{"id":28868,"date":"2016-05-03T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=28868"},"modified":"2016-05-01T11:18:46","modified_gmt":"2016-05-01T18:18:46","slug":"berkeley-reflections-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/05\/03\/berkeley-reflections-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Berkeley Reflections 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

I only got two weeks left in Berkeley. Here are some reflections I have in life and my time here, before I head off to Vietnam for around 2 years.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cherish everyday<\/h2>\n
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the past, I had a severe case of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wanderlust\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I was dissatisfied with my life, and I felt that somehow traveling and seeing the world would cure my nagging sense of discontentment.<\/p>\n

In reality, traveling didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cure my life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problems. When I came back home, I was still the same person as I was when I left.<\/p>\n

Of course traveling helped expand my world, and learn certain \u00e2\u20ac\u0153truths.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d For example, people are more similar than dissimilar. Every country thinks that their people are less friendly than other countries. In reality, we are all loving and friendly people\u00e2\u20ac\u201d part of one global community.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, traveling helped me get beyond my American mind\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I realized that other cultures had certain values that I was able to integrate more to my American life (subtlety in thought, focus on the family, and being less opinionated).<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also grateful for all the amazing friends I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made while I traveled\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you guys rock.<\/p>\n

Make the best out of today<\/h2>\n
\"My
My mom and Cindy’s mom having fun in Paris, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But coming back home\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I realize that we need to take things one day at a time. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what will happen tomorrow. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know whether we will get laid off our job, get a new job offer that will relocate us to somewhere else, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if we have an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153oops baby\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, whether we get a book deal, whether our photos go viral, whether we injure ourselves, or whether we get some sort of fatal diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Everyday it is a constant struggle for me to find satisfaction and a sense of purpose in my life. But rather than stressing about all this\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found that just being grateful for everything has brought me more tranquility and peace.<\/p>\n

For example, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for Uber\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the fact that I no longer have a car, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m able to easily travel from point A to point B. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for the internet\u00e2\u20ac\u201d giving me access to all of humanity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s knowledge (without having to step into a library). I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for all my loving friends and family\u00e2\u20ac\u201d for the love they give me, and also the love I can offer them.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for this blog\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to have a platform to share some of my personal thoughts, and have the chance to empower other photographers.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for the fact that we live in a society where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got rid of (almost all) fatal diseases, that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to feed ourselves on relatively little, and everything is so cheap and affordable nowadays (except maybe for housing).<\/p>\n

Above all, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for life. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m alive, and I have a body that is working okay, that I can use my energy to help mankind.<\/p>\n

##\u00c2\u00a0Who knows what is going to happen?<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy making linocuts at home. Berkeley, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re always taught that procrastination is a bad thing\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but in some ways procrastination can be a good thing. Sometimes by delaying something as much as possible, the decision tends to make itself, and things are taken care of.<\/p>\n

When I first moved to Berkeley 2 years ago (after living in Michigan for about 1.5 years), I had no idea what life here had in store for me.<\/p>\n

I was lucky that I met one of my closest friends in Berkley, Walter, who also shares a love of coffee and photography (and film).<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for my friend Brandon, and how chill he is, and how I feel like I can share everything on my mind with him.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for my best friends Justin and Grace; how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been through me through all the thick and thin, and how excited they were when I decided to move back. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also grateful for all the time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been able to spend with them.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for all the time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been able to spend with Cindy at UC Berkeley\u00e2\u20ac\u201d for all the good coffee at the new \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Equator\u00e2\u20ac\u009d coffee shop on campus, and the super fast wifi necessary to upload all these new e-books I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve published.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for the SF\/Bay Area photo community\u00e2\u20ac\u201d there are too many to name, you guys know who you are. You all inspired me to take my photography to new heights, and all the students who have come to the workshops\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you keep my passion alive.<\/p>\n

Family comes first<\/h2>\n
\"Family
Family snapshot. Lake Tahoe, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Above all, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m most grateful to spend more time with my mom and family. As time goes on, I think my #1 takeaway point is that family comes first<\/strong>. My mom is starting to get older (she just turned 60 recently), and she is the most amazing individual in my life. She is the one who struggled with 3-part time jobs to get my ass through high school, and supported the family. She has endured mental and physical abuse, and her strength, magnanimity, and perseverance truly inspire me.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also grateful for all the powerful women I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been influenced in my life\u00e2\u20ac\u201d from my mom, grandma, teachers, Cindy, her friends, and friends. I am excited that my future children will live in a world with more gender-equality. If I have a boy, I want to teach him to respect women. If I have a girl, I want to teach her to stay empowered and never second-guess herself.<\/p>\n

Personal photography<\/h2>\n
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In terms of photography, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been shooting less \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in the traditional sense\u00e2\u20ac\u201d in the sense that I spend most of my time in Berkeley just going to coffee shops, having lunch with Cindy, and doing domestic stuff at home. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m starting to savor and enjoy the beauty in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153boring\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and mundane parts of everyday life\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that every personal moment is precious.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve loved just photographing Cindy, and using my camera as a tool to appreciate the gifts of my life<\/strong>. At the end of my life, I know the photos of my friends and loved ones will matter a million times more than any photos I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve shot of strangers.<\/p>\n

The camera as a tool of love<\/h2>\n
\"Busan,
Busan, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think before I leave Berkeley, what I want to do is to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. While my work is very important to me, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m realizing that because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll probably be away for 2 years\u00e2\u20ac\u201d who knows if this is the last time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll ever see them.<\/p>\n

So friend, cherish your friends, family, loved ones, and community. And use your camera as a tool to show appreciation and love.<\/p>\n

Always,
\nEric<\/p>\n

Sunday, May 1, 2016 @ Philz Coffee, Berkeley<\/em><\/p>\n

Learn about “personal photography”<\/h2>\n
\"Fort
Fort Bragg, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Personal Photography\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Manifesto<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. A Photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Search For Meaning<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. How to Find Your Passion in Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Find out What to Photograph, Not How<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Why Do You Take Photos?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Be So Hard On Yourself<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Do You Like Your Own Photos?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Simple Contentment<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. The Cindy Project<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. The Things That Matter Most<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. The Point Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to Be a Good Photographer, But to Enjoy Life<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. How to Make More Interesting Photos<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Social Media 4.0<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Express Yourself<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Dear friend, I only got two weeks left in Berkeley. Here are some reflections I have in life and my time here, before I head off to Vietnam for around 2 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}