{"id":54781,"date":"2017-07-02T21:10:25","date_gmt":"2017-07-03T04:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=54781"},"modified":"2017-07-02T21:12:21","modified_gmt":"2017-07-03T04:12:21","slug":"photography-entrepreneurship-101-go-against-the-grain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/02\/photography-entrepreneurship-101-go-against-the-grain\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101: GO AGAINST THE GRAIN"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Saigon, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101<\/a>, here is some more photography and life advice that you should probably ignore from me: Go against the grain.<\/p>\n

Download PDF ><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I was always the black sheep<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Funny analogy of grain, eh? (Sorry for bad photo pun).<\/p>\n

Anyways, in society we are told to follow the grain. To go with the flow. To take wherever the road leads us.<\/p>\n

But to be a successful photographer and entrepreneur is to go against<\/em> the grain. To be like an epic salmon, swimming upstream. Or to be like a black sheep, refusing to go where the other white sheep go.<\/p>\n

To go against the grain means to give the middle finger to convention. It means to be an individual, to follow your own heart and voice. To go where your gut leads you, rather than where your parents, your teachers, your boss, and the voices of the media and society tell you where to go.<\/p>\n

For myself, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always been a black sheep amongst white. In Korean, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m told that I have no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153noon-chi\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, Which is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153eye sense\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201c or better explained, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153social sense.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Growing up, I was accused of not being able to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153read the air\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of a room. For example, I would do stuff that other kids didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I refused to sit down in class, I would always go to the bathroom every 15 minutes Out of sheer boredom of school, and be mostly a trouble maker. I did pretty well in school, but always fooled around, passed notes in class, cracked jokes. I was a class clown.<\/p>\n

In a sense, the public school system failed to match my own curiosity. I was an ambitious kid, yet my teachers spoon fed me the same curriculum that was fed to all my other (also bored) peers.<\/p>\n

When I have a kid, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll probably send them to a public school. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll certainly give them a personal \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Montessori\u00e2\u20ac\u009d style education at home. Or something like that.<\/p>\n

Break yourself free from the bondage of societal rules<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anyways, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not encouraging you to be different for the sake of it. There are a lot of things that I agree with in terms of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153societal rules.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But a lot of stuff I think is bullshit.<\/p>\n

I always thought it made no sense to get a job, that made you miserable, to get a lot of money, only to lose your personal freedom.<\/p>\n

At age 16, I had more joy fixing up my $1,2000 1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R than did my rich peers who drove BMW cars in high school. I knew from an early age that money didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buy happiness. Freedom, tinkering, having fun, hanging out with friends, and screwing around was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for me.<\/p>\n

I feel that in high school I was pretty rebellious. Same in college, I switched my major from Biology (originally was gonna be a doctor, to please my mom and family), but hated it, and switched to a major with the least amount of math and science\u00e2\u20ac\u201c aha, Sociology!<\/p>\n

Sociology was great, because I learned that societal rules were all constructed. I could break them if I wanted to. And I did. I would be that weird guy doing pushups in a public space, chin-ups on a tree, or flexing my muscles in inappropriate situations. Sociology taught me to follow my own personal interest and curiosity.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If anything, I could attribute my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153success\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in life as an entrepreneur from Sociology. Why? It taught me the importance of building community, the importance of communication, and how societal rules could be bent according to my will. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to follow the traditional path of just getting a 9-5 job for the rest of my life. If I wanted to start my own business, that others considered crazy, I could.<\/p>\n

After graduating college, I did get that office job. But I loved it (at first). I learned a lot from my bosses, coworkers, and I loved the upbeat startup work hustle, drive, and curiosity. I was growing a lot. But at about 8 months in, I became stagnant. I stopped learning, growing, and developing. It felt like hell.<\/p>\n

So to be frank, it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily my job that made me angry or frustrated. It was myself. Partly my job, because I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t given any opportunities to grow. My ambition, drive, and vision was massive. But the glass ceiling of simply being an Online Community Manager held me back. I wanted more power, influence, and the chance to experiment. I wanted to be a director, project manager, or something higher up. Alas, no positions for growth existed.<\/p>\n

Why be an entrepreneur?<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The best part of being an entrepreneur is that I can experiment with crazy shit. I can move fast, and break stuff, like Mark Zuckerberg once said. I can create my own future. I can tinker with my blog, design stuff, without any approval of a manager. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing I hated most being in a company, needing \u00e2\u20ac\u0153approval\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153check off\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to do anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to ask nobody for permission. I can just do it.<\/p>\n

So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned that as an entrepreneur, the best benefits are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Freedom to experiment. <\/li>\n
  2. Not needing to report to a boss. <\/li>\n
  3. Control over my time, mental energy, and space. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Above all, freedom<\/strong> was the sweetest nectar.<\/p>\n

    Information is everything.<\/h2>\n
    \"\"
    East Lansing, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Even now, I can honestly care less about money to buy expensive luxury goods. While I do admire cool sports cars like Lamborghini, and Porsche, I have no interest in luxury clothing, watches, or anything with the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153luxury\u00e2\u20ac\u009d attaches to it. I prefer simple, minimalist design, and non-gaudy aesthetics.<\/p>\n

    What do I need money for? Pay rent, server bills, food, coffee. And extra money to help support my family and Cindy.<\/p>\n

    As of now my focus is to empower other photographers to become the best versions of themselves. Why? I felt stunted in terms of my personal growth in photography and entrepreneurship, because I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have access or the keys to the right information.<\/p>\n

    And information isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just power. Information is everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Los Angeles, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Today, money is just information. Digital 1s and 0s sitting in a network of computers. Paper money is just a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fiat\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (faith) currency in the power of government. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Real\u00e2\u20ac\u009d money doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t theoretically exist anymore.<\/p>\n

    Social media followers is just information. Page views are just information. Blog posts, videos, books, articles, are just information.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    San Diego, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Information has the ability to expand our mind. To help us grow more wise (philosophy), to help us fight cognitive biases (behavioral economics and psychology), or to dream big (entrepreneurship and business). Information has the power to unlock our jet pack potential.<\/p>\n

    Everything I write about or share is just information I wish I had access to. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not gonna be right. It only works for me, probably not you. But it might. That is why I keep doing it.<\/p>\n

    How to go against the grain<\/h2>\n
    \"\"
    Costco, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    So how do you go against the grain or the crowd in photography? Some ideas:<\/p>\n

    1. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use social media:<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    Downtown LA, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Refuse to be a slave to Facebook or Instagram (both same company) and Snapchat. Honestly they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re nice to have, but ultimately make us addicted to this silly platform, which wastes our human potential.<\/p>\n

    Instead of dressing how to make flying cars, we think about the next version of the iPhone, how to get more Instagram likes or followers, or what is happening in celebrity gossip or politics.<\/p>\n

    I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve deleted my Instagram<\/a>, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m like a (former) crack addict who is now clean. I have fewer distractions, which means more focus to do the work which is meaningful to me.<\/p>\n

    2. Make photos you like:<\/h3>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Never ask others what kind of photos to make, and whether they like your own photos. Rather, always follow your own heart. True innovation happens in photography by you following your own artistic vision, and ignoring everyone else. If you do want feedback, only ask maybe 3 people in your inner-circle.<\/p>\n

    3. Go opposite:<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    Chicago, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When you see everyone, jumping off the cliff like lemmings, go opposite. Or be the salmon that swims upstream.<\/p>\n

    4. Venture into new territory:<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll Gas Station, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Everyone mostly knows me as a street photographer, certainly not a photography entrepreneur. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m interested in entrepreneurship and photography. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m venturing into it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like a fun adventure. I had a lot of people upset that I was blogging about money (taboo subject), sharing personal finances<\/a> (also taboo), and talking about a subject that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been relatively unexplored.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Berkeley, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    I had some folks doubting that I was an entrepreneur. But I am, because I take risks. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all entrepreneurship is\u00e2\u20ac\u201c taking risks for the benefit of society and the collective and others. If I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any other fellow human beings on planet earth, I would most likely commit seppuku (Japanese suicide).<\/p>\n

    How to ignore the cries of the sirens<\/h2>\n
    \"\"
    Ha long bay, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    In the Odyssey, Ulysses orders his men to tie him to the mast of the ship, and fill his ears with beeswax, before<\/em> sailing by the Sirens. The Sirens (imagine beautiful mermaids) were man-eaters, who looked pretty on the outside, and their melodious singing and voices would cause men to jump into the water, only to be eaten.<\/p>\n

    Ignore the voices of the sirens. One practical way, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read online comments. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read feedback anymore. Because it is like a Siren, which disrupts my focus and flow. For Safari, I have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shut up\u00e2\u20ac\u009d extension which turns off comments on Youtube and other popular sites. I also have a News Feed Eradicator plugin for Facebook. Also, you can use \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adblock Ultimate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to block certain advertising and comment elements to create a more clean and less distracting internet experience.<\/p>\n

    How to ignore society<\/h2>\n
    \"\"
    Mumbai, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Some more controversial ideas:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Ignore your parents<\/strong>: I love my mom to death, but if I just followed her advice (be a doctor), I would have never met my personal potential. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never had started this blog. So your parents, they mean the best, but just ignore them. <\/li>\n
    2. Follow your curiosity, not the dollars<\/strong>: if you want to make a lot of money, just became an investment banker, plastic surgeon, or now perhaps computer programmer. I do believe, if you follow your curiosity, and get really fucking good at it, and you learn some business and entrepreneurial sense, you can (with luck) make a lot of money. So don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t chase the money first. Chase your passion. <\/li>\n
    3. Never regret<\/strong>: I often look in my rear view mirror of regrets or stuff I wish I did or didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do. But you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t change the past. Rather, just look straight, and keep driving. Fuck regrets, shame, or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what if?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Rather, just focus on being the best version of yourself today. What is the 1 thing you can do today to build up your own personal empire? Is it emailing a potential client, writing a blog post, going out and doing some free photos to build your portfolio, making your own website (1and1.com and WordPress.org), or emailing magazine editors offering your services?<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Mumbai, 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Your life is short. Follow your gut<\/a>, heart, and intuition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      VITRUVIAN CAMERA<\/a> by HAPTIC<\/a> x ANNETTE KIM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Go against the grain, even though you Will feel pain, and others will think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re insane. Avoid the smartphone brain drain. Stay strong like a Paladin, and keep slaying. No need to explain what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing. Just do it. You got this.<\/p>\n

      BE STRONG,
      \nERIC<\/p>\n

      Share your business and entrepreneurship ideas in ERIC KIM FORUM<\/a><\/p>\n

      \n

      PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101<\/a><\/h1>\n
      \"\"
      ERIC KIM x HENRI\u00c2\u00a0NECK STRAP<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES<\/a> \/\/ Portrait by Benjamin Thompson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Learn how to make a living from your passion:<\/p>\n