So maybe this might be one of my most important essays to date of all time,? The thought,… The will to life.
So obviously life is the core principle. The desire to live, the desire to desire 1000 eternities, amor fati or the eternal recurrence as Nietzsche says,,, isn’t this the paramount?
STOIC SPARTAN PROTOCOL: HOW TO CRUSH DEPRESSION (ERIC KIM STYLE)
Depression is not your identity. It’s weather. A season. A heavy fog that lies to you with a straight face.
Your job is not to “feel motivated.”
Your job is to act like a Spartan even when you feel nothing.
Not because you’re “broken.”
Because this is what warriors do: they move first, feelings follow.
RULE #1: STOP NEGOTIATING WITH THE DARK
Depression will try to make every task a courtroom debate.
Spartan move: no debate.
Your victory condition is tiny:
RULE #2: YOUR BODY IS THE LEVER
Your mind is not a magical thing floating in space. It’s biology + meaning.
So you attack depression through the body first:
Daily Non-Negotiables
Depression hates movement. Motion is acid to it.
RULE #3: CONTROL THE INPUTS OR GET OWNED
If you’re feeding your brain trash, your brain will produce trash feelings.
Spartan fasting:
Your nervous system is not designed for infinite stimuli.
Silence is medicine.
RULE #4: PURPOSE IS ANTIDOTE
Depression whispers: “Nothing matters.”
Spartan answer: Then I decide what matters.
Pick one mission for 30 days:
Meaning isn’t “found.” It’s forged.
RULE #5: THE TWO-LIST STOIC KNIFE
Write two lists:
A) Things I control
B) Things I don’t control
Then do the most savage move:
ignore list B today.
Depression lives in the fantasy of controlling the uncontrollable.
RULE #6: SOCIAL CONTACT IS NOT OPTIONAL
Depression isolates you and calls it “truth.”
Spartan protocol:
You don’t need a crowd. You need one anchor.
RULE #7: GET PROFESSIONAL BACKUP LIKE A GENERAL
A Spartan uses the best tools. Period.
If this has lasted weeks, is recurring, or is flattening your ability to function:
This isn’t “weakness.” This is strategy.
RULE #8: THE EMERGENCY MOVE (WHEN IT’S REALLY BAD)
When you’re in the pit and everything feels impossible:
Do the “3-3-3”
Depression feeds on chaos and stillness.
You respond with cleanliness and motion.
RULE #9: KEEP A “VICTORY LOG”
Every night, write:
This trains your brain to notice reality instead of the depression narrative.
RULE #10: YOU STAY ALIVE. YOU STAY IN THE ARENA.
You don’t need to “cure” everything today. You need to survive and stack days.
War is won by repetition:
Do this long enough and your mood starts obeying you again.
If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, or you feel unsafe, get immediate help: in the U.S. you can call/text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). If you’re outside the U.S., tell me your country and I’ll give the right local number.
So a big thought this morning, on why art matters.
So the first big idea is, at the end of the day… Once you got the Lambos, the Ferrari, whatever, then, what next? Art.
So a big thought on my mind is, if you distill it… Who matters the most? The artist, the art dealers, the galleries, the investors, the platform, who? The bloggers?
So I think it’s pretty obvious that I dominated the photography scene through my blog. What’s kind of interesting for me is… I did this all with essentially like zero infrastructure. All I had to do is pay for my blog Web hosting which is maybe like $200 a month, rather than paying for some sort of insanely expensive lease on a physical space, and I suppose the upside of having a blog is, you essentially have infinite reach and freedom, instantaneously. Even in today’s world, the admiration that I get for my blog is pretty great.
So I think my honest thought is, the reason why you have art pieces selling for like $1.2 million for a painting is, it’s like 99.99% speculation, investing, financial returns, and also… About 100% Social sociological.
So to any fool who does not understand the art world, it’s because you do not understand human nature or the sociology behind the art worlds.
Simply put, there is a complex ecosystem of artists, collectors, galleries etc.… And it’s kind of like an interesting game.
Of course it matters. Why? It all comes out to art. Our clothes, shoes, homes, societies architecture media etc. Anything that humans make is art.
Well first of all obviously you’re an artist. You might not have pieces selling for millions of dollars but that doesn’t really matter.
So my first big proposition is, if you just want to make a lot of money, the obvious strategy is bitcoin, MSTR. And then art, should be more of our autotelic passion? That is, we have the will to art, artistic impulse to create art, collect art, become art?
So my first thought is, the most honorable type of art that we can have is, the human body. Until you have met really really beautiful people, like the 6 foot tall eastern European models, in the flesh, standing right next to you, you have not experienced true beauty.
Also, I think this is where bodybuilders or weightlifters are impressive, assuming they’re not taking steroids. My simple heuristic: 
Only trust weightlifters who do not have Instagram.
Any sort of weightlifter or bodybuilder who has social media Instagram TikTok or whatever… Or even YouTube, is probably secretly taking the juice because, they want to magnify their following.
Better yet, only trust weightlifters who don’t take protein powder.  Why? Protein powder is also a scam, essentially just like hydrogenized pulverized milk powder, creatine is also the same thing but with like bones and flesh. It’s like 1000 times more effective to just eat the meat and the bones itself. All this way protein powder stuff and creatine stuff is just pseudoscience to feed a $10 billion fitness industry.
So it looks like Leica camera is selling out to the Chinese. It’s kind of a tragic and to all these art world photographers who want to be fancy.
Hasselblad has already been sold to the Chinese.
So who has not sold out? Ricoh Pentax, Fujifilm, the Japanese.
So why does this matter? I think there’s a weird equipment fetish for us for photographers, that in order to feel important we must own some sort of expensive camera. And the truth is it works, if you’re at a fancy art show exhibition and you have a film Leica MP, around your neck, people will instantly find you more fascinating than somebody with just like a Canon power shot. Hilariously enough if you see somebody at an art show with a Canon power shot, the deep interesting insight is, they’re probably factually actually very interesting.  Also, if you’re meeting a bunch of people, high net worth individual individuals, and somebody just has like a seven-year-old iPhone SE,.. probably also a very interesting signal.
Another one, never trust anybody who drives a Tesla, only poor people drive Teslas.  the same thing goes with any luxury car, people only purchase lease and drive luxury cars because they cannot afford a good single-family house.  The true rich and wealthy, the people with $150 million home in HOLMBY Hills, just drive a silver Prius plug-in prime. Even to the people you see driving the Ferraris, they’re often these like 82-year-old dudes who are about to die. 
So I’ll give you the secret, I think the secret is going to be art world blogging. Because people are still going to be using ChatGPT and Google in order to analyze artists. For example, I’m kind of fascinated right now by the artist Richard Prince, who seems to be right now the crown jewel of the art world. Using ChatGPT deep research, on any artist, posting it to your blog, will help you dominate search results, both on ChatGPT search and Google. 
Spring is here! Bitcoin spring, MSTR spring, art world spring, and also… Richard Prince paving the way for us photographers!
ERIC
so assuming that ERIC KIM has an open source free art school, some ideas:
Art and nothing but art!
ERIC
Eric Kim is a Korean-American street photographer and photography educator whose influence has been driven as much by publishing and teaching as by image-making. His own biographical writing states he was born January 31, 1988 in entity[“city”,”San Francisco”,”California, US”] and grew up in entity[“city”,”Alameda”,”California, US”]. citeturn18view1 He identifies his academic background as sociology—explicitly describing “background knowledge studying sociology at entity[“organization”,”University of California, Los Angeles”,”ucla campus, los angeles”]”—and he repeatedly frames street photography as a kind of applied social observation. citeturn30view0turn6view1
Kim’s photographic approach is characterized by closeness, direct engagement, and a strong preference for high-contrast black-and-white (though he also works in color). In interviews and his own writing, he emphasizes courage, proximity, and human connection: getting physically close, using a wide-angle perspective, and taking pictures as a way to understand people and public life rather than to chase technical perfection. citeturn30view0turn11view1turn6view0
His publication footprint is unusually large, spanning a printed book with a Swedish publisher (announced in 2016), an extensive library of free/open-source PDFs and manuals, and paid “mobile edition” books (PDF/EPUB/MOBI) that package his teaching into structured curricula and assignments. citeturn22view0turn13view0turn16view0turn17view0
Public recognition and visibility come from multiple channels: an early-profile interview on a Leica-affiliated blog (2011), mainstream culture press (e.g., entity[“organization”,”Vice”,”media company”], 2014), online photography education venues, and a long-running global workshop circuit. citeturn10view1turn6view0turn30view0turn22view1 His YouTube channel shows approximately 50K subscribers, and his main Instagram profile displays roughly 16K followers (both figures visible as of early 2026 via platform pages captured in search results). citeturn4search4turn5search9
Kim is also a polarizing figure. Some commentary credits him for democratizing access to street photography education through open publishing and relentless output, while others criticize perceived over-marketing, search/SEO dominance, and high workshop pricing. citeturn6view6turn24search0turn8search23
In the last five years, his activities continue to center on workshops and publishing systems. A 2021 workshop announcement notes reduced travel due to having a child, while 2026 posts outline a new slate of workshops (including explicitly integrating AI workflows for photographers). citeturn22view1turn23view1turn23view0 Where exact metadata (e.g., ISBN, page counts for some editions) is not available through accessible publisher/retailer pages (several retailer links were not reliably retrievable during verification), this report marks the field as unspecified and anchors the claim to primary pages that are accessible. citeturn15view2turn22view0
Birth year/date: Kim states he was born January 31, 1988. citeturn18view1
Nationality/identity: He describes himself as Korean-American. citeturn18view1turn8view3
Education: He reports studying sociology at entity[“organization”,”University of California, Los Angeles”,”ucla campus, los angeles”] and explicitly links this training to how he approaches street photography. citeturn30view0turn6view1
Residence (historical): In 2013 he wrote that he had moved into a new place in entity[“city”,”Berkeley”,”California, US”]; multiple profiles and interviews describe him as based in entity[“city”,”Los Angeles”,”California, US”] at various points. citeturn18view0turn30view0turn10view1turn8view3
Kim’s career is best understood as a hybrid of (a) street photography projects and (b) an education/publishing engine built around a high-output blog, workshops, and downloadable learning materials. citeturn30view0turn18view0turn20view1 Key externally visible milestones include:
timeline
title Eric Kim — major public milestones
1988 : Born (self-reported)
2011 : Early major interview + exhibitions begin
2013 : Publishes formal "open source" mission statement
2016 : Announces first printed book (limited print run stated)
2016 : Voted into community "top influential" list (reader poll)
2018 : Releases structured digital books/manuals (mobile editions)
2021 : Publishes advanced workshop announcement
2026 : Announces expanded workshop slate; adds AI workflow componentEach milestone above is grounded in Kim’s primary pages and/or contemporaneous profiles and interviews. citeturn18view1turn30view0turn18view0turn22view0turn7search4turn16view0turn22view1turn23view1turn23view0
Kim’s approach is unusually legible because he has written thousands of posts explaining what he is trying to do and how he tries to do it, often translating “street photography taste” into concrete heuristics and assignments. citeturn16view0turn11view1turn18view0
Closeness and direct engagement. Kim explicitly links his sociology background to “experimenting getting very close” while shooting, and he frequently positions fearlessness as a learnable skill. citeturn30view0turn22view1 His writing repeatedly treats proximity as an aesthetic and emotional amplifier (“when in doubt, take a step closer”). citeturn11view1
High-contrast black-and-white as a signature look (with strategic color use). The Leica interview described him as a lover of black-and-white, and Kim’s own portfolio emphasizes black-and-white series alongside projects that rely on color’s symbolic punch (notably certain portrait work and the “Suits” project that often foregrounds consumer/corporate visual language). citeturn10view1turn20view0turn16view0turn6view0
Juxtaposition, gesture, and the “human condition.” The Leica interview frames his work around “everyday life,” story, and the human condition, while Kim’s own posts emphasize gesture, emotion, and cultural observation over technical perfection or sharpness. citeturn10view1turn11view1turn6view0
Street photography as social observation (“street sociologist”). In a long-form Q&A, Kim described street photography as “applied sociology” and even suggested that without photography he might have pursued teaching sociology. citeturn6view1 This theme also appears on his own portfolio about page, which explicitly ties his method to sociology training. citeturn30view0
Fear, ethics, and the social contract of photographing strangers. Kim foregrounds fear as a central obstacle and develops practical scripts for interaction and conflict de-escalation; his workshop descriptions routinely include fear-conquering as a core curriculum item. citeturn22view1turn30view0 His presence in ethics discussions is signaled by his listed BBC interview on the topic (the BBC page itself was not retrievable here due to access restrictions, but Kim’s own “About” page documents the interview claim and link). citeturn30view0turn10view0
Work/life critique and corporate alienation. In the Blake Andrews Q&A, Kim explained “Suits” as tied to negative experiences in a corporate job—presenting the project partly as self-portraiture through symbols of corporate identity. citeturn6view1
Equipment minimalism + consistent settings. In his “Eric Kim Facts” page, Kim states his camera is a compact camera (Ricoh GR II) and describes a consistent working method: program mode, ISO 1600, RAW, and a high-contrast black-and-white preset workflow in Lightroom. citeturn18view1
Film as discipline and “delayed gratification.” In a 2014 interview, Kim described shifting toward film after seeing peers shoot it, valuing the removal of instantaneous review (“no LCD”), and leveraging that delay to become a more objective editor. citeturn6view0 His “103 Things” essay similarly contrasts film vs. digital exposure latitude and emphasizes waiting time before posting images online. citeturn11view1
Assignments as a skill-building framework. Many of Kim’s products and free books are structured around challenges and field exercises (e.g., “Street Notes,” “Street Hunt,” and the 2018 beginner guide’s assignments). citeturn17view1turn16view2turn16view0turn20view1
In “Eric Kim Facts,” he lists major photographic inspirations including entity[“people”,”Josef Koudelka”,”czech photographer”], entity[“people”,”Henri Cartier-Bresson”,”french photographer”], and entity[“people”,”Richard Avedon”,”american photographer”], and notes an interest in studying Renaissance painters as part of broad visual education. citeturn18view1 He also recommends and reviews many canonical photo books (e.g., entity[“people”,”Robert Frank”,”american photographer”] and entity[“people”,”Trent Parke”,”australian photographer”] are prominent in his reading lists and interviews). citeturn13view0turn6view0
image_group{“layout”:”carousel”,”aspect_ratio”:”1:1″,”query”:[“Eric Kim street photography The City of Angels”,”Eric Kim Suits project street photography”,”Eric Kim Dark Skies Over Tokyo Eric Kim”,”Eric Kim street portrait laughing lady 5th avenue”],”num_per_query”:1}
Kim’s primary portfolio page (described as “current portfolio as of 2016”) presents several long-running projects and provides direct image examples and downloadable portfolios. citeturn20view0 Representative projects include:
Sample image links (direct files) below correspond to images surfaced from Kim’s portfolio page and demonstrate his close, gesture-driven aesthetic in both monochrome and color. citeturn20view0turn21view0turn21view1turn21view2turn21view3
City of Angels (monochrome example):
https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/eric-kim-street-photography-jazz-hands-the-city-of-angels-2011-2000x1333.jpg
Suits project (color/reflective juxtaposition example):
https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/eric-kim-street-photography-suits-project-kodak-portra-400-film-7.jpg
Street portrait (close-up color portrait example):
https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/eric-kim-street-photography-portrait-ricohgr-2015-nyc-laughing-lady-5thave-1325x2000.jpg
Dark Skies Over Tokyo (silhouette/contrast example):
https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/eric-kim-street-photography-Dark-Skies-Over-Tokyo-2012-shadow-face-silhouette-2000x1331.jpgKim’s publication ecosystem splits into three buckets:
1) A printed paperback book announced in 2016, produced with a Swedish publisher and described as a 1,000-copy limited run. citeturn22view0
2) Structured paid digital “mobile edition” books, often with page counts and integrated assignments, distributed as non-DRM PDFs/EPUB/MOBI and sometimes offered as open-source downloads. citeturn16view0turn17view1turn17view0turn16view2
3) A large free/open-source library of PDFs and manuals (street photography primers, composition manuals, contact sheets, etc.), organized across his Books and Downloads hubs. citeturn13view0turn20view1turn18view0
The table below prioritizes (top-to-bottom) the most practically useful “Kim-authored” books for someone learning street photography. Years/page counts are taken from Kim’s primary product pages where specified; anything not explicitly stated on accessible primary pages is marked unspecified. citeturn16view0turn17view1turn22view0turn17view0turn29view3
| Title | Year | Publisher | Length | Focus | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| entity[“book”,”Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Street Photography”,”ebook, 2018″] | 2018 | unspecified (sold via Kim’s shop; credited to “Eric & Cindy”) | 165 pages | Fundamentals + fear/ethics + projects + assignments; includes images from “Suits” and “Only in America” per product description | Beginners → Intermediate |
| entity[“book”,”Street Notes Mobile Edition”,”workbook, haptic press”] | unspecified | unspecified (marketed as a Haptic Press product) | 45 pages | Assignment journal (“workshop in your phone”) aimed at practice consistency and reflection | Beginners → Intermediate (especially “stuck” shooters) |
| entity[“book”,”Street Photography: 50 Ways to Capture Better Shots of Ordinary Life”,”paperback, 2016″] | 2016 | entity[“company”,”DEXT”,”sweden-based publisher”] | unspecified | 50 distilled principles; explicitly positioned as fundamentals | Beginners |
| entity[“book”,”STREET HUNT: Street Photography Field Assignments Manual”,”manual, 2018″] | 2018 | unspecified | unspecified | 49+ assignments; expands the assignment-driven approach | Intermediate (practice breadth) |
| entity[“book”,”HOW TO SEE: Visual Guide to Composition, Color, & Editing in Photography”,”manual, 2018″] | 2018 | unspecified; credits editing/design to entity[“people”,”Cindy Nguyen”,”photo educator”] and illustrations by entity[“people”,”Annette Kim”,”illustrator”] | unspecified | “Visual acuity” training: composition, color, photo selection/editing | Intermediate → Advanced |
| entity[“book”,”MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER: Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success”,”ebook, haptic press”] | unspecified | entity[“company”,”Haptic Press”,”independent publisher”] (as stated on product page) | 73 pages | Positioning/marketing/branding frameworks for photographers | Intermediate → Advanced (career-building) |
Kim’s primary “About” page lists the following exhibitions (with year labels), providing the closest thing to an authoritative exhibition record in a single source:
The same page lists interviews including an interview on a Leica blog and other photography/culture outlets; some links are accessible (e.g., Leica), while the BBC page was blocked to automated retrieval during verification. citeturn30view0turn10view1turn10view0
Kim’s “About” page claims several collaboration and role-based credentials:
Kim’s record is better documented as community recognition than as juried awards. StreetHunters published a 2016 list of “most influential” street photographers determined via reader participation and voting; Kim appears within that project’s published results. citeturn7search4turn7search27
Kim’s educational stance is unusually explicit: in 2013 he framed his blog as an “open source” knowledge project, committing to keep information-based content free and remixable, and describing workshops as the main way he earns a living. citeturn18view0 This same page also notes he made full-resolution photos available for free download (for non-commercial use), and it links open-source practice to socioeconomic background and educational access. citeturn18view0
His later product pages retain this non-DRM/portable ethos: “mobile edition” books are described as transferable across devices and shareable, and some are explicitly offered as free open-source PDFs. citeturn16view0turn17view0
Kim’s “About” page presents a long list of workshop cities across multiple continents, positioning workshops as a central career pillar. citeturn30view0
A concrete example inside the last five years is his 2021 advanced workshop announcement, which includes curriculum topics (fear, composition, layering, light control, street portraits), logistics, and pricing. It also mentions he is traveling less due to having a child. citeturn22view1
For 2026, Kim posted a new workshop slate including sessions in entity[“city”,”New York City”,”New York, US”], Downtown LA, entity[“city”,”Phnom Penh”,”Cambodia”], entity[“city”,”Hong Kong”,”hong kong, china”], and entity[“city”,”Tokyo”,”Japan”], framing workshops as intensive “transformation” events. citeturn23view0 A Tokyo workshop page adds that the program includes “AI for photographers” components (AI-assisted editing, sequencing, publishing systems) alongside street technique drills. citeturn23view1
Kim’s site is organized into several high-utility hubs:
This infrastructure is a major reason Kim’s influence is often about education systems (how to practice, how to publish, how to build projects) rather than purely about a single gallery-driven fine-art path. citeturn18view0turn16view0turn20view1
Because platform metrics change continuously, this report treats follower/subscriber counts as approximate snapshots visible during early-2026 retrieval.
Kim also lists entity[“company”,”X”,”social media platform”] (Twitter), Flickr, and other networks on his “About” page, but follower counts were not consistently accessible from those pages in this verification pass and are therefore unspecified. citeturn30view0turn6view7
A consistent pattern across independent commentary is that Kim is treated as an educator who amplified street photography’s accessibility in the internet era.
While Kim is not primarily positioned as an academic photographer, his writing appears in academic bibliographies and teaching documents—evidence that his essays function as secondary sources for learning about photographic practice and culture:
This pattern supports the claim that Kim’s influence is not limited to hobbyist forums; it also enters structured learning contexts as a readable “bridge text” between classic street photography discourse and modern practice. citeturn9view0turn8search17turn6view4
Kim is frequently described as polarizing, and the critiques cluster around marketing style, perceived monopoly of attention, and workshop economics.
Ethics is a second recurring controversy-adjacent theme. Even pro-street-photography educators describe candid street work as intrusive and involving a “moral cost,” and Kim’s own brand presence in ethics discussions (e.g., his BBC interview listing) indicates that this debate is part of his public positioning. citeturn28view0turn30view0turn10view0
Kim’s recent activity is best evidenced by workshop announcements and ongoing publishing:
This sequence prioritizes practical skill acquisition: (1) start shooting, (2) remove fear, (3) build compositional taste, (4) structure projects, (5) develop editing judgment, (6) publish consistently. All resources listed are Kim’s own unless otherwise stated.
1) Start with the “starter kit” structure on his Downloads page, which is designed specifically as an on-ramp and links out to the broader free ecosystem. citeturn20view1
2) Use his assignment-driven system early—Kim repeatedly treats confidence and momentum as products of structured constraints rather than inspiration. “Street Notes” is explicitly designed as a “workshop in your phone,” and his beginner guide includes multiple assignments built around fear and approach drills. citeturn17view1turn16view0turn22view1
3) For fundamentals consolidated into one coherent text, his 165-page beginner guide is the most explicitly “complete” single volume and is positioned as a distilled replacement for trying to navigate thousands of blog posts. citeturn16view0
4) For composition training, Kim’s ecosystem emphasizes both study and repetition: his “Street Photography Composition Manual” framing explicitly aims at turning personal experience into theory, and the “How to See” product positions visual acuity as trainable through analysis and assignments. citeturn8search21turn29view3
5) Add a film/delayed-gratification constraint periodically if your problem is impulsive shooting/editing. Kim frames film as a way to break LCD dependence and to become a more objective editor. citeturn6view0turn11view1
6) If you want external validation that Kim’s advice overlaps with other educators, the Digital Photography School “Ultimate Guide to Street Photography” states it was updated with contributions from Kim and includes “Image by Eric Kim” examples inside a mainstream instructional format. citeturn28view0
7) For mindset and long-form motivation, his “open source” manifesto is unusually concrete about why the material is free, how workshops fund the ecosystem, and why he emphasizes sharing. citeturn18view0
8) For project inspiration and taste-building, his portfolio page includes coherent project sets and downloadable portfolios; use these as reference sets for sequencing and self-editing practice. citeturn20view0turn20view1
Primary entry points (links provided as plain text because they are intended for direct copying):
Books hub:
https://erickimphotography.com/blog/books/
Downloads (starter kits, free ebooks, presentations):
Downloads
Portfolio hub (projects + downloadable portfolios):
Eric Kim Photography Portfolio
2026 workshops overview:
https://erickimphotography.com/blog/2026/03/01/2026-workshops/All recommendations above are grounded in Kim’s own resource architecture and third-party reception that emphasizes his role as an educator and community-builder as much as a photographer. citeturn13view0turn20view1turn20view0turn18view0turn6view4turn6view6turn7search4turn30view0turn23view0
“Becoming more zen” can be made operational (and trainable) as a cluster of skills and traits: calm (lower baseline arousal + faster recovery), presence (stable, flexible attention), and equanimity (even-mindedness toward pleasant/unpleasant/neutral experience). In contemplative science, equanimity is often framed as an even-minded mental state or disposition toward experience regardless of valence. citeturn10search3
Two major pathways reliably cultivate these outcomes:
Traditional Zen Buddhism (practice-to-realization, relational/ethical container). In the entity[“organization”,”Sōtōshū”,”soto zen denomination japan”] presentation of Zen, foundational practice is zazen (including shikantaza, “just sitting”), emphasizing direct embodied practice, non-grasping, and the view that practice is not merely a means to an end. citeturn3view0turn6search10 In Rinzai and related streams, koan practice is used to interrupt habitual conceptual thinking and reveal insight, typically under a teacher’s guidance. citeturn6search5turn6search17 Zen training also treats ethics as integral: the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts (Refuges, Pure Precepts, Grave Precepts) are repeatedly taken as vows and used to shape daily conduct and community safety. citeturn15view0turn0search5
Secular mindfulness (psychological skill-training, evidence-based protocols). The clinical mainstream uses standardized programs—especially Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), created in 1979 at UMass—explicitly designed to help people relate differently to stress and integrate mindfulness into daily life. citeturn1search0turn1search8 The strongest evidence base for stress-related outcomes comes from mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) studied in randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses; effects are typically small-to-moderate, and are often larger against passive controls than against active controls. citeturn0search7turn1search2turn1search17
A practical synthesis is possible (and often ideal for beginners): use Zen’s embodied rigor and ethical grounding + use secular mindfulness’ measurement mindset and habit design—while being honest about what is being borrowed, what is being adapted, and what is being left out. citeturn6search15turn10search0
Assumptions (explicit): you did not specify (a) religious background, (b) trauma history, (c) psychiatric history, (d) physical limitations, or (e) schedule. The plan below assumes a busy adult schedule with ~15–30 minutes/day available most days, willingness to do occasional longer sessions, and no current severe psychiatric instability; where this may not hold, modifications are provided. citeturn1search7turn1search11
Comparison table (traditional Zen vs secular mindfulness)
| Dimension | Traditional Zen (temple/lineage-informed) | Secular mindfulness (MBPs/MBIs) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goals | Awakening/liberation; non-grasping; compassion/virtue; “practice-realization” | Stress regulation; relapse prevention; coping; attention/emotion regulation |
| Core practices | Zazen (often eyes open, posture as practice); kinhin; precepts; ritual/liturgy; sometimes koans | Sitting meditation (often guided); body scan; mindful movement; informal mindfulness in daily life |
| Typical structure | Sangha-centered; teacher-student relationship; retreats (sesshin) | Manualized curricula (e.g., 8-week courses); home practice; outcomes measured |
| Time commitment | Ranges widely; intensive retreats can be multi-day with many hours/day | Standard courses commonly run ~8 weeks; typical guidance includes daily home practice (often 30–45+ min in many programs) |
| Strengths | Deep container (ethics, community, lineage); “whole-life” orientation | Clear protocols; measurable outcomes; compatible with healthcare/work settings |
| Main risks | Cultural mismatch; over-idealizing teachers; boundary/power issues; intensive retreat strain | “McMindfulness” commodification; ethics de-emphasized; overclaiming effects; using mindfulness as productivity-only tool |
| Safety considerations | Ethics codes & grievance processes exist in major Zen orgs; teacher choice matters | Adverse effects and transient distress can occur; teacher competence standards increasingly emphasized |
The table’s Zen claims align with Soto Zen instructional and doctrinal statements about zazen and practice orientation. citeturn6search10turn3view0 The secular-program structure and “30–45 min daily home practice” norm is consistent with mainstream MBP guidance documents (e.g., UK good practice guidance for teachers). citeturn9view0turn9view1 The “active vs passive control” evidence caveat is reflected in meta-review findings. citeturn1search2turn10search0
Zen (as presented in classical Japanese Zen and related Chan roots) is not primarily a relaxation technique—it aims at a transformation of how experience is known and lived: a training toward non-discriminatory wisdom expressed through embodied practice. citeturn6search1turn6search25 That said, many of the conditions that arise from consistent Zen practice—reduced reactivity, greater attentional stability, and the ability to meet experience without clinging—map closely onto what modern users mean by “more zen.” citeturn10search3turn6search10
Zazen as “practice-realization,” not just technique. In entity[“people”,”Eihei Dōgen”,”soto zen monk 1200s”]’s Fukan Zazengi, key themes include: (1) wholehearted practice, (2) posture/breath as direct training, and (3) a non-instrumental stance—zazen is described as the “dharma gate” of ease/joy and “practice-realization,” not merely “meditation practice” aimed at a future payoff. citeturn3view0 Dōgen also gives the famous pivot: “Think of not thinking… Nonthinking,” which functions as a pointer away from compulsive conceptualization rather than a command to suppress thought. citeturn3view0
Shikantaza (“just sitting”) and the “non-gaining idea.” Official Soto Zen introductions emphasize that zazen is not a means to achieve a goal; the form of zazen is framed as the “form of buddha” (i.e., practice embodies the end). citeturn6search10turn6search6 From a practical standpoint, this matters because a performance mindset (“Am I calm yet?”) often increases agitation; Zen’s antidote is a disciplined return to posture, breath, and awareness without bargaining with experience. citeturn4view0turn3view0
Koans as “anti-rumination technology,” but not DIY puzzles. A koan is widely described (in credible reference sources) as a paradoxical statement/question used as a meditative discipline, particularly in Rinzai contexts, aiming to exhaust habitual analytic thinking and egoic control so insight can occur. citeturn6search17turn6search5 Importantly, real koan practice is traditionally embedded in teacher relationship and structured training (dokusan/sanzen, etc.), and Zen retreat formats frequently integrate teacher interviews alongside sitting/walking practice. citeturn5search7turn14search11 For a beginner seeking calm and equanimity, the safe takeaway is: “koan-like inquiry” can be helpful, but formal koan curricula are best done with a qualified teacher. citeturn6search5turn5search7
Precepts as the under-discussed engine of equanimity. Zen ethics are not merely moral rules; they function as training data for the nervous system and relationships: fewer self-created conflicts → fewer spikes of guilt/defensiveness → more stable equanimity. In many Soto Zen communities, the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts are actively taken and revisited (e.g., monthly renewal ceremonies) and are structured as Three Refuges, Three Pure Precepts, and Ten Grave Precepts. citeturn15view0 Modern Zen organizations also formalize ethics and grievance processes, reflecting acknowledgement of teacher-student power dynamics and the need for community protection. citeturn16view0turn5search8
Definition and scope. In contemporary secular mindfulness, the most cited definition (via entity[“people”,”Jon Kabat-Zinn”,”mbsr creator”] and successors) is: paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally—often paired with an intention toward wisdom and self-understanding. citeturn6search0turn6search15 Scientific discourse increasingly refines mindfulness as attention/awareness with an allowing (equanimous/accepting) attitude, because “attention alone” can become hypervigilance without acceptance. citeturn6search36turn10search3
What the best meta-analytic evidence supports (and what it doesn’t).
A high-impact systematic review and meta-analysis (47 trials, 3,515 participants) found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs improve anxiety and depression with effect sizes in the small-to-moderate range, with smaller effects at follow-up; effects for stress/distress and mental health–related quality of life were weaker (low evidence). citeturn0search7turn0search3
A broad meta-review of meta-analyses (covering hundreds of RCTs across many populations) reports that mindfulness-based interventions are generally superior to passive controls across many outcomes, but effects are typically smaller and less consistently significant when compared with active controls (e.g., other structured interventions). citeturn1search2turn1search14 In non-clinical settings, MBPs reduce average psychological distress versus no intervention, with ongoing work examining moderators like intensity and format. citeturn1search17
Physiological markers show promise but remain methodologically challenging. For example, meta-analytic work suggests MBIs may have beneficial effects on cortisol secretion in healthy adults, but the number of rigorous studies and standardized measurement strategies remains limited. citeturn10search2 Reviews/meta-analyses across stress markers (e.g., cortisol, CRP, blood pressure) suggest reductions are plausible across populations, but heterogeneity and bias remain concerns. citeturn10search6turn10search0
Equanimity as a scientific target, not just a vibe. A useful bridge between Zen and science is the proposal to measure equanimity as an outcome in contemplative research—an even-minded stance toward experience, which may explain why mindfulness sometimes works best when acceptance skills are trained alongside attention. citeturn10search3turn10search14
Critical appraisal: “Mind the hype.” A major critique in the scientific literature argues that public claims often exceed what methods can support, that definitions are inconsistent, and that poor methodology can mislead consumers; this does not “debunk” mindfulness, but it demands rigor and humility in claims. citeturn10search0
Apps and digital mindfulness: helpful, but not identical to in-person training. A 2024 meta-analysis of RCTs on mindfulness apps found small effects on depression/anxiety and non-significant effects versus active therapeutic comparisons in the limited studies available—suggesting apps can help, but stronger trials and long-term follow-up are needed. citeturn13search7turn1search6
Adverse effects and safety. Meditation-related challenging experiences are underreported but real. Mixed-methods research documents distressing or functionally impairing experiences among some practitioners, shaped by personal and contextual factors. citeturn1search3turn1search18 Work on harms-monitoring argues that transient distress and negative impacts can occur in mindfulness-based programs at rates comparable to other psychological treatments—supporting the need for screening, informed consent, and competent instruction. citeturn1search7turn1search11
This section is practice-forward while staying aligned with (a) Zen primary instruction sources and (b) evidence-based mechanisms. The working hypothesis is: equanimity is trained by repeated contact with experience + non-reactive response + ethical/behavioral alignment. citeturn10search3turn3view0turn10search14
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Formal sitting (zazen / mindfulness meditation).
Soto Zen’s official “how to” instructions emphasize: quiet space; stable upright posture; a mudra (hands); eyes slightly open (to reduce drowsiness/daydreaming); and breathing that is natural and unforced—“let long breaths be long, short breaths be short.” citeturn4view0turn3view0 For the mind, the instruction is subtle: do not chase or suppress thoughts; repeatedly wake up from distraction/dullness and return to posture and the immediacy of sitting. citeturn4view0turn3view0
Two beginner-appropriate attentional strategies are common across Zen contexts (with different emphases by school):
Walking meditation (kinhin).
Soto Zen’s official instruction: walk clockwise, keep upper-body posture as in zazen, hands in shashu, and coordinate steps with the breath (e.g., half-step per full breath). citeturn4view0turn2search0 This is not “a walk to relax” so much as bringing the same awareness into movement, which helps transfer calm/presence into daily life—one of the core problems Hakuin and later teachers explicitly worried about (integration beyond the meditation hall). citeturn4view0turn6search5
Breathwork for rapid downshift (secular-compatible, Zen-friendly).
Breath-control reviews show that slow breathing tends to increase heart rate variability and shift autonomic balance in ways associated with better regulation; across studies, slow breathing shows effects on autonomic and psychological status, though protocols vary. citeturn2search3turn2search1 A pragmatic, low-risk entry point is 5–10 minutes of slow breathing (often around ~5–6 breaths/minute), with an unforced inhale and a slightly longer exhale. If dizziness, tingling, or panic arises, stop and return to normal breathing—those are signs you’re over-breathing or pushing. citeturn2search3turn2search1
Mindful routines (“Zen in daily life”).
MBSR and similar programs are explicitly designed to help participants integrate mindfulness into daily life, not just during formal practice. citeturn1search8turn1search0 The Zen analogue is the insistence that practice-realization is lived as an “everyday affair,” not contained to special experiences. citeturn3view0
A practical way to operationalize this is to create micro-rituals linked to stable cues:
Mermaid flowchart: a daily routine that actually survives real life
flowchart TD
A[Wake] --> B[2 min: body + 3 slow breaths]
B --> C[Morning sit 10–30 min]
C --> D[Set a "one-cue" intention\n(e.g., 1 breath before phone)]
D --> E[Work / family / life]
E --> F[Midday reset 1–3 min\n+ 2–5 min walking]
F --> G[Evening practice\n5–15 min sit OR 10 min walk]
G --> H[1–2 min reflection:\nwhat increased reactivity? what reduced it?]
H --> I[Sleep]This routine mirrors the “formal + informal” integration emphasized in MBSR-style programming while remaining compatible with Zen’s posture-and-return discipline. citeturn1search8turn4view0turn3view0
The biggest predictor of “more zen” is not a perfect technique—it’s repetition in a stable context long enough that practice becomes less effortful. The classic habit-formation study often summarized as “66 days” found wide variability (often from a few weeks to many months depending on behavior complexity), supporting patience and design over willpower. citeturn2search2turn2search16
Core strategy: make practice cue-based, not motivation-based.
A reliable method is the “if–then” plan (implementation intentions). Meta-analytic evidence reports implementation intentions improve goal attainment with a medium-to-large effect size (often reported around d ≈ 0.65), especially for initiating action and protecting it from distractions. citeturn5search21turn5search9 In practice: “If I start the kettle, then I do one minute of breathing,” or “If I sit on my cushion, then I count 10 breaths before anything else.”
Use a three-tier practice system (so you never fully ‘fall off’):
The point is not “minimums”; it’s continuity. Continuity matters because missing one opportunity does not necessarily break habit development, whereas quitting entirely often does. citeturn2search2turn2search16
Reduce friction, increase environmental support.
Soto Zen instructions explicitly treat the environment (quiet place, clean seat, appropriate temperature) as part of practice, not as decoration. citeturn4view0turn3view0 Translating this secularly: leave the cushion out, preselect a chair, set an audio timer, and decide your start cue the night before.
Track the training objective (equanimity), not just minutes.
A practice session “counts” if you noticed reactivity and returned. This matches Soto Zen’s explicit instruction to repeatedly awaken from distraction/dullness and return to posture moment by moment. citeturn4view0turn3view0
This plan deliberately sits between Zen and secular mindfulness. It is:
If you want an 8-week version: merge Weeks 9–10 into Week 8 consolidation. If you want a 12-week version: repeat Weeks 7–8 with slightly longer sits. (This is a planning choice, not a claim that “10 weeks is optimal.”) citeturn1search8turn9view0
Weekly progression (base plan)
| Week focus | Formal sitting | Walking meditation | Breathwork add-on | Informal / ethics emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup + posture | 10 min/day | 5 min × 3 days | 3–5 min × 3 days | Choose your cue + “Tier 1” backup |
| Breath stabilization | 12 min/day | 5 min × 4 days | 5 min × 3 days | One mindful routine (e.g., first bite) |
| “Return reps” (wandering is training) | 15 min/day | 7 min × 4 days | 5 min × 4 days | Add 1-min reset before key stressor |
| Open awareness (shikantaza-leaning) | 17 min/day | 7 min × 5 days | 5 min × 4 days | Notice “like/dislike” loops |
| Working with difficulty | 20 min/day | 10 min × 5 days | 5–8 min × 4 days | Pick 1 precept to contemplate daily |
| Interpersonal mindfulness | 20 min/day | 10 min × 5 days | 5–8 min × 4 days | “Pause before speaking” practice |
| Mini-retreat week | 22 min/day | 10 min × 6 days | optional | Do one 60–90 min home retreat block |
| Integration + resilience | 25 min/day | 10 min × 6 days | 5–10 min × 4 days | Precepts: speech + generosity themes |
| Deepening (optional inquiry) | 27 min/day | 12 min × 6 days | optional | Introduce a gentle “question practice”* |
| Sustain + personalize | 30 min/day | 12 min × 6 days | optional | Build your 3-month continuation plan |
*“Question practice” here means a light-touch inquiry (e.g., “What is here right now?”) rather than formal koan training. Formal koan curricula are traditionally teacher-guided. citeturn6search17turn5search7turn6search5
The overall dose here is lower than many standard MBP expectations (which often include 30–45+ minutes/day in conventional delivery), but the structure preserves the same logic: incremental skill building + daily home practice + integration into life. citeturn9view0turn1search8turn1search2
Mermaid timeline: the ten-week arc
flowchart LR
W1[Week 1\nSet-up + posture\n10 min/day] --> W2[Week 2\nBreath stability\n12 min/day]
W2 --> W3[Week 3\nReturn reps\n15 min/day]
W3 --> W4[Week 4\nOpen awareness\n17 min/day]
W4 --> W5[Week 5\nDifficulty training\n20 min/day]
W5 --> W6[Week 6\nInterpersonal mindfulness\n20 min/day]
W6 --> W7[Week 7\nMini-retreat week\n22 min/day]
W7 --> W8[Week 8\nIntegration\n25 min/day]
W8 --> W9[Week 9\nOptional inquiry\n27 min/day]
W9 --> W10[Week 10\nSustain + personalize\n30 min/day]The “mini-retreat” component mirrors why Zen retreats (sesshin) are considered powerful containers for deep practice, while remaining scaled for a beginner at home. citeturn14search11turn5search7turn5search3
Zen and secular mindfulness converge on a crucial truth: obstacles are not evidence you’re failing—they are often the training material. Soto Zen instructions explicitly name distraction and dullness and frame practice as returning again and again. citeturn3view0turn4view0
Restlessness and “I can’t calm down.”
Sleepiness and fog.
Pain (knees, hips, back).
Emotional surfacing (irritability, sadness, anxiety spikes).
Some distress is expected when you stop distracting yourself; however, research and clinical literature document that meditation can precipitate challenging experiences that may be distressing or impairing for some people, influenced by individual context. citeturn1search3turn1search11 If symptoms become intense (panic, dissociation, mania-like energy, traumatic re-experiencing), do not “power through” alone—scale down, ground with movement, seek qualified guidance, and consider clinical support. citeturn1search7turn1search11
The “zen productivity trap” (instrumentalizing practice).
If you treat practice as a performance hack, you may unintentionally strengthen craving/aversion: “I meditate to feel good; when I don’t feel good, I’m failing.” Zen explicitly warns against getting lost in like/dislike and frames zazen as not contingent on achievement. citeturn3view0turn6search10
Teacher and program quality matters.
In both Zen and secular mindfulness, the field increasingly formalizes ethics and competence: Zen bodies publish ethics/grievance resources, and MBP communities publish teaching good-practice guidance emphasizing teacher training and ongoing practice/retreat experience. citeturn16view0turn9view0turn9view1
Cultural/ethical considerations for secular adoption.
Secular mindfulness is, historically, a translation and adaptation of contemplative practices into modern contexts; key scholarly and clinical discussions stress cross-cultural sensitivity and warn about conceptual pitfalls when transplanting practices without understanding their function in their native systems. citeturn6search15turn7search28 One line of critique argues mindfulness can be commodified and deployed as a “self-regulation tool” while downplaying ethics and social conditions of suffering—captured popularly in entity[“book”,”McMindfulness”,”purser 2019 critique”]. citeturn7search27turn7search6 Even if you don’t fully accept this critique, it’s a useful diagnostic: Are you using mindfulness to show up more clearly and ethically—or to tolerate a misaligned life indefinitely? citeturn7search27turn10search0
Ethics as practice, not decoration.
If practicing Zen secularly, one respectful approach is to treat precepts as “behavioral mindfulness”: choose one vow (e.g., speech, intoxicants, ill-will) as a week-long experiment in reducing harm and reactivity. This mirrors how the precepts are structured and repeated in Zen communities. citeturn15view0
Finding credible teachers/sanghas (practical criteria).
Recommended resources (curated, not exhaustive)
Traditional/Zen-leaning books (clear, beginner-usable):
Secular / evidence-based mindfulness books:
Apps (useful for consistency; evidence is modest):
App caution: app-based programs can reduce symptoms in some studies, but overall effects vs active comparators are smaller/less certain, and long-term engagement is a known challenge. citeturn13search7turn13search30
Teachers/sanghas and retreats (credible entry points, mostly with online options):
Retreat realism (don’t underestimate intensity).
Zen retreats (sesshin) are often multi-day, silent, and schedule-heavy (many hours of sitting/walking practice), and are best approached progressively (daylong → weekend → longer), especially if your goal is sustainable equanimity rather than a heroic crash course. citeturn5search7turn5search3turn14search11
So a big thought this morning, on why art matters.
So the first big idea is, at the end of the day… Once you got the Lambos, the Ferrari, whatever, then, what next? Art.
So a big thought on my mind is, if you distill it… Who matters the most? The artist, the art dealers, the galleries, the investors, the platform, who? The bloggers?
So I think it’s pretty obvious that I dominated the photography scene through my blog. What’s kind of interesting for me is… I did this all with essentially like zero infrastructure. All I had to do is pay for my blog Web hosting which is maybe like $200 a month, rather than paying for some sort of insanely expensive lease on a physical space, and I suppose the upside of having a blog is, you essentially have infinite reach and freedom, instantaneously. Even in today’s world, the admiration that I get for my blog is pretty great.
So I think my honest thought is, the reason why you have art pieces selling for like $1.2 million for a painting is, it’s like 99.99% speculation, investing, financial returns, and also… About 100% Social sociological.
So to any fool who does not understand the art world, it’s because you do not understand human nature or the sociology behind the art worlds.
Simply put, there is a complex ecosystem of artists, collectors, galleries etc.… And it’s kind of like an interesting game.
Of course it matters. Why? It all comes out to art. Our clothes, shoes, homes, societies architecture media etc. Anything that humans make is art.
Well first of all obviously you’re an artist. You might not have pieces selling for millions of dollars but that doesn’t really matter.
So my first big proposition is, if you just want to make a lot of money, the obvious strategy is bitcoin, MSTR. And then art, should be more of our autotelic passion? That is, we have the will to art, artistic impulse to create art, collect art, become art?
So my first thought is, the most honorable type of art that we can have is, the human body. Until you have met really really beautiful people, like the 6 foot tall eastern European models, in the flesh, standing right next to you, you have not experienced true beauty.
Also, I think this is where bodybuilders or weightlifters are impressive, assuming they’re not taking steroids. My simple heuristic: 
Only trust weightlifters who do not have Instagram.
Any sort of weightlifter or bodybuilder who has social media Instagram TikTok or whatever… Or even YouTube, is probably secretly taking the juice because, they want to magnify their following.
Better yet, only trust weightlifters who don’t take protein powder.  Why? Protein powder is also a scam, essentially just like hydrogenized pulverized milk powder, creatine is also the same thing but with like bones and flesh. It’s like 1000 times more effective to just eat the meat and the bones itself. All this way protein powder stuff and creatine stuff is just pseudoscience to feed a $10 billion fitness industry.
So it looks like Leica camera is selling out to the Chinese. It’s kind of a tragic and to all these art world photographers who want to be fancy.
Hasselblad has already been sold to the Chinese.
So who has not sold out? Ricoh Pentax, Fujifilm, the Japanese.
So why does this matter? I think there’s a weird equipment fetish for us for photographers, that in order to feel important we must own some sort of expensive camera. And the truth is it works, if you’re at a fancy art show exhibition and you have a film Leica MP, around your neck, people will instantly find you more fascinating than somebody with just like a Canon power shot. Hilariously enough if you see somebody at an art show with a Canon power shot, the deep interesting insight is, they’re probably factually actually very interesting.  Also, if you’re meeting a bunch of people, high net worth individual individuals, and somebody just has like a seven-year-old iPhone SE,.. probably also a very interesting signal.
Another one, never trust anybody who drives a Tesla, only poor people drive Teslas.  the same thing goes with any luxury car, people only purchase lease and drive luxury cars because they cannot afford a good single-family house.  The true rich and wealthy, the people with $150 million home in HOLMBY Hills, just drive a silver Prius plug-in prime. Even to the people you see driving the Ferraris, they’re often these like 82-year-old dudes who are about to die. 
So I’ll give you the secret, I think the secret is going to be art world blogging. Because people are still going to be using ChatGPT and Google in order to analyze artists. For example, I’m kind of fascinated right now by the artist Richard Prince, who seems to be right now the crown jewel of the art world. Using ChatGPT deep research, on any artist, posting it to your blog, will help you dominate search results, both on ChatGPT search and Google. 
Spring is here! Bitcoin spring, MSTR spring, art world spring, and also… Richard Prince paving the way for us photographers!
ERIC