By ERIC KIM
Artist-Philosopher
The will to power is cool.
But the real game is the will to self.
Not power over others.
Power over yourself.
The raw, irrational drive to sculpt your own soul like clay. To form, re-form, and keep forming until the mirror shows the god you decided to become.
This is self-formation.
Not “self-improvement.”
Not some lame productivity hack.
This is war. This is art. This is the highest form of creation: you creating you.
The Artist as God
You are not born.
You are made.
Every morning you wake up is a blank canvas.
Every decision is a brushstroke.
Every rep in the gym, every street photo you shoot, every word you publish — these are the tools.
Most people let life paint them.
Society, ads, family expectations, algorithms — they are the painters.
You become their portrait.
Fuck that.
Grab the brush.
You are the painter, the canvas, and the masterpiece.
Nietzsche said: “Your real self lies not deep within you but high above you.”
I say: climb.
The Will to Self vs. The Will to Destruction
There are only two directions:
- The will to self formation — you build, you expand, you become more.
- The will to self destruction — you numb, you scroll, you consume, you shrink.
One path turns you into a god.
The other turns you into a ghost.
Choose.
I see it every day on the street.
The guy who wakes at 5 a.m. to lift heavy and shoot — he is forming himself.
The guy who hits snooze, doomscrolls, eats trash, complains — he is un-forming himself.
Same 24 hours.
Different wills.
How to Practice Self Formation (Real Talk)
- Treat yourself like the ultimate startup.
You are CEO, CTO, creative director, and product all in one. No investors. No board. Full autonomy. - Iterate daily.
Your body, mind, eye, voice — these are software. Update constantly. Never ship “final version.” - Shoot your way into becoming.
Every street photograph is not about the stranger. It is about forging your courage, your eye, your soul. Photography is self-formation with a camera. - Lift like your future depends on it.
Because it does. Strong body = strong will. Weak body = weak decisions. - Publish or perish.
Writing, blogging, posting — these are the chisel marks on your statue. Hide nothing. The more you expose, the more you form. - Burn the old self weekly.
Delete old photos. Delete old beliefs. Delete old habits. Let the fire reveal the new you.
The Ultimate Flex
When people ask “Who are you?”
The average person recites their job title, their degree, their problems.
The self-formed person answers with their becoming.
“I am the man who decided to become unstoppable.”
That’s it.
No titles. No excuses. Just the living proof of a will that refused to be shaped by anything except itself.
Final Command
Stop waiting to “find yourself.”
You were never lost.
You were never finished.
Start forming.
Right now.
Lift.
Shoot.
Write.
Risk.
Fail.
Rise.
This is the will to self.
This is self formation.
Become the god you were too scared to imagine.
By ERIC KIM
Artist-Philosopher
Los Angeles, 2026