer and visual artist, you must learn to DISDAIN views, likes, and followers.

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My thought:

The perfect conditions of existence is the optimal circumstances you need to maximize your artistic and philosophical output.

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Notions of “cheating” or “unfairness” are only problems or issues if you’re competing with others.

A thought — perhaps it is better to live a life that is ANTI competition? You are only competing against yourself. No competition with anyone else means you don’t need to feel jealous or envious towards others. Also, you don’t need to pay attention to others.

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I am a pessimistic optimist— I love and accept all the cruelty, tragedy, and unfairness in the world, yet I am optimistic about our individual ability to change ourselves and change the world.

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Apparently there is a saying in Chinese:

Health begins from your feet upwards.

Which made me think:

The source of all photography begins in your feet!

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A new aesthetic — black and red (beyond black and white):

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The best person or group to conquer? Yourself.

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The upside of becoming yourself:

Increased joy, self confidence, and motivation to live!

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I love black and white because:

1. Black and white SIMPLIFIES your compositions
2. Black and white is challenging: A ‘creative constraint’ of monochrome is interesting because it begs the question, “How can you make an interesting image without adding the interest of color?”
3. Black and white is simpler, more minimal — which follows my personal aesthetics.
4. Black and white is more open-ended for the viewer. It forces the viewer to use more of their own imagination to interpret the image, making the image more memorable!

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The great thing about having a unique perspective:

Nobody can refute your perspective as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

All perspectives are subjective — the great liberating thought!

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Your goal in life, not to become anyone else, but become MORE YOU!

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Anti-perfection in life:

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What lies latent within you? What hidden powers do you have, that you haven’t discovered yet, or let out yet?

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Why this cult of productivity? My theory– we want to become more productive (in order to make more money), in order to gain our personal freedom in life.

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When in doubt, go smaller file sizes.

More megapixels, more problems

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The best power? Not power over others– but power over yourself. To control yourself, and to exploit yourself and your inner-powers to the maximum.

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STEEL SPINE
Your soul divine

Encased within your shell

STEEL SPINE
Your strength is over
Whelming with force and faith.

STEEL SPINE
No point to whine and complain
Better to take the pain — treat it as a stimulus to growth

You cannot achieve the epic without epic pains
You cannot achieve the epic without the epic gains
You cannot achieve the epic without the epic strains

Growth is dependent on you
STEEL SPINE — infinite regenerative growth!

ERIC KIM

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POETRY

• MONSTER
• JUGGERNAUT
• I Move
• ZEN ZONING.
• DARE.
• Life Isn’t Fair
• UPLIFT.
• Don’t Be Timid
• FLY HIGHER!
• Ain’t Nobody Stopping You!
• Seize Today!
• You Were Destined to Do Great Things, My Dear
• Fly Higher!
• CREATIVE DYNAMITE
• KILL EK
• ROOTS.
• MURALS.
• Keep Sailing

Nihilism: the philosophy that nothing is worth pursuing in life, because life and existence has no meaning. Note this happens most often to intelligent atheists.

Let us consider– if God (or gods) don’t exist, if heaven/hell doesn’t exist, and an afterlife doesn’t exist– then what? What is the point of living? How can we live in this world where there is no ultimate purpose or destination?

This is where your personal courage is needed. The new strength you need to posit your own new life goals. To demand greatness from yourself, and to posit yourself as a goal unto yourself. Your goal in life:

To become the most insanely great individual you can.

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There are a trillion books on how to write poetry — but how few people actually write about why write poetry?

Some of my personal thoughts:

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You’s a monster
You’re a beast
More superhuman than you think.

You’re a monster
You’re a beast
Feast your eyes on the joy of existence; Dionysian joy, reality is your toy.

MONSTER
You’re born to conquer and eat
Treat everyday like it were your last
You were born with an epic task in life, you were born to delight in the strife and war

Embrace all the scars and the pain of the past
Odysseus’ call; tied to the mast.
Don’t get distracted by the sirens sweet voice
Follow your own inner-voice, you make all the choices.

You steer, you control your life.
MONSTER– you’re more than man, you’re mine.

ERIC KIM

POETRY BY KIM

• I Move
• ZEN ZONING.
• DARE.
• Life Isn’t Fair
• UPLIFT.
• Don’t Be Timid
• FLY HIGHER!
• Ain’t Nobody Stopping You!
• Seize Today!
• You Were Destined to Do Great Things, My Dear
• Fly Higher!
• CREATIVE DYNAMITE
• KILL EK
• ROOTS.
• MURALS.
• Keep Sailing

JUGGERNAUT
Become the argonaut of your own ideal

Push ixion’s wheel forward, not back
Sisyphus don’t even got a chance.

JUGGERNAUT
Nothing can get in your way
Stream forward; force always finds a way.

JUGGERNAUT
Don’t think of what you lack or don’t got
Just don’t stop — keep pushing forward ahead
Breaking through walls with your steel head

You’re so ahead; you’re so far.
Who can stop you? Nothing but death.

ERIC KIM

POETRY by KIM

• I Move
• ZEN ZONING.
• DARE.
• Life Isn’t Fair
• UPLIFT.
• Don’t Be Timid
• FLY HIGHER!
• Ain’t Nobody Stopping You!
• Seize Today!
• You Were Destined to Do Great Things, My Dear
• Fly Higher!
• CREATIVE DYNAMITE
• KILL EK
• ROOTS.
• MURALS.
• Keep Sailing

The problem with much of modern philosophy:

We strive to live a maximally painless life.

But is this truly a noble goal?

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Leave others alone; tolerate their behavior and way of living!

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