Project Ideation & Mastery

The common approach to find tech startup ideas is to solve your own problems. I agree, but what if I have 99 problems? We all have tons of problems, and I certainly can’t afford to build a solution for everything: how do I go about prioritizing my side-projects?

I believe one of my never-ending goals is to pursue mastery: to excel at what I love doing―not just being great at a craft, but at my own craft, at the crossroad of my widely varying interests, to the point of pushing the boundaries of what I am capable of.

Tackling new projects becomes a way to solve problems I have in my daily life to support my ultimate goal. A project is an extension of my being, rather than a mere stepping stone to make some money.

This is why I have some doubts when people say we should pass ideas through a feasibility filter―validate them―before making something with them. It assumes we can answer the question ”Can I make money out of this?”, but what if I am my own customer? I buy my own solution with my own time to free some more time down the road.

We all love making stuff ourselves. If your neighbor is building himself a house, do you ask him if he already validated his idea? No, because he is the one who is going to have to live in this house, someone else’s opinion is irrelevant. The same principle applies to projects. Worst case: it will only make you stronger.

Indie making is not just an alternative branch of entrepreneurship, it’s a way of life where you use your skills and interests to improve your own daily life. You can build things with others, but when the project is at the ideation stage, it should only be about you: what’s the one thing about your life you absolutely cannot stand anymore? Prioritize the side-project that will significantly improve your day-to-day life, not because you can earn money from it, but because it’s bursting out of your very soul.

Take a good look at what you do, how you do it, and why. Question everything. Even the meaning of life itself. Mastery is the ultimate freedom to learn and experience new aspects of life, a state where our craft is in everything we do.