Do you see tomorrow as inclining upwards or declining downwards?
Of course we want our lives to be in the incline upwards. And the thing is this:
Don’t worry too much about your growth rate. Don’t compare how quickly you’re growing compared to others. Infinite 1% daily growth will render phenomenal returns!
If you don’t see your life on the upwards incline slope, perhaps figure out what you can change in your life to keep climbing up, and to avoid decline at all costs.
What’s holding us back in photography and art? Becoming a prisoner of a style, a certain technique, approach, genre.
In photography all photos are good. Shoot anything and everything!
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A life which goes BEYOND simply trying to maximize your pleasure and minimize your pain.
Instead, a life focused on achieving epic grandeur, reckless experimentation, and great heights!
(more…)List of stuff which works for me and might work for you:
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A thought on entrepreneurship:
(more…)Perhaps it is the natural troublemaker in us which derives joy from “disruption”–seeing how things are quite lame, and how we can disrupt it and do it even better!
I’ve already proved minimalism, digital nomad, location independence, financial independence, retired early, found the love of my life, traveled the world, became famous, got stacks, etc.
Now what?
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Our will and desire as photographers:
Capture all of embodied reality.
We desire to keep exploring, keep discovering, and we are never satisfied with the photos we make and capture.
Perhaps like Pokémon— we are not satisfied until we have “caught them allâ€. And even when you have caught all original 151, you want to create “expansion packsâ€in order to continue the game?
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Do you want to become more relatable or unrelateable? My thought: we are more drawn and fascinated by unrelateable people than by relatable people.
Thus perhaps a key to success (if you desire to become a personality) is to strive to become more unknown, more unrelateable, and more foreign/mysterious and dark.
This means:
When we waste too much of our energies and power helping others, we no longer have the power, will, and energy to direct our own self-development.
Also if your ultimate goal is to help others as much as you can (altruism), perhaps the best way you can do this is by being extremely selfish in your own self-development.
(more…)Random thought: let us assume bodybuilding is your passion and your life goal is to become like The Rock (in terms of his strength, muscularity, size, weight). Once you become 300 pounds of pure muscle, then what?
My thought: never stop trying to become more than yourself!
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Do you desire to live forever because you’re afraid of dying, or because you love life so much?
Apotheosis
Self hypnosis
Youre dope and great
Creating without hesitation, your goal is your own personal elation
Take your station in life higher high flyer
Frequently push yourself to higher summits
Icarus is a lie. Think beyond the sun
You’ve only got one great destiny: choose one.
ERIC
A thought while waking up today:
I’m so grateful I’m alive. Life is all upside, no downside.
Let me explain:
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If you’re hungry for visual inspiration, feast your eyes on your own photos!
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There are so many ugly and horrifying things about truth, the world, life and existence. Yet in spite of all this ugliness how do we have the strength and motivation to keep on living and thriving?
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It isn’t about good or bad photography: it is about genuine (or ingenuine) photography.
Genuine: you make the photos because it gives you joy and thanksgiving towards reality.
Ingenuine: you make photos to get acclaim, applause and likes from others.
One of the greatest epics in photography history: Pittsburgh by W. Eugene Smith, and one of the few masters of photography who has attained the “grand styleâ€(Nietzsche) in photographic art.
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MUSE: the goddess of memory. Poets often call upon her when they desire inspiration.
A thought: What if memory was the spark which motivates us to make art and photos?
Simple, direct, and singular compositions. Perhaps photography needs more of this.
Some practical ideas:
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A life without obstacles, challenges, and difficulties isn’t a life worth living!
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If we think about depression as more of a physiological condition, perhaps the best way to fight and overcome depression is via stimulants which motivate us to move and dance!
Some practical ideas of things which work for myself:
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What motivates us to make new photos? My theory:
The fact that none of our photos (or the photos of others) satisfy or satiate us.
Our never ending hunger for new photos for us to consume, to fuel us!
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What kind of images are good? Images that move, dance, and motivate us to move!
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The benefit of looking at old photos:
(more…)The joy of sparking wonderful, happy, and joyful memories from the past.
RICOH GR III as the ultimate “standaloneâ€camera for photography:
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When you got nothing to shoot, look up and shoot the sky and clouds! -1 or -2 exposure compensation, and experiment with monochrome.
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What Are You Trying to Optimize For?
A thought:
Too much focus on hyper-optimization and maximization is anti-aesthetic.
From an aesthetic perspective, I prefer slow, strong, studied, graceful, elegant, and purposeful.
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What if the optimal or the best composition was both asymmetric AND balanced?
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A thought on photography, art, etc:
Nothing SHOULD last forever.
For example, if our photos were to last forever, what hope could there be for future generations of photographers and artists? If we were forever under the tyranny of the shadow of Henri Cartier-Bresson, what bright and new future would that have for us photographers?
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What I admire about bodybuilders:
(more…)They strive to turn their own bodies into their art-project (sculpture), instead of seeking satisfaction in purchasing art-objects.
Originality in photography is overrated.
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After much meditation and thinking about business, startups, entrepreneurship and startups, my realization and insight is this:
(more…)As a photographer and entrepreneur, do you desire to become a specialty and boutique brand (Ricoh/Leica) or a mass-market brand (Apple)?
Philosophy underpins everything that and which we do.
Philosophy as above science and all other fields of study.
How to become a philosopher and philosophize? Easy: just ask the question “why?” to almost everything in life!
My personal life goal: to become insanely great. FAR BEYOND BASIC.
My thought:
Life is short. Why not strive to maximize your own personal greatness while you are still alive? To see how far you can fly, in order to inspire others to also become insanely great.
How to become insanely great? Now this is something we must strive with all our might towards!
Our lifeblood as photographers: not being so concerned with the photos we’ve made in the past, but more interest in creating NEW art works, NEW photos!
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You change, your subjects change, the way you approach photography changes, your personal aesthetics change. The light changes, society changes, all changes!
The aesthetics we decide to adopt are based on our ethics, our peeoenal beliefs, and what we concern as beautiful, of value, and of positive utility to ourselves.
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I don’t think “the decisive moment” is the most accurate description in street photography. The notion of the “brazen” (daring, gutsy) moment seems more fitting.
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iPhone Pro — probably the most exciting news in photography since the Leica M9.
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One of our modern vices (in America, and most of modern society) is that we like to ‘work for work sake’. Utilitarianism: when we are NOT working, we are ‘sinning’.
But still– I like to do stuff. I like the idea of ‘doing more’. Doing more of what I love and care about. For myself that means making more photos, looking at more of my own photos, writing more, thinking more, walking more, wondering more, and creating more.
The question on my mind:
(more…)What are the practical strategies in order to achieve more in a 24-hour day, and within our lifetime?
I’m convinced — photography is only worth it when it is fun. When you are making photos in a spirit of play!
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A great essay by my buddy Martin who is starting a YouTube series on analyzing the masters of photography:
Currently shooting with RICOH GR III and 21mm adapter. I’m having SO MUCH FUN! Some ideas on shooting with a 21mm lens:
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It seems a big ingredient of success (especially to us mortals) is the virtue of relentlessness— never giving up on our endeavors (until our death).
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Outlining my ideal:
Let me strive to attain my own ideal, and I will share my findings and I go along!
ERIC
There’s a trillion ways to interpret your photos. Use Photoshop or Procreate to analyze, break down, remix, and reinterpret your photos.
(more…)ZEN ZONING, creative honing
Missle right on target
Lion hearted
ZEN ZONING, creative throwing
You’re the king, complete with a 5 finger ring.
Keep making creative things replete with the shimmering bling
Cling to your creative soul and yield it like a creative sword.
The whole world is your zone. Never stop building it, stone by stone.
“What doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger!”
NIETZSCHE
If we believe that which doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger, then certainly life is all upside, no downside (Nassim Taleb).
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My thought:
It takes more wisdom to USE wealth (than to simply acquire it).
It is pretty straight-forward in accumulating wealth (live extremely frugally, have a higher income than your expenses).
For myself personally, I grew up poor and now (with the guidance of Cindy), I got many racks in the safe. Now the more interesting question:
(more…)How should I use my wealth? What is the ‘wise’ way to use wealth, and for what?
It takes more skill, sincerity, and magnanimity to share your joy (rather than your pain, dissatisfaction, and suffering).
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The art of solo travel: travel at your own cadence, follow your own internal rhythms. No rush, no obligations. Just do what you want to do, and don’t do what you don’t want to do.
No obligation to see tourist spots. Instead, using your travels as a means of self exploration, self understanding, self meditation, and self reflection.
Using your travels as a chance to disconnect, to spend more time by yourself in order to think, write, read, create, blog, photograph, experience, and reflect.
In short, spend more opportunities you can to travel and fly solo!
ERIC
A thought:
(more…)Perhaps our impulse to make photos is this innate desire for us to control, capture, or transform the world or reality to our whims.
What pushes you forward in life? What motivates you towards creative activity? What motivates you to wake up in the morning?
What pushes you to write, read, think, or create art? Do you create from a source or abundance, or from a source of need?
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Art — the act of expressing something from the deepest recesses of your soul outwards.
But the question is— what do you want to express from within you, outwards?
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