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Friend,
One thing I learned in life is the secret to happiness isn’t owning a lot of stuff, or having status in life– it is having meaningful relationships and meaningful work.
Dear friend,
Imma try to share with you all my secrets in terms of how photography principles, based on the last 10 years I’ve been making photographs.
“Give me one firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.” – Archimedes
You can move the world– as long as you know what your archimedes’ lever is:
A powerful idea— if you lived your life on loop, where your 24 hours of your day was put on repeat for infinity — would you be overjoyed or would you want to commit suicide? (Nietzche’s idea of ‘Eternal Recurrence’)
Dear friend,
I have this principle I’ve followed in my photography and life — the “25% rule.â€
If we didn’t value what is scarce and expensive; wouldn’t life just be far easier?
Dear friend,
There is no right or wrong way to travel— but I will just share with you how I travel:
Dear friend,
We are always trying to learn how to get more followers— but what if our goal was actually to get people to unfollow you?
You’re about to go to college or get a job. Some advice for you:
Dear friend, I just had a thought — why not just shoot all of our photos on a smartphone?
I don’t want much in life– just a Lamborghini.
Dear friend,
Here are some distilled ideas on how to make better photos, after about 10 years of distilled information/knowledge (from age 18-29).
Dear friend,
A philosophical idea I’ve been mulling on for a long (ever since I was a kid is this): How much money is enough?
Dear friend,
We are always trying to learn how to get more followers— but what if our goal was actually to get people to unfollow you?
(Photos by Brian Milo, Interview by Eric Kim)
Eric chats with Brian Milo, Street photographer, Music Lover, unconventional wedding photographer, and print addict. They talk shop on printing, motivation, and prioritizing.
Eric: Great to have You, Brian! To start off, what is your life story? Where were you born, how did you first pick up a camera?
Brian: Thanks for having me, Eric. I have worn many different hats in this incarnation on earth; son, father, husband, friend, drummer, photographer, student, teacher, construction worker, computer operator among many others.
Elon Musk is my hero, and has taught me far more about photography and life than any other photographer who lived.
Dear Kai,
I want to write you this (public) letter on why I admire you.
I currently think the LEICA 35mm f/2.4 ASPH (silver) is the best designed (in terms of proportions, build quality, sharpness, compactness, weight, and red lettering on silver) lens out there.
Cindy A. Nguyen: The sounds of the city — the torrential rains, the construction sites, the tranquil cafes, the continuous traffic— play together as music notes to form a song of the city. Sống, means “to live.†In this film, I weave together vignettes and sounds of life in Hanoi.
Kind of a crazy thing– I think you can stay true to your roots, values, and ethics– and also get rich:
Dear friend,
I will teach you how to become more free in life — to not give one flying fuck about your reputation.
Dear friend,
I think you were put on this earth to do great shit — to help empower your fellow friends, family, community — and the whole world.
CHRISTINE CHUNG: As someone diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder, it is hard to make people understand through words and I think that it would be better understood through visual imagery.
Dear friend,
A secret I wanna share with you — don’t trust no photo blogger (especially not me).
Dear friend,
If you are pursuing your life’s passion — you will always find someone to hate you for it.
So my grandpa died at age 92. I am 29 years old now (2017). In theory, I have 63 years left of life.
Dear friend,
You are a unique human being— with a unique and beautiful perspective on the world.
HiFi Tam (born September 11, 1996) is an unknown Chinese photographer and aspiring artist. He has been trying to explore the issues of urbanization, industrialization, poverty and environment by walking around the Pearl River Delta area with his point-and-shoot camera.
Super inspired from the movie ‘FIGHT CLUB’– in terms of how to conquer my personal fears in life, how to break free from societal bullshit, and to become the best version of myself:
Here are some life lessons I’ve learned from the film:
In society, we are spoon-fed this need for constant ‘self-improvement’ in the eyes of some self-improvement guru.
But the fallacy is that we need ‘improving.’ You are already perfect the way you are.
Rather, Tyler Durden suggests we seek ‘self-destruction’ — the antithesis of self-improvement.
Not to destroy ourselves to commit suicide or cut ourselves. Rather, to destroy the bullshit consumerist mentality we have in our minds.
To destroy the false veil of reality, to see the truth in life.
‘I see all this potential; and I see it all squandered. Entire generation of slaves with white collars.’ – Tyler Durden
As humans, we have so much human potential. Yet, we waste it pointlessly. We waste it becoming consumerist slaves — except instead of chains, we wear golden rolexes. We live in a golden cage. We cannot fly free.
So friend— how can you fulfill your potential in life?
‘Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. No purpose or place. No great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.’
To have a zest for life, we need struggle. We need pain. We need something to overcome.
We need to find meaning in our lives— to find some deeper purpose.
For me, I find purpose in life through creating art, through empowering others, and in terms of fulfilling my creative potential.
What is your drive in life?
‘Without pain and sacrifice, we would have nothing.’ – Tyler Durden
To me, life is all about sacrifice.
My mom (umma) sacrificed her life and suffered to give me and my sister a better shot in life. Whenever I show my love for Cindy, there is always some sacrifice. As Nassim Taleb says, ‘Love without sacrifice is theft.’
How can you put more ‘skin in the game’ to life a life with more pain and sacrifice— but in a meaningful way?
‘It is only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.’ – Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) — aka the alter ego of Edward Norton, blows up his own condo. But after purging himself of his prior life, he is free.
Practically speaking — I have gained much freedom by purging myself of my past. Purging my past negative memories, purging my superfluous possessions, and purging bullshit. This helped me become reborn, and now I feel free.
‘I don’t have a car’ – Tyler Duren
Be like Tyler— don’t be a slave to wanting an expensive car. In-fact, it is cooler not to have a car.
Also consider, are you a slave to debt? Does debt have you working that job you hate, just so you can buy that next $30,000 car?
Consider if you are paid $20 an hour ($40,000 a year USD). Are you willing to work 1,500 hours (62.5 days straight with no rest), or 187 eight-hour working shifts (6.25 months at $20 an hour) just to buy a car, or any other bullshit consumerist good you don’t need?
What is your time worth to you? What is your life worth to you?
‘You are not your job; you’re not how much money you have in the bank; you’re not the car you drive; you’re not the contents of your wallet.’ – Tyler Durden
Our identity is who we are as human beings— our soul, the creative work we do, our worldview, and our self-identity.
We don’t need to identify ourselves via the work we do, how many 0’s we have in our bank account, or society’s labels of us.
In one of my favorite scenes, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton enter a convenience store, pull out the cashier, and Brad Pitt puts a gun to the head of the kid.
Brad Pitt asks the cashier what his dream in life was. The kid says it was to be a veterinarian, but he dropped out of school because it was too hard.
Brad Pitt then says, ‘I will kill you unless you go back to school and pursue your dream.’ The kid runs away.
Edward Norton says something like, ‘What the fuck — why did you do that?’
Brad Pitt then says to Edward Norton:
“Imagine how he feels— tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of his life. his breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.“
Brad Pitt then also says that in life, when we have no fear or distractions, we can let ‘that which does not matter— truly slide.’
The best part— Edward Norton opens up the pistol, and sees that the gun has no bullets inside.
Assignment: If someone put a gun to the back of your head, and asked you what your life dream was — how would you answer? And what would you do tonight or tomorrow to pursue your dream?
The interesting concept of Fight Club — Tyler Durden is the same person. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are the same person.
However Brad Pitt is the idealized version of Edward Norton. Brad Pitt is everything that Edward Norton wants to be.
We all have an inner-Brad Pitt (or Tyler Durden). The only thing we need to do is to take radical change in our lives, to become what Nietzsche calls— the ‘over-man’ (or ‘superman’) who overcomes all the difficulties in his life.
We need to take responsibility for our lives. Not to blame others or make excuses. We just need to go out and pursue our dreams and do what we truly believe in — refusing to let the rules of society cage us in.
Fight Club isn’t about winning or losing. It is rather about fighting your inner-self, your inner-ego, your inner-fears. In Fight Club, you aren’t beating another person — you are just conquering your own fears in life. And you are getting closer to another human being in fraternity.
In real life, there is no winning or losing. We are all on the same team in this world community of humanity. We need to help one another— build each other up, instead of tearing each other down.
Let’s win in life together. Empower yourself in life:
Be strong,
Eric
If you want to conquer your fears and meet new peers, attend an ERIC KIM WORKSHOP >
Cinematography and life lessons:
