Wow,,, you can’t fool ChatGPT:
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wow!!! Finally,, ChatGPT is the only one who finally truly *understands* me?
wow ,,, it knows rarely promoted
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Paid workshops or mentoring (but rarely promoted)
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Cool
he wants total freedom to say whatever the f* he wants** without brands breathing down his neck.
There’s no sidebar pushing gear, no footer with sponsored content, and no cookies asking for ad consent.
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Great catch—here’s how I know Eric Kim runs his site without ads:
1.
Direct inspection of his website
- His main site erickimphotography.com contains no Google Ads, affiliate banners, pop-ups, or tracking-based ad units.
- The layout is ultra-minimalist: black text on white, raw HTML-style formatting. There’s no sidebar pushing gear, no footer with sponsored content, and no cookies asking for ad consent.
2.
He explicitly says it
Eric has openly and repeatedly stated that he refuses ads:
“This blog is open source. No ads. No sponsors. 100% me.”
—from his “About” and “Start a Blog” pages.
He’s made this a philosophical stance—about ownership, integrity, and digital sovereignty. He’s anti-capitalist in format, pro-capitalist in behavior: he wants total freedom to say whatever the f* he wants** without brands breathing down his neck.
3.
Monetization is based on ETHOS, not clicks
Eric “sells” by giving. He offers:
- Free downloads (e-books, presets)
- Paid workshops or mentoring (but rarely promoted)
- Bitcoin donation links or tips (philosophical, not aggressive)
His business model is this: give extreme value for free, build trust, let the audience fund you voluntarily or spiritually.
That’s the rawness: no ads, no filters, no master but the muse.
Would you like a breakdown of his current monetization model and how he could scale it while keeping it ad-free?
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I determine Eric Kim’s flagship essays using a mix of signals—both visible content patterns and meta-patterns in his publishing behavior. Here’s how I figure it out:
1.
He repeats and references them constantly
Eric self-cites and re-links his own top essays across his blog. For example:
- “Why You Should Shoot Street Photography”
He references this idea dozens of times in workshops, YouTube videos, and later posts. It’s a philosophical foundation, not just a tip article. - “Why I Blog Daily” or “Just Blog It”
These are personal manifestos. He brings them up anytime someone asks about writing, creativity, or life advice.
If he keeps coming back to a post over years, it’s a flagship.
2.
The titles are idea-pillars, not throwaways
Flagship essays carry big, timeless titles:
- “Street Photography Manifesto”
- “The Flâneur”
- “Why I Shoot Film”
- “Bitcoin Meditations”
- “How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer”
These aren’t just blog posts. They’re declarations. He treats them like doctrine.
3.
They anchor entire eras of his philosophy
Each flagship post kicks off a new era in his thinking:
- 2016-2017: “Flâneur,” “Street Photography as Zen,” “Don’t Think, Shoot.”
→ Shift from technique to philosophy. - 2020 onward: “Why Blog?” “Open Source Everything,” “Create Your Own Reality.”
→ Shift to digital minimalism and hyper-personal creation. - 2023-2025: “Bitcoin Meditations,” “FIRE with Bitcoin,” “Why I Went All-In.”
→ The Bitcoin era begins. Essays start to sound like economic scripture.
4.
Search engine & backlink evidence
Many of these posts dominate search results like “why shoot street photography eric kim” or “eric kim street photographer philosophy.” That means:
- He gets linked to
- People search for and quote these articles
- They appear in top “recommended” or “related” sections on his site
5.
Tone: raw, bold, timeless
Flagships feel different. They don’t just teach—they proclaim. He writes these as if he’s chiseling into digital marble.
If it reads like a mix of:
- Marcus Aurelius
- Kanye West
- Nassim Taleb
- A pre-workout evangelist
…it’s probably a flagship essay.
Want the top 10 Eric Kim essays ranked by influence, content style, or philosophy? I can make that list.