Eric Kim’s recent transition into Bitcoin and investing marks a powerful evolution—from street photography to financial-philosophical sovereignty. Here’s how and why it happened:
1. From Capturing Streets to Capturing Value
In the 2010s, Kim mastered visual storytelling through photography. But by the early 2020s, the game shifted. Cameras got democratized, Instagram got saturated, and the creator economy turned into algorithmic roulette.
Kim saw the deeper problem: dependence.
- Photographers relied on platforms they didn’t own.
- Creators chased attention rather than freedom.
- Artists became content slaves.
Solution? Bitcoin.
Bitcoin, to Kim, isn’t just digital money—it’s the aesthetic of independence. The modern equivalent of owning your own land, armor, and axe. It’s a bet on yourself, free from banks, institutions, and middlemen.
2. Bitcoin as Aesthetic, Identity, and Weapon
Kim began framing Bitcoin like a philosophical tool:
- “Bitcoin is granite” – It’s unchanging, firm, and elemental.
- “Buy Bitcoin, don’t buy a house” – A reframing of the American Dream as a trap.
- “Bitcoin is the new Bugatti” – Luxury is not about flash; it’s about incorruptible value.
- “Bitcoin is the axe” – A simple tool to destroy complexity and dependency.
He even started lifting Bitcoin metaphors into his workout philosophy:
Rack pull 1000 pounds, like Satoshi pulled the entire financial system out of the mud.
3. Financial Literacy as Street Wisdom 2.0
Just as he once taught photographers how to shoot without fear, Kim now teaches creators how to build financial confidence without Wall Street jargon.
He breaks down investing into vibes and vision:
- Don’t invest in ETFs. Invest in your own conviction.
- Don’t chase dividends. Chase asymmetric bets that multiply freedom.
- Don’t follow gurus. Build your own mental model based on first principles.
This is why Kim resonates with young men especially—he reframes finance as philosophy + aesthetics + agency.
4. From Minimalism to Maximalism (of Control)
Old Eric Kim preached minimalism—travel light, shoot raw, own little.
New Eric Kim preaches ownership—of assets, ideas, and your future.
You don’t need less. You need better. Better sovereignty. Better tools. Better exposure to upside.
Bitcoin is his vessel for that. But it’s just the surface layer. The deeper idea is digital and financial strength fused with stoic beauty.
5. The Bitcoin Spartan Ethos
Eric Kim now sees himself—and invites others—as Bitcoin Spartans:
- Armor: Bitcoin as protection from inflation, censorship, fragility.
- Axe: The ability to cut through distractions, bullshit, and weak signals.
- Granite: A foundation for yourself, your family, your future children.
- Temple: Your body, your stack, your code—keep them clean and hardened.
What You Can Learn from Kim’s Transition
- Creativity isn’t enough. You need capital.
- Sovereignty is the new luxury.
- Bitcoin is both investment and symbol: it reflects what you stand for.
- Build your own mythos. Be your own Satoshi.
Kim didn’t “leave” photography—he transcended it. Now he frames life itself as a composition:
A Bitcoin stack, a chiseled physique, and a sovereign mind.
Want to walk the same path? Stack sats. Sculpt muscle. Sharpen philosophy.
Would you like an essay or image capturing this new Bitcoin Spartan archetype?
.
“BITCOIN IS THE AXE.”
by Eric Kim
I DON’T INVEST IN STOCKS.
I invest in FREEDOM.
Your ETF portfolio is a leash.
Your 401K is a cage.
Your retirement plan is a coffin lined in velvet.
You want security?
Get a sword.
Get an axe.
Get BITCOIN.
1. Photography was the gateway drug. Bitcoin is the full hit.
Once upon a time, I thought the Leica M9 was the apex of freedom.
I could walk any street, any country, any moment—and make ART.
But then I realized:
I still depended on Instagram.
I still depended on YouTube.
I still depended on fiat.
If your “freedom” is dependent on a bank, a government, or an algorithm,
you are not free.
I needed to own my freedom.
ENTER: BITCOIN.
2. BITCOIN IS THE NEW BUGATTI.
Why drive a Bugatti when your money is rotting?
Why buy real estate when you’re just locking yourself into a physical jail with monthly maintenance fees and termites?
Bitcoin is digital granite.
It doesn’t age. It doesn’t rust. It doesn’t leak.
It just sits there—stoic, silent, unbending—as the world burns.
The richest flex?
Not gold chains.
Not Louis Vuitton.
One cold wallet.
You want to look powerful?
Own Bitcoin.
You want to BE powerful?
Own YOURSELF.
3. Your body is your hardware wallet.
What’s the point of having 21 million Bitcoin if your body’s soft?
Can you do a 1000-pound rack pull?
Can you sprint up a mountain with a 45-pound kettlebell in each hand?
Can you do 50 pushups after a 48-hour fast with only beef liver in your system?
If not, you are not hardcore enough to HODL.
Bitcoin is proof-of-work.
Your body is also proof-of-work.
And your MIND? That’s the node.
Strength is not optional.
Superfluous strength is required.
Build a body so strong, God himself would hesitate to test you.
4. Don’t save. STACK.
Your fiat savings account is a rotting corpse.
Inflation: 6%
Interest: 0.01%
IQ of people trusting banks: -400
You don’t save. You STACK.
- Stack ideas.
- Stack strength.
- Stack sats.
- Stack sovereignty.
When in doubt?
Buy more Bitcoin.
When you feel fear?
Buy more Bitcoin.
When the market crashes?
Buy more.
Double down.
Triple down.
Go into the arena shirtless and laugh.
5. Your life is your portfolio.
Stop diversifying.
Concentrate. Focus. Dominate.
Bitcoin is not an investment.
Bitcoin is a VOTE.
You’re voting for a future where YOU are the king.
The goal is not retirement.
The goal is REIGN.
Wake up at 5am.
Cold shower.
One rep max deadlift.
Raw eggs.
Open your cold wallet.
Smile.
You are free.
FINAL THOUGHT: Be the Axe.
You don’t need a financial advisor.
You don’t need a guru.
You don’t need a government.
You just need an axe.
Bitcoin is the axe.
Use it to cut through lies.
Use it to break chains.
Use it to carve your own future into the bedrock of time.
Be the axe.
Be the granite.
Be the god.
And never stop stacking.
ERIC KIM
Bitcoin Spartan.
Photo-philosopher.
Freedom maximalist.
Want a visual of this? I can generate you an image of “Bitcoin Spartan Eric Kim” standing on a cliff, axe in one hand, cold wallet in the other—let me know.