{"id":75772,"date":"2018-01-09T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=75772"},"modified":"2018-01-09T06:04:24","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T14:04:24","slug":"the-cheerful-photographer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/09\/the-cheerful-photographer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cheerful Photographer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The happiest photographer is the photographer who is cheerful \u00e2\u20ac\u201d who is optimistic, looking forward to the future, excited to make new photos, and still has that child-like sense of wonder and curiosity.<\/p>\n

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DOWNLOAD PDF<\/h2>\n

PDF: The Cheerful Photographer<\/a><\/p>\n

1. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point of photography?<\/h2>\n
\"Marseille,
Marseille, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been philosophizing a lot lately \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and looking through all the photos of these great master photographers (alive and dead).<\/p>\n

And to be frank \u00e2\u20ac\u201d ultimately, no matter how famous you are as a photographer (even if you become the next Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a>)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153success\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (in the modern sense) is very shallow, and won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give you happiness, pleasure, and a sense of purpose for the rest of your life.<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy and mom happy in Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a> gave up photography after about 30 years of shooting and retired and picked up drawing and painting instead. Even though he was arguably the worlds most famous photographer of all time, he lost his passion and enthusiasm for photography.<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy happy, arms spread. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And of course, when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re dead \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you cannot appreciate your own fame and wealth that you have accrued during your lifetime.<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy and mom holding hands. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Which makes me think: we should strive to feel the maximum amount of joy while we are still alive \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we should never delay living a fulfilling and joyful life.<\/strong> Because we never know when we will die. And after you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re dead of course you cannot enjoy life.<\/p>\n

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2. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m searching for the answers as well<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy and my mom with face masks. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In my life so far, I have achieved a moderate amount of success and fame as a street photographer. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had solo exhibitions, been all around the globe, gave talks to hundreds of people, made a bunch of money, and yet still \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not 100% satisfied. To be frank, after achieving a lot of my life goals in photography (making a living off my passion, having a solo exhibition, having my book published, etc)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I actually felt a little bit depressed and lost. Why? Once you meet your life goals, and you have nothing to look forward to \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you start to question, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why live?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong> or, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is the purpose of it all?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man with lemon on head. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So of course, to find more direction, I delved deep into philosophy \u00e2\u20ac\u201d asking myself \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why?<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to discover some answers for myself.<\/p>\n

3. My personal discoveries in photography<\/h2>\n
\"Wire
Wire frame with flash on eye. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some discoveries:<\/p>\n

First of all, I think the secret to happiness and fulfillment in photography is to never stop shooting, never stop evolving, never stop following your curiosity, never losing that childlike sense of enthusiasm for photography and making art. Personally, I find the most joy while I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m constantly learning and making art \u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than reaping the rewards of my art.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Blue
Blue and pink sunset sky. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Secondly, it is being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cheerful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (a concept I got from the philosopher Democritus). I love the word cheerful because it is much better than other words like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153content\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (something that Zen Buddhists use a lot). I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153contentment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d so much, because it sounds like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153complacency\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d not striving anymore, and not working anymore. I love a lot about Zen Buddhism, but I think the spirit of becoming nothing and doing nothing is a bit besides the point of life. I think perhaps the idea is to subtract desires which won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t truly lead us to having happiness and purpose in life \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but it is still having a desire to making new things, discovering new things, having new experiences, discovering wisdom and knowledge, and sharing it with others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Amour.
Amour. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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4. What does a cheerful photographer look like?<\/h2>\n
\"Marseille
Marseille sunset from our apartment, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To me, the concept of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cheerful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a dynamic one. It is a state of constant learning, re-examination, and having a sense of joy, and having a smile on your face. It means to not take yourself too seriously, it means not to care too much about what others think of you, and to not care too much for fame or money.<\/p>\n

\"Marseille
Marseille sunset from our apartment, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To be cheerful as a photographer is to smile every time you click the shutter. To be cheerful is to always be optimistic, upbeat, positive, and excited for the future. It means to enjoy everyday to the fullest, and to see more possibilities and opportunities in photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than that dreadful tone and idea, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point of shooting? It has all already been done before.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\"Marseille
Marseille sunset with red sky, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No. There are still a billion trillion things you can photograph. Even if the concept has been done before in photography, YOU HAVEN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T DONE IT YET<\/strong>. Metaphysically, it is impossible to make the same type of photography project or concept as someone else. You will always add your own unique voice and honey to your artwork.<\/p>\n

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5. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s have fun<\/h2>\n
\"Boy
Boy and man flash street photograph. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So friend, always stay cheerful. Chin up. Stay inspired, motivated. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take your photography too seriously. Have fun. Treat the world like your own visual playground.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s treat our photography like play, be cheerful, and enjoy our never-ending quest in photography.<\/p>\n

\"Orange
Orange bokeh dots. Marseille, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Life is fun, an adventure, and a chance for us to pave new roads!<\/p>\n

Be bold and have fun,
\nERIC<\/p>\n

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CONQUER YOUR FEARS AND MEET NEW PEERS<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Take your street photography to the next level:<\/p>\n