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Dear friends, some motivational photo thoughts:
1. What is the source of our strength?
What is the most important muscle for us photographers? Our legs. As a simple thought: if you could squat 400 pounds, this should make you a stronger and more motivated photographer. Similarly speaking, if you get deadlift over 500 pounds, with no belt or straps, certainly this will make you a more fearless Street photographer.
2. I need more meat
I cannot say for women, but for us men, it seems that the hormonal source of our motivation comes from our testosterone, or our testes (balls).
For myself, it seems that the more meat I eat, the better. The better I sleep at night, the more powerful I feel waking up in the morning, improved muscle mass, etc.
I wonder if I’m the first person to think this: perhaps if you want to become a better photographer, eat more beef liver, beef short ribs, instead of buying camera equipment or gear.
For example, instead of buying the new iPhone or Apple device or Tesla, use that money to go to the Costco business Center, and buy a shit load of the brisket, or beef ribs.
3. I’m off the grid
Get off of the photo grid. That means, get off of Instagram and Facebook. Instead, build up your own photo empire, with wordpress.org and your own self hosted website.
A question a lot of people asking me is this: what is the difference between a website and a blog?
Well, a website is just like having a plot of land on the Internet. And a blog literally means a web log of your thoughts, and digital artifacts. A log, is literally just like a log, like Captain‘s log in Star Trek.
In the early days of blogging, it was more like a public diary. You just said what you did during the day, and posted some photos. Then when Web 2.0 came along, became more about writing insightful articles. And currently, it seems that blogging is quite dead, instead, public opinion is run by Twitter, the news, and big corporate media empires.
What should one do about this? I say take back the keys. Build your own blog.
4. Break free of routine
Certainly some routine is good, but 100% routine is bad. I say, even if you’re stuck in the same neighborhood, city or area, take slightly different routes. For example, if you plan on driving somewhere, every time you go to the place, just take a different route, even though it may take a little bit more time. I found that even while driving, taking a different route stimulates different types of thought.
The same thing with walking. Strive to break free of your routine to walking. This is one of the best things that learn for my sociology class, that when walking somewhere, always take a different route.
5. If possible, walk to the gym
Always have your Ricoh GR in your front right pocket. And I say, the supreme life is a life without a car. Or a life in which you could literally walk everywhere.
Walk to the gym. And on the way to the gym, make photos.
6. Opportunity cost and money
Let us say that you have $35,000, and you want to buy a new car, or a used car. I say, rather than dumping that money into a car, which will slowly lose value over time, invest in something which will gain value over time: experiences, and yourself.
Example, assuming that a round-trip flight is about $1000, $35,000 is 35 round-trip flight tickets.
Or, let us see you already have a car. I say use that money on gas, and go on a road trip, go camping, and stay at a nice Airbnb. And make photos along the way.
7. High contrast black and white
I love both color and black-and-white photography. Yet, for maximal motivation, it seems that monochrome is the way. Why? We don’t see the world in black-and-white, which makes monochrome more interesting. Also, the difficult thing about color is that if you see something that is not colorful, or the light is not good, aesthetically, the color photos will look ugly. Black and white is more robust to lighting conditions.
I’ve just been shooting extra small JPEG, on Ricoh GR 3X, in high contrast black and white mode, and I’ve literally been logging at least 500 photos a day.
8. Get constructive critique on your photos
Upload your photos to arsbeta.com
Also, it seems that as you give constructive critique to other photographers, you yourself learn. Why? A lot of us often make the same mistakes in photography, and by giving a constructive critique to another photographer, you yourself learn that lesson for yourself.
9. Real life is the best entertainment
A simple thought: I wonder if we will become more motivated human beings, and photographers, if we canceled all of our digital streaming services. Cancel Netflix, cancel Apple TV, Hulu, etc.
Also, instead of watching porn, just go on a walk around the city, go to a local bar or nightclub, or go to the gym.
The best entertainment is the one in which you’re an active actor. The reason why TV media is often so bad is that it makes us passive. Certainly media should just be a stimulant for us to actually go out into the real world, and do stuff.
10. Even if the thing is at least 1% curious to you, just shoot it
Remember our motto —
JUST SHOOT IT.
ERIC
ADVENTURE AWAITS YOU!
DISCOVER YOUR SOUL IN PHOTOGRAPHY at my upcoming SEOUL travel photography experience this summer >
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Ruthlessly cut anything which slows you down.
MOTIVATION BY KIM
Become more:
- Meta Editing
- Move Mass
- What’s “Cool”?
- No In-Between
- Independent Aspirations
- COMPULSION.
- *BEYOND* PERFECT.
- BUY BOOKS WHEN YOU WANT TO BUY GEAR.
- How to Make More Photos
- JUST MAKE MORE PHOTOS.
- MY DESIRE TO CAPTURE IT ALL.
- VISUAL DETOX.
- Photography is Our Addiction
- A BILLION PHOTOS
- THE MOTIVATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER.
- CURIOUS.
- PROVOKE.
- How to Do More Photography
- PRACTICE.
- TURBOCHARGE YOURSELF, TURBOCHARGE OTHERS.
- LIFE IS ALL UPSIDE, NO DOWNSIDE.
- PHOTO TURBO THOUGHTS
- No Such Thing as Good or Bad; Simply Stimulating or Not Stimulating
- The Best Genre is No Genre
- The Key to Photographic Motivation
- Pacifying Media, Motivational Media
- Our Hunger for New Experiences
- Mental Motivation
- ALL ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY.
- The Photographer as Creator
- Create *BEYOND* Yourself
- Let Your Curiosity Drive Your Photography
- LOVE YOUR PHOTOS.
- Abstract Monochrome Photography
- SHOOT WITHOUT THINKING.
- Just Have Fun With Photography
- Wu-Wei Effortless Motivation
- CONSISTENCY x NOVELTY
- Easily Bored?
- Face Photography
- How to Become More Self-Motivated in Your Photography
- YOUR OWN PHOTOS ARE THE BEST PHOTOS.
- On Sharing Your Favorite Photos
- UBERABUNDANCE.
- Peak Photographic Productivity
- When to Review Your Photos
- Serotonin and Photos
- The Photos You Have Yet Shot are Your Most Important Photos
- 3 Tips How to Master Photography
- Do You Like Your Own Photos?
- The Beauty of Mundane, Everyday Moments
- Reasons Why to Be Optimistic About the Future
- A Photography-Full Future
- The More You Shoot, the Better
- How Many Photos Should You Shoot Everyday?
- Why Do We Love Motion?
- Now is Your Chance to Shoot History in the Making
- Photo by Photo
- How and Why Photography Remains So Interesting to Me
- How to Conquer Your Inner Photographic Critic
- Thoughts on HDR Photography
- New Year, New Photos
- Why Exhibit Your Photos?
- Photography is Visual Poetry
- What’s the Purpose of Art?
- Why Do We Photographers Have Such a Hard Time Staying Inspired and Motivated?
- On Becoming a More Optimistic Photographer
- Philosophy of Weather
- How to Become a More Optimistic Photographer and Human
- You Are a Creative Photographer
- JUST SHARE YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS WITH OTHERS.
- What Motivates Me to Shoot?
- How to Maximize Yourself to the Fullest
- HOW TO MOVE AND MOTIVATE PEOPLE
- Autotelic Photography
- The more I go out and photograph the world, the more interesting and beautiful the world becomes
- Why Photographers Have Such Low Self-Esteem
- ERIC KIM MOTIVATION
- Why Am I So Unmotivated?
- EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY
- WHY ARE YOU SO UNMOTIVATED?
- Movement is Motivation
- How to Motivate Myself to Make New Photos
- Never Stop Optimizing
- How to Help and Motivate Others
- Feed On Your Own Photos; Let Them Nourish You!
- Competition is for Suckers
- A Future Without Travel
- How Google Can Improve Your Photography
- DEVELOP YOURSELF.
- NEVER STOP MOVING!
- How I Self-Motivate Myself
- Every Day the Sun is Birthed Anew
- A Life Without Photography Isn’t a Life Worth Living
- WIN.
- 8 Practical Photography Assignments for You
- Tabula Rasa, Blank Slate, Carte Blanche
- RELENTLESS
- LIFE IS THE ULTIMATE RPG
- HYPER VIGOR
- FRESH AIR PHOTOS
- 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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Good to do it outside, on a gasoline propane grille.
#MEATLIFESTYLE
My favorite meats
Galbi short ribs are super good.
Also pro tip:
Boil beef ribs before hand, then finish them at very high on the grille.
Also–
Eat Kimchi with your meat, helps you digest and eat (more) meat.
MEAT BY KIM:
- BEEF BRISKET MUK BBANG ERIC KIM
- BEEF RIBS ARE KING.
- CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.
- The Philosophy of Meat Eating
- No Meat, No Life.
- The Anti-Meat Conspiracy
- Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
- If You Want to Gain Muscle Mass and Lose Body Fat, Eat More Meat (and Quit Sugar, Carbs, Fruit, and Starches)
- No, Meat is Not Bad for You.
- Alcohol is Okay, but Meat is Bad?
- Under-Nutrition is the Issue?
- ERIC KIM EATS
- Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
- Better to Record and Shoot Videos of Your Food than Still Photos
- Why Eating Fat is Good for You
- ERIC KIM EATS MEAT
- Meat is King
- How I Cook
- Meat
- Why I Eat Meat
- In Praise of Crock Pot Cooking
- Eat a Lot of Meat *AND* Eat a Lot of Bitter Greens
- CARNIVORE DIET
- How I Cook at Home
- The More Meat You Eat, the Stronger You Will Become.
- How Much Meat Can You Eat in a Day?
- Why Meat is Good
- How to Eat More Meat
- Why Eat Meat?
- Cholesterol (Meat) is a Steroid
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Like a medieval knight. Soul Calibur — Nightmare.
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My ideal morning:
MORNING COFFEE: TECHNI VORM MOCCAMASTER
Just discovered this new machine — the ‘Techni Vorm’ (Moccamaster) which is essentially like an automated ‘pour over’ V60-styled thing. Anyways, makes for a great pot of coffee in the morning!
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I want to keep moving! Keep exploring, and discovering more.
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How often should I squat? However often you feel like it.
I say–
If you’re in the mood to squat, just do it.
Listen to your body. If you feel any (unusual) aching in your knees or back, just stop for the day, take a few days off, and then attempt your one rep max later.
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What is the best use of your time and energy? I say, use that extra time energy you got to review your photos on the daily, and publish them on the daily. Never fall behind your workflow in your photos.
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For example, instead of buying a car for $35,000, use that money on gym memberships, travel, hotels and Airbnb‘s, airfare, clothing, meat, etc.
Or buying a GOPRO, RICOH GR IIIX, IPAD PRO, ETC.
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When I cook meat, it is the time for me to zen out.
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It is “meaningless” pain which we hate.
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My theory:
Because America printed too much money, was not rigorous enough with unemployment benefits (a lot of workers got “too much” money from unemployment, and now don’t find a strong enough reason to return to menial labor jobs), and concerns about COVID and traveling is causing people to shit their pants, cash out, and buy homes and cars. Thus most people are liquidating their crypto currency, and thus the market is plummeting.
I still think it is very odd—
If the traditional stock market is tanking, then technically crypto (Bitcoin) should be going up.
I think now that effectively America has lost her US DOLLAR hegemony on the world, slowly but surely the value of the USD will keep dropping (just note how base Apple MacBook Air prices are going up). I feel in the long decades term, people will have more faith in Bitcoin as a storage of value than the US DOLLAR.
I may be wrong, at least my thought is my own.
Personally speaking, I bought the dip and bought more bitcoin.
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The upside of stoicism.
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When you’re curious about something, do the thinking yourself before searching on Google, or going on Twitter.
Why? To think for yourself is one of the greatest joys in life. Even if you’re wrong.
I’d rather think for myself, and decide for myself, and be wrong, rather than follow the suggestion of somebody else, and be right.
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My photo ethos.
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With strong legs, anything is possible.
TURBO LEGS, TURBO THIGHS is the goal.
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You can only be anti-something about something you care about.
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Hygiene as having supreme importance.
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For example, to spend extra money to NOT have advertisements, or TVs in front of me
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Profits not for the sar of profits. Profit to help fuel your own personal growth.
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This will be the next big frontier.
Specialized services. Security. Motivation.
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Once you’ve obtained your Zen Paradise, then what?
Then perhaps use that privilege to move the world!
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SENECA v16 – 6:22:22, 8.03 AM Not “how much can you bench? but “how much can you skquaaat?”
When warming up, go ‘ass to grass’ (all the way down). For higher weights, just hit parallel.
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No meat, no life:
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- GoPro hero 10
- RICOH GR IIIX
- Black merino wool tshirt (outlier.nyc)
- Vibram Five Fingers EL-X shoes
- Gym membership, squats, deadlift, chalk
- Direct sunlight
- Walking around in the sun topless
- iPad Pro
- Coffee
- Backyard grill (and meat)
- Fast Wi-Fi connection
- Living somewhere which doesn’t require driving (North Park San Diego is great)
- My son Seneca
- Purple earplugs on Amazon
- Optimizing my life to sleep better
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Tiled gallery on your blog, or full view gallery:
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Certainly an iPad is not a laptop replacement. And I am very anti-stylus for the iPad, and very anti-keyboard.
However, it does seem that the iPad is a new type of device. Truly the full manifestation of Steve Jobs’ vision. Being able to compute upright, while in the direct sun, not hunched back over laptop seems phenomenal.