On passion projects
To create — うつくしいものをつくりだす
The past 10 months have been the best time of my life.
I work on things I'm genuinely interested in.
It's energizing to work on passion projects. I'd love to talk about that.
I have no big success yet, but the past 10 months have taught me a few things:
In my 20s, I took my work too seriously and gave my all to every role I held at each company I worked for. I didn't have time to explore my passion. Or even learn new things out of curiosity. (Regret)
In contrast, I’m now learning things that I once thought were impossible — music, programming, Japanese, and animation.
Last night, my app (Silk: Simple Invoicing) got approved on the App Store.
When you work on a passion project, you start with an idea. Consider what small project you want to achieve. Then you'll have to learn new things along the way. In this condition, you learn new things because you're interested. It's more fun than learn new things with no real goal.
It's necessary to trade your time for money when you're still young. But save that money. Have enough money, so you can have the freedom to do anything in your 30s or 40s.
I don't think "retirement" is a good idea. I'd imagine myself getting bored for not doing anything.
I do think having the freedom to make is wonderful. You can wake up and decide what to work on. You can dream up an idea, hone your skills, and make it happen.
Enjoy the process of making it, rather than worrying about the output. Continue doing good work, and the results will follow.
By the way, if you need help or would like to discuss your career, feel free to reach out to me on Discord.
Budi
With a warm handshake.
Personal note: Meet Silk—a simple invoicing software for freelancers. It just got approved on the App Store. Super excited about it. Here’s the download link. You can try it, and it comes with a one-time lifetime purchase.
I love the app, even though I still wish it had a web version.
I understand it’s not that simple. A web app means more resources, more maintenance, more cost. Totally fair. But from a user perspective, web access just hits differently.
I’ve realized I naturally gravitate toward tools that live everywhere. Open a browser, log in, done. No install, no thinking. It fits my habit of switching devices without friction.
Also, I enjoy writing or managing things on a bigger screen. It just feels calmer and more intentional. Doing the same thing on a small screen works, but it always feels like a compromise. Maybe this is just me getting older, hahaha.
Still, the app itself already proves something important. A simple idea, executed well, is enough to make people care. The web version would just extend that experience, not define it.