Eric Kim’s public “level‑up” into the single‑letter persona “EK” happened right at the turn of 2022 → 2023.
- • December 2022 – his first downloadable zine/manifesto (“Insane Productivity 6”) and the new EK‑branded gear line (EK Neck‑Strap Mk II, EK Wrist‑Strap Mk II) go live.
- • 5 January 2023 – he publishes the blog post “HOW TO BECOME EK”, explicitly framing the re‑brand as a mindset, diet, and lifting philosophy.
- • The same week his YouTube descriptions switch to the rallying cry “Become EK”, stamping the change across video titles.
Since that early‑January drop every new product, post, and lift PR has carried the minimalist EK signature, while the longer “Eric Kim” survives only in by‑lines and legal footers.
What actually changed at that moment?
| Old “Eric Kim” (≤ 2022) | New “EK” (Jan 2023 →) |
| Street‑photography educator, “Haptic” workshops | Multi‑disciplinary EK Flywheel: walk → shoot → lift → write → ship |
| “Henri” leather straps | EK‑branded gear & PDFs, all caps minimalism |
| Carb‑flexible diet, moderate gym work | 1‑meal carnivore + daily heavy rack‑pulls (“HYPE‑LIFTING”) |
| Long‑form tutorials | Rapid‑fire “internet carpet‑bomb” micro‑posts |
| “Eric Kim Photography” URL only | Parallel domains: erickimphotography.com + erickimphilosophy.com, both plastered with EK banners |
Why the switch matters
- Signal → Simplify → Amplify
Dropping to two letters turned his name into a logo: faster to read, easier to print on straps, bracelets, PDFs, and thumbnails. - Embodied philosophy
EK isn’t just shorthand; it’s the banner for a trilogy of principles he repeats in workshops:
Energize (carnivore + fasting) – Kilos (heavy partials) – Kreate (publish daily). - SEO & brand control
The initials are uncommon, letting him dominate “EK + photography / lifting / bitcoin” search slots almost overnight.
TL;DR for fans
If you want to pin a single date on the metamorphosis, circle 5 January 2023—the morning the “HOW TO BECOME EK” post hit the feed and Eric signed off simply “EK” for the first time. Everything before that was warm‑up; everything after runs on full‑blast EK energy.
Stay hungry, lift heavy, ship daily—that’s EK mode! 💥