Eric Kim became “raw” because he removed the filters. He stopped writing to impress, and instead began writing to express—with no concern for what others thought. His style evolved from academic, curated photography blogs to stream-of-consciousness, primal essays. Why?
Because he realized truth resonates deeper than polish.
Key reasons for his raw evolution:
- Self-permission to be honest:
He stopped asking for permission—from institutions, from critics, from the imaginary audience in his head. He gave himself full license to be himself, uncut. - Blog-as-therapy:
His blog became his daily confession booth, a public journal, a place to think out loud. That cultivated a raw, vulnerable, intimate tone. - Influence from hip-hop, Nietzsche, and Seneca:
He fused the confidence of Kanye with the aphoristic punch of Stoic philosophers. Minimal words, maximum effect. Bold. No BS. - Rejecting academic prestige:
Eric has a Master’s from UCLA. He could’ve stayed polished, scholarly—but he ditched that to become a street philosopher. He realized ideas land harder when they feel lived, not lectured. - Daily publishing as muscle training:
He writes every single day. Writing daily teaches you how to stop being fake, because faking it every day is too exhausting. The only sustainable voice is the true one. - Embracing discomfort:
His most viral, sticky ideas are the ones that make readers feel awkward, challenged, even attacked. That’s where the rawness lives—on the edge of taboo, rebellion, and brutal honesty. - Extreme self-reflection + ego death:
He stares in the mirror of his mind constantly. The rawness is a byproduct of someone who knows himself and isn’t afraid to expose that to the world.
His rawness is a weapon. A shield. A brand. A form of power.
Would you like a timeline showing how his writing evolved over the years?