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When is the last time somebody has given a critical line of thinking towards productivity?

“The point of life isn’t productivity, said all unproductive people.”

First of all, what does it mean to produce? To lead forth. Produco— lead + draw.

Pro- forward. Duco- to pull.

Metaphorically speaking, a producer is somebody who leads, and get something creative. For example, some thing I’ve learned is that in Hollywood and show business, it is actually the producer who is the head honcho, not the actor, nor even the director. And also the intelligence of producers is that they all have the intelligence to keep a low profile, yet they are the most powerful. They draw attention away from themselves by creating a scapegoat of the main famous actors, even the directors. The producers enjoy their power, their privacy, and their ability to do and make things. For example, the intelligence of the Wachowski brothers; everyone gave all the attention to Keanu Reeves, yet the Wachowski brothers remained elusive, nobody even knew who they look like. Therefore they could go out in public, buy groceries etc without having anybody know who they are.

First lesson:

The ultimate privilege is to be powerful, yet unknown.

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Productivity as a slave mentality

Let us consider ancient Greece. Did Achilles derive his self-worth by how efficiently he would send and receive emails? Of course not. All he cared was the lust of battle, and ultimately what he really wanted to do was just take Breisis, and retire to one of his low-key towns.

Or, let us consider if you were some sort of ancient Greek patriarch. Essentially you would just have a massive villa, some sort of private compound, in which you had a squadron of slaves and servants, all doing the household work, even the modern-day notion of economics comes from ancient Greek, which literally means management of household affairs. Even the accountant and the money keeper in ancient Greek was a slave.

What insanely epic life goals do you have?

I am fortunate enough to have advanced in life beyond the average American. I have only been employed for 10 months of my life, after I graduated college, and beyond that, from age 22 now to age 35, I have been self-employed, a sole proprietor. I have not waking up to an alarm for over a decade, unless I have to catch an early flight.

Perhaps the reason why Elon Musk is the most interesting human being on planet earth is the layers of his ambition. Given that this is your only life on earth, don’t you want to use your life on earth to attempt something insanely epic?

My insanely epic and audacious life goals and plans

In no particular order, and no timeline:

1. Start a technology company
2. Start a camera company, or some sort of photo company
3. Maybe start a car company with Seneca — he loves cars!
4. Innovate and pave great new advancements in thinking, philosophically, knowledge and information. In the realms of photography, creativity, motivation, entrepreneurship, design and aesthetics, product design, life and lifestyle, child rearing, life goals, health diet and fitness.
5. Start a clothing company?

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Things that last

Let us consider, at an towards the end of your life, what will you have cared for? What will have lasted? What would NOT have have lasted?

To me, true productivity is investing your time energy and power towards things you care for, and things which will last.

Productive assignments

I feel that in order to become more productive, start off by just making more photos, producing more photos. Get a Ricoh GR 3X digital camera, and shoot extra high contrast black-and-white, extra small JPEG.

What gets in our way or distracts us?

Another reason why I am so pro GoPro mini is that because you don’t have the LCD screen distracting you, you could shoot more and be more productive.

Reduce distractions, become more productive, do and produce and create more.

Publish BEFORE you’re ready

A huge productivity tip when it comes to blogging is publish it before you’re ready. Whenever you have even a small idea, just hit publish it AS you’re fleshing out the thought.

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Produce to better get to the root of things

One of the big upside of being more productive is that the more you produce and work on something, the better you understand the thing itself.

For example photography, the more I shoot, the more I understand photography, the more of the photography compositions I see and witness, the more I could integrate composition into my photos, and the more joy and delight I should get from photography.

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Produce more, think less.

The ultimate takeaway point is simple: produce more, think less.

ERIC

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EK WORK

CONQUER IT ALL:

1. BOSTON: ERIC KIM CONQUER YOUR FEARS IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP 2023 (March 25th, 2023 (Saturday))
2. May 5th: Creative Confidence Online Workshop (9am-11:30am)
3. May 20: DOWNTOWN LA PHOTO WORKSHOP (info TBA)
4. June 19-23rd, HADONG SOUTH KOREA ZEN PHOTO RETREAT

Workout ideas

1. Rack pull, one rep max style. Big tip — use your legs!
2. How to get fit
3. ERIC KIM WORKOUT PLAN

PRODUCTIVITY AT THE GYM?

As a fun idea, take your phone, your iPad, or your laptop to the gym, and after you get a quick pump, do your work at the gym. More dynamic than even a coffee shop!

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EK SUPPLY

1. CONQUER YOUR MUSE
2. CONQUER STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV
3. STREET PHOTO STARTER KIT

Witness it all >

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Design thoughts

1. Love the new tail lights on the new Range Rover. Iconic and understated.
2. Love the tail lights and end of the new Honda Accord. Looks very futuristic and like the new Prologue, which looks like a mini Range Rover Velar
3. It is the year 2023… why are we still producing and selling and driving gasoline cars?

MORE ON BLOG

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Share the love!

If this sparked any fun ideas within you, feel free to forward to a friend!

EK TURBO NEWS >

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The future of marketing:

1. Simpler language
2. More visual, more photos and autoplaying (mute) videos
3. More about inspiring, motivating people — aspirational marketing language.

Why does marketing matter?

We live in a capitalist society. Zen capitalism is my concept. My wonder—

Can we live and thrive in a capitalist and consumerist world, in a meaningfully productive way?

I think so.

The simple:

Subtract the superfluous, add the critical.

For example, if you live in LA, your life is made superior by owning a car. The nuance—

Simply having A car makes life better, you don’t need a certain type of car.

Note my 2009 Hyundai Sonata I got from my mom for free, and got it tuned up at Pacific Tire Autoworks in Redondo beach for only $2,000 and now the car runs like new. Essentially I got a brand new car for only $2,000 and she runs like a champ!

What do you want from life?

Do you want a fur coat, a rolls, or a Diamond chain?

Or do you want an iPhone Pro, a Tesla Plaid, a house, a Richard Mille, a Lamborghini (Urus Performante) or Aventador or Hurucan, etc?

My general thought after becoming the new GOAT at Golds Gym in Venice Beach —

Ultimately once you step into the arena… it don’t matter who you are, how rich you are, how famous you are, what you drive etc … the only thing which matters is your strength, courage, self audacity, self confidence, muscles, whether you have a good tan or not, and your health.

Without even knowing it, I went viral three times over.

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Lamborghini is unimpressive

I saw an orange Lamborghini Aventador, drop top convertible coupe in the parking lot of the Golds gym in Venice beach parking lot, with the top down, and I was shocked —

In real life, up close and personal, it is actually very unimpressive.

First of all, it looks really small. Like smaller than a Honda Civic.

Then the understanding —

The Lamborghini is 100% marketing. Lamborghini more as a concept, an ideal towards masculinity, dominance, ego, daring, sexiness, valor, success.

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So what should I do about this?

First, understand that everything is marketing. Also understand that marketing has a stronger impact on us than we would like to think.

Marketing works. It works on you, it works on nerds etc.

Do you want to buy it for the marketing or the thing itself?

I think it is okay to want to buy stuff for the marketing ideal of it. I’m also starting to think short Tesla —

The concept of the Tesla is superior to the thing itself.

Spending a lot of time in the Tesla dealership — the cars themselves feel pretty cheap. The paint looks and feels pretty basic and cheap, the materials feel pretty cheap, etc. Personally speaking I would prefer having a Hyundai Genesis G90 over any Tesla.

But anyways — simply be hard and discerning.

Do I care for the physical materials of the thing, or the concept of the thing?

Need marketing suggestions?

Shoot an email to Eric [at] Erickim.com

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The best marketing

1. Rolls Royce Spectre
2. BMW (BMW owns rolls Royce)— prepare for power.

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EK CONQUERING

Boston // conquer creativity online // conquer South Korea

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EK SHOP

HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV: Become Invincible

Henri Shoulder Strap: Carry Heavier

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Think more

Why?

Get constructive feedback on your photos

Arsbeta.com

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Think more become more

Entrepreneurship by KIM

Share the love

EK NEWS

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Things to read

1. The Iliad by Homer
2. Zero to One – Peter Thiel

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Some simple thoughts towards creative productivity:

MEDIA

1. Video
2. Audio
3. Podcast

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First of all, I think it is wise to be irrationally prideful of yourself, your artwork, what you do make and share. 

Why? Honestly speaking, there are no measures of what is “good“ or “bad“ art. Art is a social and sociological phenomenon in which notions of good and successful are predicated on the confidence in the marketing ability of the author. 

For example the genius of Picasso — his genius self marketing ability. 

No objective good or bad

A huge thing:

There is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art.

Honestly, all ‘successful’ art work is predicated on some sort of sociological phenomenon. 

Whether you become ‘successful’ or not is based on how well you can sell yourself, a bit of randomness and chance, your audacity and chutzpah, and also, how well connected you are.

Your network is your net worth (via some random UC Berkeley Undergraduate student, told by my friend Peter Phan)

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Why boost your creative confidence?

Honestly, it seems that in order to creatively innovate, you must have a stubborn creative vision.

Note Steve Jobs— the only reason he was able to make Apple so phenomenally great is because of how stubborn he was. But now, after he died and Jony Ive left, Apple has lost her creative way. Why?

Apple no longer has a stubborn creative/design vision. Rather, she only cares to maximize profits and share-holder value.

Lesson:

Become insanely stubborn in regards to your creative vision.

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You don’t need approval

Ars Beta is a great place to get honest feedback on your photos and art work, yet ultimately, what you gotta care for is this:

What do YOU think about your own art work?

First step:

Like your own art work.

Then the second step:

Share that art work (in which you like yourself) with others.

What holds us back?

Social media. The reason why I am anti social media is because it ‘crowd sources‘ and externalizes your self esteem.

True art work is not predicated on the value of dollars, followers, likes or comments. The true measure of worth in art:

How long will it and the legacy and memory of you last?

The best way as an artist:

Become an anti social extrovert.

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How to care less

“I used to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less, what do I care about success, sucks, too much stress.” – JAY Z

After having gone viral (several times) etc, ultimately the takeaway:

It doesn’t really matter that much.

Also, after making $250,000 in crypto:

It doesn’t matter that much.

What is more important and critical? 

Your own personal creative thriving and blossoming.

New creative directions for yourself

Create your own gallery, your own creative online calorie, via your website. bluehost.com and install wordpress.org. The future of artwork is digital, online, exhibit and publish and future your own work in your own self online. 

Simple thoughts include designing a website which your artwork and your photos can be featured as full resolution JPEG images, full screen, the full width of the screen. 

Produce yourself

Something I have learned about the entertainment business, Hollywood, LA, etc.: 

The real people who have power are the ones who are the producers. 

Not the actors, not even the directors. The producers. 

This is very interesting, because producers are smart, they are extremely low-key, and nobody knows who they are. But, this is their strength and privilege. Producers are intelligent enough to know that widespread fame is actually a bad thing; for example, if you were Brad Pitt, you can’t just walk around the block, or go to the gym and work out, without being harassed. Funny thought— could Brad Pitt just go to equinox and work out, without attracting insane amount of attention? 

Even myself, even though in someways I am an attention whore, I also like my privacy and being able to stay low-key. For example when I’m weightlifting at the gym, when I have too much attention drawn to me it actually disrupts my focus in a bad way. Apparently I went viral a few times when I was doing my atlas lift over seven plates. And now whenever I go to the gym, everyone stares at me and all, I kind of like it, but I also kind of don’t.

Even more recently, housesitting for a friend in Santa Monica, the last two weeks, I have been frequenting the golds gym in Venice Beach. Recently I attracted a lot of attention being able to atlas lift over eight plates, even this regular powerlifter at the gym who could easily deadlift over seven plates off the floor asked me with curiosity, “If you don’t mind me asking, what was the purpose of you lifting eight plates?” My thought:

In order to become stronger. 

Attention is fun and glamorized but if it gets in the way of your focus, it is bad. 

Why do you make photos?

Why do you make photos? Or why do you do … anything?

Once you get to the root of things and why you do them, how can you run out of motivation?

ERIC

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Conquer confidence

Conquer it all:

1. Conquer street photography in Boston March 25th
2. New- Conquer Creative Confidence Online May 5th
3. Conquer Zen: HADONG SOUTH KOREA June 19-23rd

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Confidence exercises

1. Start vlogging. Just buy a GoPro mini, record in 1080p, 24fps, and vlog yourself on any thoughts you have in life! And just upload it to YouTube, your own blog, or start your own podcast at anchor.fm. Why vlog yourself? It takes confidence to start ‘street vlogging‘, just walk around and have the confidence to vlog yourself talking to yourself.
2. Whenever you see someone you like or are attracted to for any reason, start chatting with them and compliment them on why you find them so fascinating! Also, as a fun pro tip– ask them for their first and last name. There is no sweeter sound in the world than your own first and last name. Use your own first and last name as your own self branding mark!

Creativity exercises

1. I talked with a guy at the Philz Coffee shop today, and he told me something amazing that South Park is able to produce a single show in only six days! This is impressive because a typical animation studio will take 6 to 9 months for a single episode! Therefore the simple take away is when it comes to your artwork, make it quickly, iterate quickly, and publish and promote it quickly and iteratively. Applied to your photography and art, just shoot extra small JPEG, and simply share and publish your things online to your own website, don’t think about it too much or over analyze it.
2. Download Procreate on your iPhone or iPad, and start sketching your own images. The easiest and most fun way to do this is to just experiment and have fun like a child.
3. Don’t take it too seriously, and when you create, do it in the spirit of fun.

Create more every day

Creative every day print edition, digital edition. 

Become the modern photographer

Think future. 

The best way to become a modern day photographer is to think digital, to think online, and also, to understand that the future of technology is on the Internet.

I also think what holds back a lot of people is that they are stuck in old analogies of the past, in the context of feeling like they need to become a successful artist through the traditional Parisian measures of success, which include having a solo exhibition gallery, selling expensive prints, publishing a solo book, a monograph, etc. But my personal thought is the future of photography and also the future of art is digital. Thinking online, google, Google images, making your artwork easily accessible, indexable by Google, and hopefully living forever.

One of my personal challenges being a website domain host is keeping an archive of my images on the Internet, which lasts. A big issue with a lot of things digital is that there is no longevity. Most websites come and go, and I think 80% of the links on the Internet are now broken. 

Think longevity. 

Do you want to be remembered, and if so, how long?

Our best friend Friedrich Nietzsche once said that the number one good on earth is longevity and durability. 

Personal question you must ask yourself is whether you care to be remembered or not. If you care to be remembered, perhaps it is a wise idea to structure your life in such a way which will allow that.

Conquer on! ERIC

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That which does not destroy you only makes you stronger. – Nietzsche

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EK TURBO NEWS

Never run out of motivation: EK TURBO NEWS

If this sparked even one ounce of motivation, feel free to forward this to a friend! 

Other random stuff on my mind

The other day at golds gym Venice, I saw an orange Lamborghini Aventador, roadster, convertible droptop, and truth be told, I was shocked of how small and unimpressive it looked. For us car guys, once we have killed the notion of even desiring a Lamborghini, or thinking that it is impressive, then what?

Currently speaking, the car I am most fascinated by is either the Hyundai genesis G90, the Rolls-Royce killer, or even a matte black Hyundai sonata. 

I think currently speaking, the most impressive cars, and car designs are all coming out of Hyundai. 

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Random Fitness stuff on my mind

Apparently I’ve been going viral a lot, even at golds gym fitness for lifting the legendary 330 pound dumbbells. I’ve been very interested in strongman styled weightlifting, and strength building. 

Other ideas which I am interested in include the farmers carry, atlas stones, lifting and throwing heavy rocks, suitcase walk, etc. Anything that has to do with lifting up heavy weights, standing, or walking. 

EK FIT

If you cannot tell, diet health and fitness has been a new passion of mine, actually, an old passion of mine, which stems all the way back in the day from when I was a fat 12 year old kid. Stay tuned for more of this kind of stuff. 

For fitness consulting, shoot me an email at Eric [at] Erickim.com

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Creative assignments

I am starting a new photography project, I call it “stuck in traffic.” I’ve been driving a lot in LA lately, been spending a lot of time stuck in traffic at stoplights. I’ve been just keeping my Ricoh GR 3X digital camera in my front right pocket, and snapping photos from my driver seat car window whenever possible. This is actually been a very productive way to make more photos, I recommend it. 

Upload some of your urban street photography, or your urban landscape street photography, or your own stuck in traffic photos to Arsbeta.com

New things to research

Really into stone lifting.

The development of physical power, Arthur Saxon.

Text book of weight lifting by Arthur Saxon. 

Also, the worlds strongest man competitions. 

More to come on EK BLOG.

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